Pope Benedict has said that Catholic bishops must have “the courage to contradict the prevailing mindset” of modern culture.

He said the faith “will constantly be in conflict with the prevailing wisdom of those who cling to what seems certain”.

He made the remarks in his homily for the Feast of the Epiphany.

The Pope continued: “Anyone who lives and proclaims the faith of the Church is on many points out of step with the prevalent way of thinking, even in our own day.  

“Today’s regnant agnosticism has its own dogmas and is extremely intolerant regarding anything that would question it and the criteria it employs.  

“Therefore the courage to contradict the prevailing mindset is particularly urgent for a Bishop today. He must be courageous. And this courage or forcefulness does not consist in striking out or in acting aggressively, but rather in allowing oneself to be struck and to be steadfast before the principles of the prevalent way of thinking.”

He added: “The fear of God frees us from the fear of men. It liberates.”

He said that the successors of the Apostles had to “expect to be repeatedly beaten, by contemporary methods, if they continue to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a way that can be heard and understood”.  

“Then they can rejoice that they have been considered worthy of suffering for him. Like the Apostles, we naturally want to convince people and in this sense to obtain their approval.  

“The approval of the prevailing wisdom, however, is not the criterion to which we submit. Our criterion is the Lord himself.

“If we defend his cause, we will constantly gain others to the way of the Gospel. But, inevitably, we will also be beaten by those who live lives opposed to the Gospel, and then we can be grateful for having been judged worthy to share in the passion of Christ.”