The Church does not dispense the sacrament of baptism in order to acquire for herself an increase in membership but in order to consecrate a human being to God and to communicate to that person the divine gift of birth from God.

Saints appear as an example of the lived Christian life throughout his writings. Hans Urs von Balthasar (12 August 1905 Lucerne – 26 June 1988 Basel) was a Swiss theologian and priest (incardinated into Roman Catholic Diocese of Chur) who was to be created a cardinal of the Catholic Church but died before the ceremony.

He is considered one of the most important theologians of the 20th century.