vatican city<u+2014> pope francis on saturday warned against what he called a <u+201c>virus of polarization<u+201d> and hostility in the world targeting people with different nationalities, races or beliefs. the pontiff made his remarks as he led a ceremony over the induction in the roman catholic church of 17 new cardinals from six continents. francis used his homily to caution the new <u+201c>princes of the church,<u+201d> as cardinals are sometimes called, to guard against animosity creeping into the church as well, saying <u+201c>we are not immune from this.<u+201d> the pope spoke of <u+201c>our pitiful hearts that tend to judge, divide, oppose and condemn<u+201d> and warned of those who <u+201c>raise walls, build barriers and label people.<u+201d> earlier this year, when asked about the plan by donald trump, then a republican u.s. presidential candidate and now president-elect, to build a wall to keep mexicans from entering the u.s., the pope replied that anyone advocating building walls isn<u+2019>t a christian. in saturday<u+2019>s homily, francis commented how <u+201c>we see, for example, how quickly those among us with the status of the stranger, an immigrant or a refugee, become a threat<u+2014>take on the status of an enemy. an enemy because they come from a distant country or have different customs.<u+201d> he added that <u+201c>the virus of polarization and animosity permeates our way of thinking, feeling and acting.<u+201d> cardinals serve as papal advisers and someday elect popes<u+2019> successors. popes look to cardinals who share their approach to the church<u+2019>s mission in the world. indianapolis archbishop joseph tobin is among the newly minted cardinals . tobin defied the then-governor of indiana, mike pence, by welcoming syrian refugees. archbishop tobin in january will become archbishop of newark, n.j., while mr. pence will rise to the vice presidency of the u.s. another american in the latest crop of cardinals is irish-born archbishop kevin farrell, who led the dallas diocese before francis appointed him to head the vatican office dealing with family issues. at a post-ceremony reception, farrell acknowledged that polarization is felt within the church, too. <u+201c>we<u+2019>ve become gods on both sides<u+2014>gods on the left and gods on the right, and neither one of these are correct,<u+201d> archbishop farrell said. the clash of mentalities between the conservative camps and the so-called progressives chosen by francis has played out publicly in recent days. some disgruntled cardinals, in a letter to the pope that they later made public, aired their doubts about his more compassionate approach to the contentious issue involving divorced catholics. <u+2018> we<u+2019>ve become gods on both sides<u+2014>gods on the left and gods on the right, and neither one of these are correct. <u+2019> church teaching forbids divorce, and says catholics who remarry without annulments of their earlier marriage are essentially adulterers who can<u+2019>t receive communion. in a document earlier this year, francis suggested that clerics could decide case-by-case if these catholics could receive communion. archbishop farrell, asked about the tensions over the divorce issue, appeared to be open toward the pope<u+2019>s prescription for more compassion. <u+201c>there is no situation in life that<u+2019>s black and white. anybody that<u+2019>s lived in this world will have encountered those situations in their personal lives,<u+201d> farrell said. the new cardinals, who pledged loyalty to the pope, come from africa, asia, europe, oceania, and north and south america. thirteen of the 17 new cardinals are under 80 years old and thus eligible to vote in a secret conclave for the next pope. francis has now appointed 44 of the 120 cardinals young enough to elect his successor. the others were named by the previous two pontiffs, john paul ii and benedict xvi and generally reflect a more conservative leaning on church issues. <u+2014>copyright 2016 the associated press.
pope francis decries <u+2018>virus of polarization<u+2019> in the world - wsj
noauthor