The Vatican press office has denied a claim made by Italian journalist Eugenio Scalfari that Pope Francis told him that he does not believe Jesus is God.
In an 8 Oct 2019 editorial in La Repubblica, Mr. Scalfari stated::
Anyone who has had the good fortune to meet with him and speak with him in utmost confidence—as I have done several times—knows that Pope Francis conceives of Christ as Jesus of Nazareth: a man, not an incarnate god. Once incarnate, Jesus ceases to be a god and become a man, until his death on the cross.
He went on to say that Francis told him “I am convinced that Jesus of Nazareth, once he became a man, although he was a man of exceptional virtue, was not a god at all.”
In response to the claim by the editor of La Repubblica, the Vatican press officer released a statement on 9 Oct 2019.
As has been affirmed on other occasions, the words that Dr. Eugenio Scalfari attributes between quotes to the Holy Father during his colloquies held with him cannot be considered a faithful account of what was effectively said, but represent more a personal and free interpretation of what heard, as appears entirely evident from what was written today concerning the divinity of Jesus Christ.
The claim the pope does not believe that Jesus is God, follows assertions over the past few years by Mr. Scalfari that the pope does not believe in the reality of hell; that the pontiff supports allowing divorced and remarried to receive Communion; and that Communists have the same essential values as Christians. A confessed atheist, Mr. Scalfari does not record his conversations with the pope, but writes his articles based upon his memory of the conversation. This newest claim is not a new statement by the pope, he said, but had been raised in a past discussion.
The Vatican press office has disputed the accuracy of these past claims also.
This journalist has a long history of “misreporting” what Pope Francis says.
Which is exactly why Pope Francis continues to use him to tell us what he really thinks.
The game is getting old.
Yes indeed, (if) the Pope still claims to be the Vicar of God and Head of the one true Church, why would the Vatican countenance a news system that allows the Pope’s views to be misrepresented; and maintains a body of Vatican officials who authoritatively interpret what the Pope actually meant!
I think in the non Christian world this is known as ‘covering all the bases..’
If it is hard to know what the Pope thinks about core Christian doctrine, that can only be because he is never seen or heard publicly voicing his adherence to it. He is allowing the Chinese Communist Party to appoint Catholic bishops. He has repeatedly defended Islam. There was the notorious incident last year when he carried a Wiccan stang at the Youth Synod, and wore a rainbow cross. Most recently there was the Amazon fiasco. The Pope is not a Christian. What about the anti-Christ? That seems to fit quite well. And yet one hears of disaffected Anglicans who are considering becoming Roman Catholics. Good grief! The apostacy! The idolatry!
PS: Capital G in the heading please George!
I am no supporter of Pope Francis. However, this journalist appears to be less than credible in reporting what Francis says. The goings-on around this Amazon synod are bad enough, without this reporting. I await the probably prepared-in-advance results of this synod with great trepidation.
Certainly any Anglicans who were considering becoming Roman Catholic may be discouraged from taking that step by Francis’s pontificate.
Why does he appear to be less than credible? He is the same journalist who has always reported what Francis has told him, faithfully, with the Vatican Press Office always jumping in the next day to say that Francis didn’t really mean what he said.
If this reporter were less than credible, Francis would have stopped talking to him years ago, instead of continually using him to send out what he wants the world to hear, unfiltered by the Vatican Press Office.
Is Francis the alleged Vicar of Christ, or is the Vatican Press Office the alleged Vicar of Christ? Because they both can’t be. They disagree with each other on basic doctrine.
As an aside–actually, a stronger point–I would hope that any properly catechized Anglican would be far more put off by the utter rejection of the gospel of God’s salvation by grace required to become a Roman Catholic than they would by the heresy set forth by this silly old man pretending to be the heir of Peter.
I need to remind to all Pope Francis haters in here that Scalfari himself already aknowledged that he never records his conversations with the pope, but just rewrites them by memory. The current pope can be criticized for many things, but he already spoke several times about the Devil and the existence of Hell, or other doctrines that Scalfari claims that he doesn`t belive in.
Where has the Pope himself denied this? Should Pope Francis have personally denied any heretical statement he reportedly made to Scalfari, that would be big news indeed. He certainly never has before.
“The editor of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Eugenio Scalfari, admitted that some of the words attributed to Pope Francis in the text of the interview he published a few weeks ago “were not spoken” by the Pontiff./ In a meeting with the journalists of the Foreign Press Association in Rome, Scalfari revealed that all his interviews have been conducted without a recording device, or taking notes while the person is speaking./ “I try to understand the person I am interviewing, and after that I write their answers in my own words,” he explained./ Therefore, he admitted, it is possible that “some of the words of the Pope that I published were not spoken by Pope Francis.”” (22 November 2013)
“Anyone who has had the good fortune to meet with him and speak with him in utmost confidence—as I have done several times—knows that …”
Anyone who prefaces his comments like this is full of… Scalfari has almost zero credibility except, as has been pointed out, Bergolio still seems to grant his access.
Some folks are giving Pope Francis a pass based on the translation of what he has said. It kind of reminds me of Rowan Williams…and he spoke English. I never had these problems with Pope Benedict 16. The confusion around the Pope and what he has said or not said is his problem not ours.
“Careless talk costs lives.” It seems that Pope Francis does not know this. With a bit of luck, he will not be about very much longer.