No one is forced to be a Christian. But no one should be forced to live according to the "new religion" as though it alone were definitive and obligatory for all mankind.
A civilization inspired by a consumerist, anti-birth mentality is not and cannot ever be a civilization of love.
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.
Evil too, will always be part of the mystery of the Church. And when we see what men, what the clergy have done in the Church, then that is nothing short of proof that he [Christ] founded and upholds the Church. If she were dependent on men, she would long since have perished.
There really is never good news whenever one of the prince-of-heresy Cardinal Mars opens his rather evil mouth, or so it seems. I am not the only one to have discovered this, obviously:
Wise words from the future Pope Benedict XVI on fasting, reflecting on a conversation he had previously had with an Orthodox patriarch:
Distinctions Matter
Distinctions Matter Forward
Missale Romanum
Pre-1951 Calendar