Peruvian Cardinal says weak priests are the Church's greatest enemy

Lima, Peru, Jul 27, 2004 / 22:00 pm

Speaking on a nationwide radio program, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani said a campaign to silence the Church is underway, but that the main enemy of the Church is the priest who is afraid to preach the truth.

Currently there "is a campaign to silence the voice of God because they want us to stay in the churches on our knees in prayer instead of speaking out about injustices, the lack of respect for families, the trampling of honor, or the lack of concern for the poor," the Cardinal said.

He praised the work being done by priests, who "celebrate the Mass and spend much time in prayer, with much sacrifice because they are few in numbers."  Nevertheless, he said, "the great enemy of the Church is the weak priest, who lacks fervor."   Priests need to show that "they really live what they preach and believe, that there is no abyss between what the Church preaches and what the Church does," he added.
 
The Cardinal said that often there can be "a little bit of tension" when a priest is preaching to people who "are losing their faith."  "It's logical that there might be tension in this dialogue, when the world is hostile to the Catholic faith, you cannot say that the tension should be relieved by asking the Church to remain silent.  The Church cannot remain silent!" he exclaimed.