From the only reliable source of Catholic news on the net, Eye of the Tiber:
Pope Francis on Monday warned against the excessive rigidity of the Ten Commandments and said “God gives us the freedom to search our own conscience for commandments.”
“I always try to understand what’s behind people who are too young to have seen Moses walk down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments, and yet still they want to obey them,” Francis said. “Sometimes I find myself confronted with a very legalistic person who follows the Commandments and I ask myself, ‘Why so much rigidity?’ This rigidity in following the Commandments always hides something, insecurity or even something else.”
Pope Francis went on to say that, “Behind an attitude of always feeling like you must follow the rigidity of the Commandments there is something else in the life of a person. The Commandments are not a gift of God. The Beatitudes are because they are not a list of rules that stiffen us and make us rigid; they make us feel good.”
Go here to read the comments. PopeWatch wonders if this is related to a new version of the Ten Commandments PopeWatch received from a correspondent calling himself Cardinal Screwtape:
1. I am the Lord Thy god. Thou shalt have no other gods before me, but it is cool if you want to mix false gods with My worship in an ecumenical service.
2. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain, and so it is best not to say My Name at all, even in your churches I should be ignored.
3. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, unless you are getting double time for your work in which case I understand!
4. Honour thy father and thy mother, unless it is really inconvenient.
5. Thou shalt not kill, unless the person being killed hasn’t been born yet.
6. Thou shalt not commit adultery, unless your situation is pastorally complicated.
7. Thou shalt not steal, unless you are the government or the poor.
8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour, unless he or she really had it coming.
9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, unless your situation is pastorally complicated.
10.Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s, unless he is a member of the one percent in which case you may plunder him, the bastard.
Parody, sarcasm and irony notwithstanding, those are Jorge Bergoglio’s Ten Commandments.
May be the holy Spirit gave us such a nut job for a pope to awaken us to the demonically fuleled relativism that has invaded the Church. St. Michael the Archangel, Defend us!
Mike C., I think it’s ” the Holy Spirit … Permitted … the Cardinals to select…. ”
and you’re right. 🙂
Pope Francis needs emergency treatment from the Holy Spirit. Come quickly Holy Spirit and help poor Pope Francis. He seems confused and is confusing some of us.
The Commandments are not a gift of God. The Beatitudes are because they are not a list of rules that stiffen us and make us rigid; they make us feel good.” Is he not an ‘Antichrist’?
Wish I could ask him…”Does your interpretation mean we should “kind of” honor our father and mother?” … or more-or-less not steal???? I’d like to know who voted to elect this guy! How embarrassing
I’m really old and I pray that this is someone’s idea of a bad joke. Please say it’s not true I hate to think that this is what the Catholic church and our pope and leaders has become. God save us all!!!!!
I’m really old and I hope that this is someone’s idea of a sick joke. I can’t believe that our pope would actually say something like this. This is very upsetting to the faithful followers of our lord Jesus Christ. Dear God help us please!!!!!