VATICAN CITY (CNS): While the Catholic Church has a rich array of teachings and traditions to help Christians live holy lives, it is not so good at bringing people to Christ in the first place, a Capuchin told Pope Benedict XVI.
“Our past has prepared us better to be pastors rather than fishers of men,” Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa told the Pope and top Vatican officials on December 2.
Fr Cantalamessa, who is preacher of the papal household, leads meditations for the Pope and his closest advisers on Fridays in Advent and Lent.
He said almost everyone in the world has heard of Jesus, and “writers manipulate” his life and message in popular books and films, adding that The Da Vinci Code is the latest and most aggressive episode in a long series”.
But having heard the name Jesus and having heard his message in a way that brings a person to faith are two entirely different things, the preacher said.
The Catholic Church has built “an immense doctrinal edifice” around its faith, but the basic message – “Jesus is lord” – has never changed, he said.
Fr Cantalamessa told the Pope and Vatican officials they have one question more important to ask themselves than what place Christ has in modern society: “What place does Christ occupy in my life?”
