The recent Popes have participated and even organized many Ecumenical events. Yet, ecumenism
raises both doctrinal and pastoral problems. This is what we intend to explain in this video.
Ecumenism denotes the search for worldwide religious unity. As in the case of religious
liberty, Catholicism and modernism each approach ecumenism in different ways based on their
divergent understandings of truth.
Modernism believes that religious knowledge emanates from the individual. This knowledge
arises from within as a subjective impulse of the conscience. All religions, therefore,
are more or less good and praiseworthy since they all, in different ways, manifest and
signify man’s inborn religious instinct. There are thus as many different understandings
of God as there are men. All these various notions of truth and of the divine deserve
respect, for they are all legitimate expressions of the human spirit. Through mutual dialogue,
different religious come to understand and respect one another, and this in turn promotes
healthy peace and compromise.
Catholicism, on the other hand, teaches that it is the one true religion revealed directly
by God. Only the Catholic faith can bring lasting happiness and true peace, not only
between men in this life, but between man and God for all eternity in heaven. Since
God wants every human being to possess this truth and happiness, the Catholic Church has
a duty to spread its teachings and manifest its presence as far and wide as possible.
These teachings come directly from God Himself and are thus free of all falsehood, and the
Church, therefore, must lovingly encourage all souls, for their own good, to abandon
error and embrace the truth.
This is why Jesus, entrusting this mission of converting all souls to the Church said:
“Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” (Matt 25, 32)
Catholicism upholds the rights of God and promotes conversion while modernism pursues
dialogue and compromise. This new idea of dialogue and of ecumenism is one of the most
confusing novelties introduced by the Second Vatican Council - despite the condemnations
of the Popes of the XIX century. This new doctrine flourished with repeated ecumenical
ceremonies - as with the prayer meeting in Assisi; but these ceremonies truly are an
offense to Jesus, our unique Savior, and to non-Catholic people who are thereby left in
error without encouragement to be saved.
For further understanding and insight on this question, we recommend reading Archbishop
Lefebvre’s book, or listening to the Audiobook: “Open Letter to Confused Catholics”, which
can be found at Angeluspress.org
Another great source we recommend is to read “From Ecumenism To Silent Apostasy” and
“Catechism of the Crisis” also available at Angeluspress.org
To learn more, go to sspx.org and subscribe to our email list.