Vatican, Mar. 1, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Excesses of ecumenism and a tendency to downplay the Cross of Christ reflect the spirit of the Antichrist, Cardinal Giacomo Biffi warned Pope Benedict XVI and the leaders of the Roman Curia.
In a meditation preached during the Lenten Retreat for Vatican leaders this week, the outspoken Italian cardinal cited the vision of the Russian philosopher Vladimir Soloviev. “The Antichrist presents himself as a pacifist, ecologist, and ecumenist,” he said.
Cardinal Biffi decried the tendency of some Catholics to promote vague spiritual goals, rather than stressing the centrality of Christ’s Sacrifice. “Today,” he said, “we run the risk of having a Christianity that puts aside Jesus, the Cross, and the Resurrection.” He warned against the temptation to faith in Christ to “a mere set of values.”
Recalling Soloviev’s portrait of the Antichrist, the preacher said that the Antichrist waters down the truths of the faith, making concessions to satisfy every interest, and steadily gaining popularity. “The crowds follow him,” the cardinal said, “except for little groups of Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants.”
This lingering remnant, Cardinal Biffi said, levels the charge against the Antichrist: “You have given us everything except the one thing that we want: Jesus Christ.”
(The cardinal’s meditations are being preached during private sessions in the Redemptoris Mater chapel of the apostolic palace. But Vatican Radio provided a summary of his talk.)
In a meditation preached during the Lenten Retreat for Vatican leaders this week, the outspoken Italian cardinal cited the vision of the Russian philosopher Vladimir Soloviev. “The Antichrist presents himself as a pacifist, ecologist, and ecumenist,” he said.
Cardinal Biffi decried the tendency of some Catholics to promote vague spiritual goals, rather than stressing the centrality of Christ’s Sacrifice. “Today,” he said, “we run the risk of having a Christianity that puts aside Jesus, the Cross, and the Resurrection.” He warned against the temptation to faith in Christ to “a mere set of values.”
Recalling Soloviev’s portrait of the Antichrist, the preacher said that the Antichrist waters down the truths of the faith, making concessions to satisfy every interest, and steadily gaining popularity. “The crowds follow him,” the cardinal said, “except for little groups of Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants.”
This lingering remnant, Cardinal Biffi said, levels the charge against the Antichrist: “You have given us everything except the one thing that we want: Jesus Christ.”
(The cardinal’s meditations are being preached during private sessions in the Redemptoris Mater chapel of the apostolic palace. But Vatican Radio provided a summary of his talk.)
5 comments:
I hope Cardinal Biffi's words will be given wider currency. We need to be reminded of Christ's atoning sacrifice because it makes sense of suffering and has encouraged millions to endure pain throughout the Christian centuries. Feel good religion achieves little more than anodyne delusion. But we do need to look at ecology because to unbalance nature brings unnecessary suffering that ruins God's world and its our responsibility to protect it through responsible governance.
Christian values but without Christ: isn't that what we call "Catholic Ethos" in our schools?
Hebdomadary,
I am flattered, this is an important analysis, by Biffi, one that reflects many things the HF has said. Steve is right about that enigmatic "Catholic Ethos", as fleeting as the "Spirit of Vatican II", obviously this is what many think about Cafod, Catholic Adoption Agencies, Catholic Teacher Colleges and much else besides.
"Christian" values are no substitute for Christ.
Muniment Room has a few bits of Biffi's speech not recorded by CWN
"Three Dialogues on War, Progress and the End of History," Cardinal Biffi told his listeners that "the Antichrist presents himself as pacifist, ecologist and ecumenist."
"He will convoke an ecumenical council and will seek the consensus of all the Christian confessions, granting something to each one. The masses will follow him, with the exception of small groups of Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants," he said.
The cardinal added that Solovyov says in that work: "Days will come in Christianity in which they will try to reduce the salvific event to a mere series of values." '
There is much truth in Cardinal Biffi's gloomy prognostications but if the world is destroyed by human irresponsibility there will be no need for an ecumenical council, pockets of residual Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism, consensus Christianity because the human race will have disappeared. Wouldn't the Antichrist prefer that? It's within our power to reverse the damage we have done to the environment and part of our God-given responsibility to do so. I am amazed his addresses weren't censored before delivery, or perhaps they were, which is even more worrying.
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