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Pope Francis hits out at ‘cancel culture’

The trend is ‘invading many circles and public institutions,’ says Catholic Church leader.

The Pope also said that cancel culture is a form of "one-track thinking" | Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images

BY LOUIS WESTENDARP

January 10, 2022 2:45 pm

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Pope Francis issued a warning Monday against so-called cancel culture during his annual address to the Vatican’s Diplomatic Corps.

In the speech to representatives from the 183 countries accredited to the Holy See, the pope declared getting vaccinated a “moral obligation” — and he also came out swinging on the issue of “cancel culture,” whereby people are ostracized, particularly online, for making remarks that are deemed to be politically incorrect.

“Cancel culture is invading many circles and public institutions,” the pope said. “As a result, agendas are increasingly dictated by a mindset that rejects the natural foundations of humanity and the cultural roots that constitute the identity of many people.”

He added that “under the guise of defending diversity, it ends up canceling all sense of identity.” This risks silencing voices that “defend a respectful and balanced understanding of various sensibilities,” he said.

The pope also said that cancel culture is a form of “one-track thinking” that wants to rewrite the past through a modern-day lens. And he warned that “any historical situation must be interpreted in accordance with a hermeneutics of that particular time.”

He concluded his attack on cancel culture by saying, “Diplomacy is called to be truly inclusive, not canceling but cherishing the differences and sensibilities that have historically marked various peoples.”

Last week, the Pontiff made headlines by criticizing people as selfish who choose to own pets rather than have kids.

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