(LifeSiteNews) — I repeat these words from the prophet Amos because they are critical for our time. There has been much bending away from the plumb line of truth. It should be our only measure.

“And the Lord said: Behold, I will set a plumb line in the midst of my people …” (Amos 7:8).

In recent remarks, Cardinal William Goh of Sigapore voiced concerns that the ambiguity in papal teaching, particularly under Amoris Laetitia, and the emphasis on synodality, have led to confusion among bishops and disunity among the laity. This observation is not without merit. Many faithful Catholics – clergy and laity alike – have struggled in recent years to discern the clear teaching of the Church amidst a flood of contradictory signals.

READ: ‘The war is over’? How Pope Leo XIV can heal the Church

And yet, it must also be acknowledged that Cardinal Goh himself has at times contributed to this same ambiguity. While he courageously defended natural law in opposing the repeal of Singapore’s anti-sodomy laws, his later statements urging the Church to “embrace” those living sinful lifestyles, and his uncertain stance on Holy Communion for the divorced and remarried, have created understandable disorientation. The shepherd must not only know the sheep but must also lead them with a sure voice.

I repeat these words from the prophet Amos because they are critical for our time. There has been much bending away from the plumb line of truth. It should be our only measure.

“And the Lord said: Behold, I will set a plumb line in the midst of my people …” (Amos 7:8).

In… pic.twitter.com/PFti8WEEKA

— Bishop J. Strickland (@BishStrickland) May 23, 2025

This is not a matter of personalities or preferences. It is about fidelity to Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The Church is not called to create truth, but to receive it, to guard it, and to proclaim it without distortion. In an age that prizes tolerance above truth, many leaders are tempted to blur the line between mercy and moral compromise. But true mercy never abandons truth. As Pope Benedict XVI once said, “Charity without truth is blind.”

We find ourselves in a time much like that of the prophet Amos, when the Lord declared that He would place a plumb line in the midst of his people. A plumb line does not change with the wind. It does not bend to popular opinion. It simply reveals what is straight and what is not.

We must return to the plumb line – that is, to Christ Himself and to His unchanging doctrine. The conclave has now passed, and while the new pontificate has begun, many remain watchful. We do not look for signs in public appearances or slogans, but in the clear and unambiguous profession of the Catholic faith. What we pray for now, as we look toward the days ahead is that Pope Leo XIV may measure all things according to the carpenter’s standard: truth, charity, and doctrinal integrity.

Let us pray for the grace to remain faithful even when many voices – whether from Rome or elsewhere – fail to give a certain sound. Let us hold fast to what has been handed down, and the truth that Our Lord, who promised to be with His Church always, will not abandon her now.

“He that is not with me, is against me: and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth” (Luke 11:23).

READ: Bishop Strickland warns against Freemasonry: ‘Incompatible with our Catholic faith’

Bishop Strickland’s comments above were originally published on X.