Forbes raise Pope Francis to fourth most powerful person in world by misrepresenting his words on abortion and gay marriage
Forbes magazine has published their ‘World’s Most Powerful People List for 2013′ which ranks Pope Francis the fourth most powerful in the world, and the world’s most powerful Latino. Pope Benedict was ranked #5 in 2012 and #7 in 2011, so what explains Forbes raising Pope Francis to fourth position in their subjective list? The explanation can be found in their profile of Pope Francis’ achievements, in which they misrepresent his words on abortion, contraception and gay marriage:
‘The March 2013 election of Pope Francis has breathed new energy into the world’s largest religion with 1.2 billion followers. The first Jesuit and Latin American Bishop of Rome preaches compassion for the poor and a greater role for women while signaling the church to quiet its focus on “only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptives.” He has embraced social media, regularly using Twitter to dispense religious advice to his 3-plus million followers and is responsible for the world’s first papal “selfie.” Born in Buenos Aires as one of five children to an Italian immigrant railway worker, Pope Francis (né Jorge Mario Bergoglio) cheers Argentina’s San Lorenzo de Almagro soccer club.
Pope Francis did not say in his La Civiltà Cattolica interview that the Church must ‘quiet its focus on “only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptives’, the Holy Father actually said, ‘We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible. I have not spoken much about these things, and I was reprimanded for that. But when we speak about these issues, we have to talk about them in a context. The teaching of the church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time.’
Pope Francis also said in the same interview, ‘ ”Abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods…I have not spoken much about these things. The teaching of the Church…is clear and I am a son of the Church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time…’
The very next day after the release of his La Civiltà Cattolica interview Pope Francis spoke out strongly against the evil of abortion,
‘Each child that is unborn, but is unjustly condemned to be aborted, bears the face of Jesus Christ, bears the face of the Lord, who, even before he was born, and then as soon as he was born experienced the rejection of the world.’
The Holy Father also exhorted medical professionals to openly resist abortion and the culture of death,
‘“Yours is a unique vocation and mission, which requires study, conscience and humanity,” he said. “A widespread mentality of profits, the ‘culture of waste’, which now enslaves the hearts and minds of many, has a very high cost: it requires the elimination of human beings, especially if they are physically or socially weaker”
Pope Francis also encouraged a meeting of the Pontifical Academy for Life to have courage to speak out in defence of the sanctity of life:
‘He told us to always remember that today we must go against the tide, because unfortunately the culture that exists does not respect life in all its stages, doesn’t recognize the value of life, but rather efficiency,” the archbishop said. “He told us that in being aware of this, we have great courage to continue forward.”
Protect the Pope comment: Forbes, as the house journal of the power elites, is saying loud and clear that the Church will be honoured and awarded prestige if she quietens her voice on abortion, contraception and gay marriage. This is a profound insult to Pope Francis who knows full well that to be quiet on the sanctity of life and the dignity of conjugal love would be to make a pact with the Devil. Protect the Pope wonders what Pope Francis’ reaction to being listed with the world’s power elites, alongside President Obama, President Putin and the general secretary of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping?
http://www.forbes.com/profile/pope-francis/