Poll suggests most people wrongly believe Pope Francis backs gay ‘marriage’ - confusion generated intentionally by media
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| Español: Intercambio de anillos entre los novios (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
A considerable majority of U.S. Catholics are in conflict with
Church teaching on abortion and marriage, a new study says, and a startling
number of those also believe Pope Francis backs homosexual “marriage.”
Despite Church teachings, Catholics in America also closely
parallel the general populace in their support for abortion and homosexual
“marriage,” falling short in the Biblical call to be “in the world but not of
the world.”
The findings suggest what many Catholics
have said is a climate of confusion in the midst of the Francis
pontificate. Concerns over that confusion prompted a coalition of pro-family
groups to respond with an international petition effort asking the
popeto reaffirm Church teaching, drawing more than a half-million
signatures.
The survey,
conducted by Public Religions Research Institute, found that 60 percent of all
U.S. Catholics favor legalized homosexual “marriage,” compared to 55 percent of
all Americans. Likewise, 51 percent of Catholics think that abortion should be
legal in all or most cases, with 53 percent of the general population holding
this view.
The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is a sacramental union
between one man and one woman, mirroring Christ and the Church respectively as
bridegroom and bride.
The Church also teaches that life begins at conception, that
each human life possesses dignity as a child of God and is to be afforded
protection, making abortion an intrinsic evil.
Catholics, accounting for 22 percent of adults in the U.S.
population, have a favorable view of Pope Francis, the study said, but they are
very confused about his take on homosexual “marriage.”
Of the Catholics who back homosexual “marriage,” 49-percent also
think the leader of the Catholic Church backs it along with them. Fifteen
percent of those Catholics who oppose homosexual “marriage” also mistakenly
believe Pope Francis supports it.
Pope
Francis has made numerous statements in support of life, marriage and family, but the
confusion remains.
"After Ireland and the U.S. Supreme Court both approved
same-sex 'marriage,' a strong reaffirmation of Church teaching could save the
sacred institution of marriage, strengthen the family and dispel the lies of
the homosexual revolution," TFP Student Action Director John Ritchie
stated. "Young Catholics -- even non-Catholics -- look to the Church
as a beacon of morality and stability in our Godless culture, but some of our
shepherds have issued confusing statements."
TFP Student Action is a part of the lay Catholic organization
American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property, and is part
of the alliance behind theFilial
Appeal, the petition asking the Holy Father to reinforce Catholic
teaching at the Vatican’s upcoming Synod on the Family in October.
Ritchie explained how the confusion was aiding the Church’s
enemies, and warned of the potential consequences.
"This prayerful petition asks Pope Francis to clear up the
moral confusion that's been spreading against Natural and Divine Law," he
said. "If the enemies of the family continue to chip away at holy
matrimony, the future of the family and civilization itself will be in even
more serious peril."
At press time more than 500,000 signature had been gathered for
the appeal, including five cardinals, 117 bishops and hundreds of well-known
civic leaders.
