VATICAN AND BABYLON

VATICAN AND BABYLON

ECUMENISM -- A PATH TO PERDITION

THE VATICAN AND BABYLON

The age-old break of Latins with the Universal Church has irreversibly obscured their understanding of truth and spiritual consciousness. It was not by chance that the founders of the Reformation and their followers, who hated the lies of Roman Catholicism, had never joined holy Orthodoxy. Neither did the Old Catholics [293], nor the remarkable people like the above-cited Mgr. Strossmayer (who openly opposed the doctrine of infallibility) and Lefebvre, who broke with the Vatican. They both remained captives of the Papist ideology. Describing the "lawlessness" of the Second Vatican Council in the Chapter entitled "Le complot libéral de satan" the latter laments over the fact that this Council which declared itself to be pastoral, not doctrinal, had turned all its attention to the problems of aggiornamento and ecumenism. In the opinion of Lefebvre this resulted in Pope John XXIII and Paul VI "depriving themselves of the charisma of the infallibility which could have protected them from all the errors" [294]. While observing private deviations of the Vatican and expressing their indignation at them, neither Lefebvre nor others like him, seem capable of discerning that the reason for them is the generally deplorable, if not terrible, state of Roman Catholicism. The same may be said also about many Orthodox theologians, who condemn private deviations of papism seemingly unaware of the total apostasy of Roman Catholicism. One thousand years of trampling the dogmas of the Holy Church by Latins has inevitably given rise to false spirituality imbued with pharisaic adherence to law, which includes their calculating casuistic attitude to God, to the matter of salvation, and to Sacraments. Beside the above deviations from Orthodoxy in the area of dogmatics,Rome allows also deviations in performing sacraments and church rites as well as deviations in ecclesiastical regulations. This topic could fill a separate book. We will list only some of the deviations: affusion instead of triple immersion at baptism; performance of proskomidia (office of preparation) with leavened bread; abolition of "epiclesis", depriving children of the Holy Communion, and adults -- of the Lord's Blood; fasting on Saturdays and non-observance of fasting days; celibacy of clergy (contrary to the 5th Apostolic Rule, to the 13th Rule of the Council in Trullo, and the 4th Rule of the Council in Gangra); introducing disarray into arrangement of clerical degrees as a result of instituting of the rank of "cardinals" unknown to the Church; prohibiting laity in the course of many centuries to read Holy Scripture. Having rendered their faith insipid Roman Catholics cultivate obvious spiritual delusion and false mysticism, which stimulates sensualism, making them pass for sanctity. They widely practice suspicious staginess and exaltation accompanied by stigmata and visions, alien to the Church asceticism and engendering the characteristically Latin pseudo-cults of the Heart of Jesus, the Heart of the Mother of God, etc. Finally, by the resolutions of the Second Vatican Council, Papism severed its last ties with patristic tradition and is now a complete prototype of the pseudo-church of Antichrist which pursues the task of seducing and deceiving "if it were possible, the very elect" (Mt. 24,24). At the present time Roman Catholicism presents by far the more repulsive picture than ever before. "Roman Catholic clergy and theologians are moving as fast as they can away from any form of Christianity that they once might have possessed. (Comp.:"Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have" -- Luke 8,18). Although this has been going on for some years, and the liberals have shown no sign of remorse or desire to change the direction of their activities, nevertheless the Pope refuses to censure them. This state of affairs has prompted many to observe that in matters of faith -- if the case of the now deceased Roman Catholic theologian Hans Kung is any indication -- the Pope will discipline such individuals only when they question the doctrine of Papal Supremacy and Papal Infallibility. In other words, for the papacy the primary concern is over matters of authority [295]. Lately, many prominent Catholic newspapers and periodicals have joined the ranks of major secular periodicals which in their publications have rejected the historical Savior, attacked Holy Tradition and the whole Christianity in general. Thus, the pages of The Catholic World presented reflections of Father John Meier, professor of The Catholic University of America, who in one of his dubious works "A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus", among other things, casts doubt not only on the authenticity of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, but also on His Resurrection. There they have printed also sacrilegious ideas of John Dominic Crossan, professor of Religious Studies at the DePaul University in Chicago, of Father Jerome Neyrey, professor of the Catholic University of Notre Dame, who produced a blasphemous work: "Jesus the Peasant: Viewing Jesus in a Cultural and Social Perspective", and equally impious ideas of Father Raymond Brown. This theologian-modernist, who energetically opposes the historicity of the Bible and the main foundations of Christian doctrine, has been described by Time as "probably the premier Roman Catholic scripture scholar in the US". Brown was appointed by Pope Paul VI to the Roman Pontifical Biblical Commission and with Vatican's approval he has served for many years on the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches. In "The New Jerome Biblical Commentary", which Brown edited together with two other liberal Roman Catholic scholars, he expresses not only his own views but also the views of 70 contributors who represent Roman Catholic universities, colleges and seminaries in the U.S., Canada, and other countries [296]. The authors of this work are of the opinion that the Lord Jesus Christ is not the preexistent omniscient Son of God the Father, Who rose from the dead, and that Christianity is not the divinely-revealed faith, but a man-made religion which has gradually evolved. Besides, they share the views of the Pope who says that Jews, Muslims, and other non-Christians worship the true God and will achieve salvation without the faith in Jesus Christ. Father Raymond Brown's ideas regarding our Savior are such as to permit Rabbi Burton Visotzky of Jewish Theological Seminary in New York to say that he counted him among his rabbis [297]. The National Catholic Register (Jan. 3, 1994) has published the interview with Father Marcel Jacques Dubois, "the best known and respected expert in Jewish-Catholic dialogue in Israel", who serves as a representative and consultant to the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations Between Israel and the Vatican. This Catholic clergyman does not believe that Christianity is the one and only divinely revealed religion, and Jesus Christ -- the only way to salvation. He declares that "a Jew who is faithful to his identity, and particularly to the Torah and who is practicing its laws, is in contact with God, just as we (i. e. Christians - L.P.) are in communion with Him through Jesus Christ". According to him "Buddhists, Shintoists and Hindus have no reason to be disturbed by Jesus Christ. He is not in their tradition. For more than 20 centuries we've been divided by a family quarrel -- a bloody one. I emphasize, that we are one family. We are witnesses of the same God (sic!) and are thinking of one and the same kingdom" (sic!). Since Fr. Dubois is the Vatican's expert and representative in interreligious matters we must conclude that the views he expresses are officially those of the Roman curia. Dubois, Brown, Meier, Crossan and hundreds of other Roman Catholic theologians and clergy, who propagate their frankly ungodly, antichristian views throughout the world, remain not only unpunished but even uncensored by the Vatican. On the contrary, the Pope maintains that the views expressed by Father Brown (and those like him - L.P.)should be tolerated within the Roman Catholic Church. However, according to the demands of common sense it has to be admitted that the officials "who gave their writings permission -- nihil obstat, imprimatur should be exposed for either their incompetence or complicity" [298]. Theoretical blasphemy of Papists has its application also in practice. The Second Vatican Council has widely opened the doors to all the possible kinds of spiritual adultery -- Syncretism, Naturalism, Marxism, Renovationism, etc. Today the Pope and Catholicism under his guidance are increasingly encouraging the New Age ideology, this contemporary planetary movement of "the prince of this world" and his legion which is widely advertised and professed by almost the entire population of the earth: "when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18,8). The neo-paganism of the New Age movement with its many gods, esoterism, occultism and the widely practiced black magic was fostered and adopted by the Vatican and Geneva before it became a daily occurrence for the dechristianized masses, manipulated TV viewers, and computer addicts. It is well known that in America and other countries there are Catholic parishes offering "a course in miracles" or training in "dreamwork". At several seminaries instructors use "guided imagery" to lead students in "energy-raising" Witchcraft rituals during liturgy classes [299]. Practicing "Christian Yoga", "Christian Zen-Buddhism" and Eastern cults has become the routine of many Catholic monasteries and schools. Therefore hardly surprising, although frightening, are the results of the poll of public opinion conducted by the Princeton Religious Resource Center in 1994: nearly 60% of American Catholics said that Catholicism and New Age beliefs are entirely compatible (23% of Protestants are of this opinion). According to the Gallup poll only few of them know what the Eucharist is. Even when the Catholic definition of Christ's Real Presence was read to them, only 30% recognized it; among younger adults only 21% [300]. The Vatican's attitude to anti-scriptural universalism is more than condescending. For many years, without being afraid of offending the Lord, papists have been approving an ugly mixture of Christianity with indigenous beliefs of aborigines. This is particularly widely practiced in Latin America where Catholicism represents a blend with indigenous sorcery and occultism such as umbanda. The BBC World Service Report informs that the Brazilian Roman Catholic Church admits local mysticism and spiritism into conventional Roman beliefs [301]. In Guatemala Roman beliefs have blended with the predominant indigenous Mayan religion, which can be observed in the major cathedrals. In India there flourishes the so called Hindu-Catholicism, propagated by the monk Abhishiktananda, alias Dom Henri le Saux. Apart from the famous Jesuit and Marxist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, who has had a great influence on the New Age Movement, great success in this direction was achieved by such well known Catholic proponents of syncretism, as Thomas Merton, Fr. Bede Griffiths, and Don Aelred Graham. Making use of modern concepts (such as cosmic spiritual evolution, Points of Omega, a.o.) they contribute to dissemination of inter-religious amalgamation in which Christianity is considered to be equal to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Mohammedanism, thus denigrating and devaluating the Divine Incarnation. Today the Vatican has become the center of a syncretistic preparation which completely denies Christian soteriology. This is confirmed by even a brief survey of its official statements. The unruly sodomy and all kinds of "sexual scandals", which have become the scourge of the Papist clergy and many parishes in various countries, constitute a symptom of spiritual agony of Catholicism. Activity of homosexual clergy, nuns, bishops and some cardinals undermines all the foundations of Christian morality [302]. A three-weekend seminar held at the Holy Name of Jesus parish by Bishop Matthew Clark's Diocese of Rochester is an example of an aggressive promotion of homosexuality and the homosexual lifestyle. In this outrageous, blasphemous enterprise Bishop Clark was supported by his most trusted aides, including priests, monks, ex-nuns, and also H. Darrell Lance, a specialist on the Old Testament and a former professor at Rochester-Colgate Divinity School. Speaking from the sanctuary of the church he told his audience that the oldest liturgies of the Catholic Church were homosexual marriage rites, which predate rituals for "heterosexual" marriage... A notice which appeared in the Bulletin of the Sacred Heart Cathedral on April 10, 1994 invited parishioners to discuss biblical teaching and gay and lesbian Catholic way of thinking and experiences [303]. ... From the ascetic experience of holy Fathers we know that after unsuccessful attempts of a devil to seduce the spiritual struggler there appears a more powerful demon in the form of an "angel of light" (2 Cor. 11, 14) who tries to win him over, to win his trust, thus enticing him into perdition. Today this seduction takes place on world scale. In our world, where consciousness of the majority of people is shamelessly manipulated by mass media, anyone may easily and quickly attract general sympathy and trust to oneself. All one has to do is to invest one's hypocrisy with the more or less plausible gestures and words, particularly when dealing with the sore subjects, such as ecology, artificial insemination and abortions, divorce, violence and drug addiction. Very effective are also impelling speeches and lamentations about the divided humanity, needing to be speedily united... Pope John Paul II in particular has become famous with his "apostolic journeys" the aim of them being the "mutual enrichment of religions". He tirelessly travels throughout the world for the purpose of "widening inter-religious horizons". Not only in churches, but also in huge stadiums he attracts crowds of thousands and strives to "minister" to the maximum number of peoples of the most diverse religions and confessions. "Woe unto you... hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves" (Mt. 23,15). Tiara and bright vestments cannot, however, hide the dark side of papal mission: in the actions of the Pope ecumenism increasingly shows its beastly, apocalyptic face. The Vatican and Babylon have become related, and in keeping with the spirit of our times -- lithesome like snakes and mobile like airliners and telephones. Vatican's refined tactics regarding ecumenism lies in the fact that until lately, while contriving in the course of several decades, to formally remain outside the WCC, in fact it has been one of the main inspirers and leaders of the ecumenical movement, and apparently has the keys to the infernal stratum of the WCC... Aspiring to the role of Religious World Leader and not wishing to lose this sublime position by participating on equal terms with other denominations in the WCC (how can one possibly place oneself on an equal footing with all kinds of Protestants and other "schismatics" ?!), for a long time the Pope did not permit the Vatican to join the official structures of this organization. But in his specific actions he has been long since outstripping and surpassing the official ecumenists. The ancient Catholic churches have contained and endured a great deal under John Paul II. On the 26th October 1986 in Assisi (Italy) this Pope summoned 150 representatives of diverse religions of the world for the "common prayer for peace". «Almost all the existing religious persuasions were represented there, including even worshippers of Satan, various wild African tribes, and American Indians. The Dalai Lama of Tibet was one of the first to respond to the Pope's invitation... A startling common prayer of all these groups took place in the Christian Basilica of St. Mary of Angels in Assisi. Buddhists and leaders of wild pagan tribes appeared in their ritualistic garments. The Pope observed the various acts of his guests affectionately. With his head inclined sideways, he looked reverently at the "peace pipe" as it was being smoked by two Indian tribal leaders in honor of a great heavenly spirit... "There must be peace on earth before we acquire peace in our hearts"; -- said one of the two tribal leaders, thus expressing the idea of total opposition of his religion to Christianity. In the church of St. Gregory the Indian tribal leader from America announced that along with the traditional demon worship, which he represents, he isalso a Roman Catholic!» [304]. It should be mentioned that a delegation from the Moscow Patriarchate was also present in Assisi. Here are also some comments on this "Assisi Gathering" made by the Italian newspaper Si Si No No. "Never has our Lord been so outrageously offended, never have His holy places been so profaned, His Vicar so humiliated, His people so scandalized by His own ministers, as at Assisi. The superstitions of several false religions practiced at Assisi pale by comparison to the betrayal of our Lord by these ministers. In St. Peter's church bonzes adored the Dalai Lama (for them, a reincarnation of the Buddha). In that same church a statue of Buddha was placed atop the Tabernacle on the main altar. In St. Gregory's, American Indians prepared their peace pipe on the altar; in Santa Maria Maggiore's, Hindus, sitting around the altar, invoked the whole range of Hindu gods; in Santa Maria degli Angeli's John Paul II sat in a semi-circle of wholly identical seats amidst the heads of other religions so that there should be neither first nor last."[305] The New World Order with its syncretism and "sweetness of compromise and sin" (Saint John Maximovitch) especially manifests itself in inter-religious gatherings. For over ten years the Vatican has been regularly organizing Babylon in various locations -- in Assisi (1986) and Rome (1987-88), Varna (1989) and Bari (1990), in Malta (1991) and Bruxelles (1992), in Milan and Chicago (1993) and now again in Assisi... The Papists have broken with their past on all levels -- liturgical, theological, moral. "It is very late for the Church of John Paul II.. and he himself came to the same conclusion... It is late for control of his bishops. Late for control of theologians... Late, above all, for any credibility... John Paul II now has the agonizing problem of what to do?" [306]. Nevertheless, he well knows what should be done. "He wants to bring the Orthodox Churches into full union with himself and his own diseased, cancerous Church. This, he thinks, may be the only hope for his Church" [307]. At the present time Roman Catholics no longer scorn open participation in the activities of the WCC. Thus, in 1994 they have officially joined National Council of Churches in Australia. They even placed their cathedral of St. Christopher in Canberra at the disposal of the blasphemous festival to mark the formation of this organization (see the preceding Chapter). Now Papists are actively participating in the ecumenical movement everywhere. Pope John Paul II now quite openly advocates the promotion of any ecumenist undertaking, especially rapprochement with Orthodoxy, as is evident from many of his publications, particularly in his encyclical letters "Orientale Lumen" (of May 2, 1995) and "Ut unum sint" (of May 30, Bulletin ENI, 7.6.1995). The Roman Pope who thinks of himself as the archpastor of the entire mankind, is supported in this ambitious view of himself also by "Orthodox" hierarchs-ecumenists, particularly those of Constantinople. Patriarch Athenagoras, who went down in history when on the 17th December 1965 he arbitrarily removed anathema of 1054 from the Pope of Rome (thus placing himself under the anathema), addressed the latter in the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome (26.10.1967) as the "Archbishop of the older Rome, the bearer of apostolic grace... in honor and the first rank of Christian Churches, embracing the universe..." [308] Patriarch Athenagoras' (Spirou) successor Demetrius (Pandopoulos), when celebrating 10 years of the removal of anathema, greeted Pope John Paul VI as "the first in rank and honor in the entire Body of the Lord" who "presides according to the dictates of love and honor in the God-pleasing (? - L.P.) incense of the Pentarchy of One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church" [309]. Bartholomeos (Archondonis), the present Patriarch of Constantinople, who has many times concelebrated with Pope John Paul II is of similar disposition. At the same time both he and his predecessors, while being hierarchs of the Orthodox Church, cannot but be aware of the falsehood of their confirmation of the Supremacy of Roman Popes "in rank and honor in the entire Body of the Lord". Moreover, only a very dubious economiamay admit the very existence of apostolic succession in the Latin Church, because according to the Church Canons, bishops-heretics are not only deprived of their clerical rank, but also excommunicated from the Church. Therefore they can neither preserve, nor pass on to somebody that which they do not possess: neither grace, nor apostolic succession. Apparently it is not by chance that, contrary to the rules of the Local and Ecumenical Councils, the papists deny the very possibility of a cleric, or bishop losing his rank [310]. Athenagoras and his successors-heresiarchs of the Patriarchate of Constantinople tirelessly continue their work of demoralization of Orthodoxy, and of the "anti-ecclesiastical vandalism" [Metr. Anthony (Khrapovitsky)], begun by the well known mason and modernist Meletius N (Metaxakis) in the 20ies of the twentieth century [311]. That same Church of Constantinople which in the course of centuries was the luminary of Orthodoxy and the Mother-Church for Russia, and which gave many saints to the world, among them Sts. Cyril and Methodius, the enlighteners of Slavs, for more than seven decades now has been fighting Orthodoxy. Its hierarchs of today, "metropolitans without people, bishops, who have no flock to guide (i.e. without dioceses of their own)" [312] are dragging out a heretical, destructive existence. In all appearance, these false hierarchs, along with the Pope of Rome, wish to hold the destiny of the entire Church in their hands. Having found themselves "on the verge of disaster, as was the case at the pseudo-Council in Florence", they disregard "faith and the Kingdom of God for the sake of the earthly kingdom" [313] and become persecutors of the Orthodox confessors (see the Chapter dedicated to Athonite monks). Undoubtedly, today they would become also persecutors of Saint Mark of Ephesus, who over five centuries ago in no uncertain terms has expressed Orthodox attitude to Romans: "Inasmuch as you have violated this prohibition (to change anything in the Creed - L.P.), your bishops and clerics are no longer bishops and clerics since they are now deposed by the great and ancient Councils, and your lay people are subject to anathema and excommunication" [314]. "Orthodox" ecumenists of the Local Churches, who have sold their souls to the WCC, are operating in common with the apostates from Constantinople. Already for many years they have been in fact realizing Union with the apostate Catholicism and calling the adulterous Vatican the "sister church". But here is what one of the lone voices says to them: "Orthodox patriarchs, bishops, priests, and theologians: all you who actively pursue a policy of rapprochement with Rome, BEWARE. You are trying to bring the Orthodox Church into a lion's den of unbelievable malignancy. You cannot save the Catholic Church but the Catholic Church can and will contaminate and then destroy you if you open the doors of the Church any wider" [315]. In olden times in Russia an opinion that the Roman Pope was Antichrist was widespread. And F.M. Dostoevsky, a talented contemporary of Pope Pius IX created the magnificently sinister image of the "Great Inquisitor" who wished to "improve on Christ's mission" and to replace the Savior by the other, the one who will come "in his own name". It looks like this literary personage has become embodied in quite a real person... BALAMAND AGREEMENT Pope of Rome -- the Archpastor of the Mankind. "Brotherly embrace" of Patriarch Demetrios Pandopoulos and Pope Paul VI of Rome. Patriarch Bartholomeos Arhondonis and Cardinal Cassidy: brotherly communion with Roman Catholics -- the kiss of Judas ... and blessing.

[293] As it is reported by The New York Times (of 28 June 1996 in International section), in the city of Constance (Germany) Old Catholic Bishop Joachim Fobbe ordained two women priests, both married: theologian Angela Berlis and teacher Regina Pickel-Bossau. This event has attracted great public attention, particularly in connection with the expected visit of the Roman Pope to Germany. It is well known that the Vatican receives hundreds of thousands petitions with a demand to institute "priesthood" of women. Although John Paul II has expressed a negative reaction with regard to women's ordination by Old Catholics, like his predecessors he has not made use of his right "ex cathedra" to condemn the phenomenon of the "priesthood" of women (Church News, N.Y.,1996, No. 4 (53), pp. 9-10). The circumspection of the Roman Pontiff is understandable: amongst Roman Catholics, particularly in Holland and the USA, the quite real possibility of "ordaining" women has become ripe already during the lifetime of John Paul II (Malachi Martin, "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Church", 1981). As to Old Catholics, this "evolution" of theirs is similar to the degradation of Protestants. [294] Mgr. Marcel Lefebvre, "Ils L'ont Decouronne", p. 163. [295] See "Sister Churches -- Five Hundred Years After Florence". Boston, 1994, p. 17. [296] Ibid., p. 27. [297] Ibid., p. 29. [298] Ibid., pp 28-29. Ibid., p. 13. [299] Ibid., p. 13. [300] Ibid. [301] Ibid., p. 30. [302] See Archpriest Alexy Young, "The Rush to Embrace", New York, 1996, p. 47. [303] "Sister Churches", pp. 33-34. [304] Orthodoxos Typos, No. 718, Athens, 7 November, 1986, pp. 1-4. [305] "Sister Churches", p. 16. [306] Malachi Martin, "The Decline..." Quoted from: Archpriest Alexey Young, "The Rush...", p. 48. [307] Archpriest Alexey Young, "The Rush...", p. 48. [308] See: Athanasios I Delikostopulos, "Outside the Walls: Athenagoras I, the Ecumenical Patriarch", Athens, 1988, p. 226. Quoted from: <<The Real "Triumph" of the Vatican Diplomacy in the Orthodox-Papist Dialogue "Balamand Union">>. Publ. by the Holy Metropolis of Oropos and Fili, Attica, Greece, No. 14, July/Sept., 1993 (transl. from the Greek). [309] Episkepsis, No. 139, 13.1.1976, pp. 13-15. [310]. In connection with this, from the Catholic point of view, even the Sacraments performed by priests involved in satanic "black masses" are valid. [311] About Meletius IV (Metaxakis) and his masonic-renovationist activity see Prof. S. Troitsky's article "Let Us Jointly Fight the Danger", JMP, No. 2, Moscow, 1950, p. 37 and pp. 46-47; Monk Gorazd, "Quo vadis, the Patriarchate of Constantinople?" Orthodox Russia, 1992, No. 2, pp. 7-11; Photius, Bishop of Triaditsa "The Fatal Step on the Way to Apostasy". To the 70th Anniversary of the "Pan-Orthodox Congress in Constantinople", Orthodox Russia, 1994, Nos. l and 6; Bishop Photius of Triaditsa, "The 70th Anniversary of the Pan-Orthodox Congress in Constantinople. In "The Orthodox Church Calendar", Printshop of St. Job of Pochaev, Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, N.Y., 1996, pp. 5-29. [312] Archim. Justin (Popovich), "Epistle to the Bishops' Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church of 7th May, 1977". Quoted from Monk Gorazd, op.cit. p. 10. [313] Archim. Justin (Popovich). Ibid. [314] Archim. Ambrose, "Saint Mark of Ephesus and the Florentine Union". Printing Press of St. Job of Pochaev, Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, N.Y. 1963, p. 181. [315] Archpriest Alexey Young, "The Rush...", p. 48.