Interviewer: Do you think there is an abuse of the church’s Social Doctrine by people in the church advancing social justice?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: I think yes, and this is social justice. It’s not the first task of the church. Otherwise, Jesus would have told us and the apostles. We have to always be faithful to Christ and faithful to the apostles because our faith is Catholic and Apostolic. In those times there were a lot of social problems and injustices in the time of Jesus and the apostles, but it was not the first concern of the mission of the church. The first concern was to guide souls to heaven. Of course, the Church Fathers spoke when there was social injustice, but it was not the first task. We have to spread first the truth about the will of God, the commandments of God, and the truth, and then the world will improve and change.
When we are predominantly concerned with temporal aspects, social issues, and social justice, this is only temporal. It is not the eternal destiny. Of course, when someone is sinning against social justice, it is also a sin, and they will be judged by God, but it is only one aspect. They have to know the truth about Jesus and the commandments of God. This is our first task: to spread the gospel directly. Christ incarnated, Christ is our Savior; there is no other way to be saved. They are the commandments of God, and so on.
This is the first task of the bishops. Social justice is something lay people have to spread in their mission where they are working. It is not the first task of the clergy because the first task of the clergy is to be administrators of the mysteries of God. As Saint Paul said, we are administrators of the mysteries of God, administratores mysteriorum Dei. This is the first task: to give the mysteries of God, eternal life, and grace through the sacraments and the Catechism.