Pope Francis Accused of Religious Heresy
In a letter sent to the Assembly of Bishops in Rome, Pope Francis has been accused of “religious heresy” and creating one of the “worst crises in the history of the Catholic Church.”
A number of priests and clergy of the Catholic Church, as well as philosophers and theology experts, have accused Pope Francis, the leader of Catholics worldwide, of heresy in Christianity in a letter. In an open letter to the Assembly of Bishops in Rome, they have asked them to launch investigations into the “sin of heresy” and take “necessary measures” to prevent the Pope from continuing “heretical practices” in his faith.
The signatories of this letter consist of a group of 19 people including priests, theology experts, philosophers, and scholars from other fields.
The letter lists seven areas of Christian doctrine and science in which the signatories believe the Pope has committed heresy both in word and deed, and has acted “against God’s law.”
The focus of the letter’s authors is on sections of the Pope’s apostolic exhortation titled “Amoris Laetitia,” published in 2016. In this document, the Pope called for less strictness toward divorced or remarried Catholics. This writing generated extensive debate both at the time of its publication and afterward.
In this exhortation, the Pope stated that no one can be condemned forever. Catholic clergy who signed this letter have considered the Pope’s heresy to be especially evident in his view that a Catholic, with full awareness and faith in the moral laws established by God, could break some laws and still not commit a grave sin.
The signatories of the letter, addressing the bishops, say they have a “duty” to act and eliminate this “scourge.” They have called for a “formal warning” to the Pope to cease his current approach and practice.
Pope Francis’s approach in recent years has consistently faced resistance and criticism from some quarters of the Catholic Church. Among the Pope’s “revolutionary” decisions are making divorce laws easier for Catholics and his decree regarding “abortion.”
The authors of the letter in which the Pope is accused of heresy have recalled that the Catholic Church has previously had a long-standing tradition of dealing with “heresy,” which has sometimes led to pronouncements of “apostasy.” They reference the case of Pope Honorius I, who in the seventh century was, after his death, declared apostate by Pope Leo II.
Source: DW
