Pope imposes tighter controls on events of Franciscan monks

[emad]

By Daniel Williams, Washington Post | December 4, 2005

ASSISI, Italy -- Imams, rabbis, Buddhist monks, Hindu holy men, and followers of Confucius have strolled the chalky white and pink stone courtyards of the massive basilica here. Antiglobalization activists with raised fists and Communist atheists carrying Marxist texts have conversed with gentle Catholic monks.

Alerts Peace marches and conferences on economic development, bioethics and myriad other topics have unfolded, all under the auspices of the Franciscan monks who control the shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi, the much-beloved and storied founder of the Franciscan order.

Such gatherings, particularly a pair of interfaith meetings between world religious officials and Pope John Paul II, attracted wide media attention. Some drew heated controversy, such as a 2003 visit by Tariq Aziz, Iraq's deputy prime minister at a time when the United States was gearing up to invade his country. Aziz, a Christian, lit a candle in a church.

With a stroke of the pen earlier this month, Pope Benedict XVI put the future of such varied -- some would say freewheeling -- events in question, according to Roman Catholic observers, both those who favor Franciscan activism and those who oppose it.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2005/12/04/pope_imposes_tighter_controls_on_events_of_franciscan_monks/

[TriMetFan]

1. As a Franciscan Catholic I wonder.....

how much longer we will last in the Roman Catholic Church. I think this Pope has forgot that he is only a man and not God!:mad:

[kedrys]

2. Can we get the Jesuits to riot?

Iconoclasts par excellence, Jesuits have never been shy about telling the Church to go soak its head.

[TriMetFan]

3. May-be

[CatholicEdHead]

4. I do not agree with this but I do see the church politics this comes from

In that the current "orthodox Catholic" movement still in asendency thrives on following orders from above. While autonomous until now, I see nothing that made the Franciscans go against Church doctorine of the last 50 or so years. Of course the "orthodox Catholic" movement wants to crack down on diversity of views with more and more pushes towards a pre-Vatican II church.