Accusation of heresy in religion against Pope Francis

In a letter sent to the Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference, Pope Francis has been accused of "heresy in religion" and of 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 theologians, have accused Pope Francis, the leader of the world's Catholics, of heresy in Christianity. In an open letter to the Roman Catholic Conference, they have asked them to conduct an investigation into the Initiate the "sin of heresy" and take "necessary measures" to prevent the Pope from continuing "heresy in the religion."

The signatories of this letter are a group of 19 people consisting of priests, theologians, philosophers, and scientists from other fields.

The letter lists seven areas of Christian doctrine and science in which the signatories believe the Pope has committed heresy and acted "against the law of God," both in word and deed.

The authors of the letter focus on parts of the Pope's encyclical "Amoris Laetitia," published in 2016. In it, the Pope called for less strict treatment of divorced or remarried Catholics. The letter sparked much debate both at the time of its publication and since.

The Pope stated in this letter that no one can be considered eternally condemned. The Catholic clergy who signed the letter considered the Pope to be heretical, especially in the view that the Pope believes that a Catholic, with full knowledge and faith in the moral laws established by God, can break some laws and still not commit a grave sin.

The signatories of the letter to the bishops say they have a “duty” to act and eliminate this “scourge.” They are calling for an “official warning” to the Pope to abandon the current practice.

Pope Francis's approach has been met with resistance and criticism from a section of the Catholic Church in recent years. Among the Pope's "revolutionary" decisions are his easing of divorce laws for Catholics and his decree on "abortion."

The authors of the letter accusing the pope of heresy point out that the Catholic Church has a long tradition of dealing with “heresy,” which has sometimes led to the issuance of a decree of “apostasy.” They point to the case of Pope Honorius I, who was declared an apostate by Pope Leo II in the seventh century after his death.

Source: DW