Catholic double life doomed to self-destruct, says Denver archbishop

Published: 2008-07-18

SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- Living a double life as a Catholic who goes to Mass but does not witness one's faith publicly is doomed to fail, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver told more than 1,000 young people in an Irish pub. The archbishop said that going to Mass on Sundays but being unwilling to share the faith in public with friends and family or others is contrary to living as a true disciple of Christ, and he likened it to "living in a vegetative state." The archbishop told the crowd that "Jesus wants all of us, and not just on Sundays. We need to take Christ at his word. We need to love him like our lives depend on it. Right now. And without excuses." The archbishop spoke at Theology on Tap at P.J. Gallagher's Irish Pub in inner Sydney July 16 as part of World Youth Day activities. He was greeted with cries like "Viva Il Papa" and "Benedetto" from the youths who filled the pub that is a half-hour train ride from the central business district. Archbishop Chaput said loving and believing in Christ and trusting his church is every Christian's mission in life.

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