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.
In proclaiming the faith and in administering the sacraments every priest speaks on behalf of Jesus Christ, for Jesus Christ.
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.
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.
Honestly, I'll bake you a cake if you can make sense of what Bergoglio is trying to say in his speech on decommissioning churches, i.e., closing them because NOChurch has chased people away from the faith.
Distinctions Matter
Distinctions Matter Forward
Missale Romanum
Pre-1951 Calendar