The Pope’s message of the Church as mother continued as he described his desire for the Church to shed some of the political and administrative focus and instead approach all its members with tenderness, acceptance, and love. He does not want our Church to be seen as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), which is a term used to describe groups that traditionally have been not-for-profit, private organizations that are independent from a government’s control. It is commonly used as a derogatory term for a bureaucratic, self-important group. Our Holy Father would prefer us to meet people with warmth and inclusion, rather than paperwork and procedures:
Pope Francis said the Church needs to be a Mother, not a “well-organized NGO with a bunch of pastoral plans”.
“Being in the Church is being at home with mom,” he said. The Holy Father said without this, going to Church becomes like going to an institution, and gives it the identity of a football team, where people are just “fans” of being Catholic.
He said people need to feel the “tenderness” of a Mother in the Church.
“We have to always welcome people with a big heart, like family,” he said.
This is especially true in dealing with young people, and the Pope said the Church must encourage the participation of the youth. – Pope Francis 6/16/2014
http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-church-a-mother-not-a-ngo