There is no choice made by citizens thus the State has to accept the freedom of opinion.  However people enter the Catholic Church through the sacrament of Baptism which is a grace that is offered to all human beings.

“Since it is offered, there is a free choice made by the person to receive this proposal.  In the case of the newborn, it is the parents who accept the offer and baptise their children because they want to pass on to their children their faith in Christ within the Church.”

They compared this to when a person joins a sport association or environmental group and decisions are taken according to the “collective consiousness”.

“This is the logical conclusion that members of the Catholic Church have to bear in mind to sense their full membership in the Church,” they explained.

“There are some individuals who do not make a conscious choice, as adults, to follow Christ, but still call themselves Christians. They are so driven by the culture of these times that they reflect more this culture than Christ,” they argued.

“People, who have let themselves be led by culture alone, have nowadays decided not to be part of the Catholic Church and left her. Although such a decision hurts us and we yearn to see them come back to the Church, we respect the decision they took,” they continued.

The bishops invited those persons who have not accepted the “collective consiousness” of the Church to “decide where to place their fundemental decisions. ...We believe that when these individuals internally feel uncomfortable, torn between faith and culture, they should realise that this is already a positive sign that should help them take a decision.”

“All is said with great love even to those who decided to leave the Church, and those who maybe hold grudges against the Church on particular issues. We want to be aware of this process and be part of it instead of letting it rest in silence,” they concluded.

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