The former archbishop of Milan and papal candidate Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini said the Catholic Church was \u201c200 years out of date\u201d in his final interview before his death, published on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Martini, once favored by Vatican progressives to succeed Pope John Paul II and a prominent voice in the church until his death at the age of 85 on Friday, gave a scathing portrayal of a pompous and bureaucratic church failing to move with the times.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur culture has aged, our churches are big and empty and the church bureaucracy rises up, our rituals and our cassocks are pompous,\u201d Martini said in the interview published in Italian daily Corriere della Sera.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Church must admit its mistakes and begin a radical change, starting from the pope and the bishops. The pedophilia scandals oblige us to take a journey of transformation,\u201d he said in the interview.<\/p>\n
In the last decade the Church has been accused of failing to fully address a series of child abuse scandals which have undermined its status as a moral arbiter, though it has paid many millions in compensation settlements worldwide.<\/p>\n
Martini, famous for comments that the use of condoms could be acceptable in some cases, told interviewers the Church should open up to new kinds of families or risk losing its flock.<\/p>\n
\u201cA woman is abandoned by her husband and finds a new companion to look after her and her children. A second love succeeds. If this family is discriminated against, not just the mother will be cut off but also her children.\u201d<\/p>\n
In this way \u201cthe Church loses the future generation\u201d, Martini said in the interview, made a fortnight before he died. The Vatican opposes divorce and forbids contraception in favor of fidelity within marriage and abstinence without.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Read more. <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Details of the late Cardinal\u2019s final interview are emerging, and they have a few surprises: The former archbishop of Milan and papal candidate Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini said the Catholic Church was \u201c200 years out of date\u201d in his final interview before his death, published on Saturday. Martini, once favored by Vatican progressives to succeed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,45],"tags":[1248],"class_list":["post-16455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bishops","category-ripped-from-the-headlines","tag-cardinal-martini"],"yoast_head":"\n
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