Pope Francis spoke on Ash Wednesday to a gathering of the faithful during his general audience at the Vatican.
As Christians of various denominations around the world enter the Lenten period of fasting preceding Easter, the pope told crowds that the politicization of the gospel must be avoided.
“Every choice, every use, every structure and tradition has to be evaluated if they favor the proclamation of Christ,” the pope said at the audience.
Pope Francis then denounced the use of the Gospel as an in-group or club, stating that Christianity cannot become a mere ideology.
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Pope Francis warns that the Church must not become partisan. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
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Pope Francis says the Gospel “is not an idea” or “an ideology”. (Photo by Massimo Valicchia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“Be careful. The Gospel is not an idea. The Gospel is not an ideology,” he continued. “The Gospel is an announcement that touches the heart and makes the heart change. You are making the Gospel a political party, an ideology, a club”.
The pontiff recently raised the ire of traditionalist Catholic communities after the Vatican issued additional guidelines on celebrating the Latin Mass.
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Pope Francis says that without the Holy Spirit “everything remains soulless”. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
The Holy See has tightened its grip on the approval process of mass Latino communities, many of whom Pope Francis has run into with perceived disobedience and misstep by the wider Catholic Church.
“Because, as a Church, we can have well-defined times and spaces, well-organized communities, institutes and movements, but without the Spirit everything remains soulless”, he continued. “The organization […] is not enough. It is the Spirit who gives life to the Church.
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Discussing his mandate at the Holy See during a trip to Africa earlier this month, Pope Francis said he has no plans to retire and that the papacy should ideally be maintained until death.
“I believe that the pope’s ministry is ad vitam [Latin: for life]. I don’t see why it shouldn’t be like this,” Pope Francis told a group of Jesuits during his apostolic visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
