from The Radetzky March "In a decaying world, the Roman Church is the only thing left to give shape to life, to help life to keep its shape. Yes, we could even say that she dispenses shape. . . .In instituting sin, she is already forgiving it. She does not allow the existence of any faultless human beings: this is the really human thing about her. . ."
Joseph Roth, The Radetzky March