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Views from the Choir Loft

Pope Francis in Context

Fr. David Friel · October 6, 2013

HERE IS NO GOD. Is that a surprising statement? Not something you were expecting to read on this blog? Well, it is a quote right out of the Bible. It’s from Psalm 14: “There is no God.” Of course, if you read the whole verse, what it really says is this: “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” The context changes everything, doesn’t it?

Nearly everyone is aware of the interviews Pope Francis has given in recent weeks, but surprisingly few have read the texts for themselves. The reality is that most Catholics are getting their sense of Pope Francis not from Pope Francis, but from the media, which can be dangerous. As the example of Psalm 14 shows, context really matters.

I’ve seen the news and read the interviews, and there is one thing that has disturbed me more than anything else. A number of headlines and articles mentioned that the Pope made remarks about “abortion, gay marriage, and the use of contraceptive methods.” That is true. He said, “It is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time.” But, in the same sentence, a number of news outlets quoted the Holy Father talking about “small-minded church rules.” The obvious implication—what anyone reading the news story would think—is that Francis said that Church teachings on abortion, homosexual unions, and contraception amount to “small-minded church rules.” In fact, though, the two different quotes come from completely separate parts of the interview, many paragraphs apart. The two thoughts, in the context of the interview, are totally unrelated.

What did Pope Francis mean by “small-minded church rules”? I’m not sure, and I won’t presume to put words in his mouth. It is no surprise that the Church does have rules. For example: the faithful are required to fast for an hour before receiving Holy Communion; Confirmation sponsors are supposed to be at least 16 years old; every Catholic must either abstain from meat or do another act of penance every Friday. I don’t view those rules as small-minded. The salvation of all the world may not hinge on them, but they are sensible rules.

But it is not a Church rule that killing children is wrong. That is a Divine Law and a dictate of natural reason. Neither is the invalidity of homosexual unions a Church rule, much less small-minded. It is not the rule of the Church, but rather the Law of God, written upon our hearts, that contraception is a grave moral evil.

Pope Francis is right when he said in his interview: “It is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time.” But we do have to talk about these things some of the time. In my role as a priest, and in every Christian’s role as a disciple of Christ, we cannot shy away from talking about important things, even when we know we might upset folks. Today is “Respect Life Sunday”—a good opportunity to talk about the importance of protecting and preserving human life. I think Pope Francis is challenging us not only to proclaim Church teachings on these topics, but also to explain the reason for them in fundamental, compelling ways. If people understood the immeasurable worth of the human person, they would never consider abortion a legitimate “choice.” If people understood what men & women are really doing when they offer each other the gift of themselves, they would never consider artificial birth control acceptable.

I have quoted a particular English hymn here on “Views from the Choir Loft” before. The title is “Help Us, O Lord, to Learn,” and I have found the lyrics to be quite thought provoking. The third verse goes like this:

Help us, O Lord, to teach the beauty of Thy ways, that yearning souls may find the Christ and sing aloud His praise.

Perhaps that is what Pope Francis would like us to do. Proclaim the unchanging truths of the faith, yes. But don’t forget to explain that these teachings are meant to bring us true happiness—in this life, and in the life to come. “Help us, O Lord, to teach the beauty of Thy ways”!

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Pope Francis Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and teaches liturgy at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony. — One of our volunteer choirs also sang that SANCTUS on 24 September 2023, and you can listen to how that came out.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Baptism” • A Unique Hymn
    Father Christopher Phillips is the founding Pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church. One of his hymns is unique and (in my humble opinion) quite beautiful. His hymn is basically a prayer to the Holy Trinity but also speaks of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. It would be an ideal Communion hymn on Trinity Sunday or the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. You can hear live recording from last Sunday by clicking here.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“We must say it plainly: the Roman rite as we knew it exists no more. It has gone. Some walls of the structure have fallen, others have been altered—we can look at it as a ruin or as the partial foundation of a new building. Think back, if you remember it, to the Latin sung High Mass with Gregorian chant. Compare it with the modern post-Vatican II Mass. It is not only the words, but also the tunes and even certain actions that are different. In fact it is a different liturgy of the Mass.”

— Fr. Joseph Gelineau (1978)

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