Case in point, a brief press conference on Monday aboard the papal plane from the Philippines to Rome, when Francis sounded off, in his very unpope-like way, on birth control, corruption and kicking grifters where the sun don’t shine.
Here are those and several more eye-opening comments from Francis over his nearly two years as pope.
Catholic parents shouldn’t be ‘rabbits’
Answering a question about birth control on Monday, Francis said that parents shouldn’t procreate endlessly, trusting in God that it will all work out, even if they have health problems.
“But God gives you methods to be responsible,” Francis said. “Some think that, excuse me if I use that word, that in order to be good Catholics we have to be like rabbits. No. Responsible parenthood.”
That doesn’t mean the Pope supports artificial birth control, though. Instead, the church preaches natural methods of preventing pregnancies.
Punching provocateurs
On this way to the Philippines last week, Francis was asked about terrorist attack on the French magazine Charlie Hebdo earlier this month. While denouncing the attack, the Pope said there are limits to free speech.
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“We all chat in church,” the pope said. “As Christians we chat.”
“It is as if we want to put each other down,” Francis continued. “Instead of growing, one makes the other feel small while I feel great. That will not do.”
Gossip, the pope said, is like honey. It tastes sweet at first, but large doses deliver stomach aches.
Throwing food away is stealing from the poor
The first Latin American pope has made fighting poverty a top priority of his papacy. Scarcely a speech or homily ends without a mention of the poor and marginalized .
Last June, Francis lambasted a “culture of waste” in which consumerism trumps compassion, people become just another disposable object, and little care is given to those who need help.
“This culture of waste has made us insensitive even to the waste and disposal of food, which is even more despicable when all over the world many individuals and families are suffering from hunger and malnutrition. ” Francis said. “We should all remember, however, that throwing food away is like stealing from the tables of the poor, the hungry.”
