Gary Michael Voris: In the United States, there is a tone of Ecumenism, where the conversation often centers around “Do not offend” as the first concern. So, if we are talking about Catholic truth and the majority of America is Protestant, the approach becomes: we must speak in such a way as to avoid upsetting them.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, but this is not the method of our Lord Jesus Christ or the apostles. If it were, Christ would never have spoken to the Jews, the Pharisees, or the scribes with the clarity and at times, the hardness that He did. He always spoke the truth, even when it was uncomfortable, in order to reveal the untruths of His contemporaries. The apostles followed this same method. If they had prioritized avoiding offense above all else, they would never have spread the Gospel so effectively. The Church Fathers and the missionaries did the same: they proclaimed the truth of God and His commandments clearly.
Of course, they spoke with love. As St. Paul says in his Epistle to the Ephesians, “speaking the truth in love” (Veritate in caritate). There is also a psychological aspect to this. The Romans called it captatio benevolentiae: you prepare the hearts of those who listen to you, establishing confidence and respect. This allows the truth to be received more readily.
Even with this approach, however, one must always speak the truth. A good doctor, for example, does not hide a patient’s disease; he informs them with respect and pedagogy. Similarly, we must confront people with the realities of their spiritual and moral condition, even when it is uncomfortable. Hiding the truth would be irresponsible. People need to know the reality of their spiritual state so that they can be healed and strengthened.