"the Antichrist presents himself as a pacifist, ecologist and ecumenist. He ... seeks the consensus of all the Christian confessions, conceding something to each one."
"The crowds follow him, except for tiny groups of Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants. Chased by the Antichrist, they tell him, 'You have given us everything except for the one thing that interests us, Jesus Christ,'"
"Today, in fact, we run the risk of having a Christianity that puts Jesus with his cross and resurrection into parentheses,"
"Today, in fact, we run the risk of having a Christianity that puts Jesus with his cross and resurrection into parentheses,"
"There also are relative values such as solidarity, love for peace and respect for nature. If these are given an absolute value or uprooted from or placed in opposition to the proclamation of the fact of salvation, then they become the basis for idolatry and are obstacles on the path to salvation."
13 comments:
Which is why the successor of St Peter, the successors of the Apostles, Priests and Laity must proclaim the Gospel of Christ in the fullness of Truth, 'in season and out of season'.
Good timing for this post, Father.
The Cardinal has great insight. Thank you for calling this to our attention!
Dear Father
We recently read a copy of Fr. Vincent Michelli'e book The Antichrist from the 1980's.
Fr. Michelli wrote about the evils of those days when good was being called evil and evil being called good.
How much more so his writings ring true now after some 20 years has passed.
The good news - we turn to the back of the Bible. God's side win in the end! Let us hope and pray that we shall be faithful in the coming months and years, indeed to the end.
Praised be Jesus Christ forever and ever!
And as Laurence said above... good timing indeed.
In Christ
Alan and Angeline
Salvation is the thing, I mean saving one's immortal soul. And I don't mean it in the sense of saving the planet, or saving face, or saving money.
We already know who Our Saviour is. We do not need to go and look for him. He is Christ the Lord. Here is his Church which teaches us the Truth, here are his sacraments to strengthen us, here are his priests to minister to us.
All will be well !
Fr Burke: With all due respect to Cardinal Biffi, he is the one who also said that the Anti-Christ espoused vegetarianism and human rights (as well as what you mention on your blog), and that the Church should ban Mozart's music because the composer was a Mason? I also quite clearly remember him issuing a statement which urged the Italian government to protect Italy against what he called the "onslaught of Muslims". More than a little bizarre, if you ask me.
I'm also not at all sure what is wrong with being a pacifist; Christ was the perfect pacifist, the meek Lamb before His accusers and executioners; He also urged us to turn the other cheek - a matter in which I fail quite dismally. Remember, God chose to become incarnate in the vulnerability and humility of a stable rather than the power and prestige of a palace. I also see nothing wrong with being an ecologist; after all, Creation belongs to God, not to human beings, and we show disrepect to God's handiwork at our peril.
For those who too quickly side with Cardinal Biffi's strange remarks, some of his Anti-Christ characteristics could be applied to the present Holy Father Pope Benedict: he is a fan of Mozart, a staunch defender of human rights, and someone who not only is in dialogue with the Muslims but has recently had very ecologically friendly solar panels installed at the Vatican. Tread warily, good Cardinal. Tread warily.
Of course, it was remiss of me not to say that I completely agree (as Laurence writes) that the Church is called to preach, by word and example, the Gospel of Christ in and out of season.
It would aslo be fair to say that there are other words written by the cardinal which are neither bizarre in accusation nor in content.
Alban, I know nothing of these extreme views you attribute to the Cardinal.
His point here is simply that there is no substitute for Christ, that human goodness without the leaven of Christ tends to be tainted by original sin, and become literally "anti Christ".
Don't we see that in many S American movements intended to liberate the poor but ended up by enslaving them.
Actually Alban Christ didn't turn the other cheek when he was struck, nor was he a pacifist, you should go and read scriptures some more and learn who Christ really was.
Bologna. Cardinal Biffi believes some very peculiar things. He believes that the Anti-Christ is alive and well today, on earth at this very moment. He's said this since 2000, and repeated it last year, in 2007. He is apparently a committed follower of Vladimir Solovyov (1853-1900), the Russian philosopher, who, in his last published book, speculated about end times and the Anti-Christ. Unlike the previous descriptions, this Anti-Christ will be a "philanthropist, a committed, active pacifist, a practicing vegetarian, a determined defender of animal rights." Huh? Apparently Biffi believes this, but parts company with Solovyov where the Anti-Christ will be elected "President for life of the United States of Europe." Hmmm. Can anyone take this seriously? It is really scary to think that this man was once considered papabile. Had he been a progressive theologian, instead of an uber-conservative, one wonders what would have become of him. He would have been given an assignment in the third world.
Have any of the posters read 'Lord of the World' by Ronad Knox? Written about 100 years ago. Pertinent.
Thank you, Father, as usual.
Err, it was Mgr Robert(?) Benson, not Knox.
Both Biffi and Benson see antichrist as the picture shows him, someting which appears good but is really based on evil. The trad Catholic understanding of it.
So sorry, Robert Hugh Benson. Riveting book. And all the best to Cardinal Biffi. And to you and the fine work that you do.
You probably have so much on your plate that you will not have time to read 'The Tyranny of Nice' by Vere and Shaide. I haven't read the book either but it is a great title.
It's about Canadian, or rather Canadian 'focus groups', and how they almost got away, this time, with forbidding criticism of Muslim 'activists'. Similar activists have been more or less successfully harassing the Church for some years.
SMTAU (so many thanks as usual)
From Creation to the End of the World
By Richard Salbato
'In only a single generation, religion will become so laxed that the power of Satan will no longer be chained. At this point, the Anti-Christ will be born. The Anti-Christ will be born of a possessed ex-nun and an ex-bishop. The mother will have a spiritual relationship with Satan, but the birth will be natural since only Christ can have two natures.
(Sweet in the mouth and bitter in the stomach refers to the peace that everyone wants).
However, the baby will be possessed from birth. His mother will be a Jew of the house of Dan. She will proclaim it a virgin birth and it will take place in or near the old city of Babylon. He will have the power of Satan from birth and will show remarkable signs and wonders at an early age. His mother, being also possessed, will train him in all things. He will have real brothers who will also be similarly possessed.
The Anti-Christ will go unnoticed in the first twenty years of his life. He will take a Jewish as a wife, but he will have many other women. When he reaches the age of twenty, the kingdom that Charles set up will be divided into ten kingdoms, but unity will still be there. The Anti-Christ will first go to the Jews in Jerusalem. With his immense talents, and with immense wealth, he will convert many of them. They will be his first followers. He will pretend to follow the law of Moses and will allow himself to be circumcised. He will declare himself to be the Christ. Convinced by his miracles, many Jews will follow him'.
This is part of a much longer article by Richard Salbato your comments please?
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