In proclaiming the faith and in administering the sacraments every priest speaks on behalf of Jesus Christ, for Jesus Christ.
To live without faith, without a patrimony to defend, without a steady struggle for truth – that is not living, but existing.
“What is perfection in love? Love your enemies in such a way that you would desire to make them your brothers … For so did He love, Who hanging on the Cross, said ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’” (Luke 23:34)
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.
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.
The jewel of Steve Skojec's piece on Bergoglio's stubborn and foolhardly twisting of Islam to defend it - and equally stubborn assault on the faith he claims to hold - is surely this:
Distinctions Matter
Distinctions Matter Forward
Missale Romanum
Pre-1951 Calendar