Letter to the Pilgrim People of God in Germany<\/em>.] I did it on my own: a month of prayer, reflection, consultation. And I said everything I had to say about the Synodal Way. I will not say more than that, that letter I wrote two years ago is the Papal Magisterium on the Synodal Way. I\u00a0went over the Curia, since I didn’t carry out consultations [in the Curia], nothing. I did it as my own journey, as a pastor [on behalf of] a Church that is seeking the way, as a brother, as a father, and as a believer.”<\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>(6) The 6th journalist asked about Italian politics and the recent resignation of Prime Minister Mario Draghi<\/strong>, as the country, with many feeling the harsh effects of inflation and unchecked immigration, turning against Draghi’s “Euro-centric” leadership. The Pope says: “I do not want to meddle in Italian internal politics.”<\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>(7)<\/strong> The 7th journalist, a writer for Religious News Service<\/em>, based in the United States, raises the question of contraception. “Many Catholics, but also many theologians, think that development is needed in the Church’s doctrine regarding contraceptives,” the journalist begins. “It would seem that even your predecessor, John Paul I<\/strong>, thought that a total ban perhaps needs to be reconsidered. What are your thoughts on this, in the sense: Are you open, in short, to a reevaluation in this regard?”<\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Pope Francis<\/strong> then goes into a long, somewhat rambling discourse on why there is always a need for “development” in doctrine, and that it is wrong to imagine the Church can simply point to “tradition” \u2014 because “development” is needed and inevitable. (You will find the Pope’s reasoning in his long answer.) This suggested to many observers that the Pope’s answer to the question is “yes,” that he is, in fact, “open, in short, to a reevaluation (of the Church’s teaching on contraception),” and this is why this answer led to many media reports that the Church may be considering some change (development) in her doctrine on the morality, or immorality, of contraception. So it may be worthwhile to read the Pope’s answer to this question.<\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>(8) <\/strong>The 8th journalist then asks another question about the Pope’s possible resignation. The Pope says, essentially, that that decision will be up to the Holy Spirit. Then, having mentioned the Holy Spirit, almost as in a stream of consciousness, Francis goes on at some length to speak about the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church, saying the Holy Spirit brings unity in the Church, yes, but even more so, a “harmony” (which maintains unity even when there are differences), a spiritual harmony which reconciles differing groups and trends within the Church.<\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>(9) <\/strong>The 9th journalist once again returns to the question of the Pope’s possible resignation, and Francis more or less sidesteps the question, once again. Then he shifts the subject himself, saying he wishes to say something about women in the Church, moved by his experience in Canada is the figure of St. Anne, mother of Mary.<\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>And this is where he goes on a long reflection on the role of women in the Church.<\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>He says:<\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“It is the mother or grandmother who teaches how to pray. It is the mother or grandmother who explains the first things that the child does not understand about the faith. And I can say that this dialectal transmission of faith is feminine.<\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“Someone may say to me: but theologically how do you explain it?<\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“Because, I would say, [that] the one who transmits the faith is the Church, and the Church is a woman, the Church is bride, the Church is not male, the Church is woman. And we have to enter into that train of thought of the Church-woman, the Mother Church, which is more important than any masculine ministerial fantasy or any masculine power.<\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“The\u00a0Mater<\/em>\u00a0Church, the Church’s maternity, which is the image of the Mother of the Lord.”<\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>So, that is a brief summary of this press conference.<\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>[End, brief commentary on the Pope’s press conference. Full transcript below.<\/em>]<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Pope Francis listens to a question from Claire Giangrave of Religion News Service as he talks with journalists aboard his flight from Iqaluit, Nunavut, to Rome July 29, 2022. (CNS photo\/Paul Haring)<\/p><\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Here is the complete transcript, as it appeared in Vatican News.<\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>***<\/strong><\/p>\n