On Heaven and Earth (Spanish: Sobre el cielo y la tierra) is a book that presents conversations between Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, who later became Pope Francis, and Argentine rabbi Abraham Skorka. The book is about faith, family and the Catholic Church in the 21st century. It was first published in Spanish in 2010 and appeared in an English translation in 2013.[1]

On Heaven and Earth
Cover of the first edition in Spanish
AuthorsJorge Bergoglio
Abraham Skorka
Original titleSobre el cielo y la tierra
CountryArgentina
LanguageSpanish
PublisherSudamericana
Publication date
2010
Published in English
7 May 2013

The book's contents received attention following Bergoglio's election to the papacy in 2013.[2][3][4]

Contents edit

On clerical celibacy, Bergoglio said:[2]

For now the discipline of celibacy remains firm. Some say, with a certain pragmatism, we're losing manpower. If, hypothetically, Western Catholicism revises the issue of celibacy, I think it would be for cultural reasons (as in the East), not as a universal option. For the moment, I am in favor of maintaining celibacy, with the pros and cons it has, because there are 10 centuries of good experiences rather than failures.... It is a matter of discipline, not of faith. It can change.

Bergoglio described same-sex marriage as "a weakening of the institution of marriage, an institution that has existed for thousands of years and is 'forged according to nature and anthropology'".[3] Bergoglio also said that there would be "affected children" by same-sex couples with adoption rights: "Every person needs a male father and a female mother that can help them shape their identity."[4]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ On Heaven and Earth: Pope Francis on Faith, Family, and the Church in the Twenty-first Century. Translated by Alejandro Bermudez; Howard Goodman. New York: Image Books. 2013. ISBN 9780770435066.
  2. ^ a b Manseau, Peter (21 March 2013). "In Praise of Priestly Marriage". New York Times. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  3. ^ a b Pentin, Edward (3 January 2014). "Pope Repeats that Same-Sex 'Marriage' is "Anthropological Regression"". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Pope Francis calls for civil union law for same-sex couples, in shift from Vatican stance". Catholic News Agency. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2024.