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| Amoris Laetitia Critiqued (Pope Francis) | Dangers of Ignorance (Pius X) | Restoring All Things In Christ (Pius X) |
Catholic Action (Pius X) | Syllabus of Errors (Pius X) | Syllabus of Errors (Pius IX) |
| Another Titanic Disaster | The "Errors of Russia" | Conspiracy Theories |
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THE 2019 PAN-AMAZON SYNOD OF BISHOPS
Rome, October 6th to October 27th
Click on any link below
| General Articles on the Synod | Amazon Synod Daily Updates | Synod Sequel | Pagan Idols Destroyed |
| The Instrumentum Laboris or Working Document of the Synod | The Final Document of the Synod |
| CCC Crazy Comments Critiqued |
WELCOME TO THE HOST PAGE FOR LIBERALISM & MODERNISM!
You have the disease? Your family has the disease? We have the cure!
You have the disease? Your family has the disease? We have the cure!
Article 1
THE MOST RAMPANT VIRUSES OF OUR DAY
Liberalism & Modernism
THE MOST RAMPANT VIRUSES OF OUR DAY
Liberalism & Modernism
You Won’t Believe This, But…
We are all Liberals—to some degree or another. We are all Modernists—to some degree of another. As the saying goes: “You cannot leave clothes in a smoky room for any length of time, without them taking on the smell of smoke!” We live in a Liberal and Modernist environment and we all stink of Liberalism or Modernism to one degree or another. The only question is--“Am I becoming more and more Liberal and/or Modernist? Or am I becoming less and less Liberal and/or Modernist? Is the disease conquering me? Or am I conquering the disease?”
We Want the Cure, But Not the Medicine
It is to be hoped that you do not want the disease of Liberalism and/or Modernism—but do you want the cure for it? Many want a cure, but won’t take the medicine. They don’t want the disease, but neither do they want to do what it takes to root out and control, and even destroy, the disease. They want an easy to fix to a complicated disease. They want a painless remedy when there isn’t one. If you want to be cured, you must also implicitly desire the available medicine. As the philosophical rule says: “He who desires a particular goal or end, must also necessarily desire the available means to that goal or end.” If you want to graduate from a particular university or college in a certain subject, then you must attend that university or college and assiduously study that subject.
Diseases of the Mind Need Medicines For the Mind
Now, since Liberalism and Modernism are primarily diseases of the mind—even though they later translate into words and actions—then the primary medicine must be for the mind. In other words—we must study, we must learn, we must remember what we study and learn, and then we must apply what we study, learn and remember to our daily and practical lives through our words and actions. Again, another philosophical axiom states: “You cannot give what you haven’t got!” There is no way that we will give a correct direction to our words and actions if we do not have correct thoughts in our minds—ideas have consequences and actions follow thoughts.
Good Heart—Loaded Mouth—Empty Head
The problem with most well-intentioned people today is that many of them have a “good heart”, but a “loaded-mouth” with an “empty-head”. They mean well, they want to do well, but they don’t or can’t think, because they don’t learn, and so, when they speak with their “loaded-mouth” they either shoot themselves in the foot, or speak stupidities that discredit and ridicule their well-meaning stance. They want to be “learned” without really learning! They want to appear wise, without really studying and meditating on what they study. They speak first and think afterwards—that is if they even think at all.
The Enemy of Ignorance
That is why Pope St. Pius X—one of the chief combatants of Liberalism and Modernism—said that the biggest enemy of the Catholic Church was not the Masons, nor the Jews, nor the Protestants, but the IGNORANCE OF CATHOLICS. If the mind is sharp, then it will not led astray and it will have an answer and correct judgment and critique for all that needs to be judged and critiqued. If we live, not by Faith and reason, but by impressions, feelings and emotions, then we will be like a loose leaf in the wind—not being attached to the tree (Faith and reason), we will be blown every which way the wind blows and will dizzily follow those winds of change.
Empty Tool Box
Talking about “ends” and “means” is much like talking about “problems” and “how to fix problems”. First we must accurately identify the problem—whether we be a doctor, a mechanic, a teacher, a coach, a gardener, etc. If the car won’t start, then I have go through a logical list of successive checks until I come across the likely problem. Identifying the problem is fine—but what good is that if I do not know how to fix the problem, or if I do have the tools to fix it. If I cannot clearly recognize the enemy (for he disguises himself very cleverly), then how will I know who to ‘shoot’ at with my arguments. Or what good is it to recognize the enemy, if I have no arguments to shoot with? The combat becomes one-sided and the outcome becomes inevitable. It is like a ten-year-old fighting against a Marine, or a Navy Sea. No contest!
For most people, the tool-boxes of their minds are pretty empty! Instead of mental tools, they have stuffed the tool-boxes of their minds with all kinds of non-essential garbage. Their tools merely deal with sports, entertainment, social activities, home care, gossip, etc. They have no idea how to explain the Faith logically and coherently, nor how to defend the Faith from the innumerable avenues of attack that occur all the time. They are not really interested in that. It is the same for their spiritual life—they desire to get to Heaven, but don’t want to lift much weight in getting there. They want their crosses to made from feathers and they would like to be stoned with popcorn! They neither know, nor want to know, the map and the directions that guide us to Heaven. Ignorance is bliss, or so they think! Yet Pope St. Pius X says that the ignorance of Catholics is the Church’s greatest enemy!
Pope Pius X & Modernism
In his famous—but rarely read—encyclical, Pascendi Dominici Gregis (meaning: “Of Feeding the Flock of the Lord”), Pope St. Pius very thoroughly addresses the problem of Modernism. Any halfway intelligent Catholic should take the time, to plough through this encyclical—a little bit at a time—squelching all the screams of “Boring!” coming from a mind that has been constantly fed the junk of worldly entertainment but little Catholic education.
On this “Good Shepherd Sunday” it is fitting and appropriate to address and also quote some sections of the holy Pope’s thoughts from his encyclical “Of Feeding the Flock of the Lord”. It might not be the diet that Catholic sheep today prefer, but it is a diet that might save them from being eaten-up by the wolves of Liberalism and Modernism.
The Pope opens the encyclical giving reasons for its necessity and his moral obligation for writing it:
“The office divinely committed to Us of feeding the Lord's flock has especially this duty assigned to it by Christ, namely, to guard with the greatest vigilance the deposit of the Faith, rejecting the profane novelties of words and oppositions of ‘knowledge’―which is falsely so called. There has never been a time when this watchfulness of the Supreme Pastor was not necessary to the Catholic body; for, owing to the efforts of the enemy of the human race, there have never been lacking "men speaking perverse things" (Acts 20:30), "vain talkers and seducers" (Titus 1:10), "erring and driving into error" (2 Timothy 3:13). Still it must be confessed that the number of the enemies of the cross of Christ has, in these last days, increased exceedingly, who are striving, by arts, entirely new and full of subtlety, to destroy the vital energy of the Church, and, if they can, to overthrow utterly Christ's kingdom itself. Wherefore We may no longer be silent, lest We should seem to fail in Our most sacred duty.”
What’s Your Duty?
If Pope St. Pius X felt it was his duty to address this disease, then it should all the more be our duty to listen to what he says. This means we need to read―then read some more―then read again―and never stop reading! We could say that “Reading each day keeps heresy away!” Most sheep end up being eaten! Why? They do not listen to the Pastor’s or Shepherd’s voice!
Modernist Infiltration
The Pope then goes on to point-out that the enemy of Modernism has infiltrated the Church Herself―the enemy is within! “That We make no delay in this matter, is made necessary especially by the fact that the partisans of error are to be sought―not only among the Church's open enemies―they also lie hid in Her very bosom and heart. We speak of the many who belong to the Catholic laity, and, far more lamentably, to the ranks of the priesthood itself, who, feigning a love for the Church, lacking the firm protection of philosophy and theology, and thoroughly filled with the poisonous doctrines taught by the enemies of the Church, pretend to be reformers of the Church; and attack all that is most sacred in the work of Christ, not sparing even the person of the Divine Redeemer, Whom, with sacrilegious daring, they reduce to a simple, mere man.”
Our Lady On Infiltration
Our Lady had already spoken of the Church’s infiltration at La Salette, 57 years before Pius X became pope (1903-194), and she did so once again at Akita, 59 after Pope St. Pius X died in the papacy. But even before that, Our Lady of Good Success, in the 1600’s, stated: “At the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century, various heresies will be propagated [This is around the time Pope St. Pius X begins to fight the heresy of Modernism]. As these heresies spread and dominate, the precious light of Faith will be extinguished in souls by the almost total corruption of morals … the secular clergy will leave much to be desired, because priests will become careless in their sacred duties. Lacking the divine compass, they will stray from the road traced by God for the priestly ministry, and they will become attached to wealth and riches.”
At La Salette, in 1846, Our Lady said: “The leaders of the people of God, have neglected prayer and penance … and the devil has bedimmed their intelligence. They have become wandering stars which the old devil will drag along with his tail to make them perish. God will allow the old serpent to cause divisions among those who reign in every society and in every family ... Lucifer, together with a large number of demons, will be unloosed from Hell; they will put an end to Faith little by little, even in those dedicated to God ... Several will abandon the Faith, and a great number of priests and members of religious orders will break away from the true religion; among these people there will even be bishops … Several religious institutions will lose all Faith and will lose many souls.”
At Akita, in 1973, Our Lady once again reiterates these truths: “Pray for the Pope, the bishops and priests … The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres ... The Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness.”
Infiltration Confirmed by Pope Paul VI
This infiltration was confirmed by Pope Paul VI (in 1972 and 1977), before and after Our Lady’s 1973 apparitions at Akita: Pope Paul VI admitted that that “from some fissure the smoke of Satan has entered the temple of God” (June 29th, 1972). And five years later, he said: “The tail of the devil is functioning in the disintegration of the Catholic world. The darkness of Satan has entered and spread throughout the Catholic Church even to its summit. Apostasy, the loss of the faith, is spreading throughout the world and into the highest levels within the Church” (Address on the Sixtieth Anniversary of the Fatima Apparitions, October 13th, 1977. Pope Paul was dead 10 months later).
Satanic Infiltration Confirmed by Rome’s Chief Exorcist
Even Father Gabriele Amorth, official chief exorcist of the Diocese of Rome (now retired), is aware of the existence of satanic cults, including the Clergy in Rome. In an excerpt of his “Memoirs” we read:
Question: “Satanists in the Vatican?”
Fr. Gabriele Amorth: “Yes, even in the Vatican there are members of Satanic cults.”
Question: “Who is involved? Is it simple priests or laymen?”
Fr. Gabriele Amorth: “There are priests, monsignors and even cardinals.”
Question: “Forgive me, Father Gabriel, but how do you know?
Fr. Gabriele Amorth: “I know from people who reported to me how they got to know this directly. It is something, “confessed” several times by the Devil, himself, under obedience during the exorcisms.”
Question: “Was the Pope informed?
Fr. Gabriele Amorth: “Of course he was informed! But he does what he can. It’s horrifying. Keep in mind also that Benedict XVI is a German Pope, who is from a nation decidedly averse to these things. In Germany, in fact, there are virtually no exorcists, yet the Pope believes. I had occasion to speak with him three times, while he was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. You bet he believes!...”
Question: “Is it really true that Paul VI said: that the “smoke of Satan” entered the Church?”
Fr. Gabriele Amorth: “It’s true, unfortunately, because even in the Church there are adherents to Satanic cults. Pope Paul VI reported this detail about the smoke of Satan on June 29th, 1972. Of course, this broke the ice, lifting a veil of silence and censorship that has lasted too long, but it had no practical consequences. It took someone like me – who was a nobody – to spread the alarm in order to get results.”
So, as stated by Father Amorth, Pope Benedict XVI is aware of the fact that, in the Vatican, there are cardinals, bishops and priests who are members of Satanic cults, “but he does what he can”!
Dr. Bella Dodd and the Infiltration of the Church
Dr. Bella Visono Dodd (1904 –1969) was born in Italy in 1904 and baptized Maria Assunta Isabella. She came to the USA as a young child. She did her Master’s Degree studies at Columbia University working toward a doctorate in philosophy, but then switched to the legal division. Later, she graduated from the School of Law at New York University where she received a Degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence. A schoolteacher and lawyer by profession, Bella Dodd was an organizer for the CPUSA (Communist Party of America) from 1932–1948, and from 1944 to 1948 sat on the Communist Party of America’s National Council. She also served as head of the New York State Teachers Union. After her defection from the Communist Party in 1949, she testified that one of her jobs, as a Communist agent, was to encourage young radicals to enter Roman Catholic seminaries. She returned to the Faith in 1952, thanks to Archbishop Fulton Sheen.
Bella Dodd later explained what she did while working as a Communist. Dr. Dodd served as legal counsel (attorney) for the Communists. Her book, School of Darkness (1954) reveals that Communism was perpetrated by financiers “to control the common man” and to advance world tyranny. In front of the US House Un-American Activities Committee, speaking as a former high-ranking official of the American Communist Party, Bella. Dodd testified about the plans of a Communist infiltration of Catholic Church: “In the 1930’s we put eleven hundred (1,100) men into the priesthood, in order to destroy the Church from within. The idea was for these men to be ordained, and then climb the ladder of influence and authority as Monsignors and Bishops.”
Dr. Bella Dodd made a public affidavit which was witnessed by a number of people, including Paul and Johnine Leininger. In her public affidavit, among other things, Dr. Bella Dodd stated: “In the late 1920’s and 1930’s, directives were sent from Moscow to all Communist Party organizations. In order to destroy the Roman Catholic Church from within, party members were to be planted in seminaries and within diocesan organizations... I, myself, put some 1,100 men in Roman Catholic seminaries”. Mrs. Johnine Leininger confirmed that other people could also verify that Dr. Bella Dodd had made these statements regarding the infiltration of Communists into Roman Catholic seminaries. Mrs. Leininger has also said that she herself knows some Roman Catholic priests who were “sleepers” ― an espionage term for individuals or groups who refrain from any subversive, espionage, and/or infiltrator functions until they become “active”. Mrs. Johnine Leininger stated that she knows of several priests who faithfully taught the Catholic religion until they became bishops or were promoted to other influential posts, and then, upon becoming “active”, immediately exhibited hostility to that same faith which they had previously professed.
Around ten years before the Second Vatican Council she stated that: “Right now they are in the highest places in the Church” — where they were working to bring about change in order to weaken the Church’s effectiveness against Communism. She also said that these changes would be so drastic that “you will not recognize the Catholic Church.”
Dr. Bella Dodd told her friend, Dr. Alice von Hildebrand, the Catholic theologian, that: “When she was an active party member, she had dealt with no fewer than four cardinals within the Vatican who were working for us, [i.e. the Communist Party]” (Christian Order magazine, “The Church in Crisis”). Dr. Alice von Hildebrand confirmed that Dr. Bella Dodd had publicly stated the same things, to which she attested in her public affidavit.
Truth Stranger Than Fiction
The world laughs at Catholic conspiracy theories. Catholics laugh at Catholic conspiracy theories. Those who hold to conspiracy theories are looked upon as lunatics! It is actually those who think that there is no conspiracy, who are the real lunatics. From the very beginning of time conspiracy has been around. Satan the ultimate conspirator, conspired against Adam and Eve. The brothers of Joseph (of colorful coat fame) conspired to kill him. Saul conspired to kill David. David conspired to kill his general Urias. The Pharisees conspired to kill Jesus. This is not even the tip of the iceberg.
Add to this the clear statements of Our Lord that family members will conspire against other family members and betray them: “And the brother shall betray his brother unto death, and the father his son; and children shall rise up against the parents, and shall work their death” (Mark 13:12). While Our Lady of Akita states: “The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops.” Is Our Lord a lunatic? Is Our Lady a lunatic? Of course not, but the best way to deflect attention is to attack and discredit anyone who points out what is going and ridicule them to ‘high-heaven’.
We are all Liberals—to some degree or another. We are all Modernists—to some degree of another. As the saying goes: “You cannot leave clothes in a smoky room for any length of time, without them taking on the smell of smoke!” We live in a Liberal and Modernist environment and we all stink of Liberalism or Modernism to one degree or another. The only question is--“Am I becoming more and more Liberal and/or Modernist? Or am I becoming less and less Liberal and/or Modernist? Is the disease conquering me? Or am I conquering the disease?”
We Want the Cure, But Not the Medicine
It is to be hoped that you do not want the disease of Liberalism and/or Modernism—but do you want the cure for it? Many want a cure, but won’t take the medicine. They don’t want the disease, but neither do they want to do what it takes to root out and control, and even destroy, the disease. They want an easy to fix to a complicated disease. They want a painless remedy when there isn’t one. If you want to be cured, you must also implicitly desire the available medicine. As the philosophical rule says: “He who desires a particular goal or end, must also necessarily desire the available means to that goal or end.” If you want to graduate from a particular university or college in a certain subject, then you must attend that university or college and assiduously study that subject.
Diseases of the Mind Need Medicines For the Mind
Now, since Liberalism and Modernism are primarily diseases of the mind—even though they later translate into words and actions—then the primary medicine must be for the mind. In other words—we must study, we must learn, we must remember what we study and learn, and then we must apply what we study, learn and remember to our daily and practical lives through our words and actions. Again, another philosophical axiom states: “You cannot give what you haven’t got!” There is no way that we will give a correct direction to our words and actions if we do not have correct thoughts in our minds—ideas have consequences and actions follow thoughts.
Good Heart—Loaded Mouth—Empty Head
The problem with most well-intentioned people today is that many of them have a “good heart”, but a “loaded-mouth” with an “empty-head”. They mean well, they want to do well, but they don’t or can’t think, because they don’t learn, and so, when they speak with their “loaded-mouth” they either shoot themselves in the foot, or speak stupidities that discredit and ridicule their well-meaning stance. They want to be “learned” without really learning! They want to appear wise, without really studying and meditating on what they study. They speak first and think afterwards—that is if they even think at all.
The Enemy of Ignorance
That is why Pope St. Pius X—one of the chief combatants of Liberalism and Modernism—said that the biggest enemy of the Catholic Church was not the Masons, nor the Jews, nor the Protestants, but the IGNORANCE OF CATHOLICS. If the mind is sharp, then it will not led astray and it will have an answer and correct judgment and critique for all that needs to be judged and critiqued. If we live, not by Faith and reason, but by impressions, feelings and emotions, then we will be like a loose leaf in the wind—not being attached to the tree (Faith and reason), we will be blown every which way the wind blows and will dizzily follow those winds of change.
Empty Tool Box
Talking about “ends” and “means” is much like talking about “problems” and “how to fix problems”. First we must accurately identify the problem—whether we be a doctor, a mechanic, a teacher, a coach, a gardener, etc. If the car won’t start, then I have go through a logical list of successive checks until I come across the likely problem. Identifying the problem is fine—but what good is that if I do not know how to fix the problem, or if I do have the tools to fix it. If I cannot clearly recognize the enemy (for he disguises himself very cleverly), then how will I know who to ‘shoot’ at with my arguments. Or what good is it to recognize the enemy, if I have no arguments to shoot with? The combat becomes one-sided and the outcome becomes inevitable. It is like a ten-year-old fighting against a Marine, or a Navy Sea. No contest!
For most people, the tool-boxes of their minds are pretty empty! Instead of mental tools, they have stuffed the tool-boxes of their minds with all kinds of non-essential garbage. Their tools merely deal with sports, entertainment, social activities, home care, gossip, etc. They have no idea how to explain the Faith logically and coherently, nor how to defend the Faith from the innumerable avenues of attack that occur all the time. They are not really interested in that. It is the same for their spiritual life—they desire to get to Heaven, but don’t want to lift much weight in getting there. They want their crosses to made from feathers and they would like to be stoned with popcorn! They neither know, nor want to know, the map and the directions that guide us to Heaven. Ignorance is bliss, or so they think! Yet Pope St. Pius X says that the ignorance of Catholics is the Church’s greatest enemy!
Pope Pius X & Modernism
In his famous—but rarely read—encyclical, Pascendi Dominici Gregis (meaning: “Of Feeding the Flock of the Lord”), Pope St. Pius very thoroughly addresses the problem of Modernism. Any halfway intelligent Catholic should take the time, to plough through this encyclical—a little bit at a time—squelching all the screams of “Boring!” coming from a mind that has been constantly fed the junk of worldly entertainment but little Catholic education.
On this “Good Shepherd Sunday” it is fitting and appropriate to address and also quote some sections of the holy Pope’s thoughts from his encyclical “Of Feeding the Flock of the Lord”. It might not be the diet that Catholic sheep today prefer, but it is a diet that might save them from being eaten-up by the wolves of Liberalism and Modernism.
The Pope opens the encyclical giving reasons for its necessity and his moral obligation for writing it:
“The office divinely committed to Us of feeding the Lord's flock has especially this duty assigned to it by Christ, namely, to guard with the greatest vigilance the deposit of the Faith, rejecting the profane novelties of words and oppositions of ‘knowledge’―which is falsely so called. There has never been a time when this watchfulness of the Supreme Pastor was not necessary to the Catholic body; for, owing to the efforts of the enemy of the human race, there have never been lacking "men speaking perverse things" (Acts 20:30), "vain talkers and seducers" (Titus 1:10), "erring and driving into error" (2 Timothy 3:13). Still it must be confessed that the number of the enemies of the cross of Christ has, in these last days, increased exceedingly, who are striving, by arts, entirely new and full of subtlety, to destroy the vital energy of the Church, and, if they can, to overthrow utterly Christ's kingdom itself. Wherefore We may no longer be silent, lest We should seem to fail in Our most sacred duty.”
What’s Your Duty?
If Pope St. Pius X felt it was his duty to address this disease, then it should all the more be our duty to listen to what he says. This means we need to read―then read some more―then read again―and never stop reading! We could say that “Reading each day keeps heresy away!” Most sheep end up being eaten! Why? They do not listen to the Pastor’s or Shepherd’s voice!
Modernist Infiltration
The Pope then goes on to point-out that the enemy of Modernism has infiltrated the Church Herself―the enemy is within! “That We make no delay in this matter, is made necessary especially by the fact that the partisans of error are to be sought―not only among the Church's open enemies―they also lie hid in Her very bosom and heart. We speak of the many who belong to the Catholic laity, and, far more lamentably, to the ranks of the priesthood itself, who, feigning a love for the Church, lacking the firm protection of philosophy and theology, and thoroughly filled with the poisonous doctrines taught by the enemies of the Church, pretend to be reformers of the Church; and attack all that is most sacred in the work of Christ, not sparing even the person of the Divine Redeemer, Whom, with sacrilegious daring, they reduce to a simple, mere man.”
Our Lady On Infiltration
Our Lady had already spoken of the Church’s infiltration at La Salette, 57 years before Pius X became pope (1903-194), and she did so once again at Akita, 59 after Pope St. Pius X died in the papacy. But even before that, Our Lady of Good Success, in the 1600’s, stated: “At the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century, various heresies will be propagated [This is around the time Pope St. Pius X begins to fight the heresy of Modernism]. As these heresies spread and dominate, the precious light of Faith will be extinguished in souls by the almost total corruption of morals … the secular clergy will leave much to be desired, because priests will become careless in their sacred duties. Lacking the divine compass, they will stray from the road traced by God for the priestly ministry, and they will become attached to wealth and riches.”
At La Salette, in 1846, Our Lady said: “The leaders of the people of God, have neglected prayer and penance … and the devil has bedimmed their intelligence. They have become wandering stars which the old devil will drag along with his tail to make them perish. God will allow the old serpent to cause divisions among those who reign in every society and in every family ... Lucifer, together with a large number of demons, will be unloosed from Hell; they will put an end to Faith little by little, even in those dedicated to God ... Several will abandon the Faith, and a great number of priests and members of religious orders will break away from the true religion; among these people there will even be bishops … Several religious institutions will lose all Faith and will lose many souls.”
At Akita, in 1973, Our Lady once again reiterates these truths: “Pray for the Pope, the bishops and priests … The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres ... The Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness.”
Infiltration Confirmed by Pope Paul VI
This infiltration was confirmed by Pope Paul VI (in 1972 and 1977), before and after Our Lady’s 1973 apparitions at Akita: Pope Paul VI admitted that that “from some fissure the smoke of Satan has entered the temple of God” (June 29th, 1972). And five years later, he said: “The tail of the devil is functioning in the disintegration of the Catholic world. The darkness of Satan has entered and spread throughout the Catholic Church even to its summit. Apostasy, the loss of the faith, is spreading throughout the world and into the highest levels within the Church” (Address on the Sixtieth Anniversary of the Fatima Apparitions, October 13th, 1977. Pope Paul was dead 10 months later).
Satanic Infiltration Confirmed by Rome’s Chief Exorcist
Even Father Gabriele Amorth, official chief exorcist of the Diocese of Rome (now retired), is aware of the existence of satanic cults, including the Clergy in Rome. In an excerpt of his “Memoirs” we read:
Question: “Satanists in the Vatican?”
Fr. Gabriele Amorth: “Yes, even in the Vatican there are members of Satanic cults.”
Question: “Who is involved? Is it simple priests or laymen?”
Fr. Gabriele Amorth: “There are priests, monsignors and even cardinals.”
Question: “Forgive me, Father Gabriel, but how do you know?
Fr. Gabriele Amorth: “I know from people who reported to me how they got to know this directly. It is something, “confessed” several times by the Devil, himself, under obedience during the exorcisms.”
Question: “Was the Pope informed?
Fr. Gabriele Amorth: “Of course he was informed! But he does what he can. It’s horrifying. Keep in mind also that Benedict XVI is a German Pope, who is from a nation decidedly averse to these things. In Germany, in fact, there are virtually no exorcists, yet the Pope believes. I had occasion to speak with him three times, while he was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. You bet he believes!...”
Question: “Is it really true that Paul VI said: that the “smoke of Satan” entered the Church?”
Fr. Gabriele Amorth: “It’s true, unfortunately, because even in the Church there are adherents to Satanic cults. Pope Paul VI reported this detail about the smoke of Satan on June 29th, 1972. Of course, this broke the ice, lifting a veil of silence and censorship that has lasted too long, but it had no practical consequences. It took someone like me – who was a nobody – to spread the alarm in order to get results.”
So, as stated by Father Amorth, Pope Benedict XVI is aware of the fact that, in the Vatican, there are cardinals, bishops and priests who are members of Satanic cults, “but he does what he can”!
Dr. Bella Dodd and the Infiltration of the Church
Dr. Bella Visono Dodd (1904 –1969) was born in Italy in 1904 and baptized Maria Assunta Isabella. She came to the USA as a young child. She did her Master’s Degree studies at Columbia University working toward a doctorate in philosophy, but then switched to the legal division. Later, she graduated from the School of Law at New York University where she received a Degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence. A schoolteacher and lawyer by profession, Bella Dodd was an organizer for the CPUSA (Communist Party of America) from 1932–1948, and from 1944 to 1948 sat on the Communist Party of America’s National Council. She also served as head of the New York State Teachers Union. After her defection from the Communist Party in 1949, she testified that one of her jobs, as a Communist agent, was to encourage young radicals to enter Roman Catholic seminaries. She returned to the Faith in 1952, thanks to Archbishop Fulton Sheen.
Bella Dodd later explained what she did while working as a Communist. Dr. Dodd served as legal counsel (attorney) for the Communists. Her book, School of Darkness (1954) reveals that Communism was perpetrated by financiers “to control the common man” and to advance world tyranny. In front of the US House Un-American Activities Committee, speaking as a former high-ranking official of the American Communist Party, Bella. Dodd testified about the plans of a Communist infiltration of Catholic Church: “In the 1930’s we put eleven hundred (1,100) men into the priesthood, in order to destroy the Church from within. The idea was for these men to be ordained, and then climb the ladder of influence and authority as Monsignors and Bishops.”
Dr. Bella Dodd made a public affidavit which was witnessed by a number of people, including Paul and Johnine Leininger. In her public affidavit, among other things, Dr. Bella Dodd stated: “In the late 1920’s and 1930’s, directives were sent from Moscow to all Communist Party organizations. In order to destroy the Roman Catholic Church from within, party members were to be planted in seminaries and within diocesan organizations... I, myself, put some 1,100 men in Roman Catholic seminaries”. Mrs. Johnine Leininger confirmed that other people could also verify that Dr. Bella Dodd had made these statements regarding the infiltration of Communists into Roman Catholic seminaries. Mrs. Leininger has also said that she herself knows some Roman Catholic priests who were “sleepers” ― an espionage term for individuals or groups who refrain from any subversive, espionage, and/or infiltrator functions until they become “active”. Mrs. Johnine Leininger stated that she knows of several priests who faithfully taught the Catholic religion until they became bishops or were promoted to other influential posts, and then, upon becoming “active”, immediately exhibited hostility to that same faith which they had previously professed.
Around ten years before the Second Vatican Council she stated that: “Right now they are in the highest places in the Church” — where they were working to bring about change in order to weaken the Church’s effectiveness against Communism. She also said that these changes would be so drastic that “you will not recognize the Catholic Church.”
Dr. Bella Dodd told her friend, Dr. Alice von Hildebrand, the Catholic theologian, that: “When she was an active party member, she had dealt with no fewer than four cardinals within the Vatican who were working for us, [i.e. the Communist Party]” (Christian Order magazine, “The Church in Crisis”). Dr. Alice von Hildebrand confirmed that Dr. Bella Dodd had publicly stated the same things, to which she attested in her public affidavit.
Truth Stranger Than Fiction
The world laughs at Catholic conspiracy theories. Catholics laugh at Catholic conspiracy theories. Those who hold to conspiracy theories are looked upon as lunatics! It is actually those who think that there is no conspiracy, who are the real lunatics. From the very beginning of time conspiracy has been around. Satan the ultimate conspirator, conspired against Adam and Eve. The brothers of Joseph (of colorful coat fame) conspired to kill him. Saul conspired to kill David. David conspired to kill his general Urias. The Pharisees conspired to kill Jesus. This is not even the tip of the iceberg.
Add to this the clear statements of Our Lord that family members will conspire against other family members and betray them: “And the brother shall betray his brother unto death, and the father his son; and children shall rise up against the parents, and shall work their death” (Mark 13:12). While Our Lady of Akita states: “The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops.” Is Our Lord a lunatic? Is Our Lady a lunatic? Of course not, but the best way to deflect attention is to attack and discredit anyone who points out what is going and ridicule them to ‘high-heaven’.
Article 2
THE EVOLUTION OF MODERNISM
Modernism in a Nutshell
An Overview of Modernism
Have you ever encountered someone in the Church who said it doesn’t matter what religion you believe, or that truth is subjective? If so, you have probably encountered a Modernist.
What Is Modernism?
By its very nature, Modernism — the synthesis of all heresies, according to Pope St. Pius X — is hard to define because it doesn’t have an official creed. For this reason, it is like nailing jelly to a wall. There are some basic components to Modernism, however, some of which are as follows:
All Religions Are Equal
For the Modernist, it doesn’t matter if you are a Catholic, Muslim, Hindu, Wiccan or snake handler; all that matters is that one is religious in some way, since all religious paths lead to God. Clearly, this is at odds with Jesus Christ, Who said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). It is also at odds with what the Catholic Church teaches in the Catechism: “Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.”
Religion Is Not About Dogma But About Sentimentality And Feelings
For the Modernist, religion is essentially about what makes you feel good; if Christianity, or any other religion, is what makes you feel good and more in touch with the Divine, then it is true for you. In other words, religion does not consist of creeds or objective truth but of feelings. As we saw in John 14:6, quoted above, truth isn’t subjective but is found only in Jesus and His Church.
The Historical Jesus Is Not Necessarily The Jesus Of The Gospels.
This means the Scriptures are not necessarily reliable from an historical perspective, according to the Modernist. For example, the Modernist would say that Jesus may not have truly risen from the dead. According to this view, the Resurrection mentioned in Scripture was essentially the way the Apostles chose to communicate the belief that Jesus continues to live in our hearts after His crucifixion. This is completely at odds with St. Paul, who said, “And if Christ be not risen again, your Faith is vain, for you are yet in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17).
Doctrine evolves. The Modernist says that in previous centuries, the dogmas of the Faith, such as the dogmas of the Trinity, were true, but since dogma evolves, it may no longer be true today. For the Modernist, dogma evolves into whatever accommodates the needs of the current culture. This is refuted by the fact that the dogmas of the Faith are revealed by God, and God cannot contradict Himself.
Orthodox terminology is maintained, but the definitions of the terms are changed. Words like “God,” “Resurrection,” “Trinity,” and “salvation” are all used by the Modernist, but what they mean by these terms has nothing to do with what these terms have traditionally meant in the history of the Church. For this reason, Modernists may appear to be orthodox, but one eventually discovers their true nature once they dig more deeply into the meaning of the terminology they use. This view of dogma was refuted by the First Vatican Council: “Hence, too, that meaning of the sacred dogmas is ever to be maintained which has once been declared by holy mother church, and there must never be any abandonment of this sense under the pretext or in the name of a more profound understanding” (On Faith and Reason, 14).
The Origins of Modernism
● The Protestant Revolution. For the Protestant, the individual rejects the Magisterium established by Christ and replaces it with the individual. Given this view, it was only a matter of time that the individual would be elevated to a position to interpret and define all matters of faith and morals for himself.
● The Enlightenment. The Enlightenment rejected all divine revelation and exalted man’s ability, by reason alone, to determine what is true in matters of faith and morals. This eventually led to the Modernist view that the individual, and not God or Magisterium, determines what is true.
● Early 20th-Century Theologians. Modernism was especially made popular by early 20th-century theologians like Alfred Loisy and George Tyrrell, among others. These men were eventually excommunicated for their espousal of Modernism.
Modernism in the Church Today
● Modernism in the Liturgy―Modernists do not see the liturgy of the Church as the primary way to worship God. Instead, they see it as an opportunity for man to gather together for purposes other than the worship of God. Thus, they think the liturgy shouldn’t be primarily about what God wants, but about what modern man likes. For the Modernist, liturgy is primarily about sentimentality and not the worship of God.
● Modernism in Dogma―Another prevalent example of Modernism in the Church today is the view that sees everything before Vatican II as obsolete. In other words, since doctrine evolves for the Modernist, the things that were true before Vatican II do not necessarily apply to the Church after Vatican II. For the Modernist, a new Church was created after Vatican II, and this Church has new truths that are not necessarily the same as those before Vatican II.
● Modernism in Scripture Studies―Modernism has infected the Church in Scripture studies by what is called Higher Criticism. Higher Criticism is an approach to Scripture that often questions the historicity of events mentioned in Scripture. A recent example of the heresy of Modernism in Scripture studies is Cardinal Kasper, who openly denies the historicity of the miracles of Christ
Have you ever encountered someone in the Church who said it doesn’t matter what religion you believe, or that truth is subjective? If so, you have probably encountered a Modernist.
What Is Modernism?
By its very nature, Modernism — the synthesis of all heresies, according to Pope St. Pius X — is hard to define because it doesn’t have an official creed. For this reason, it is like nailing jelly to a wall. There are some basic components to Modernism, however, some of which are as follows:
All Religions Are Equal
For the Modernist, it doesn’t matter if you are a Catholic, Muslim, Hindu, Wiccan or snake handler; all that matters is that one is religious in some way, since all religious paths lead to God. Clearly, this is at odds with Jesus Christ, Who said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). It is also at odds with what the Catholic Church teaches in the Catechism: “Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.”
Religion Is Not About Dogma But About Sentimentality And Feelings
For the Modernist, religion is essentially about what makes you feel good; if Christianity, or any other religion, is what makes you feel good and more in touch with the Divine, then it is true for you. In other words, religion does not consist of creeds or objective truth but of feelings. As we saw in John 14:6, quoted above, truth isn’t subjective but is found only in Jesus and His Church.
The Historical Jesus Is Not Necessarily The Jesus Of The Gospels.
This means the Scriptures are not necessarily reliable from an historical perspective, according to the Modernist. For example, the Modernist would say that Jesus may not have truly risen from the dead. According to this view, the Resurrection mentioned in Scripture was essentially the way the Apostles chose to communicate the belief that Jesus continues to live in our hearts after His crucifixion. This is completely at odds with St. Paul, who said, “And if Christ be not risen again, your Faith is vain, for you are yet in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17).
Doctrine evolves. The Modernist says that in previous centuries, the dogmas of the Faith, such as the dogmas of the Trinity, were true, but since dogma evolves, it may no longer be true today. For the Modernist, dogma evolves into whatever accommodates the needs of the current culture. This is refuted by the fact that the dogmas of the Faith are revealed by God, and God cannot contradict Himself.
Orthodox terminology is maintained, but the definitions of the terms are changed. Words like “God,” “Resurrection,” “Trinity,” and “salvation” are all used by the Modernist, but what they mean by these terms has nothing to do with what these terms have traditionally meant in the history of the Church. For this reason, Modernists may appear to be orthodox, but one eventually discovers their true nature once they dig more deeply into the meaning of the terminology they use. This view of dogma was refuted by the First Vatican Council: “Hence, too, that meaning of the sacred dogmas is ever to be maintained which has once been declared by holy mother church, and there must never be any abandonment of this sense under the pretext or in the name of a more profound understanding” (On Faith and Reason, 14).
The Origins of Modernism
● The Protestant Revolution. For the Protestant, the individual rejects the Magisterium established by Christ and replaces it with the individual. Given this view, it was only a matter of time that the individual would be elevated to a position to interpret and define all matters of faith and morals for himself.
● The Enlightenment. The Enlightenment rejected all divine revelation and exalted man’s ability, by reason alone, to determine what is true in matters of faith and morals. This eventually led to the Modernist view that the individual, and not God or Magisterium, determines what is true.
● Early 20th-Century Theologians. Modernism was especially made popular by early 20th-century theologians like Alfred Loisy and George Tyrrell, among others. These men were eventually excommunicated for their espousal of Modernism.
Modernism in the Church Today
● Modernism in the Liturgy―Modernists do not see the liturgy of the Church as the primary way to worship God. Instead, they see it as an opportunity for man to gather together for purposes other than the worship of God. Thus, they think the liturgy shouldn’t be primarily about what God wants, but about what modern man likes. For the Modernist, liturgy is primarily about sentimentality and not the worship of God.
● Modernism in Dogma―Another prevalent example of Modernism in the Church today is the view that sees everything before Vatican II as obsolete. In other words, since doctrine evolves for the Modernist, the things that were true before Vatican II do not necessarily apply to the Church after Vatican II. For the Modernist, a new Church was created after Vatican II, and this Church has new truths that are not necessarily the same as those before Vatican II.
● Modernism in Scripture Studies―Modernism has infected the Church in Scripture studies by what is called Higher Criticism. Higher Criticism is an approach to Scripture that often questions the historicity of events mentioned in Scripture. A recent example of the heresy of Modernism in Scripture studies is Cardinal Kasper, who openly denies the historicity of the miracles of Christ
Article 3
THE EVOLUTION OF MODERNISM
Are You Evolving Into A Modernist?
THE EVOLUTION OF MODERNISM
Are You Evolving Into A Modernist?
The Black Death of Today
Throughout the entire world we are in the presence of a tragic and unheard of situation, which seems never to have happened before in the history of the Church. It is the virus of Modernism, which, like the plague called “The Black Death” is laying waste to the Church today. The Catholic faith in a Catholic world, has been in the process of totally breaking up for over 50 years now. The still hidden and unrevealed portion of the Third Secret of Fatima, which earlier this month was purported to have included something about an “Evil Council” or “Bad Council” and an “Evil Mass” or “Bad Mass”, certainly sheds some light on matters.
Enemy in the Church
It was Pope Paul VI, himself, who spoke of self-destruction within the Church. What does this term self-destruction mean, if it is not that the Church is destroying Herself by Herself, and hence by Her own members. This is already what Pope St. Pius X said in his first encyclical when he wrote: “Henceforth the enemy of the church is no longer outside the church, he is now within.” And the Pope did not hesitate to designate those places where he was to be found: “The enemy is found in the seminaries.”
Consequently, the holy Pope St. Pius X already denounced the presence of the enemies of the Church in the seminaries at the beginning of the century. Obviously the seminarians of the time, who were imbued with Modernism, later became priests. Some of them even became Bishops and among them were even some Cardinals. It is Bishops and Cardinals who have the final say on who gets ordained to the priesthood and who gets promoted. “Birds of a feather flock together” and “Like likes like”. The spread of a virus is very instructive in this regard.
The Virus of Modernism Spreads
A virus is filled with bits of DNA—similarly, a Modernist is filled with Rationalism and Liberalism. This DNA is used by the virus (Modernist) to reproduce. A virus cannot reproduce on its own, it needs to enlist the help of a cell (another Catholic soul). In order to reproduce itself, a virus (Modernist) releases its DNA (Rationalism and Liberalism) into a cell (another Catholic soul).
Remember that DNA (Rationalism and Liberalism) in a cell's (soul’s) nucleus, is what directs the activities of the cell (soul). By releasing DNA (Rationalism and Liberalism) into the cell (another Catholic soul), the virus (Modernist) is able to take control of the cell (another Catholic soul). Instead of performing its normal functions, the cell (another Catholic soul) begins to do only one thing, create new viruses (Modernists).
Through this process, the cell (soul) becomes a parent to a new generation of viruses (Modernists). The cell (soul) is helping to create an enemy that will attack other cells (souls). Eventually the cell bursts (the children leave home, the students leave school, the seminarians are ordained), releasing the newly created viruses (Modernists). These viruses (Modernists) will then attack other cells (souls), repeating the process.
Enemy in the Family?
Yet, the danger is that the faithful will be looking at the seminaries on the lookout for the enemy, and will not notice the enemy creeping into the family home and school through the unguarded back door and open windows!
Family, relatives and friends are the devil’s preferred Wooden Horses of Troy. There is an old saying: "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts!" This saying comes from the legend of the Trojan Horse. You all know the story! A long time ago, there was an ancient city-state on the coast of Turkey, across the sea from Sparta. This city-state was named Troy. At one time, Troy and the other Greek city-states were pretty good friends. But times had changed. Now the Greeks had become enemies of Troy.
The city of Troy was protected by a high wall built around the city. Some parts of the wall were 20 feet high and very thick! There were gates in the wall to let people in and out, but it provided great defense for the people of Troy. It gave the Trojan warriors a relatively safe place to stand, while they rained arrows down on the people below, who were trying to break into the city. The Greek warriors had been trying to breach the wall around Troy for about ten years. The Greeks could not find a way in, and the Trojans did not seem able to drive the Greeks away.
Odysseus, a Greek general, had an idea. His plan was to build a horse, a beautiful and huge wooden horse, and leave it outside the gate. Then, the entire Greek army would pretend to leave, as if they had finally admitted defeat. But the horse would be hollow. Thirty men would be hiding inside. That's what they did. As the Greek warriors sailed away, the people of Troy rushed outside, cheering. They found the horse. Fortunately, they did not try to burn the horse. They dragged the horse inside the city gates to keep it on display, which is just what the Greek general thought they would do―gloat.
That night, while the Trojan people were sleeping, the men hiding inside the wooden horse climbed out and opened the gates. The waiting Greek army, which had returned after pretending to sail away, entered Troy. That was the end of Troy. A similar scenario plays itself out, or has already played itself out, in most Catholic families.
You Are Only As Strong As Your Weakest Link
The Titanic sank, not because the whole side of the hull was gashed wide open, but initially the gash was merely the size of a house door. The Titanic did not sink immediately, but fairly quickly nonetheless. Additionally, the Titanic had ignored repeated warnings from other ships in the area about the dangerous icebergs that were being encountered. The radio-room of the Titanic told other radio signalers to “shut-up” because they were too busy sending vain messages from passengers on board the ship to the mainland. They were too worldly-conscious and not safety-conscious enough!
At the British enquiry following the accident, Edward Wilding (chief naval architect for Harland and Wolff), calculating on the basis of the observed flooding of forward compartments, forty minutes after the collision, testified that the area of the hull opened to the sea was “somewhere about 12 square feet” (just smaller that an average house door), it was not one big single gash, for he stated that “I believe it must have been in places, and not a continuous rip”, but that the different openings must have extended along an area of around 300 feet, to account for the flooding in several compartments. Modern ultrasound surveys of the wreck have confirmed this to be true, as they have found that the damage consisted of six narrow openings in an area of the hull covering only about 12 to 13 square feet (just smaller that an average house door) in total.
The same can be true for any and every "Titanic" family. A false sense of security and complacency makes families think―we can't possibly sink! We are too strong! We see the problems! We are too well-equipped for our Faith to sink! Many a shipwrecked family thought this way! You may be strong, you may be well aware of the dangers, you may be well-equipped, but, at the end of the day, you are only as strong as your weakest link. St. Ignatius of Loyola, in the Rules for the Spiritual Exercises, says that the devil will invariably attack you at your weakest point. What is weakest point in your family? Who is the weakest link? It is that weakest point that will be most often attacked and it is that weakest link that will more often than not be the virus-carrier of Modernism and Liberalism and lukewarmness.
We Let Family Members Get Away With ‘Murder’
Who likes correcting family members? Who likes ‘fighting’ with family members? If anyone is likely to have a blind-eye turned towards them, then it is more likely to be a family member, or a relative, than someone outside the family. We have sayings that imply this, such as: “This stays within the family!” … “We keep family failings private and don’t talk about them!” … “We don’t wash our dirty laundry in public!” … etc.
Of course, some things are best kept within the confines of the family—there is nothing wrong with that, providing the family sets about correcting the problems, or washing its own dirty laundry to get it clean. Modernism can “come-out-in-the-wash” if it is properly ‘washed’. It is when no serious efforts and sanctions are taken, that the danger escalates and threatens to ruin others also.
Clothes & Smoky Rooms—Catholics & Modernist Views
We are all familiar with phrases such as: "You are what you eat!" ... "You are what you read!" ... "Tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell you what you are!" ... "One bad apple spoils the whole box!" ... etc.
These phrases serve as an indicator of what happens in a family that allows the germ or virus of Modernism to enter unrecognized and/or uncombatted. Remember, that in the physical and natural domain, one tiny virus can put an entire family in the sick-bed. A virus can very easily and very quickly pass from one family member to another. Families get sick, not because they want to get sick, not because they love the circulating virus, but because they take insufficient measures to prevent its entry and insufficient measures of elimination if entry has already been made.
Liberalism's & Modernism's Alluring Network &Disguises
Very often, the virus of Modernism has the DNA and genes of its parents, Rationalism and Liberalism, and these factors often command respect and are even likeable.
In his book Liberalism Is A Sin―a book heartily recommended by the Vatican in better less-Liberal days―Fr. Salvany paints the picture of the seductively likeable Liberal: “Liberalism [and its child, Modernism] is spread around us like a network … Its web is being constantly spun round about us as spiders weave their meshes for insects. Where one is brushed away, two are multiplied … Unless one is on his guard, he finds himself thinking, speaking and acting as a Liberal [Modernist].” (Fr. Salvany, Liberalism Is A Sin).
“Sometimes Liberalism stalks along in the careless trappings of an easy-going good nature or a simplicity of character, which invites our affection and allays our suspicion ... Appearances may be fair, and the devil may present himself as an angel of light. The danger is the greater as the outward show is more seductive ... Most to be feared, however, is not he who openly boasts his Liberalism, but he who says he despises it and, vehemently denying it, is yet steeped to the lips in Liberalism and continually speaks and acts under its inspiration. And if such a man be a Catholic by profession, all the more dangerous is he to the Faith of others, for he is the hidden enemy sowing tares amidst the wheat”(Fr. Salvany, Liberalism Is A Sin).
“Heroes are rare, and it is natural that most young men beginning their career should affiliate with Liberalism … and youth is ordinarily rarely scrupulous ... Men become Liberal out of avarice, or the love of money. To get along in the world, to succeed in business, is always a standing temptation of Liberalism. It meets the young man at every turn. Around him in a thousand ways does he feel the secret or open hostility of the enemies of his Faith” (Fr. Salvany, Liberalism Is A Sin).
Danger From Family, Relatives and Friends
We can compare ‘killing’ or ‘rape’ of the Faith to physical murder and abuse, whereby most of those cases are committed by a family member, acquaintance or boyfriend. Murder statistics show that in 2009, 24% of victims (about 1 in 4) were slain by family members; 54% (over half) were killed by someone they knew (acquaintance, neighbor, friend, boyfriend, etc.). The same is true for sexual assault. On the US Government’s National Institute for Justice website, research on sexual violence indicates that: “Sexual violence may occur in any type of relationship, but most perpetrators of sexual assault are known to their victims. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reports that 6 in 10 rape or sexual assault victims said that they were assaulted by an intimate partner, relative, friend or acquaintance. One research project found that 34 percent of women surveyed were victims of sexual coercion by a husband or intimate partner in their lifetime”
The bottom-line here is that these crimes were committed by people who were trusted by the victim. Similarly, the Faith can be more easily destroyed by those whom we know and trust, rather than strangers.
False Charity Protects the Virus
Most people are over-tolerant of the ones they love and are slow or reluctant to correct them in a powerful and effective manner. This tendency is milked only too willingly by the devil, who puts us on a “guilt-trip” whenever we do correct them efficaciously.
This problem allows the ‘cancers’ of Liberalism and Modernism to grow. We are reluctantly forced into a compromise situation—the devil (or other family members, relatives and friends) will say: “Hey! Nobody’s perfect! At least they are not like so and so, and they don’t do such and such! Count your blessings and leave them alone! Stop trying to micro-manage everyone and everything! Have a sense of balance! A little fun hurt no one! Don’t be so serious about everything! God’s not like that! God understands!”
In the next article we shall examine these dangers a little closer and look at what protective measures and remedies we can and should take to prevent our Faith and Morals from which compromised and then weakened and finally destroyed or paralyzed.
Throughout the entire world we are in the presence of a tragic and unheard of situation, which seems never to have happened before in the history of the Church. It is the virus of Modernism, which, like the plague called “The Black Death” is laying waste to the Church today. The Catholic faith in a Catholic world, has been in the process of totally breaking up for over 50 years now. The still hidden and unrevealed portion of the Third Secret of Fatima, which earlier this month was purported to have included something about an “Evil Council” or “Bad Council” and an “Evil Mass” or “Bad Mass”, certainly sheds some light on matters.
Enemy in the Church
It was Pope Paul VI, himself, who spoke of self-destruction within the Church. What does this term self-destruction mean, if it is not that the Church is destroying Herself by Herself, and hence by Her own members. This is already what Pope St. Pius X said in his first encyclical when he wrote: “Henceforth the enemy of the church is no longer outside the church, he is now within.” And the Pope did not hesitate to designate those places where he was to be found: “The enemy is found in the seminaries.”
Consequently, the holy Pope St. Pius X already denounced the presence of the enemies of the Church in the seminaries at the beginning of the century. Obviously the seminarians of the time, who were imbued with Modernism, later became priests. Some of them even became Bishops and among them were even some Cardinals. It is Bishops and Cardinals who have the final say on who gets ordained to the priesthood and who gets promoted. “Birds of a feather flock together” and “Like likes like”. The spread of a virus is very instructive in this regard.
The Virus of Modernism Spreads
A virus is filled with bits of DNA—similarly, a Modernist is filled with Rationalism and Liberalism. This DNA is used by the virus (Modernist) to reproduce. A virus cannot reproduce on its own, it needs to enlist the help of a cell (another Catholic soul). In order to reproduce itself, a virus (Modernist) releases its DNA (Rationalism and Liberalism) into a cell (another Catholic soul).
Remember that DNA (Rationalism and Liberalism) in a cell's (soul’s) nucleus, is what directs the activities of the cell (soul). By releasing DNA (Rationalism and Liberalism) into the cell (another Catholic soul), the virus (Modernist) is able to take control of the cell (another Catholic soul). Instead of performing its normal functions, the cell (another Catholic soul) begins to do only one thing, create new viruses (Modernists).
Through this process, the cell (soul) becomes a parent to a new generation of viruses (Modernists). The cell (soul) is helping to create an enemy that will attack other cells (souls). Eventually the cell bursts (the children leave home, the students leave school, the seminarians are ordained), releasing the newly created viruses (Modernists). These viruses (Modernists) will then attack other cells (souls), repeating the process.
Enemy in the Family?
Yet, the danger is that the faithful will be looking at the seminaries on the lookout for the enemy, and will not notice the enemy creeping into the family home and school through the unguarded back door and open windows!
Family, relatives and friends are the devil’s preferred Wooden Horses of Troy. There is an old saying: "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts!" This saying comes from the legend of the Trojan Horse. You all know the story! A long time ago, there was an ancient city-state on the coast of Turkey, across the sea from Sparta. This city-state was named Troy. At one time, Troy and the other Greek city-states were pretty good friends. But times had changed. Now the Greeks had become enemies of Troy.
The city of Troy was protected by a high wall built around the city. Some parts of the wall were 20 feet high and very thick! There were gates in the wall to let people in and out, but it provided great defense for the people of Troy. It gave the Trojan warriors a relatively safe place to stand, while they rained arrows down on the people below, who were trying to break into the city. The Greek warriors had been trying to breach the wall around Troy for about ten years. The Greeks could not find a way in, and the Trojans did not seem able to drive the Greeks away.
Odysseus, a Greek general, had an idea. His plan was to build a horse, a beautiful and huge wooden horse, and leave it outside the gate. Then, the entire Greek army would pretend to leave, as if they had finally admitted defeat. But the horse would be hollow. Thirty men would be hiding inside. That's what they did. As the Greek warriors sailed away, the people of Troy rushed outside, cheering. They found the horse. Fortunately, they did not try to burn the horse. They dragged the horse inside the city gates to keep it on display, which is just what the Greek general thought they would do―gloat.
That night, while the Trojan people were sleeping, the men hiding inside the wooden horse climbed out and opened the gates. The waiting Greek army, which had returned after pretending to sail away, entered Troy. That was the end of Troy. A similar scenario plays itself out, or has already played itself out, in most Catholic families.
You Are Only As Strong As Your Weakest Link
The Titanic sank, not because the whole side of the hull was gashed wide open, but initially the gash was merely the size of a house door. The Titanic did not sink immediately, but fairly quickly nonetheless. Additionally, the Titanic had ignored repeated warnings from other ships in the area about the dangerous icebergs that were being encountered. The radio-room of the Titanic told other radio signalers to “shut-up” because they were too busy sending vain messages from passengers on board the ship to the mainland. They were too worldly-conscious and not safety-conscious enough!
At the British enquiry following the accident, Edward Wilding (chief naval architect for Harland and Wolff), calculating on the basis of the observed flooding of forward compartments, forty minutes after the collision, testified that the area of the hull opened to the sea was “somewhere about 12 square feet” (just smaller that an average house door), it was not one big single gash, for he stated that “I believe it must have been in places, and not a continuous rip”, but that the different openings must have extended along an area of around 300 feet, to account for the flooding in several compartments. Modern ultrasound surveys of the wreck have confirmed this to be true, as they have found that the damage consisted of six narrow openings in an area of the hull covering only about 12 to 13 square feet (just smaller that an average house door) in total.
The same can be true for any and every "Titanic" family. A false sense of security and complacency makes families think―we can't possibly sink! We are too strong! We see the problems! We are too well-equipped for our Faith to sink! Many a shipwrecked family thought this way! You may be strong, you may be well aware of the dangers, you may be well-equipped, but, at the end of the day, you are only as strong as your weakest link. St. Ignatius of Loyola, in the Rules for the Spiritual Exercises, says that the devil will invariably attack you at your weakest point. What is weakest point in your family? Who is the weakest link? It is that weakest point that will be most often attacked and it is that weakest link that will more often than not be the virus-carrier of Modernism and Liberalism and lukewarmness.
We Let Family Members Get Away With ‘Murder’
Who likes correcting family members? Who likes ‘fighting’ with family members? If anyone is likely to have a blind-eye turned towards them, then it is more likely to be a family member, or a relative, than someone outside the family. We have sayings that imply this, such as: “This stays within the family!” … “We keep family failings private and don’t talk about them!” … “We don’t wash our dirty laundry in public!” … etc.
Of course, some things are best kept within the confines of the family—there is nothing wrong with that, providing the family sets about correcting the problems, or washing its own dirty laundry to get it clean. Modernism can “come-out-in-the-wash” if it is properly ‘washed’. It is when no serious efforts and sanctions are taken, that the danger escalates and threatens to ruin others also.
Clothes & Smoky Rooms—Catholics & Modernist Views
We are all familiar with phrases such as: "You are what you eat!" ... "You are what you read!" ... "Tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell you what you are!" ... "One bad apple spoils the whole box!" ... etc.
These phrases serve as an indicator of what happens in a family that allows the germ or virus of Modernism to enter unrecognized and/or uncombatted. Remember, that in the physical and natural domain, one tiny virus can put an entire family in the sick-bed. A virus can very easily and very quickly pass from one family member to another. Families get sick, not because they want to get sick, not because they love the circulating virus, but because they take insufficient measures to prevent its entry and insufficient measures of elimination if entry has already been made.
Liberalism's & Modernism's Alluring Network &Disguises
Very often, the virus of Modernism has the DNA and genes of its parents, Rationalism and Liberalism, and these factors often command respect and are even likeable.
In his book Liberalism Is A Sin―a book heartily recommended by the Vatican in better less-Liberal days―Fr. Salvany paints the picture of the seductively likeable Liberal: “Liberalism [and its child, Modernism] is spread around us like a network … Its web is being constantly spun round about us as spiders weave their meshes for insects. Where one is brushed away, two are multiplied … Unless one is on his guard, he finds himself thinking, speaking and acting as a Liberal [Modernist].” (Fr. Salvany, Liberalism Is A Sin).
“Sometimes Liberalism stalks along in the careless trappings of an easy-going good nature or a simplicity of character, which invites our affection and allays our suspicion ... Appearances may be fair, and the devil may present himself as an angel of light. The danger is the greater as the outward show is more seductive ... Most to be feared, however, is not he who openly boasts his Liberalism, but he who says he despises it and, vehemently denying it, is yet steeped to the lips in Liberalism and continually speaks and acts under its inspiration. And if such a man be a Catholic by profession, all the more dangerous is he to the Faith of others, for he is the hidden enemy sowing tares amidst the wheat”(Fr. Salvany, Liberalism Is A Sin).
“Heroes are rare, and it is natural that most young men beginning their career should affiliate with Liberalism … and youth is ordinarily rarely scrupulous ... Men become Liberal out of avarice, or the love of money. To get along in the world, to succeed in business, is always a standing temptation of Liberalism. It meets the young man at every turn. Around him in a thousand ways does he feel the secret or open hostility of the enemies of his Faith” (Fr. Salvany, Liberalism Is A Sin).
Danger From Family, Relatives and Friends
We can compare ‘killing’ or ‘rape’ of the Faith to physical murder and abuse, whereby most of those cases are committed by a family member, acquaintance or boyfriend. Murder statistics show that in 2009, 24% of victims (about 1 in 4) were slain by family members; 54% (over half) were killed by someone they knew (acquaintance, neighbor, friend, boyfriend, etc.). The same is true for sexual assault. On the US Government’s National Institute for Justice website, research on sexual violence indicates that: “Sexual violence may occur in any type of relationship, but most perpetrators of sexual assault are known to their victims. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reports that 6 in 10 rape or sexual assault victims said that they were assaulted by an intimate partner, relative, friend or acquaintance. One research project found that 34 percent of women surveyed were victims of sexual coercion by a husband or intimate partner in their lifetime”
The bottom-line here is that these crimes were committed by people who were trusted by the victim. Similarly, the Faith can be more easily destroyed by those whom we know and trust, rather than strangers.
False Charity Protects the Virus
Most people are over-tolerant of the ones they love and are slow or reluctant to correct them in a powerful and effective manner. This tendency is milked only too willingly by the devil, who puts us on a “guilt-trip” whenever we do correct them efficaciously.
This problem allows the ‘cancers’ of Liberalism and Modernism to grow. We are reluctantly forced into a compromise situation—the devil (or other family members, relatives and friends) will say: “Hey! Nobody’s perfect! At least they are not like so and so, and they don’t do such and such! Count your blessings and leave them alone! Stop trying to micro-manage everyone and everything! Have a sense of balance! A little fun hurt no one! Don’t be so serious about everything! God’s not like that! God understands!”
In the next article we shall examine these dangers a little closer and look at what protective measures and remedies we can and should take to prevent our Faith and Morals from which compromised and then weakened and finally destroyed or paralyzed.
Article 4
The Common Traits Of A Modernist
The Common Traits Of A Modernist
Modernism first started to become prevalent in the early 20th century, and Pope St. Pius X immediately brought the world's attention to it, condemning it with two encyclicals, (On the Doctrine of the Modernists [Pascendi] in 1907) and (The Oath Against Modernism in 1910). Today Modernism is very common in the Catholic Church, and true Catholics must avoid it all costs. Any Catholic that should dare to approve of Modernism, or be a part of it cannot call really themselves Catholic! For, as Pope St. Pius X says, Modernism is “the synthesis of all heresies”.
By the beginning of the 20th century, modernism had become increasingly influential. So much so that the Vatican office now named Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published Lamentabili Sane (Syllabus Condemning The Errors Of The Modernist) ― a list of 65 modernist ideas that it condemned as “very serious errors.” It was released in July of 1907, with Pope St. Pius X's approval.
Two months later, on September 8th, 1907 (110 years ago), Pope St. Pius X published Pascendi Dominici Gregis, which condemned Modernism as “the synthesis of all heresies,” with the pope insisting that Modernism “means the destruction not of the Catholic religion alone, but of all religion.” Thus, it could mean the gradual destruction of Faith in your family and yourself too.
Pope St. Pius X also called for some strong remedies to root out modernist thinking. Catholic seminary and university professors were to be investigated and anyone “found to be tainted with Modernism ... removed.”
All theological study was to be centered around scholasticism, based on the thinking and methods of the 13th-century philosopher and theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas. The Council of Trent looked upon St. Thomas’ Summa Theologica as being the next authority after the Bible. Also, beginning in 1910, every priest was required to take the Oath against Modernism ― a practice that continued until disbanded after the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), in 1967.
However, you cannot avoid what you do not recognize! So let us look at some of the common traits of Modernism. Maybe you will find out that you were a closet Modernist without realizing it!
What is a Modernist?
So what is a Modernist? What are the chief characteristics of a Modernist?
Pope St. Pius X, in his encyclical Pascendi, calls them “partisans of error” and says that “they lie hid in her [the Church’s] very bosom and heart, and … who, feigning a love for the Church, lacking the firm protection of philosophy and theology, nay more, thoroughly imbued with the poisonous doctrines taught by the enemies of the Church, and lost to all sense of modesty, vaunt themselves as reformers of the Church … No one can justly be surprised that We number such men [or women] among the enemies of the Church … Moreover they lay the axe not to the branches and shoots, but to the very root, that is, to the Faith and its deepest fibers. And having struck at this root, they proceed to disseminate poison through the whole tree, so that there is no part of Catholic truth from which they hold their hand, none that they do not strive to corrupt.”
Modernists Want Change, Change, Change…
So we see from this brief description that Modernists are to be found within the Church itself, pretending to love the Church while attacking the roots of the Faith under the false pretenses of seeking beneficial reforms —“ who, feigning a love for the Church, thoroughly imbued with the poisonous doctrines taught by the enemies of the Church, vaunt themselves as reformers of the Church”― that is to say they are partisans or “gung-ho” about change, they seek to change and change and change—not just in one area, but in all areas of the Faith―never satisfied. You could almost say that “Change” is their middle name or family name. They are always questioning, criticizing, casting doubt upon, or ridiculing one aspect of the Faith or another. In other words, they are not satisfied with the status quo, or Tradition, which for them is archaic, antiquated, old-fashioned and obsolete. They want to modernize dogma and doctrine; they want to modernize and update moral principles and teachings; they want to modernize and update liturgical worship, introduce secular, worldly, fashionable things―they seek to align and conform the Church and Faith to the world, and not align and conform the world to the Church and Faith. They seek to go forward as pioneers and refuse (or would like to refuse) any and all authority that would seek to hold them back.
Modernists Are Deceitful and Devious
The Modernists seek to be among the best educated, the most zealous and most esteemed persons—yet behind this façade lies a devious motive. Pope St. Pius X writes: “None is more skillful, none more astute than they, in the employment of a thousand noxious arts; for they double-up the [opposing] roles of rationalist and Catholic, and this so craftily, that they easily lead the unwary [or ‘dumbed-down’] into error. Since audacity is their chief characteristic, there is no [erroneous] conclusion of any kind from which they shrink, or which they do not thrust forward with tenaciousness and confidence. To this must be added the fact that they lead a life of the greatest activity, of assiduous and ardent application to every branch of learning, and that they possess, as a rule, a reputation for the strictest morality― which indeed is well calculated to deceive souls. They despise all authority and show no restraint; and relying upon a false conscience, they pretend to ascribe to a love of truth, which is in reality the result of pride and obstinacy.”
The Modernist is, essentially, two-faced. The Modernist professes to being a Catholic, yet mixes Catholicism with the attitudes, fashions, ideas, culture and ways of the world. The Modernist rejects Christ’s statements: “You cannot serve God and mammon!” (Matthew 6:24) and says of His followers: “They are not of the world, as I also am not of the world”
(John 17:16), To which Holy Scripture adds: “Adulterers, know you not that the friendship of this world is the enemy of God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of this world, becometh an enemy of God” (James 4:4).
The Modernist is Slippery and Vague in Language and Ideas
Pope St. Pius X speaks of the slipperiness and vagueness of Modernists, by which they try to avoid “being nailed” or “cornered”: “The Modernists employ a very clever artifice, namely, to present their doctrines without order and systematic arrangement into one whole, scattered and disjointed one from another, so as to appear to be in doubt and uncertainty, while they are in reality firm and steadfast.” This vagueness is truly insidiously clever—for it is vague enough to cast and sow doubts in the mind of unsuspecting (or ‘dumbed-down’) Catholics, while allowing the vagueness to permit them to protest “You misunderstand me!” when challenged, adding “That is not what I meant!”
Modernists Reduce the Supernatural to the Natural Level
Pope St. Pius X states that “Modernists place the foundation of religious philosophy in that doctrine which is usually called Agnosticism. According to this teaching human reason is confined entirely within the field of phenomena, that is to say, to things that are perceptible to the senses, and in the manner in which they are perceptible; it has no right and no power to transgress these limits. Hence it is incapable of lifting itself up to God, and of recognizing His existence, even by means of visible things. From this it is inferred that God can never be the direct object of science, and that, as regards history, He must not be considered as an historical subject.”
This means that the Modernist will not accept any arguments, proofs, reasonings, theories that are not based upon the tangible facts, sensory perceptions, and which do not fit in with the various sciences. He will not accept anything that cannot be measured, physically or historically or scientifically proved. He reduces the divine to mere human levels and rejects all other truths that cannot be humanly measured, understood or proved. In a nutshell, it is like a 7 year old refusing all teaching and knowledge that is above his comprehension. The Modernist’s jargon will include phrases like: “Prove that! There is no scientific proof! Science says that … blah, blah, blah! There are no historical records for that!” etc., etc..
The "Historical Jesus" Is Not Necessarily "The Jesus Of The Gospels"
This means the Scriptures are not necessarily reliable from an historical perspective, according to the Modernist. For example, the Modernist would say that Jesus may not have truly risen from the dead. According to this view, the Resurrection mentioned in Scripture was essentially the way the Apostles chose to communicate the belief that Jesus continues to live in our hearts after His crucifixion. This is completely at odds with St. Paul, who said, “And if Christ be not risen again, your Faith is vain, for you are yet in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17).
The Modernist is also at odds with the strict and severe God of the Old Testament, sweeping Him under the carpet, or stuffing Him in the closet, and replacing Him with an all-loving, endlessly forgiving, all saving God.
For Modernists, Religion Is Not About Dogma, But About Sentimentality And Feelings
For the Modernist, religion is essentially about what makes you feel good; if Christianity, or any other religion, is what makes you feel good and more in touch with the Divine, then it is true for you. In other words, religion does not consist of creeds or objective truth, but of feelings. Modernists fail to accept that religious truth isn’t subjective, but is found only in Jesus Christ and His Church. For the Modernist, truth changes. He will not deny that what Jesus said, way back when, was true—but it was only true for that time sphere. Today it is no longer true, or only partially true.
The Modernist is a Sower of Doubt
In the above passage, the pope is saying that the Modernist leans heavily on Agnosticism, which is defined as “the doctrine that the existence or nature of any ultimate reality is unknown and probably unknowable, or that any knowledge about matters of ultimate concern is impossible or improbable; specifically that the doctrine that God or any first cause is unknown and probably unknowable.” The Atheist will say “There is no God!” The Agnostic will say: “There might be a God, there might not be a God! We cannot know for certain!” Agnosticism is a creed of doubting and the Modernist is always casting doubt on Church teachings—the only thing Modernism won’t doubt, is itself. “We shall believe this for now! Later we might believe something different! What was true yesterday is no longer true today; and what is true today may not be true tomorrow! Gotta keep with the times! Gotta adapt to the times!” Change, change, change!
For Modernists, Doctrine is Not Fixed, but Doctrine Evolves
The Modernist says that in previous centuries, the dogmas of the Faith, such as the dogmas of the Trinity, were true, but since dogma evolves, it may no longer be true today. For the Modernist, dogma evolves into whatever accommodates the needs of the current culture. This is refuted by the fact that the dogmas of the Faith are revealed by God, and God cannot contradict Himself.
Orthodox terminology is maintained, but the definitions of the terms are changed. Words like “God,” “Resurrection,” “Trinity,” “Faith” “Sin” and “salvation” are all used by the Modernist, but what they mean by these terms has changed and has little or nothing to do with what these terms have traditionally meant in the history of the Church. For this reason, Modernists may appear to be orthodox, but one eventually discovers their true nature once they dig more deeply into the meaning of the terminology they use. This view of dogma was refuted by the First Vatican Council (1869-1870): “Hence, too, that meaning of the sacred dogmas is ever to be maintained which has once been declared by holy mother church, and there must never be any abandonment of this sense under the pretext or in the name of a more profound understanding” (On Faith and Reason, 14).
By the beginning of the 20th century, modernism had become increasingly influential. So much so that the Vatican office now named Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published Lamentabili Sane (Syllabus Condemning The Errors Of The Modernist) ― a list of 65 modernist ideas that it condemned as “very serious errors.” It was released in July of 1907, with Pope St. Pius X's approval.
Two months later, on September 8th, 1907 (110 years ago), Pope St. Pius X published Pascendi Dominici Gregis, which condemned Modernism as “the synthesis of all heresies,” with the pope insisting that Modernism “means the destruction not of the Catholic religion alone, but of all religion.” Thus, it could mean the gradual destruction of Faith in your family and yourself too.
Pope St. Pius X also called for some strong remedies to root out modernist thinking. Catholic seminary and university professors were to be investigated and anyone “found to be tainted with Modernism ... removed.”
All theological study was to be centered around scholasticism, based on the thinking and methods of the 13th-century philosopher and theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas. The Council of Trent looked upon St. Thomas’ Summa Theologica as being the next authority after the Bible. Also, beginning in 1910, every priest was required to take the Oath against Modernism ― a practice that continued until disbanded after the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), in 1967.
However, you cannot avoid what you do not recognize! So let us look at some of the common traits of Modernism. Maybe you will find out that you were a closet Modernist without realizing it!
What is a Modernist?
So what is a Modernist? What are the chief characteristics of a Modernist?
Pope St. Pius X, in his encyclical Pascendi, calls them “partisans of error” and says that “they lie hid in her [the Church’s] very bosom and heart, and … who, feigning a love for the Church, lacking the firm protection of philosophy and theology, nay more, thoroughly imbued with the poisonous doctrines taught by the enemies of the Church, and lost to all sense of modesty, vaunt themselves as reformers of the Church … No one can justly be surprised that We number such men [or women] among the enemies of the Church … Moreover they lay the axe not to the branches and shoots, but to the very root, that is, to the Faith and its deepest fibers. And having struck at this root, they proceed to disseminate poison through the whole tree, so that there is no part of Catholic truth from which they hold their hand, none that they do not strive to corrupt.”
Modernists Want Change, Change, Change…
So we see from this brief description that Modernists are to be found within the Church itself, pretending to love the Church while attacking the roots of the Faith under the false pretenses of seeking beneficial reforms —“ who, feigning a love for the Church, thoroughly imbued with the poisonous doctrines taught by the enemies of the Church, vaunt themselves as reformers of the Church”― that is to say they are partisans or “gung-ho” about change, they seek to change and change and change—not just in one area, but in all areas of the Faith―never satisfied. You could almost say that “Change” is their middle name or family name. They are always questioning, criticizing, casting doubt upon, or ridiculing one aspect of the Faith or another. In other words, they are not satisfied with the status quo, or Tradition, which for them is archaic, antiquated, old-fashioned and obsolete. They want to modernize dogma and doctrine; they want to modernize and update moral principles and teachings; they want to modernize and update liturgical worship, introduce secular, worldly, fashionable things―they seek to align and conform the Church and Faith to the world, and not align and conform the world to the Church and Faith. They seek to go forward as pioneers and refuse (or would like to refuse) any and all authority that would seek to hold them back.
Modernists Are Deceitful and Devious
The Modernists seek to be among the best educated, the most zealous and most esteemed persons—yet behind this façade lies a devious motive. Pope St. Pius X writes: “None is more skillful, none more astute than they, in the employment of a thousand noxious arts; for they double-up the [opposing] roles of rationalist and Catholic, and this so craftily, that they easily lead the unwary [or ‘dumbed-down’] into error. Since audacity is their chief characteristic, there is no [erroneous] conclusion of any kind from which they shrink, or which they do not thrust forward with tenaciousness and confidence. To this must be added the fact that they lead a life of the greatest activity, of assiduous and ardent application to every branch of learning, and that they possess, as a rule, a reputation for the strictest morality― which indeed is well calculated to deceive souls. They despise all authority and show no restraint; and relying upon a false conscience, they pretend to ascribe to a love of truth, which is in reality the result of pride and obstinacy.”
The Modernist is, essentially, two-faced. The Modernist professes to being a Catholic, yet mixes Catholicism with the attitudes, fashions, ideas, culture and ways of the world. The Modernist rejects Christ’s statements: “You cannot serve God and mammon!” (Matthew 6:24) and says of His followers: “They are not of the world, as I also am not of the world”
(John 17:16), To which Holy Scripture adds: “Adulterers, know you not that the friendship of this world is the enemy of God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of this world, becometh an enemy of God” (James 4:4).
The Modernist is Slippery and Vague in Language and Ideas
Pope St. Pius X speaks of the slipperiness and vagueness of Modernists, by which they try to avoid “being nailed” or “cornered”: “The Modernists employ a very clever artifice, namely, to present their doctrines without order and systematic arrangement into one whole, scattered and disjointed one from another, so as to appear to be in doubt and uncertainty, while they are in reality firm and steadfast.” This vagueness is truly insidiously clever—for it is vague enough to cast and sow doubts in the mind of unsuspecting (or ‘dumbed-down’) Catholics, while allowing the vagueness to permit them to protest “You misunderstand me!” when challenged, adding “That is not what I meant!”
Modernists Reduce the Supernatural to the Natural Level
Pope St. Pius X states that “Modernists place the foundation of religious philosophy in that doctrine which is usually called Agnosticism. According to this teaching human reason is confined entirely within the field of phenomena, that is to say, to things that are perceptible to the senses, and in the manner in which they are perceptible; it has no right and no power to transgress these limits. Hence it is incapable of lifting itself up to God, and of recognizing His existence, even by means of visible things. From this it is inferred that God can never be the direct object of science, and that, as regards history, He must not be considered as an historical subject.”
This means that the Modernist will not accept any arguments, proofs, reasonings, theories that are not based upon the tangible facts, sensory perceptions, and which do not fit in with the various sciences. He will not accept anything that cannot be measured, physically or historically or scientifically proved. He reduces the divine to mere human levels and rejects all other truths that cannot be humanly measured, understood or proved. In a nutshell, it is like a 7 year old refusing all teaching and knowledge that is above his comprehension. The Modernist’s jargon will include phrases like: “Prove that! There is no scientific proof! Science says that … blah, blah, blah! There are no historical records for that!” etc., etc..
The "Historical Jesus" Is Not Necessarily "The Jesus Of The Gospels"
This means the Scriptures are not necessarily reliable from an historical perspective, according to the Modernist. For example, the Modernist would say that Jesus may not have truly risen from the dead. According to this view, the Resurrection mentioned in Scripture was essentially the way the Apostles chose to communicate the belief that Jesus continues to live in our hearts after His crucifixion. This is completely at odds with St. Paul, who said, “And if Christ be not risen again, your Faith is vain, for you are yet in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17).
The Modernist is also at odds with the strict and severe God of the Old Testament, sweeping Him under the carpet, or stuffing Him in the closet, and replacing Him with an all-loving, endlessly forgiving, all saving God.
For Modernists, Religion Is Not About Dogma, But About Sentimentality And Feelings
For the Modernist, religion is essentially about what makes you feel good; if Christianity, or any other religion, is what makes you feel good and more in touch with the Divine, then it is true for you. In other words, religion does not consist of creeds or objective truth, but of feelings. Modernists fail to accept that religious truth isn’t subjective, but is found only in Jesus Christ and His Church. For the Modernist, truth changes. He will not deny that what Jesus said, way back when, was true—but it was only true for that time sphere. Today it is no longer true, or only partially true.
The Modernist is a Sower of Doubt
In the above passage, the pope is saying that the Modernist leans heavily on Agnosticism, which is defined as “the doctrine that the existence or nature of any ultimate reality is unknown and probably unknowable, or that any knowledge about matters of ultimate concern is impossible or improbable; specifically that the doctrine that God or any first cause is unknown and probably unknowable.” The Atheist will say “There is no God!” The Agnostic will say: “There might be a God, there might not be a God! We cannot know for certain!” Agnosticism is a creed of doubting and the Modernist is always casting doubt on Church teachings—the only thing Modernism won’t doubt, is itself. “We shall believe this for now! Later we might believe something different! What was true yesterday is no longer true today; and what is true today may not be true tomorrow! Gotta keep with the times! Gotta adapt to the times!” Change, change, change!
For Modernists, Doctrine is Not Fixed, but Doctrine Evolves
The Modernist says that in previous centuries, the dogmas of the Faith, such as the dogmas of the Trinity, were true, but since dogma evolves, it may no longer be true today. For the Modernist, dogma evolves into whatever accommodates the needs of the current culture. This is refuted by the fact that the dogmas of the Faith are revealed by God, and God cannot contradict Himself.
Orthodox terminology is maintained, but the definitions of the terms are changed. Words like “God,” “Resurrection,” “Trinity,” “Faith” “Sin” and “salvation” are all used by the Modernist, but what they mean by these terms has changed and has little or nothing to do with what these terms have traditionally meant in the history of the Church. For this reason, Modernists may appear to be orthodox, but one eventually discovers their true nature once they dig more deeply into the meaning of the terminology they use. This view of dogma was refuted by the First Vatican Council (1869-1870): “Hence, too, that meaning of the sacred dogmas is ever to be maintained which has once been declared by holy mother church, and there must never be any abandonment of this sense under the pretext or in the name of a more profound understanding” (On Faith and Reason, 14).
Article 5
How Does Modernism Grow In Us?
This article is currently being written. Sections will be posted as they are completed. Please check back later.
How Does Modernism Grow In Us?
This article is currently being written. Sections will be posted as they are completed. Please check back later.
Modernism Has Its Seeds and Roots
Modernism dos not suddenly "appear out of the blue" as though by magic, in one fell swoop. Like all things in life―and like everyone's family tree―it can be traced back to its causes. It is important to know and understand those causes in order to prevent ourselves from slowly and inadvertently drifting through the stages that lead into Modernism. You could say it is somewhat similar to the stages of a disease (e.g. Stages 1 to 4 in cancer) or the intensity of a hurricane (Categories 1 to 5). Both diseases and hurricanes come from small and seemingly harmless beginnings or causes.A single thrown away lit cigarette could cause a forest fire that engulfs hundreds of thousands of acres. The erroneous teaching of one man could contaminate the thinking of millions of people. One fallen away Catholic could rob the Church of hundreds of souls through his future descendants being born outside the Faith. One single calumny (lie) or detraction (truth) can destroy the reputation of an organization or an individual among hundreds, or thousands, or millions of people. The sin of one man―Adam―brought death into the world for billions upon billions of people. Modernism can also cause the loss of millions or ultimately billions of souls. We cannot brush Modernism aside as though it was a side-issue or an irrelevant topic.
As the name implies, Modernism is an ideology (way of thinking) by which religious truths, and especially Catholic teachings, are created or interpreted in accordance with one’s own personal religious experience, and under the influence of the current spirit of the world.
Modernism did not just suddenly jump out of the blue and attack the Church, just as much as babies don't come out of the blue skies carried by a stork. In the same way as we can trace our ancestry back through time, so too can we trace heresies and spiritual diseases back through time. Everyone has parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on—we call it cause and effect. What then was the cause, or who were the parents, grandparents, etc., of Modernism?
The Family Tree or Ancestors of Modernism
Modernism was properly born in the late 19th century (1890's), but, to find its chief ancestors, we have to go back to what is now known as "Humanism"—which was born and reigned from around the 13th and 14th centuries (1200's and 1300's) in Northern Italy.
HUMANISM (1300's & 1400's +) — The term "Humanism" was freely applied to a variety of beliefs, methods, and philosophies that place central emphasis on the human side of the world. It glorified the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations with their focus on the human being and human sciences. Gradually, man began to replace God as the most interesting subject.
This meant that the words of man—philosophical reasoning on grammar, poetry, rhetoric, history, and moral philosophy—replaced the words of God—theology—as the main focal point of Humanists. This led to the enthronement of human reason as king and judge of all things—even over the things of God.
RATIONALISM (1500's to our present day) — Humanism, with its focus on man and all that he could with his mind and skills, gave birth to "Rationalism” which is the view that looks upon human reason as the chief source and test of all knowledge. This prideful over-confidence Rationalists’ confidence in human reason and proof, takes away respect for other ways of knowing―especially knowing through Faith.
In Ethics (morality), Rationalism says that human reason―rather than feeling, custom, or authority―has the ultimate right in judging good and bad, right and wrong.
In Religion, Rationalism says that all religious knowledge can only come through the use of human reason and the five senses― without the aid of supernatural revelation. Human reason, for the Rationalist, thus stands opposed to many of the religions of the world, including Christianity, because they claim that the Divine has revealed itself through inspired persons or writings and which have required, at times, that its claims be accepted as infallible, even when they do not agree with natural knowledge or cannot be explained and proved by human reason.
Rationalism seeks to explain everything in human terms. If something cannot be explained in human terms with human proofs, then it is to be doubted. Human reason begins to question Faith and accuse it of not having any proofs furnished by human reason, and that therefore it must a fallacy, or fable, or superstition. This kind of glorification of human reason paved the way for the Protestant Revolution against the Catholic Church and the Faith.
PROTESTANTISM (1520’s to our present day) — Essentially, Protestantism was an attitude that was infected with the disease of Rationalism. Whereas Rationalism would question everything in the universe, Protestantism would apply Rationalism to questioning the Faith and the protector of that Faith—the Catholic Church.
Protestantism took Rationalism and applied it to religion. Outside or external authorities were to be brought to trial in the Court of Human Reason. Personal or private interpretation replaced the authoritative teaching of the Church. Truth in religion is what I think it to be!
AGNOSTICISM — is the view that the truth of certain claims – especially metaphysical (meaning above and beyond the physical, hence abstract) and religious claims such as whether God, the divine or the supernatural exist – are unknown and perhaps unknowable.
In the popular sense of the term, an “AGNOSTIC” is someone who neither believes nor disbelieves in God. An agnostic is a person who believes that nothing can be truly known and that nothing can be truly known of the existence or nature of God, or, for that matter, of anything beyond material phenomena. We can have feelings, opinions, theories, etc. but that is about as far as it goes. This is another child of Rationalism. Whereas an “ATHEIST” totally disbelieves in God and does not admit any possibility of God’s existence.
BACK TO MODERNISM ― which Pope St. Pius X call “the synthesis of all heresies”―is a melting pot of all the above errors. It focuses on man and the world. It glorifies human reason, especially in the field of the modern sciences. These sciences, based upon human reason, become the judges of Faith, revelation, and even God Himself. It creates its own truths and ultimately it creates its own religion, which we are seeing so clearly today—which also reminds us of the vision of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich.
Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich & Modernism
VISIONS OF A NEW CHURCH: The Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824) was a German Augustinian nun of great sanctity. She endured a life of sufferings, bore the stigmata of our Lord and was a seer, who witnessed scenes from the life of Christ with the vividness of one who was there. She also foretold future occurrences in the Church. The following are from her visions pertaining to the emergence of a subversive Church of Darkness that would deceive many of the faithful into “complete decadence.”
March 22, 1820: “I saw very clearly the errors the aberrations an the countless sins of men. I saw the folly and the wickedness of their actions, against all truth and all reason. Priests were among them.”
April 12, 1820: “I had another vision of the great tribulation. It seems to me that a concession was demanded from the clergy which could not be granted. I saw many older priests, especially one, who wept bitterly. A few younger ones were also weeping. But others, and the lukewarm among them, readily did what was demanded. It was as if people were splitting into two camps.”
May 13, 1820: “I had a vision of two churches and two Popes and a variety of things, ancient and modern . I saw how harmful would be the consequences of this counterfeit church. I saw it increase; I saw heretics of all kinds flocking to the city (of Rome).
"I saw the ever-increasing lukewarmness of the clergy, and I saw a great darkness ever widening. And now the vision became more extended. I saw in all places Catholics oppressed, harassed, restricted, and deprived of their freedom. I saw many churches closed down, great miseries everywhere, wars and bloodshed. A wild and ignorant mob took violent action. But it did not last long.”
August 10, 1822: “I see the Holy Father in great distress. He lives in another palace and receives only a few to his presence. I see the dark counterfeit church gaining ground, I see its fatal influence on the public.”
April 22, 1823: “I saw that many pastors allowed themselves to be taken up with ideas that were dangerous to the Church. They were building a great, strange, and extravagant church. Everyone was to be admitted in it in order to be united and have equal rights: Evangelicals, Catholics sects of every description. Such was to be the new church…But God had other designs…”
“I see that when the Second Coming of Christ approaches, a bad priest will do much harm to the Church. When the time of the reign of Antichrist is near, a false religion will appear, which will be opposed to the unity of God and His Church.
"This will cause the greatest schism the world has ever known. The nearer the time of the end, the more the darkness of Satan will spread on Earth, the greater will be the number of the children of corruption, and the number of the just will correspondingly diminish…”
“They built a large, singular, extravagant church which was to embrace all creeds with equal rights: Evangelicals, Catholics, and all denominations, a true communion of the unholy with one shepherd and one flock.
"There was to be a Pope, a salaried Pope, without possessions. All was made ready, many things finished; but, in place of an altar, were only abomination and desolation. Such was the new church to be, and it was for it that he had set fire to the old one; but God designed otherwise….”
“I came to the Church of Peter and Paul (Rome) and saw a dark world of distress, confusion, and corruption. I saw the fatal consequences of this counterfeit church: I saw it increase; I saw heretics of all kinds flocking to the city. I saw the ever-increasing tepidity of the clergy, the circle of darkness ever widening…”
September 12, 1820: “I saw a strange church being built against every rule…No angels were supervising the building operations. In that church, nothing came from high above…There was only division and chaos. It is probably a church of human creation, following the latest fashion, as well as the new heterodox Church of Rome [one world church of the False Prophet], which seems of the same kind…”
“I saw again the strange big church that was being built there (in Rome). There was nothing holy in it. I saw this just as I saw a movement led by Ecclesiastics to which contributed angels, saints and other Christians. But there (in the strange big church) all the work was being done mechanically (i.e., according to set rules and formula).
"Everything was being done, according to human reason. I saw all sorts of people, things, doctrines, and opinions. There was something proud, presumptuous, and violent about it, and they seemed to be very successful. I did not see a single Angel nor a single saint helping in the work.
"But far away in the background, I saw the seat of a cruel people armed with spears, and I saw a laughing figure which said: ‘Do build it as solid as you can; we will put it to the ground’.”
“I saw that many of the instruments in the new church, such as spears and darts, were meant to be used against the living Church. Everyone dragged in something different: clubs, rods, pumps, cudgels, puppets, mirrors, trumpets, horns bellows – all sorts of things.
"In the cave below (the sacristy) some people kneaded bread [the Holy Eucharist?], but nothing came of it; it would not rise.
"The men in the little mantles brought wood to the steps of the pulpit to make a fire. They puffed and blew and labored hard, but the fire would not burn. All they produced was smoke and fumes.
"Then they broke a hole in the roof and ran up a pipe, but the smoke would not rise, and the whole place became black and suffocating. Some blew the horns so violently that the tears streamed from their eyes.
"All in this church belonged to the Earth, and they returned to the Earth. All was dead, the work of human skill, a church of the latest style, a church of man’s invention like the new heterodox church in Rome.”
Holy Scripture and the Modernism of the End Times
“Now the Spirit manifestly saith, that in the last times some shall depart from the Faith, giving heed to spirits of error, and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy, and having their conscience seared” (1 Timothy 4:1-2).
“Know also this, that, in the last days, shall come dangerous times. Men shall be lovers of themselves, covetous, haughty, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, wicked, without affection, without peace, slanderers, incontinent, unmerciful, without kindness, traitors, stubborn, puffed up, and lovers of pleasures more than of God! Having an appearance indeed of godliness, but denying the power thereof. Now these avoid!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
“When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red!’ And in the morning: ‘Today there will be a storm, for the sky is red and lowering!’ You know then how to discern the face of the sky: and can you not know the signs of the times?” (Matthew 16:2-3).
“Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and to stand before the Son of man!” (Luke 21:36).
Modernism dos not suddenly "appear out of the blue" as though by magic, in one fell swoop. Like all things in life―and like everyone's family tree―it can be traced back to its causes. It is important to know and understand those causes in order to prevent ourselves from slowly and inadvertently drifting through the stages that lead into Modernism. You could say it is somewhat similar to the stages of a disease (e.g. Stages 1 to 4 in cancer) or the intensity of a hurricane (Categories 1 to 5). Both diseases and hurricanes come from small and seemingly harmless beginnings or causes.A single thrown away lit cigarette could cause a forest fire that engulfs hundreds of thousands of acres. The erroneous teaching of one man could contaminate the thinking of millions of people. One fallen away Catholic could rob the Church of hundreds of souls through his future descendants being born outside the Faith. One single calumny (lie) or detraction (truth) can destroy the reputation of an organization or an individual among hundreds, or thousands, or millions of people. The sin of one man―Adam―brought death into the world for billions upon billions of people. Modernism can also cause the loss of millions or ultimately billions of souls. We cannot brush Modernism aside as though it was a side-issue or an irrelevant topic.
As the name implies, Modernism is an ideology (way of thinking) by which religious truths, and especially Catholic teachings, are created or interpreted in accordance with one’s own personal religious experience, and under the influence of the current spirit of the world.
Modernism did not just suddenly jump out of the blue and attack the Church, just as much as babies don't come out of the blue skies carried by a stork. In the same way as we can trace our ancestry back through time, so too can we trace heresies and spiritual diseases back through time. Everyone has parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on—we call it cause and effect. What then was the cause, or who were the parents, grandparents, etc., of Modernism?
The Family Tree or Ancestors of Modernism
Modernism was properly born in the late 19th century (1890's), but, to find its chief ancestors, we have to go back to what is now known as "Humanism"—which was born and reigned from around the 13th and 14th centuries (1200's and 1300's) in Northern Italy.
HUMANISM (1300's & 1400's +) — The term "Humanism" was freely applied to a variety of beliefs, methods, and philosophies that place central emphasis on the human side of the world. It glorified the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations with their focus on the human being and human sciences. Gradually, man began to replace God as the most interesting subject.
This meant that the words of man—philosophical reasoning on grammar, poetry, rhetoric, history, and moral philosophy—replaced the words of God—theology—as the main focal point of Humanists. This led to the enthronement of human reason as king and judge of all things—even over the things of God.
RATIONALISM (1500's to our present day) — Humanism, with its focus on man and all that he could with his mind and skills, gave birth to "Rationalism” which is the view that looks upon human reason as the chief source and test of all knowledge. This prideful over-confidence Rationalists’ confidence in human reason and proof, takes away respect for other ways of knowing―especially knowing through Faith.
In Ethics (morality), Rationalism says that human reason―rather than feeling, custom, or authority―has the ultimate right in judging good and bad, right and wrong.
In Religion, Rationalism says that all religious knowledge can only come through the use of human reason and the five senses― without the aid of supernatural revelation. Human reason, for the Rationalist, thus stands opposed to many of the religions of the world, including Christianity, because they claim that the Divine has revealed itself through inspired persons or writings and which have required, at times, that its claims be accepted as infallible, even when they do not agree with natural knowledge or cannot be explained and proved by human reason.
Rationalism seeks to explain everything in human terms. If something cannot be explained in human terms with human proofs, then it is to be doubted. Human reason begins to question Faith and accuse it of not having any proofs furnished by human reason, and that therefore it must a fallacy, or fable, or superstition. This kind of glorification of human reason paved the way for the Protestant Revolution against the Catholic Church and the Faith.
PROTESTANTISM (1520’s to our present day) — Essentially, Protestantism was an attitude that was infected with the disease of Rationalism. Whereas Rationalism would question everything in the universe, Protestantism would apply Rationalism to questioning the Faith and the protector of that Faith—the Catholic Church.
Protestantism took Rationalism and applied it to religion. Outside or external authorities were to be brought to trial in the Court of Human Reason. Personal or private interpretation replaced the authoritative teaching of the Church. Truth in religion is what I think it to be!
AGNOSTICISM — is the view that the truth of certain claims – especially metaphysical (meaning above and beyond the physical, hence abstract) and religious claims such as whether God, the divine or the supernatural exist – are unknown and perhaps unknowable.
In the popular sense of the term, an “AGNOSTIC” is someone who neither believes nor disbelieves in God. An agnostic is a person who believes that nothing can be truly known and that nothing can be truly known of the existence or nature of God, or, for that matter, of anything beyond material phenomena. We can have feelings, opinions, theories, etc. but that is about as far as it goes. This is another child of Rationalism. Whereas an “ATHEIST” totally disbelieves in God and does not admit any possibility of God’s existence.
BACK TO MODERNISM ― which Pope St. Pius X call “the synthesis of all heresies”―is a melting pot of all the above errors. It focuses on man and the world. It glorifies human reason, especially in the field of the modern sciences. These sciences, based upon human reason, become the judges of Faith, revelation, and even God Himself. It creates its own truths and ultimately it creates its own religion, which we are seeing so clearly today—which also reminds us of the vision of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich.
Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich & Modernism
VISIONS OF A NEW CHURCH: The Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824) was a German Augustinian nun of great sanctity. She endured a life of sufferings, bore the stigmata of our Lord and was a seer, who witnessed scenes from the life of Christ with the vividness of one who was there. She also foretold future occurrences in the Church. The following are from her visions pertaining to the emergence of a subversive Church of Darkness that would deceive many of the faithful into “complete decadence.”
March 22, 1820: “I saw very clearly the errors the aberrations an the countless sins of men. I saw the folly and the wickedness of their actions, against all truth and all reason. Priests were among them.”
April 12, 1820: “I had another vision of the great tribulation. It seems to me that a concession was demanded from the clergy which could not be granted. I saw many older priests, especially one, who wept bitterly. A few younger ones were also weeping. But others, and the lukewarm among them, readily did what was demanded. It was as if people were splitting into two camps.”
May 13, 1820: “I had a vision of two churches and two Popes and a variety of things, ancient and modern . I saw how harmful would be the consequences of this counterfeit church. I saw it increase; I saw heretics of all kinds flocking to the city (of Rome).
"I saw the ever-increasing lukewarmness of the clergy, and I saw a great darkness ever widening. And now the vision became more extended. I saw in all places Catholics oppressed, harassed, restricted, and deprived of their freedom. I saw many churches closed down, great miseries everywhere, wars and bloodshed. A wild and ignorant mob took violent action. But it did not last long.”
August 10, 1822: “I see the Holy Father in great distress. He lives in another palace and receives only a few to his presence. I see the dark counterfeit church gaining ground, I see its fatal influence on the public.”
April 22, 1823: “I saw that many pastors allowed themselves to be taken up with ideas that were dangerous to the Church. They were building a great, strange, and extravagant church. Everyone was to be admitted in it in order to be united and have equal rights: Evangelicals, Catholics sects of every description. Such was to be the new church…But God had other designs…”
“I see that when the Second Coming of Christ approaches, a bad priest will do much harm to the Church. When the time of the reign of Antichrist is near, a false religion will appear, which will be opposed to the unity of God and His Church.
"This will cause the greatest schism the world has ever known. The nearer the time of the end, the more the darkness of Satan will spread on Earth, the greater will be the number of the children of corruption, and the number of the just will correspondingly diminish…”
“They built a large, singular, extravagant church which was to embrace all creeds with equal rights: Evangelicals, Catholics, and all denominations, a true communion of the unholy with one shepherd and one flock.
"There was to be a Pope, a salaried Pope, without possessions. All was made ready, many things finished; but, in place of an altar, were only abomination and desolation. Such was the new church to be, and it was for it that he had set fire to the old one; but God designed otherwise….”
“I came to the Church of Peter and Paul (Rome) and saw a dark world of distress, confusion, and corruption. I saw the fatal consequences of this counterfeit church: I saw it increase; I saw heretics of all kinds flocking to the city. I saw the ever-increasing tepidity of the clergy, the circle of darkness ever widening…”
September 12, 1820: “I saw a strange church being built against every rule…No angels were supervising the building operations. In that church, nothing came from high above…There was only division and chaos. It is probably a church of human creation, following the latest fashion, as well as the new heterodox Church of Rome [one world church of the False Prophet], which seems of the same kind…”
“I saw again the strange big church that was being built there (in Rome). There was nothing holy in it. I saw this just as I saw a movement led by Ecclesiastics to which contributed angels, saints and other Christians. But there (in the strange big church) all the work was being done mechanically (i.e., according to set rules and formula).
"Everything was being done, according to human reason. I saw all sorts of people, things, doctrines, and opinions. There was something proud, presumptuous, and violent about it, and they seemed to be very successful. I did not see a single Angel nor a single saint helping in the work.
"But far away in the background, I saw the seat of a cruel people armed with spears, and I saw a laughing figure which said: ‘Do build it as solid as you can; we will put it to the ground’.”
“I saw that many of the instruments in the new church, such as spears and darts, were meant to be used against the living Church. Everyone dragged in something different: clubs, rods, pumps, cudgels, puppets, mirrors, trumpets, horns bellows – all sorts of things.
"In the cave below (the sacristy) some people kneaded bread [the Holy Eucharist?], but nothing came of it; it would not rise.
"The men in the little mantles brought wood to the steps of the pulpit to make a fire. They puffed and blew and labored hard, but the fire would not burn. All they produced was smoke and fumes.
"Then they broke a hole in the roof and ran up a pipe, but the smoke would not rise, and the whole place became black and suffocating. Some blew the horns so violently that the tears streamed from their eyes.
"All in this church belonged to the Earth, and they returned to the Earth. All was dead, the work of human skill, a church of the latest style, a church of man’s invention like the new heterodox church in Rome.”
Holy Scripture and the Modernism of the End Times
“Now the Spirit manifestly saith, that in the last times some shall depart from the Faith, giving heed to spirits of error, and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy, and having their conscience seared” (1 Timothy 4:1-2).
“Know also this, that, in the last days, shall come dangerous times. Men shall be lovers of themselves, covetous, haughty, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, wicked, without affection, without peace, slanderers, incontinent, unmerciful, without kindness, traitors, stubborn, puffed up, and lovers of pleasures more than of God! Having an appearance indeed of godliness, but denying the power thereof. Now these avoid!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
“When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red!’ And in the morning: ‘Today there will be a storm, for the sky is red and lowering!’ You know then how to discern the face of the sky: and can you not know the signs of the times?” (Matthew 16:2-3).
“Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and to stand before the Son of man!” (Luke 21:36).