Berlin, Germany, Sep 22, 2011 / 17:03 pm
Pope Benedict XVI has urged German Catholics to love the Church and not view it as a merely human institution.
“Many people see only the outward form of the Church. This makes the Church appear as merely one of the many organizations within a democratic society,” said the Pope during his homily at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.
He seemed particularly keen to encourage those Catholics demoralized by the clerical abuse scandal.
“If to this is added the sad experience that the Church contains both good and bad fish, wheat and darnel, and if only these negative aspects are taken into account, then the great and deep mystery of the Church is no longer seen.”