Pope
Francis has said he has another two or three years left before going to “the House
of the Father”.
When journalists asked Pope about how he
perceives his “intense popularity”, he said he “thanks the Lord that His people
are happy and for the generosity of the people”. “Inside, I try to think of my sins and my
mistakes so as to not believe that… because I know that this will not last
long, two or three years, and then, to the House of the Father,” he said in an impromptu press conference aboard the papal plane after his
visit to Korea .
On persecution of Christians by fundamentalists of the
Islamic State (IS):
It is legitimate to
halt the unjust aggressor. The methods used to halt the aggressor are to be
evaluated. In these cases we must not forget how many times with the excuse of
halting the unjust aggressor (…) have powerful nations taken possession of
peoples and waged a war of conquest!” A single nation cannot judge how to stop
an unjust aggressor. The United Nations is the right venue to discuss the
issue. Persecuted Christians are close to his heart… there are also other
minorities suffering persecution, and they all have the same rights.
On traveling to Kurdistan :
Pope said he is ready
to do so if it is deemed a good thing to do. At the moment, however, he pointed
to the various initiatives undertaken by the Vatican , such as sending Cardinal
Fernando Filoni, writing to the UN Secretary General, and writing a personal
communiqué that was sent to all the nunciatures and governments in the
area.
On tensions and internal war in many nations:
Today, we are in a world at war – everywhere! It
is a world at war where these cruelties are carried out. Today, children don’t
count. Once, one spoke of conventional warfare. Today, this doesn’t count. I am not saying conventional warfare is a
good thing, no. But today a bomb goes
off and you have an innocent killed with the guilty one, the child, with the
woman, with the mother… they kill everyone. The level of mankind’s cruelty at
this moment is a little frightening.
Today, torture is one of the most – I’d say –
ordinary methods of behavior of the intelligence services, of judicial
process. And torture is a sin against
humanity; it is a crime against humanity. And to Catholics, I say: to torture a
person is a mortal sin; it is a grave sin!
On relations with China :
Pope Francis said he
happened to be in the cockpit when the plane was about to enter Chinese
airspace. He said he “prayed intensely for that noble and wise people”. His
thoughts turned to the Jesuits and to Father Matteo Ricci and expressed his
love for the Chinese people. He also referred to the letter written by Benedict
XVI regarding relations with China
and said this letter is still very up-to-date and it is good idea to read it
again. The Holy See is always open to be in touch, because it has true esteem
for the Chinese people.
On his next trip:
He referred to the
history of Albania ,
which was unique among the communist nations in that its Constitution foresaw
practical atheism. If you went to Mass, it was anti-constitutional” he said.
And he recalled that 1820, churches were destroyed in Albania . So,
today he feels the need to go there. Pope Francis also mentioned his desire to
travel to Philadelphia next year for the World
Meeting of Families and said he has received a “shower” of invitations from
across the world including New York , Mexico and Spain . But, he said, nothing has
been decided yet.
On relationship with Benedict XVI:
(I) visited him
before departure for Korea
and discussed theological questions. Benedict’s resignation a noble, humble and
courageous gesture… (I) would consider doing the same. He opened a door which
is 'institutional' not 'exceptional' ”.
On tough work schedule and vacation:
He said he has taken
some vacation time at home… (I) read an interesting book about being “happy to
be neurotic".
I have some neuroses and
you need to treat them well. I am a bit too attached to life. The last time (I) had taken a vacation with
the Jesuit community outside Buenos
Aires was in 1975.
When (I) take time off now from busy schedule, I sleep more, read the
things that I like, listen to music, pray more… In July and part of August I
did this and it’s ok.
On what he does every
day while in the Vatican and
the Santa Marta
guesthouse:
I think I’m free…There are the office, the
work appointments… Sure, I’d like to be able to go out, but it’s not possible,
not possible.” Within Santa Marta , I have a normal life of work,
rest, chatting. There are reasons for some of the constraints though “some walls
have fallen.”
On his latest encyclical
on the environment in the works:
It has been written
with much collaboration from Cardinal Peter Turkson (President of the
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace) and others, and it is still being
revised. It is “one-third longer than ‘Evangelii Gaudium’ and that it posed
many difficult questions, because it is
possible to discuss the stewardship of creation and ecology with clarity “only
to a certain point, but then scientific hypotheses come into play, some
feasible, and others perhaps not”. An encyclical that must adhere to the
Magisterium must be based only on certainties.
On invocation of peace in Holy Land that took place in Vatican :
It was not a failure. The event sprung from the political
leaders themselves, who could not find the right place to do it. Initially they
wanted to organize it when the Pope was in the Holy Land
in May in a neutral venue like the Nunciature. But that would have posed problems
as the president of the State of Palestine would have had to enter Israel and it
was not easy. So they said to me: “Let’s do it in the Vatican !” the
Pope said. They are both men of peace. They are convinced that the only way
forward is the way of negotiation and dialogue. And today that door is still
open… were there to open the door of prayer. Peace is a gift and it was
important to show humanity that the way of negotiation and dialogue is
important, and it is not possible without prayer. Today, we cannot see that
door through the smoke of the bombs, but it is open.
