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Pope Benedict Stresses Necessity to Halt Cafeteria Catholicism

VATICAN, July 5, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On Sunday Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the necessity of Catholics to accept the whole of the faith.  "Dear brothers and sisters how necessary it is today at the dawn of the third millennium for the entire Catholic community to proclaim, teach and witness to the entire truth of Catholic faith, doctrine and morals in a unanimous and harmonious manner!," he stressed.

His comments came as he spoke of the recently completed abbreviated Catechism known as the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  The Compendium, in addition to proclaiming the church's popular teachings on the necessity of caring for the poor and the striving for peace, teaches the truth on the grave evils of abortion and of sexual practices unbecoming humanity such as adultery and homosexuality.

Pope Benedict noted that the completion of the Compendium happened by "Divine Providence" to coincide "with the opening of the cause for beatification of our beloved Pope John Paul II."

John Paul II also stressed the need for Catholics to maintain the fullness of the Church's teachings and not pick and choose the teachings as they saw fit.  Speaking to the Bishops of the United States at Queen of Angels Seminary in Los Angeles on September 16, 1987, Pope John Paul II stated:  "It is sometimes reported that a large number of Catholics today do not adhere to the teaching of the Catholic Church on a number of questions, notably sexual and conjugal morality, divorce and remarriage. Some are reported as not accepting the clear position on abortion. It has to be noted that there is a tendency on the part of some Catholics to be selective in their adherence to the Church's moral teaching. It is sometimes claimed that dissent from the magisterium is totally compatible with being a 'good Catholic,' and poses no obstacle to the reception of the Sacraments. This is a grave error that challenges the teaching of the Bishops in the United States and elsewhere. "

In related news, the election of a German Pope seems to have boosted the faith in Germany.  Cardinal Karl Lehmann, the Archbishop of Mainz, has reported that in his diocese during the period from May to June more people returned to the practice of the faith than in the whole of 2004.

See Pope Benedict's full address (in Italian):
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/angelus/2005/documents/hf_ben-xvi...

jhw

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