Father Seán Connolly, priest at the church of Saint Margaret of Cortona in the Bronx, told Newsmax on Tuesday that while he doesn't see the Roman Catholic Church getting more progressive under a new Papacy, he cautions that the chatter around progressive vs. conservative Popes is a trap.
Connolly joined "National Report" to react to the death of Pope Francis and the controversial legacy he leaves behind, particularly on social issues.
"I do not see it going more progressively. And you know, I think we need to be careful because the church isn't a political institution. Obviously, it's human; there's political elements to it. But there really is no such thing as a Republican Pope versus a Democratic Pope, right?" Connolly said. "The changing of Papacy isn't like the changing of presidential administrations in the United States government. We profess the one and the same faith, and the mission of the Pope is to confirm or to strengthen us in that one and the same faith."
However, many are speaking of a return to normalcy and conservative values that had been the hallmark and foundation of the Catholic Church prior to Pope Francis.
"No Pope ever said that same-sex couples deserve a blessing as couples. No Pope ever said people divorced and remarried deserve to receive communion," Father Gerald Murray told Newsmax on Monday.
Further, Pope Francis also spoke out against climate change and criticized the Trump administration's efforts in curtailing illegal immigration, among other issues.
Connolly, however, spoke of something greater.
"But I think what the signs of the times demand, perhaps, is that the church challenges the times," he said. "I think young people, especially today, if they hear the voice of God and are looking to be faithful to Him and to be religious, you know, they want a church that doesn't move or change with the world, but rather a church that has a prophetic voice that seeks to change the world, that calls the world back to God, back to moral living that assures, you know, a happiness and a stability and an order in this life and ultimately eternity in the next.
"And my sense is that's what young people are looking for … that's their desire," Connolly added.
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