Pope Francis replaces conservative Philadelphia archbishop.
“This is a moment of great joy for the people of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia,” he wrote. “Bishop Nelson Perez is a man who already knows and loves the Church in Philadelphia, and is already known and loved by our priests and people. I cannot think of a better successor to lead this Archdiocese.”
Francis, in recent years, has appointed like-minded clerics to run the archdioceses in Chicago and Newark in an effort to move the Catholic Church in the U.S. away from the traditionalist approach and make the church more inclusive and open to divorced and gay Catholics who have been treated in the past like pariahs.After Francis replaced Benedict in 2013, Chaput stated openly that there were grumblings in some corners about the new pope’s progressive approach..
Five years later, Chaput made headlines by calling on divorced Catholics, as well as gay Catholics, to abstain from sex even if they are married if they want to receive Communion.Chaput’s seven-page guideline was seen by many as a rebuttal to Francis’ “Joy of Love,” which the Pope released three months earlier and which encouraged priests to show “pastoral discernment” to civilly remarried Catholics who want to receive Communion.
Like Chaput, Francis has spoken out against gay marriage, but the pope also called for an end to “unjust discrimination” against homosexuals.
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