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.
“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.”
That Christianity gives joy and breadth is also a thread that runs through my whole life. Ultimately someone who is always only in opposition could not endure life at all.
Certainly, it is difficult to make the demands of the Gospel understandable to secularized people. But this pastoral difficulty must not lead to compromises with the truth.
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.
It is interesting to note that there were 300,000 people who showed up for Mother Teresa's beatification in 2003 under Pope John Paul II versus only 120,000 for her actual canonisation under Bergoglio in 2016, a full 13 years later in a period in which the clown in chief says that the Church has never been better.
Distinctions Matter
Distinctions Matter Forward
Missale Romanum
Pre-1951 Calendar