Someone recently said that was a profound statement. I disagree. It is neither profound nor helpful in the present climate of widespread confusion. It is actually a lack of charity under the guise of charity. Confusion is a sin against charity!
You are a man.
You are a Christian.
You are a priest.
You are a bishop.
You are the pope.
The visible head of the Church--the spiritual leader of the world.
Priests are judges for the world. It is a service in the truth. If those in authority do not judge the criminals run wild and the innocent are abused!
It is not a profound statement to say that we cannot judge the internal motives and decisions of people, that's just basic moral theology. Every priest knows that, that is why we have the sacrament of Confession, it is the sacrament of mercy for the repentant. For the Holy Father to say this statement sort of implies that this is something new of which priests are generally negligent. That is not the case. If anything the priests of the past few decades have been overly indulgent in "not judging" and that is a large part of the world's present confusion to which this Holy Father is adding.
Priests must judge and condemn every type of immoral action and vice and "lifestyle" as Christ Himself enjoins us, that is a spiritual work of mercy: to reprimand the sinner.
If Christians do not judge the world will be left without judgement and consequently without hope according to Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical on hope. No judgement, no hope! We are lost in our sins!
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