Blog Post #12: Church in the Present

What were some of the main points in Thomas Groome’s book, “What Makes Us Catholic?” Do you agree/disagree and why?
Some of the main points from Groome's book that I agree with is that we are all spiritual beings and we need to nurture our spirituality by praying and meditating.  In the section that I took notes, this is what he talked about and I took some of his advice.  He said that people who take time out of their day to rest and pray, even if it is 10 minutes, are much healthier physically and mentally than those who do not.  I now try to pray every day to stabilize my mind, whether that be by meditating, saying a prayer, or just speaking with God.  He explained how everyone has to find their own style of praying because no one person is the same.  Another statement he said that I agreed with is that we have to accept other religions because they are all the same in that prayer helps us make peace within ourselves.  We can take forms of prayer from other religion and implement them in our daily prayers.  An example of this is taking the meditation practice from Buddhism.

What were some new things that you learned about Pope Francis from the video clips?
Before watching this video, I knew that Pope Francis was the Pope and that he was from Argentina.  I have learned from religion class that he likes change and does not have the more conservative views

This is the Argentinian flag, where Pope Francis was from.

of the Church.  From the video, I learned many new things about his life before becoming Pope and how great of a person he was and still is.  Papism has not changed him in any way whatsoever, he spreads his love to all people.  When he was priest and Archbishop of Argentina he worked with the bad parts of the country, parts that other archbishops would tend to pass over.  He was not like other archbishops, his focus was specifically on those that were poor, in prison, in hospitals, in nursing homes, and many other people.  He is the type of person that makes an effort to create a relationship with the people and would not forget a face or great moment.

What are different changes that Pope Francis is making to the way popes usually do things?

Pope Francis is bringing awareness to Global Climate Change
by establishing the Laudato Si'.

Pope Francis's papacy is characterized by change and humbleness.  He does not want to seem above everyone else just because he is Pope, he wants to let people know that we are all one under God and are the same in our beliefs.  He talks about issues that the Church never really was involved in before, such as climate change and the differences between Church and Science.  By writing the Laudato Si', Pope Francis brought climate change to everyone's attention and showed that the Church cares about current issues.  He has started to accept the LGBTQ+ community to the Church, something that was never accepted before.  Francis is not afraid to change the views of the Church because She cannot be stuck in the past, while the world is changing around Her.

What hopes do you have for the present day Catholic Church?

The hopes that I have for the present day Catholic Church is to accept everyone and accept change.  The Catholic Church, along with Pope Francis, is working on changing every day.  The Church cannot be so conservative like it was before, because it cannot stay in the past while the world is changing.  The Church will get left behind if it stays the same.  I also hope that the present day Catholic Church can accept more women coming into Catholicism.  I want women to have a bigger part in the Church and be able to become priestesses or maybe even bishops or cardinals.  The Church today is doing a good job of changing, but there is still more that needs to be done.

Pariona, Amber. “What Is The Capital of Argentina?” WorldAtlas, 2 Aug. 2017, www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-the-capital-of-argentina.html.

Edizioni Piemme. “Raccontare L'enciclica Ai Ragazzi.” Edizioni Piemme, www.edizpiemme.it/blog/raccontare-lenciclica-ai-ragazzi.