…judges Francis’ idea on God’s mercy aimed at religious syncretism
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The truths of faith are of two kinds; some pleasant, others unpalatable to our spirit
It is also difficult to accept some truths, because the truths of faith are of two kinds; some pleasant, others unpalatable to our spirit. For example, it is pleasant to hear that God has so much tenderness for us, even more tenderness than a mother has for her children, as Isaiah says. How pleasant and congenial it is! […] God must punish, if I resist. He runs after me, he begs me to repent and I say: “No!” I almost force him to punish me. This is not agreeable. But it is a truth of faith. (John Paul I. General audience, September 13, 1978)
…judges Francis’ idea that Jesus is only mercy
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God must punish, if I resist – This is not agreeable – But it is a truth of faith
It is also difficult to accept some truths, because the truths of faith are of two kinds; some pleasant, others unpalatable to our spirit. For example, it is pleasant to hear that God has so much tenderness for us, even more tenderness than a mother has for her children, as Isaiah says. How pleasant and congenial it is! […] Other truths, on the contrary, are hard to accept. God must punish, if I resist. He runs after me, he begs me to repent and I say: ‘No!’ I almost force him to punish me. This is not agreeable. But it is a truth of faith. (John Paul I. General audience, September 13, 1978)
…judges Francis’ idea on selling off churches to feed the poor
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The Church’s pastoral charity would be incomplete if she did not point out ‘higher needs’
For us, evangelization involves an explicit teaching about the name of Jesus, his identity, his teaching, his Kingdom and his promises. And his chief promise is eternal life. Jesus truly has words that lead us to eternal life. Just recently at a general audience, we spoke to the faithful about eternal life. We are convinced that it is necessary for us to emphasize this element, in order to complete our message and to model our teaching on that of Jesus. From the days of the Gospel, and in imitation of the Lord, who ‘went about doing good’ (Act 10:38), the Church is irrevocably committed to contributing to the relief of physical misery and need. But her pastoral charity would be incomplete if she did not point out even ‘higher needs’. (John Paul I. Address to a group of Bishops from the Philippines on their ad limina visit, September 28, 1978)
…judges Francis’ idea on knowing God’s will from the people
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Bishops have the prime responsibility to evangelize the baptized
Among the rights of the faithful, one of the greatest is the right to receive God’s word in all its entirety and purity, with all its exigencies and power. A great challenge of our day is the full evangelization of all those who have been baptized. In this, the Bishops of the Church have a prime responsibility. (John Paul I. Address to a group of Bishops from the Philippines on their ad limina visit, September 28, 1978)
