That’s a tough question. Why does the church exclude? Excludes whom? Oh, Father, let’s not pretend it doesn’t exclude divorced people, homosexuals, lesbians, transvestites, all those kinds of people. The church excludes the bad ones.

The bad reputation some try to give the church is one thing, but the true church is another. It’s one thing for someone who’s a member of the church to say, “Oh, these people, these people.” And it’s another thing entirely to be the true church. What is the true church? First and foremost, Christ, its head, its founder, the one who established the church’s moral code, excludes no one.

You’re a multimillionaire and you live off vanity. There’s the rich young man. Come and follow me. Come and follow me. I don’t exclude him. Excuse my language. You’re a prostitute, a woman who condemns you. Go away and sin no more.

You’re the prodigal son, the one who asked his father for money and went off to spend it all when he didn’t deserve it. Because you know that inheritances are given when the father dies. He inherits if he has something to inherit. The same goes for the mother. Inheritances during one’s lifetime. If, by some stroke of wisdom, I distribute while I’m alive, I inherit while I’m alive, but I retain the right to use the property until I die. It’s the smartest way to do it.

Well, the thing is, the prodigal son asked for everything, and the father gave it to him, and when he returned, he said, “I am not worthy to be called your son,” and so on. Give him the ring, the sandals, clothes, the lamb, music, let’s have a party. Lost sheep, straying sheep, are not excluded. On the contrary, Jesus, the Church, goes to find them and carries them on their shoulders. In short, present me with any kind of person you want: a drug addict, a drug trafficker, an ideologue, someone with a different mindset, a different religion, someone who supports abortion—no one is excluded. But obviously, there’s the issue of sinning no more. Sometimes giving up sin is immediate; it was easy, I received tremendous grace. Sometimes, like the prodigal son, it’s a long road back to the Father.

But the Church doesn’t exclude anyone. If I meet someone who is in favor of abortion, euthanasia, or anything like that, and they suddenly convert, yes, they have to transform their ideas, they have to understand the truth, they have to seek it. I can’t expect them to be in perpetual adoration and attending daily Mass the day after having their last abortion. It’s a long road back, but there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 who don’t need converting.

I live surrounded by people. I’m not going to say I don’t need conversion because we all need to grow closer to God every day. Anyone who says, “I’m already perfect,” has no idea. We all need to be converted, but going from bad to good is one thing, going from good to better is another, going from better to perfect is yet another, and so on and so forth, right? I hope you’re no longer going from bad to good, but rather from good to perfect, but we all need to be converted.

Well, there’s more joy. I live surrounded by people who, in quotes, no longer need to convert from bad to good, only from good to better.

The church does not exclude those who need to convert from evil to good. Now, the question is, will they allow themselves to be helped? Will they allow themselves to be helped?

What does it mean to not exclude? Open church doors. Do you want dialogue? Do you want reconciliation? Do you want forgiveness? What we cannot allow is for you to enter the church promoting abortion, euthanasia, no, gender ideologies. No, I cannot allow you to come here and tell me that five-, seven-, and eight-year-old children can already change their gender. With all of them, we still need to be in a process of dialogue, dialogue, and more dialogue.

But no one is sent to hell. You’re already condemned. God doesn’t want you. You’re outside… No, no, you’re not outside of anywhere. You’re in that part, probably among those God loves most because He wants to draw them to Him, but who are far from Him. Who did the Father love more? The son who left home or the one who stayed? Well, most likely the one who left home, the one He would have to forgive the most. A prostitute entered the Pharisee’s house and washed Jesus’ feet, in the Gospel reading from a few days ago. And when the Pharisee says, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman she was,” he says, “Simon, who loves more? Whose sins are forgiven more or less?” Well, I suppose the one who is forgiven more. That’s also a bit like how God’s heart works. He’s more concerned, right now, with those who are far away, with the lost, with those who are adrift. Because of those who are misguided, often because of the ideologues who dedicate themselves to misguiding people. So, in short, I tell you this with all my heart, in my parish, in my own church, where I celebrate Mass, I have people with all kinds of problems. God excludes no one. The Church excludes no one. I know people who work in nightclubs, in unsuitable places, and they ask to speak with me for whatever reason. Do you think I’m going to tell them, “I don’t have time or anything?” On the contrary, praise be to God. You’re taking one step this way, we’re taking 1,000 that way. Tell me how I can help you. Imagine the divorced, the divorced and remarried, they can’t receive Communion. I can’t go against the words of Christ: “What God has joined together, let no one separate.” But it’s one thing not to be able to approach the Eucharist, and another thing entirely not to be able to approach God and His Church. You are a church member with a special need that for many is solved precisely by coming to church.

Then the solutions come; it’s not simply a matter of the deceased’s death so I can remarry. No, no, it’s not just that. It’s about inner strength, letting go of certain things. I’ve spoken about this before. There’s so much that can be done, so much that can be done to obtain an annulment. The Church doesn’t exclude anyone. Picture the worst drug dealer, addict, anyone. If you want to approach, if you want to convert, the doors are open.

Pass this message on to everyone you know and ask them to find a priest in their parish, or a friend, to help make this happen. The Church has doors open like this. You just have to do your part. Let’s do all the good we can, and may God always bless you.

Let us do all the good we can. May God always bless you.