Two Little Boys

Yesterday the pope engaged in an outdoors address of a parish in Rome.  A little boy named Emanuele addressed a question to Pope Francis regarding his atheist father who just died.  In a nutshell the pope dismissed the necessity for baptism and belief in Jesus Christ to attain salvation.  I needn't rehash what other bloggers have already adroitly done.  Suffice it to say that I agree with Louie Verrechio in saying that much of this event was staged.  The little boy may well have been concerned about his father, but the language he used was rather advanced for a six-year-old.  Gloria TV states that while God does not abandon the sinner, it's the sinner who abandons God.

Now on to the other little boy.

His name is Alfie Evans.  He is a sick little boy in England, in the clutches of the so-called "national health service".  The latter has been chomping at the bit to murder Alfie by disconnecting his life support over the objections of his parents.  The pope has finally weighed in on the matter - sort of!  He yapped and yammered about "delicate situations, very painful and complex" and "joint efforts of families, doctors.."  He absolutely refused to utter clear teaching from the Church.  The teaching is clear - nothing "complex" about it.  Have you ever noticed that when people don't want to admit to clear standards of right versus wrong in a given situation, they claim it's "complex"?  They do so only to avoid being held accountable for conformity and obedience to truth.  We also are treated to nonsense about "joint efforts".  But who has the authority over a child?  Clearly it's the parents - yet the pope did not state that.  Does he not believe that?

Both Emanuele and Alfie have suffered immense disservice from this pope.  In Emanuele's case he was denied the truth regarding heaven and the necessity for believing.  In Alfie's case he was denied a voice needed to perhaps save his life.