fly in amber .

"fly in amber a strange relic or reminder of the past"

The oldest known (fly and mites in amber) dates 230 million years ago and was discovered in Italy in 2012.

But I don't want to talk about insects and tree resin.  A fly in amber also relates to things which (seemingly) do not change.  Organizations and institutions that remain fixed while the world moves on.

It is interesting to me all the flap over one remark made by Pope Francis about how it is "not for me to judge" gay people. He went on to say " The problem is lobbying by this orientation, or lobbies of greedy people, political lobbies, Masonic lobbies, so many lobbies. This is the worse problem," Pope Francis explained."

They left that remark out when reporting on it.  As the Catholic Reporter online reports there is more to the story. It concludes..."the media should not run rampant and suggest that the Church is softening a position, which is certainly is not. The problem is that the mainstream media does not understand Church teaching on the subject and rarely does. In fact, many Catholics need instruction on the matter.

Pope Francis merely explained a basic teaching found within the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Yes, those who struggle with same-sex attraction are very welcome in the Catholic Church, but immoral behavior and sexual deviance are as wrong as ever, and all people, straight or gay, indulge in such behavior at mortal peril."

The Catholic Church is like a "fly in amber" - as much as we would like for it to change I don't believe it will.  I applaud Francis for his leaving the trappings of the office behind, for his connection to people and the poor and for his willingness to communicate. However, he still has many, many archbishops and priests who are more than willing to "explain" his remarks and he is not repudiating them. That signals a static church unchanged in dogma since the time of Constantine. (and yes, I know that is an exaggeration)

Unlike the United States of America who has a government with a built in change with every election.  The church will remain the same.  Many churches do that.  They feel that they have the only pathway to heaven and they frighten their members into submission with statements like "indulge in such behavior at mortal peril."  And no matter what the Pope may say his church certainly does judge. They also use a tool called excommunication and have done so on politicians who do not vote the way they want them to.  They use made up places such as purgatory and hell to frighten the members of their church and grant them indulgences to "get out of jail free" (there I go again). 

I believe in God as exemplified and taught by Jesus Christ.  I believe he named himself as "I AM" to Moses.  I believe that God is the force of oneness that unites all of us and indeed all creation.  And I believe God is Love.  That is my fly in the amber which does not need to change.  The Roman Catholic and other churches are a different type of fly in the amber. They are not "given by God" but are human inventions and unless they are willing to change and grow with humanity they will be left behind by those who are.  They did finally recognize a heliocentric solar system but not until after Galileo has spent the remainder of his life under house arrest. Read about it here.. They apologized in 2000. 

As for the fundamentalists who regard the word of the Bible as the inerrant word of God...I think as I heard someone say the other day on a TV show they need to "Thump their Bibles less and read it more."  And read it with understanding of the historical times it was written in and its ultimate message.

'Nuff said.
Adddendum,  Except there is always more.  This morning I read this excellent article which I hope you will take the time to go and read... When does our hope for Francis become denial? It was in the National Catholic Reporter.