Pope Francis consistently preaches spiritual indifference. He first expressed it in 2016 and last – 13 September 2024, in the most utmost version so far. This is how Jorge Mario Bergoglio went about it.
On 13 September 2024 Pope Francis spoke to young representatives of various religions in Singapore and gave a credo of spiritual indifference.
Religious indiferentism is simply a heresy condemned by popes peculiarly powerfully since the late 18th century, erstwhile it began to be preached first by Masonic and later besides modernist environments.
This conviction assumes that it does not substance what religion is, due to the fact that they are all actual (or false) to the same extent. According to the Indiferent, man has a certain natural and inherent hunch of divinity, but he is incapable to say anything certain about it; he can benefit only from his own experiences and those accumulated in various spiritual traditions, by nature of comparative things.
The Church consistently rejected this error, doing so with peculiar power in the encyclicals "Mirari vos" by Gregory XVI of 1832, "Pascendi Dominici ggregis" by St. Pius X of 1907, "Mortalium animos" by Pius XI of 1928, as well as in "Syllabus error" issued for Blessed Pius IX in 1964, encyclicals "Redemptoris misio" by St. John Paul II of 1990, and the declaration "Dominus Iesus" by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of 2000.
In Singapore, however, Pope Francis stated that “all religions are ways to God” and that differences between them are like “various languages, different idioms to scope him” and that “our religions are languages, paths to God” and that these may be languages and paths of “sikhs, Muslims, Hindus, Christians”. Speeches are clearly a manifestation of spiritual indifference.
Throughout his pontificate, Francis has never so clearly and plainly expressed this error; but this does not mean that he should not preach it before.
I would like to callback here any of the most crucial cases that show how consistently the pope is walking the way of indifference.
The 2016 recording. “Equality” of 4 Religions
Interestingly, the video has been re-mounted. The Holy See removed the first movie to print the short version of the recording on its channel in 2017 – without the phase on which the "religious symbols" are presented. However, the thing can inactive be seen entirely outside the papal channel.
God wanted spiritual diversity?
From 3 to 5 February 2019, the Holy Father hosted the United arabian Emirates. 4 February in the capital of this country, Abu Dhabi, met Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University in Cairo. The 2 “religious leaders” then signed the “Document of Human Brotherhood for planet Peace and Coexistence”[2]. “ Pluralism and diversity of religion, skin color, gender, race, and language are an expression of God’s wise will, with which God created human beings. This Divine Wisdom is the origin of the right to freedom of religion and freedom to be different.” Polish translation is in line with another languages, including Arabic. In logical order, the quoted message means that God wanted spiritual diversity the same as he wanted a variety of skin, gender, race, and language colors. This means that, according to the Document, God wanted any people to profess Catholic religion and others to believe false religions, specified as Islam. As a result, this would be an open heresy of spiritual indifference. Pius IX in Syllabus mistake He made the following erroneous statement: “People can find the way to eternal salvation and accomplish this eternal salvation by practicing any religion” (paragraph 16).
Intervention of Bishop Athanasius Schneider
Nur-Sułtan, Kazakhstan, Athanasius Schneider, responded to the publication of the Abu Dhabi document. During his visit, ad limina Apostolorum of Kazakh bishops Schneider told the pope: “Holy Father, in the presence of God, I call upon you, in the name of Jesus Christ, who will justice us all, to remove this message from an interreligious paper from Abu Dhabi, which relativizes the uniqueness of religion in Jesus Christ. Otherwise, the Church of our days will not proclaim all the fact of the Gospel, as the Apostle Paul told Peter in Antioch (see Ga 2: 14)"[3]. The Pope got into a discussion with the bishop; there was an exchange of letters soon. Francis agreed with Bishop Schneider's assessment that the Abu Dhabi paper could be read heresy; however, he argued that it was besides possible to read another readings, in line with the teachings of the Church – and this is what he meant. God would have a affirmative desire for sex diversity, skin colors, etc., but the diversity of religion would only let (voluntas permissiva). At the request of Bishop Schneider, Francis told the public. He did this during the general audience on April 3, 2019. He said: “Why does God let many religions? God wanted to let this: scholastic theologians usually spoke of God’s will to let it. He wanted to let this reality: there are many religions. any are born of culture, but always look to heaven, look to God.”[4]. However, Francis did not mention a word about the "Document" from Abu Dhabi. It cannot so be regarded as a formal correction of the text. Moreover, the "Document" even on Vatican pages remains unchanged without any explanatory note. In addition, it has been promoted by the Vatican since 2019 as 1 of the basic texts on interreligious dialogue; it is simply a founding paper of the advanced Committee for the Human Brotherhood, an organization established at the initiative of the Pope, and bringing together, in addition to representatives of the Vatican, besides Muslims, Jews or atheists[5].
The advanced Committee and the household Home of Abraham
The advanced Committee for the Human Brotherhood announced in 2019 that in the capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi, it would become the home of the Abraham Family. It was to be a complex of 3 temples, composed of the Catholic church of St Francis, the imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb mosque and the Majmonides synagogue. The construction of the complex was completed in 2023; the inauguration took place on 16 February and opened to visitors since March that year[6]. All 3 temples are externally very similar. Although not explicitly stated, they clearly propose the equivalence of 3 religions, Christianity (Catholicism), Islam and Judaism. It can be said that the home of the Abrahamic household is an architectural illustration of the relativistic drama “Nathan der Weise” by Mason Gotthold Lessing; the hebrew Natan in the typical parable proves to his muslim interlocutor Saladin that it is impossible to prove which of the 3 religions is actual due to the fact that it is beyond the power of human reason. Similarly, there is no discrimination in the home of the Abrahamic Family: the claim to the fact of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism was treated as equal, i.e., equally barren. We can only guess that those gathering at interreligious services in Abu Dhabi will refuse the “Prayer to the Creator” which the Pope in the encyclical proposed to the world. Fratelli tutti October 2020. Prayer is[7]:
Lord and Father of the human race, who have created all human beings with equal dignity, Imprison in our hearts the spirit of brotherhood. Inspire us with the dream of a fresh meeting, dialogue, justice and peace. Encourage us to make healthier societies and a more dignified world, without hunger, without poverty, without violence, without war. May our heart open to all the peoples and peoples of the earth to admit the goodness and beauty that you have sown in each of them to strengthen the bonds of unity, common projects, common hopes. Amen.
“Prayer to the Creator” speaks of the creation of all men by God, and in this sense expresses any nonsubjective truth. However, he does not mention the intent of human life or the appropriate worship that we owe to God. In this way, she becomes perfectly indifferent: Buddhist or shamanist, Muslim or Jewish, Protestant... It can be denied by anyone in the belief that in his “religious tradition” he has everything he needs. But it's hard to make a bigger mistake...
Pope at legislature of various religions
In September 2022, the 7th legislature of planet and conventional religion Leaders was held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. As part of the congress, the “religious leaders” were to adopt a joint “Declaration”. It was read by Anglican Jo Bailey Wells. In point 10, she read: “We find that pluralism and differences in religion, the colour of skin, gender, race, and language are expressions of the wisdom of God’s will in creation. Hence, all instances of coercion to a peculiar religion and spiritual doctrine are unacceptable.”[8]. This would be a repetition of the heresy from the Abu Dhabi Document. The Pope listened to the reading of Wells, took it with applause, as did all the others gathered. However, in the authoritative version of the Declaration published at the end of Congress, point 10 was different, namely: “We find that pluralism with respect to differences in the colour of skin, gender, race, language and culture is an expression of God’s wisdom in creation. spiritual diversity is permitted by God and hence any compulsion to a peculiar religion and spiritual doctrine is unacceptable.” It seems likely that specified a reformulation occurred at the request of the Holy See. This would mean wanting to prevent heretical explanation of the Declaration. This is simply a crucial step forward with the Abu Dhabi Document; it is simply a pity that the "Document" itself has remained unchanged to this day.
Strange interview
On 3 July, the portal of the government paper "Al Ittihad" from the United arabian Emirates published an interview with Pope Francis. The Holy Father was asked about the home of the Abrahamic Family. According to the interview text, he said, “As for Abraham’s House, I respect him as a place of respect for the diversity God wanted”[9]. Indeed, in the Arabic first that I was analyzing, the words “the diversity that God wanted” come to pass. "Al Ittihad" did not post a recording of an interview conducted by an Emirati journalist. If we presume that the written content corresponds to what Francis said, we would gotta repeat the Pope's mistake with Abu Dhabi.
Mongolian Roadless Indiferentism
From 31 August to 4 September 2023 Pope Francis hosted Mongolia. On Sunday 3 September, an interreligious gathering was held in the capital of Mongolia, Ulan Bator, attended by representatives of various religions, specified as shamanism, Buddhism, Islam, and Protestantism. The Pope said, among another things, "The very fact that we are together in the same place is the message: spiritual traditions, in their originality and diversity, represent a large possible for good in the service of society"[10]. He then stated: "Religions are called upon to offer the planet this harmony which cannot be made by method advancement alone." If false religions have the possible to work for the good; if false religions have their own interior "calling" to build harmony or peace, it may again propose that they are wanted by God due to the fact that they play a useful and internally good function in His plans. In another words, it would be a thought identical to that expressed by the Abu Dhabi Document. It is interesting that the only Mongol cardinal, Giorgio Marengo, received Francis' visit to Mongolia in the enlightened key. The interview said: “The presence of the Holy Father undoubtedly offered the seeds of harmony, as a kind of reminder to all of us as representatives of different spiritual traditions, a large deal of cooperation, a society in which spiritual values are highly valued, and in which the momentum for fast gaining wealth will be balanced by the importance of human, moral, and spiritual values. [...] The Pope brought a message of peace, joy, friendship, which he so frequently emphasized in his speeches”[11]. He did not mention a word about the Gospel, Christ or salvation. “religious traditions”, the Pope as a preacher of temporal prosperity.
Summary
Therefore, we cannot talk of any error, leap, or slip. Since 2016, Pope Francis has consistently argued that it does not substance what kind of religion a individual believes. Although in 2019 he tried to explain it, pressed down by Bishop Athanasius Schneider, he later returned to his misconception to make it rather plain on 13 September 2024. The Code of Canon Law (par. 751) states that "heresy is called persistent, after baptism, denial of any fact to be believed in by God and Catholic faith." The preaching of spiritual indifference in the case of Francis is clearly persistent. Therefore, serious questions arise about the pope's canonical work for his words. It remains to pray and hope that Pope Francis will turn around from this way and begin to proclaim the uniqueness of the Catholic Church and the salvation only of Jesus Christ, in which courageous cardinals and bishops can aid him, pointing to the errors preached present along with their consequences.
Paweł Chmielewski
[1] It can be viewed on the website "Pope Video" on YouTube; it is dated to 2017, but the first publication occurred a year earlier. That's the censored version. Link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/FKuQqHMhJdY. The first version is inactive available for example here: https://www.youtube.com/embed/-6FfTxwTX34&t=81s. The key image was as follows:
[2] "Document on Human Brotherhood for planet Peace and Coexistence" on the Vatican website: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/travels/2019/outside/documents/papa-francesco_20190204_documento-fratellanza-umana.html.
[3] LifesiteNews.com, EXCLUSIVE: Bishop Schneider says Vatican is betraying ‘Jesus Christ as the only Savior of mankind’. Link: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/bishop-schneider-vatican-is-betraying-jesus-christ-as-the-only-savior-of-mankind/.
[4] Papa Francesco, Udienca General, Piazza San Pietro, Mercoledì, 3 aprile 2019. Link: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/it/audiences/2019/documents/papa-francesco_20190403_udienza-generale.html/
[5] The paper is available on the Committee’s website. Link: https://www.forhumanfraternity.org/document-on-human-fraternity/.
[6] The home has its website where you can book visits; entrance for cult purposes to any of the “houses of prayer” as the site says is available without reservation. Link: https://www.abrahamicfamilyhouse.ae/.
[7]The Encyclical Fratelli tutti of the Holy Father Francis on Brotherhood and Social Friendship. Link: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/encyclals/documents/papa-francesco_20201003_enciclica-fratelli-tutti.html.
[8] PCh24.pl, Heresy or Orthodoxy? unusual Events at the 7th legislature of planet and conventional religion Leaders. Link: https://pch24.pl/heresia-czy-ortodoxia- odd-events-on-vii-congress-leaders-world-and-traditional religions/.
[9] The interview can be found on the website alittihad.ae. simply enter in the search engine "al ittihad" and "Pope Francis" in Arabic.
[10] Vaticannews.va, Pope: Religions are a possible for good in the service of society. Link: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/Popiez/news/2023-09/Popiez-religion-to-potential-good-in-service-community.html.
