It is not Catholic but “heretical” to say “either this or nothing”. Pope Francis said this during the Mass he celebrated at Santa Marta today, focussing his remarks on the “healthy realism” taught by the Lord to His disciples. “How many times we in the Church hear these things: how many times! ‘But that priest, that man, that woman from Catholic Action, that bishop, that Pope tell us: ‘You should do this!’, and he does the opposite”, Pope Francis said speaking about the counter-witness of Christians. “This is the scandal that hits the people of God and does not let the people of God grow and move forward! It does not free them!”. “The generosity, the holiness” that Jesus requires of us “is going out, but always, always upwards. Going out upwards!”. According to Pope Francis, this “frees us” from “the rigidity of the law and also from unhealthy idealism”. Jesus, “who knows us well, teaches us a healthy realism”: “we often cannot attain perfection, but at least we should do what we can, reach an agreement”. This is the “healthy realism of the Catholic Church”, Pope Francis said. “The Catholic Church never teaches ‘it is this and only this’. This is not Catholic! The Church says: ‘this and this’. ‘Work towards perfection: make peace with your brother. Do not insult him. Love him. If there is a problem, at least find an agreement to avoid war”. “Do what you can”, this is what Jesus exhorts us to do, “at least strive to avoid war, settle your disputes!”, the Pope said. “This is the little holiness of negotiation”, he explained. “I cannot do everything, but I want to do everything, I reach an agreement with you, at least we do not insult one another, we do not make war and we all live in peace”. “Jesus is great!”, Pope Francis concluded: “He frees us from all our miseries. Even from that idealism which is not Catholic”.