[xm177e2]

Suffering, willingly, for the glory of God, is something very much part of Christianity and the Catholic tradition

I would definitely make a very clear distinction between willing and unwilling suffering.

And of course I don't include martyrs and such as suffering needlessly.

What I'm afraid of is not that Catholics will choose to suffer because the Pope makes this statement, but that some people will not be given the choice (as allegedly occurred in Mother Teresa's missions).

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Suffering gets no brownie points unless it's undertaken willingly...and if you want to believe Hitchens about Mother Teresa, well, that's your option.

[Mike Fieschko]

I would definitely make a very clear distinction between willing and unwilling suffering.

You're correct to do so. Our Lord taught us the merit of willing suffering, Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Mark 10:24, Luke 9:23.

What I'm afraid of is not that Catholics will choose to suffer because the Pope makes this statement, but that some people will not be given the choice (as allegedly occurred in Mother Teresa's missions).

Being that concerned, could you supply another source for this happening at her missions? You do have more than one source, since it's that significant, don't you? After all, she did have many facilities and cared for many, many of the 'lowest' in society.