The Power and the Glory Religion Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph.)

Quote #10

He drank the brandy down like damnation: men like the half-caste could be saved, salvation could strike like lightning at the evil heart, but the habit of piety excluded everything but the evening prayer and the Guild meeting and the feel of humble lips on your gloved hand. (3.1.86)

The priest feels that he's destined for hell, in part because he hasn't confessed his mortal sin and he loves the result of it (his daughter), in part because he believes his own piety shields him from salvation. He really doesn't think much of himself. Is he too harsh or does he really understand the state of his soul? And as Jewel famously crooned, "Who will save his soul?"