Can you say ‘yes’ to God, but ‘no’ to the Church?

Can't I love God without the church?

Today, we commonly hear this sentiment: “I can say yes to God but not the Church.” Or: “I believe in God but I don’t believe the priest.” There is some truth to this. The church as an institution is just like the people who are its members: human, flawed, and, therefore, always in need of renewal. And yet the church is not a human invention, it is the work of God.

Jesus knew humans often get caught up in their ideas, worries, and limitations. The church helps us to bridge this gap, offering us access to divine wisdom and grace we might not easily recognize or experience by ourselves. In the church’s community, we find guidance, inspiration, and the sacramental graces that bring us closer to God and help us better understand the divine perspective.

The Church is more than just an institution


Christ not only founded the Church but entrusted his apostles and their successors with the task of leading it and guiding it until the end of time. To Peter, the first Pope of the Church, Jesus said: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” (Mt 16:18)

The Christian therefore does not believe “the church”. He believes God who works in and through the church throughout the ages. And God remains faithful to the church even when it misappropriates its mission and abuses its calling. He loves the Church as only God can love. Without reservations, unreservedly, faithfully. Simply divinely. Despite its weaknesses and faults, the Church is an invaluable gift that God has given to mankind.

The church has shaped Western civilization

Over the centuries, there have been repeated disputes and conflicts within the Church. It has experienced several schisms. Scandals have tarnished its reputation and led to a considerable loss of trust – even among practicing believers.

Without wishing to gloss over the dark chapters of two thousand years of church history, there is hardly an institution in the world that has shaped Western civilization more than the Catholic Church.

By putting its teachings into practice, the Catholic Church laid the fundamental foundations for the social fabric of society, which was consequently increasingly adopted, continued, and systematized by state institutions in the modern era. It founded the first institutions for orphans, hospitals, and old people’s homes. The Catholic Church also had a major influence on the abolition of slavery, even though this was a difficult and lengthy process.

Since the early Middle Ages, religious orders have been regarded as bearers of education and new technologies. Monasteries were and still are the most important centers of education in some parts of the world. Religious founded monastic schools, the first libraries, and much more. Jesuits, Benedictines, and Franciscans, for example, have made significant contributions to science, art, and culture.

"Church" includes you and me

Catholics can reflect on these roots and rediscover and appreciate their riches with a healthy sense of self-confidence. Especially in times of uncertainty, the Christian faith offers a reliable source of orientation, comfort, and community. The deep spiritual, cultural, and intellectual treasures of the church must be cultivated and defended.

Instead of being unsettled by the often contradictory criticism: “Why does the church interfere? Why does the Church do nothing? Where is the church when this or that happens?”, we as Christians are invited to look inwards and question ourselves: ”Where am I in this? Am I fulfilling my mission as a baptized Christian?”

After all, the church is not just an institution or a building – it comes to life through the actions and faith of its members. The church’s image is shaped and changed by their thoughts and words, by their small and large deeds – for better or for worse.

If I am baptized, I am “Church”. This means that the church is who I am.

Proud to be a Christian

As a Christian, you are a piece of the great mosaic “Church”. It is up to every Christian to decide what the overall picture of the church looks like. “If (one) part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy. Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.” (1 Cor 12:26-27)

Pope Benedict XVI encourages us not to give up despite the challenges and hurts that the Church has encountered, but to become all the more aware of our Christian identity and to be proud to belong to the Church. In the foreword to the YOUCAT Youth Catechism, Pope Benedict XVI dedicates these precious words to us, which may be a legacy to us all:

“You all know how deeply the community of faith has been wounded recently through the attacks of the evil one, through the penetration of sin itself into the interior, yes, into the heart of the Church! Do not make that an excuse to flee from the face of God! You yourselves are the Body of Christ, the Church! Bring the undiminished fire of your love into this Church whose countenance has so often been disfigured by man. ‘Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord’ (Romans 12:11).”