"The modern use of the sentence is not in itself wrong, but it must not obscure the original meaning," in which it is clear "that it is not only the right of the accused that is important and requires a guarantee. Great goods such as the Faith are equally important."
"A balanced canon law that corresponds to the whole of Jesus' message must therefore not only provide a guarantee for the accused, the respect for whom is a legal good. It must also protect the Faith … A properly formed canon law must therefore contain a double guarantee - legal protection of the accused, legal protection of the good at stake. If today one puts forward this inherently clear conception, one generally falls on deaf ears when it comes to the question of the protection of the Faith as a legal good. In the general awareness of the law, the Faith no longer appears to have the rank of a good requiring protection. This is an alarming situation which must be considered and taken seriously by the pastors of the Church."
He said the decision to give competence for cases of clerical pedophilia to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, rather than the Congregation for the Clergy "is a consequence of the importance of the Faith for the Church. In fact, it is important to see that such misconduct by clerics ultimately damages the Faith."
Benedict finally turned to what ought to be done: "Only obedience and love for our Lord Jesus Christ can point the way."
"The Lord has initiated a narrative of love with us and wants to subsume all creation in it. The counterforce against evil, which threatens us and the whole world, can ultimately only consist in our entering into this love. It is the real counterforce against evil. The power of evil arises from our refusal to love God. He who entrusts himself to the love of God is redeemed. Our being not redeemed is a consequence of our inability to love God. Learning to love God is therefore the path of human redemption."
"A paramount task, which must result from the moral upheavals of our time, is that we ourselves once again begin to live by God and unto Him. Above all, we ourselves must learn again to recognize God as the foundation of our life instead of leaving Him aside," Benedict stated.
The emeritus pope also said there must be a profound appreciation of the astoundingness of the Incarnation, and, through it, Christ's presence in the Eucharist.
"The Second Vatican Council was rightly focused on returning this sacrament of the Presence of the Body and Blood of Christ … to the center of Christian life and the very existence of the Church. In part, this really has come about, and we should be most grateful to the Lord for it."
But "a rather different attitude is prevalent," he said. "What predominates is not a new reverence for the presence of Christ's death and resurrection, but a way of dealing with Him that destroys the greatness of the Mystery," citing declining participation in Sunday Mass and treatment of the Eucharist as "a mere ceremonial gesture."
"We do not need another Church of our own design. Rather, what is required first and foremost is the renewal of the Faith in the Reality of Jesus Christ given to us in the Blessed Sacrament."
While "there is sin in the Church and evil … even today there is the Holy Church, which is indestructible. Today there are many people who humbly believe, suffer and love, in whom the real God, the loving God, shows Himself to us."
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"In the trial against the devil, Jesus Christ is the first and actual witness for God, the first martyr, who has since been followed by countless others."
Witnesses can be found today "who stand up for God with their life and suffering. It is an inertia of the heart that leads us to not wish to recognize them. One of the great and essential tasks of our evangelization is, as far as we can, to establish habitats of Faith and, above all, to find and recognize them," Benedict concluded.