For many people today, practical atheism is the normal rule of life...If this attitude becomes a general existential position, then freedom no longer has any standards, then everyting is possible and permissible.
“If you believe what you like in the Gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.”
To live without faith, without a patrimony to defend, without a steady struggle for truth – that is not living, but existing.
Assuredly, the word of truth can be painful and uncomfortable. But it is the way to holiness, to peace, and to inner freedom. A pastoral approach which truly wants to help the people concerned must always be grounded in the truth. In the end, only the truth can be pastoral.
One can readily admit that the Magisterium's manner of expression does not seem very easy to understand at times. It needs to be translated by preachers and catechists into a language which relates to people and to their respective cultural environments. The essential content of the Church's teaching, however, must be upheld in this process. It must not be watered down on allegedly pastoral grounds, because it communicates the revealed truth.
It seems that Pope Francis has now officially joined the ranks of heretics: It might be worth reminding people in case we have one of those "the Pope has not said anything heretical" types. The sad bit though is that he has said many heretical things before, but nowadays seems to have lost the shame of at least doing it in a round-about way.
Michael Voris on ChurchMilitant.tv argues that the Pope is different, as the reason why they will not make public any criticism of Pope Francis. Predictably, Mundabor disagrees...More on that in "The Bergoglioism Wars".
Distinctions Matter
Distinctions Matter Forward
Missale Romanum
Pre-1951 Calendar