Commentary on the Gospel of
Necessary Conflicts
Pedro Casaldàliga (1928-2020), the late bishop of the Amazonian territorial prelature of São Félix do Araguaia in the state of Mato Grosso in Brazil, grew up in Catalonia in Spain, during the years of the revolution and religious persecution of the 1930s. He knew what it meant to be a persecuted Church. Later, as a bishop fighting against the land mafia and the military government in order to protect the rights of the indigenous people, he observed: “I understood better to what extent conflict must be an essential part of the Church and of the life of Jesus Christ.” A non-negotiable, unconditional choice for Christ will invite persecution; sometimes even from one’s most intimate circle of family and friends. Sometimes even from within certain sectors of the Church. But any compromise to win the world will result in loss of Christ. There are no ifs and buts in the following of Christ. It must be Christ, all the way.
