Free Mind

Pope and the spanking .....

Posted February 24th, 2015

Rome, Italy

"A good father knows how to wait and forgive, from the bottom of his heart. Of course, he also knows how to correct with firmness: he isn't a weak, pliable or sentimental father. A father knows how to correct without being disheartening and is the same who will protect without sparing. It is OK to spank your children in order to discipline them -- as long as their dignity is maintained. One time I heard a father in a meeting with married couples say, 'I sometimes have to smack my children a bit, but never in the face so as to not humiliate them.' How beautiful! He knows the sense of dignity! He has to punish them but he does it justly and he moves on." (transcription from the Vatican's website NEWS.VA from his general meeting from February 4th, 2015) ...

I must admit that I was surprised and profoundly disgusted upon hearing of Pope Francis' words ... Defining "beautiful" and "he knows the sense of dignity" whilst hitting your children if there is a a warning to NOT smack the face as to NOT dishearten them ...

These statements are disarmingly superficial, thinking of the position (role model?) and the followers of who pronounced them ...

How many cases of domestic violence towards minors go on behind closed doors ... At times, justified by the necessity to demonstrate firmness and not weakness, consent or sentimentalism ...

Providing an alibi of violence towards our children, is like opening up Pandora's Box without even knowing the consequences ...

Talking to people with simplicity shouldn't involve the abandonment of explaining that it is certainly more difficult to educate and scold our children with a good example and coaxing them, as to doing it with violence, but it contributes for sure in shaping them to become better men and women ...

Every time we raise a hand on one of our children, we are damaging our authority and our credibility, chiseling in an opinion, instead of building a reciprocal relationship of respect and trust ... Even if it is an exception, a moment of fatique or despair, it is one's own defeat for us parents ...

And, after all of this, the deafening silence from the Italian Press ...

4 comments

February 24th, 2015 10:49

February 24th, 2015 15:48

. . in effetti

Concordo molto con te Heather, non mi piacquero nemmeno le parole sul 'pugno' da dare a chi offende la propria madre. Diciamo che sono pensieri troppo poveri - che rientrerebbero nei cosiddetti "discorsi da bar" - per poterli esteriorizzare con incosciente superficialita', come ben dici, considerando il peso di una figura cosi importante come quella del Papa. Perche' le parole di una figura cosi imponente rischiano, appunto, di venire strumentalizzate o, peggio, stravolte nel senso piu' profondo e , di conseguenza, potrebbero legittimare comportamenti o pensieri piu' o meno violenti di persone deboli o facilmente suggestionabili. E' lodevole la sua opera di voler rivoluzionare e modernizzare la Chiesa, ma a volte lo trovo un po', come dire, populista ecco. . .

Perche' del silenzio dei media italiani? Mah. . .secondo te?

March 09th, 2015 14:30

Condivido il contenuto di questo commento e ringrazio che sia stato scritto. Anche io, insieme a un gruppo di genitori con cui collaboro da anni per diffondere principi di genitorialità rispettosa ed empatica, ho letto con preoccupazione e sconcerto le parole del papa. Il progetto si chiama Nontogliermiilsorriso. Abbiamo scritto un appello al Papa, l'abbiamo anche inviato alla stampa cattolica e ai principali quotidiani nazionali, senza esito. Mi permetto di segnalarlo qui se qualcuno lo volesse leggere lo trova sul nostro sito e sulla nostra pagina Facebook.

June 16th, 2015 17:17

Magari non si è espresso correttamente... in fondo l'italiano lo sa a modo suo... O magari quel che intendeva non era quello che ha detto... Mi sembra tanto una persona per bene.