When considering whether the Church, or rather its current leadership, is under the influence of the Antichrist, I noted the public veneration of Pachamama in the Vatican Gardens and St. Peter’s Basilica as a deeply troubling first sign. I mentioned this example in yesterday’s meditation because it is the most illustrative, standing in stark contrast to what God entrusted to his people in the Old Testament and to the mission entrusted to the Church. How many martyrs shed their blood for refusing to sacrifice to idols? An act of idolatry in the Vatican is so absurd that one cannot help but wonder what kind of blindness has spread for something like this to happen.
So what has happened? Would such a transgression have been possible in the Church a hundred years ago? No. Do we know more today than the Lord himself, than the apostles, the popes, and the missionaries of all the centuries, to the point of claiming that these acts are gestures of kindness toward indigenous peoples and can be justified in the name of the inculturation of the Gospel?
No, we are no wiser than God, who forbade idolatry in the Old Testament, nor are we wiser than the Church, which has preserved true worship of God throughout the centuries. If such an act does not move us to the depths of our being and impel us to make amends, then we have lost the sense of faith and the spirit of discernment. Unfortunately, nothing of the sort has been heard from Rome.
What spirit lies behind such acts? It is certainly not the Spirit of the Lord.
This is not an isolated case that could have been remedied through effort, sacrifice, tears, and lamentation. Rather, it aligns with the many other deviations that have multiplied since Francis’s pontificate. Upon closer examination, one cannot help but conclude that these are the bad fruits of a “different spirit” (cf. 2 Cor 11:4).
The format of these daily meditations is not suitable for a detailed exposition of the anomalies of the pontificates following that of Pope Benedict XVI. However, in this series on the Antichrist, it is essential to mention at least some of them to demonstrate the extent to which the anti‑Christian spirit is already manifesting itself. Those who wish to delve deeper into the subject can read my previous publications (https://en.elijamission.net/blog/, particularly the series on the Five Wounds of the Church: https://en.elijamission.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/The-5-Wounds-of-the-Church.pdf) or consult other sources that critically address the crisis in the Church.
Amoris Laetitia
The post‑synodal apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, specifically footnote no. 351 in Chapter 8. Four cardinals attempted to engage in dialogue with the pope to draw his attention to certain formulations in that exhortation that seemed to contradict the Church’s previous teaching and to ask him for clarification on the matter. Unfortunately, their concerns were ignored, and the disastrous consequences of this document followed.
Currently, the “pastoral openness” of granting Communion to people living in a second intimate union—without establishing the invalidity of their marriage and without exhorting them to live in abstinence—is spreading. Thus, a practice regarding the reception of Holy Communion has emerged which, under the guise of “mercy,” offends the objective truth of God’s commandments and thereby attacks God’s law. Although nothing has changed in theory, it has changed in practice. In this way, the door has been opened to error, and sacrileges that wound the Church have multiplied.
This should have already set off alarm bells for the faithful, because these new regulations—which some episcopal conferences and bishops have adopted—clearly contradict the Church’s previous teaching and are by no means a special illumination from the Holy Spirit or a development of Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Familiaris Consortio, as is being claimed.
The Abu Dhabi Declaration
With the erroneous assertion that God willed the diversity of religions, just as He willed the diversity of races and the difference between man and woman, other religions—which contain significant errors—are being placed on the same level as the Catholic faith. Thus, the Lord’s missionary mandate is reversed in the pursuit of an illusory peace. True peace can only exist on the foundation of truth.
The Abu Dhabi Declaration has restricted the authentic proclamation of the Gospel, because if what is stated in that declaration is accepted, there would no longer be any reason to proclaim Jesus as the one and only Redeemer. Here we are faced with an obvious deception that once again violates the right of God, who sent his only Son for the redemption of mankind (cf. Jn 3:16).
Who is behind all this? Can God possibly will Islam—which denies Jesus’ death on the Cross—in the same way that He wills faith in His Son? To what extent have the believer’s understanding and the sensus fidei (the sense of faith) been obscured?
Another serious deviation in this context must be mentioned. On September 13, 2024, at an interfaith meeting with young people in Singapore, Pope Francis said things that, until then, were unthinkable for the Church’s supreme leader. He said that all religions are paths leading to God and are merely different languages. Shouldn’t this be enough to make us ask what spirit has taken the reins? Who is pulling the strings to bring about a public act of idolatry in the Vatican? Who benefits from violating the sacraments of marriage, Holy Communion, and confession? Who is behind the effort to downplay the Lord’s missionary mandate to spread the Gospel to all peoples (cf. Mt 28:19–20)?
Could this be the work of the Holy Spirit?
Reflection on the Gospel of the Day: https://en.elijamission.net/the-word-of-the-lord/