Clearly “the church” owns the concession rights on God’s mercy.
Yes, buy your purgatory tickets now. Guaranteed by the Pope. Pre-forgiveness tokens also available.
Category 1: Lust, greed, envy. $100
Category 2: Adultery, theft, taking the Lords name in vain. $500
Category 3: Sodomy, Pedophilia, tax evasion. $1000. Free to participating Clergy and Politicians.
Specials: 1 Random 10 commandment forgiveness. $250. Complete the whole set as a collectible.
“Clearly “the church” owns the concession rights on God’s mercy.”
No, but God sent the Church to be an instrument of His mercy. If it was good enough for Him to establish for that purpose, it’s certainly good enough for anyone who claims to love Him.
All baptized Christians belong to the ‘church’, the ‘mystical body of Christ.’
I believe in this context he is referring to the entire Christian population.