Claude La Colombière was a Jesuit priest and the confessor of Margaret Mary Alacoque. He is formally venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. "The past three centuries allow us to evaluate the importance of the message which was entrusted to Claude. In a period of contrasts between the fervor of some and the indifference or impiety of many, here is a devotion centered on the humility of Christ, on his presence, on his love of mercy and on forgiveness. Devotion to the Heart of Christ would be a source of balance and spiritual strengthening for Christian communities so often faced with increasing unbelief over the coming centuries." - Pope John Paul II, during the canonization of Saint Claude