The Church’s pastors, taking into account the contributions of the different sciences, have the right to offer opinions on all that affects people’s lives, since the task of evangelization implies and demands the integral promotion of each human being. It is no longer possible to claim that religion should be restricted to the private sphere and that it exists only to prepare souls for heaven. We know that God wants his children to be happy in this world too, even though they are called to fulfilment in eternity, for he has created all things “for our enjoyment” (1 Tim 6:17), the enjoyment of everyone.
Again from the Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis gives a concise reason behind the need for the Church to participate. Rather than a private matter, our religion compels us to make the good news public and incarnate. Not imposing, of course, but certainly proposing (as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has said years ago) with conviction and reason, and with good cause: if we truly love our neighbor, we must offer them what goods we have, including Truth, so that they, too, will benefit from all that God offers.
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