Pope says he prays for those who call him a heretic

Vatican City, Feb 15, 2018 / 12:50 pm

Pope Francis told Jesuits in Chile last month that he's willing to have discussions with people who disagree with him, but that when people just shout 'heretic', he prays for them instead.

"When I perceive resistance, I try to dialogue, when dialogue is possible; but some resistance comes from people who believe they have the true doctrine and they accuse you of being a heretic."

"When in these people, for what they say or write, I do not find spiritual goodness, I simply pray for them. I feel sorry, but I do not dwell on this feeling…" the Pope said in a conversation with Jesuits in Chile, published in the Jesuit journal La Civilta' Cattolica Feb. 15.

Francis' comment was part of a Jan. 16 conversation with around 90 Jesuits in Chile. The private encounter took place on the first full day of his apostolic visit to Chile and Peru Jan. 15-21.

In the meeting Francis answered a question about what resistance he's encountered during his pontificate and how he's responded to it.

"Faced with difficulty I never say that it is a 'resistance,' because it would mean giving up [the process of] discernment," he said, pointing out that to do so is to dismiss the "shred of truth" that is often at the heart of conflict.

To help with this in discussions, he said he often asks a person, "What do you think?" This helps him to put into context things that at first seem "like resistance, but in reality, are a reaction that arises from a misunderstanding, from the fact that some things must be repeated, explained better..." he said.

The Pope also noted that misunderstandings or conflict are sometimes his own fault, as when he considers something to be obvious, or makes a logical leap without explaining the process well, thinking the other person has understood his reasoning.

"I realize that, if I go back and explain it better, then at that point the other says, 'Ah, yes, all right…' In short, it is very helpful to examine well the sense of the conflict," he stated.

Francis acknowledged that when there is real resistance, he feels sorry, noting that the temptation to resist change is something we've all experienced at one point or another.

Nothing new, resistance to the Second Vatican Council is real, he said, trying to "relativize" or "water down the Council."

He said he's aware of the "campaigns" against Vatican II, but he does not read the websites "of this so-called 'resistance.'"

"I know who I am, I know the groups, but I do not read them, simply for my mental health. If there's something very serious, they inform me so that I know it," he said. "It's a disappointment but we have to move on."