As current events make it evident that we are facing the darkest of times preceding our Lord’s return, the enemy is distracting believers from walking in power and thwarting his plans. Instead of believers focusing on abiding in Christ and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, (humility, forgiveness and love), today’s church is entertaining believers and offering an experience-based faith, a “positive Christianity“.
Ecumenical renewal weekends (Cursillo, Tres Dias, Fololare, etc) are growing in popularity allegedly designed to draw believers into a closer walk in Christ. But is this what they are accomplishing?
There are true believers in the many denominations of Christianity, and horrendous evil has been done in the name of Christianity, by Catholics vs Christians as well as Christians vs. Christians. Where there is organized religion, there will always be men trying to control things, and as a result no church is perfect. But not all churches claiming to be “Christian” are teaching the true gospel. Some teach a gospel that is not the gospel of Jesus Christ at all.
“For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.“ – Matt 24:5
The Catholic church, for example,
Teaches that Peter, not Jesus, was the rock on which God built his church. “For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ… “the rock was Christ.’” – 1 Cor. 3:11 & 10:4
Denies and replaces Jesus’ true Priesthood and considers the Virgin Mary (who they teach as being without sin) to be a co-savior and co-mediator with Jesus. The Biblical Jesus is the only mediator between man and God. “ For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” 1 Tim 2:5
Teaches that during the taking of the sacrament, that the bread and wine, upon being blessed by the priest, miraculously becomes the body of our risen savior, making the Jesus of the Roman Catholic Church a dead victim (an idol) who is sacrificed on their altar and eaten by true Catholics at masses worldwide (yuck!)
To the Roman Catholic church, Jesus’ work of salvation is an ongoing work of sacrifice on their altars, whereas the Jesus of the Bible declared his work of atonement to be completed on the cross: “It is Finished!” – John 19:30 Jesus gave his life as a sacrifice for sins, offering his body once for all (Hebrews 10:10-12). The real Jesus is no longer hanging dead on the cross. He was resurrected from death to life. Because he has eternal life, he can never be sacrificed or die again (Romans 6:9-10). The real Jesus cannot be eaten(!) Since the Roman Catholic Church is ‘eating’ their Jesus, they are following a false Jesus. The Roman Catholic church is teaching a different Jesus than the Jesus Christ of the Bible who is our savior and Lord. To attempt to find common ground with the Catholic Church is to compromise your faith.
TITLE: PUPPETS OF THE PAPACY: Building The One-World Religion
Subtitle: Catholicism’s “Jihad”, Holy War, Against Protestants Cutting Edge Ministry
“There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls….” (Eze.22:25)
We often hear of the secret societies and silent brotherhoods of Roman Catholicism such as the Jesuits, Knights of Malta and Opus Dei, who “covertly serve the interests of the ruling elite under the supreme authority of the Holy See”, but rarely does one hear of RCC’s “grassroot” movements and the impact they are having in the world and even within Christianity. There are three main movements: Focolare, Communion & Liberation, and Neo-catechumenate. Rome has conspired to use these organizations for her own agenda, which is to lure the world into subjection to the papacy. These organizations are being used as a jihad, that is a holy war against the growing exodus of Catholics
(in Brazil alone,“as many as 600,000 a year leave the Catholic church and join fundamentalist Protestant sects”).
Pope John Paul II, on his second visit to Brazil, exhorted followers to crusade against fundamentalist religious sects that offer what he calls “false mirages”. Bishop Bohn warned of this “holy war”:
“Stunned by the staggering growth of evangelical ‘sects’ in Brazil leaders of the Roman Catholic church have threatened to launch a ‘holy war’ against Protestants unless they stop leading people from the Catholic fold…At the 31st National Conference of the Bishops of Brazil…Bishop Sinesio Bohn called evangelicals a serious threat to the Vatican’s influence in his country. ‘We will declare a holy war; don’t doubt it,’ he announced, ‘the Catholic Church has a ponderous structure, but when we move, we’ll smash anyone beneath us.’ According to Bohn, an all-out holy war can’t be avoided unless the 13 largest Protestant churches and denominations sign a treaty…that would require Protestants to stop all evangelism efforts in Brazil. In exchange, he said Catholics would agree to stop all persecution directed toward Protestants” (Charisma, May 1994).
Notice that the only way to avoid this “holy war” is to stop evangelizing their members. Yet do they abide by the same rule as they ask of Protestantism? Of course not! They have already launched their “holy war” and plan on crushing all those who oppose it. When over 100 cardinals and bishops met to discuss these “Ecclesial Movements” they admitted that these movements were intended “to help the parishes move from a sacramental pastoral plan to one of evangelization in this de-Christianized society”. Their intent is not just to evangelize society, they intend to rule it! The papacy’s desire to institute their theological “New World Order” has driven her to use the lay people as her puppets. And although they claim that all three movements were started by the laity, it’s interesting to note that they are clerically dominated. The reason? When a movement is recognized by the Church, it becomes a “privileged instrument for a personal and ever new adherence to the mystery of Christ.” In other words, it will become an instrument for the papacy.
“The weak are stationed around the altars, to attract by their sanctimonious fervor—the learned fill the chairs of sacred and profane literature—the crafty attach themselves to those in exalted stations, that by their means they may obtain and direct power for their own advantage—and the strong go forth to proselyte” (The American Text-Book of Popery: Being an Authentic Compend of the Bulls, Canons and Decretals of the Roman Hierarchy, New York: Published by S. W. Benedict & Co. 1844, 351)
Monsignor Paul-Josef Cordes of the Pontifical Council of the Laity has publicly stated that these movements will be invaluable participants in what will be:
“not just a purely human battle about words or ideas, but a GREAT THEO-DRAMATIC BATTLE that will soon ensue across the globe”.
Keeping this in mind, let’s take a look at these three organizations.
“From its humble beginnings in the Italian city of Trent, the Focolare has become a worldwide movement, and now numbers over 87,000 members and about two million friends and adherents in over 180 nations. There are many ways to belong to the Movement, ranging from a more committed lifestyle in small communities to collaboration in its various activities. The Movement is made up of persons of all ages, races and walks of life. IT IS ECUMENICAL. Members of the world’s religions as well as persons of no religious affiliation also participate in the life of the Movement in varying degrees.”
Lubrich claims Focolare is based on Scripture (she is noted for quoting also from the Koran and Islamic mystics), and she claims the scriptures are her guide for daily living. She chooses a selected passage from Scripture each month in a publication called “Word of Life”, which is translated into 84 languages and reaches more than 15 million people through the press, radio and television. The Movement has also established 30 publishing houses worldwide. English-speaking countries are served by New City Press in New York, London and Manila. The Focolare Magazine “Living City” is also published in numerous editions. Rome’s desire to control the press is accomplished by this movement. It is evident that her message of ecumenism is spreading wide and far, yet she conveniently neglects to include all those scriptures that command us to be “separate”. James 4:4 warns us:
“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” Focolare is a friend of the world, and therefore, the enemy of God.
In 1962, Pope John XXIII approved of Focolare, for it served his purpose and the purpose of the Illuminati, which was to tear down traditional Catholicism and make way for the New World Order and the one world religion. It was Pope John XXIII who called for Vatican 2, an ecumenical council; and although it was considered a sin against the Catholic faith to partake in other religious services, no one seemed to notice or care! In the book, My Catholic Faith (published before Vatican 2), page 203, we read:
“WHY DOES A CATHOLIC SIN AGAINST FAITH BY TAKING PART IN NON-CATHOLIC WORSHIP? – A Catholic sins against faith by taking part in non-Catholic worship, because he thus professes belief in a religion he knows is false. 1. It is wrong to be present at Protestant or Jewish services even when we do not participate in them, because such services are intended to honor God in a manner He does not wish to be honored in.”
If we were to believe Rome’s teachings before Vatican II, we would have to conclude that John XXIII and Chiara Lubich were apostates, and Pope John Paul II’s recent visit to the Islamic’s Mosque was a “sin against faith”. In My Catholic Faith, page 251, we read:
“The Pope can make and unmake laws for the entire Church: his authority is supreme and unquestioned. Every bishop, every priest, every member of the Church is subject to him…we must obey him as Christ commanded all to obey Peter [there is no such command written in the scriptures].”
Since the pope has the right to change laws whenever he sees fit, he was able to overturn hundreds of years of tradition and make way for the one-world church spoken of in Revelation. Does Vatican II Council change anything concerning the allegiance of Catholics to the pope? Judge for yourself.
“This loyal submission of the will and intellect must be given, in a special way, to the authentic teaching of the Roman Pontiff, even when he does not speak ex cathedra in such wise, indeed, that his supreme teaching authority be acknowledged with respect, and that one sincerely adhere to decisions made by him.”
Not only do the popes claim absolute power to make and unmake laws, but they also believe they have the right to alter scripture as well. In the Confessio Romano–Catholica in Hungaria Evangelicis publife prescripta et propostia, Articles IV, I, and XXI, which reads:
“We confess that whatsoever new thing the pope of Rome may have instituted, whether it be in Scripture, or out of Scripture, is true, divine, and salvific; and, therefore, ought to be regarded as of higher value by lay people than the precepts of the Living God…We confess that the Pope has the power of altering Scriptures, or increasing and diminishing it, according to his will…We confess that the Holy Scripture is imperfect and a dead letter, until it is explained by the Supreme Pontiff and permitted by him to be read by lay people.”
That is just blasphemous! Proverbs 30:5, 6 and Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32 and Revelation 22:18-19 make it clear that we are not to add to or take from God’s word! No man or angel has that right! This is the spirit of antichrist! 2 Thessalonians describes the true spirit of the papacy:
“Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”
Englishman Gordon Urquhart, in 1995 published The Pope’s Armada, a searing attack upon these three new movements. He spent nine years in Focolare and claims the movements have “ rigid, secret hierarchies, demand blind obedience, and create personality cults for their founders, who wield absolute authority”. He goes on to say:
“Many of their main characteristics reflect those of Mao’s Red Guards – the fanaticism, the blind obedience, the sloganeering, the personality cult around the Pope, manipulation of the media, anti-intellectualism, denunciations, the formulation of rigid ideology, a younger generation mobilized in the struggle against their elders.”
Urquart is specifically concerned with these movements’ authoritarian structure, and “their use of ritual group confession, clandestine rites, and secretive ceremonies.” Dr. Robert Jay Lifton, an expert in mind-control and cult-like behavior, claims that such tactics as “group confession” are typical of cults and cult-like behavior.
“Serious sins (as defined by the organization) are to be confessed immediately. The members are to be reported if found walking contrary to the rules. There is often a tendency to derive pleasure from self-degradation through confession. This occurs when all must confess their sins before each other regularly, creating an intense kind of “oneness” within the group. It also allows leaders from within to exercise authority over the weaker ones, using their “sins” as a whip to lead them on.” “But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you….” (Mt.20:25-26) 1 Peter 5:3 says, “Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.”
If I were to follow the example of the Roman hierarchy, I would heap gold to myself, where the finest robes, drive around in a pope mobile to avoid any drive by shooters, and build myself the finest city that money can buy. If I were to follow their example, my hypocrisy would know no bounds. This is the example they have set before men as they lord it over them and make them prisoners to their priest-craft . In response, the defenders of these organizations have mobilized to play down such criticism. Robert Moynihan, Inside the Vatican editor, in a Time magazine article (1997), discussing controversial religious movements, says:
“Silence, fasting, cutting oneself off from one’s former friends and associates to devote oneself to God, laboring to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth, all of these behaviors are seen as fanatical, irrational, cult-like. But these are behaviors that Catholics honor and praise in St. Benedict, St. Francis of Assisi and St. Thomas More.”
Urquhart also claims that Focolare uses brainwashing techniques on new recruits through what he calls “total immersion experiences”. I personally was a victim of these tactics when I attended weekend retreats at a convent in Pennsylvania. I was so influenced by the surroundings that I brought home papers to join the convent immediately. Had my dad not intervened and refused, I would have left for the convent at age 13. Robert J. Lifton, in his book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism gives eight major factors that can be used to identify whether a group is a destructive cult or not. The first factor is called Mileau Control.
“‘Milieu’ is a French word meaning ‘surroundings; environment.’ Cults are able to control the environment around their recruits in a number of ways, but almost always using a form of isolation. Recruits can be physically separated from society, or they can be warned under threat of punishment to stay away from the world’s educational media, especially when it might provoke critical thinking. Any books, movies or testimonies of ex-members of the group, or even anyone critical of the group in any way are to be avoided.”
Ever notice that Catholic books contain the “nihil obstat” and “imprimatur”? This is to keep their followers from reading material that RCC doesn’t want them reading. I attended a Catholic school and remember very clearly being warned not to read Protestant material. My brother did a report on the apostle Paul using a Christian Bible. He didn’t realize there was a difference between notes in a Catholic bible and notes in the true Bible. When it came his turn to read his report before the class, he heard the nun stomping to the front of the class in a rage. She took the paper out of my brother’s hand and wadded it up and stuffed it into his mouth demanding he eat the paper. My brother spit it out on the floor, but she picked it up again and shoved it back into his mouth. He spit it out again, and she started beating on him. It wasn’t until he was an adult that he understood why she was so enraged. The information in the Christian Bible contradicted Roman Catholic teaching. Keeping in mind Dr. Lipton’s criteria for cult behavior, I had to wonder if these “total immersion experiences” were being conducted at Focolare “cities” called “Mariapolises”. According to the official website for Focolare:
“From 1949 on the Dolomite Mountains were a regular meeting place each summer for the members of the growing movement. These vacation gatherings were microcosms of humanity, small temporary “cities” based on the law of mutual love. Now over a hundred of these summer gatherings (called “Mariapolises”) take place all over the world each year, with over 100,000 participants. In the meantime, a number of “mini cities” have come into existence, based on the model of these summer gatherings. The first of these was founded in 1964 at Loppiano, near Florence, Italy. At present more than 700 persons from some fifty different nations live there. Most of them are young adults participating in a two-year “school of life” on how to live the Gospel. Other “mini cities” of this kind are located in Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia, Cameroon, Kenya, the Philippines, Australia, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. In the United States the “mini city” is located in Hyde Park, New York. During its first years of existence it has developed into a center for spirituality, a training ground for unity, offering an experience of it that can then be brought back into one’s environment as a contribution towards A UNITED WORLD.”
These “total immersion experiences” that Rome uses to indoctrinate her followers has found its way into the Southern Baptists as well through the Tres dias . The Cursillo Movement, which originated in the Roman Catholic church and sprung out of Focolare, is a three-day learning, sharing experience of living in a Christian community. Tres dias is one of three major spiritual renewal movements that emerged from the Cursillo Movement. In an article by Todd Starnes, he tells of one Baptist preacher, Paul Mason’s concerns:
“When several members of a Georgia Baptist church were invited to attend a weekend of spiritual renewal, their pastor, Paul Mason, didn’t give it a second thought. After all, “Tres dias” (Spanish for three days) sounded like it was a normal, weekend getaway sponsored by a mainline religious denomination. But a few months after they returned from the retreat, Mason realized he had a problem on his hands at Central Baptist Church, Douglasville. ‘When I asked them how the retreat went, they told me it was a secret. They couldn’t talk about what happened during the weekend,’ he said. Mason noticed that couples who had attended the Tres dias retreat were secretly inviting other couples to attend the program. After the church’s Sunday school superintendent went to the retreat, he abruptly resigned his church position without reason. And within six months, Mason said the couples who had initially attended Tres dias completely ostracized themselves from the congregation. The result, Mason said, was a divided church. Determined to learn all he could about Tres dias, Mason uncovered some unsettling information about a spiritual movement that is raising concern in the Southern Baptist Convention. Davis said a number of Southern Baptist churches have contacted his office with stories of problems resulting from the retreats. ‘It’s very strange. Some church members have done extreme things, selling possessions, becoming secretive. It’s almost like the weekend retreat has become the focus of their spiritual lives.’ George Osment, a lay leader at First Baptist Church, Scottsboro, Tenn., said the spiritual intensity is so great that leaders of one Tres dias retreat refused to allow a camper to leave. ‘This person wanted to go home but they wouldn’t let him. He saw what was going on and wanted to leave,’ Osment said. ‘They formed a circle around him and prayed over him.’ Osment said the secrecy surrounding the retreat has caused division in their congregation. ‘It’s very sad,’ he said. Said Davis: ‘Anything that involves a measure of secrecy sends up a red flag. There’s no need for anybody in a Christian church to keep anything secret.’”
The New Humanity and New Families Movements, the Parish Movement, Movements for diocesan priests and for religious women and men, and Youth for a United World also finds it roots in Focolare. “The animators of these movements are the core members of the Focolare Movement”. In 1988, New Humanity was approved as a non governmental organization (NGO) of the United Nations. In 1977, Chiara Lubich was awarded the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion. In 1981 Chiara Lubich was invited to Tokyo by Rev. Nikkyo Niwano, founder of the Buddhist lay movement Rissho Kosei-kai, where she spoke to over 10,000 Buddhists. The world seems mesmerized by the ecumenical doctrine of Chiara Lubich. But their goal to reach the Protestants was “a most important factor in bringing about worldwide solidarity and peace”.
“At first the spirituality of unity spread within the Catholic Church. From 1958 on Christians of other traditions began to come in contact with the Focolare and to feel that its spirituality was also for them. Fruitful contacts between Christian members of the Focolare and members of other religions have multiplied. The Focolare Movement is a permanent member of the World Conference on Religion and Peace. The Movement views the cooperation of all believers in God as a most important factor in bringing about worldwide solidarity and peace. The road to unity leads to dialogue: dialogue among Christians, dialogue among members of the world religions, dialogue with persons of other convictions. This cannot be done without knowing one’s own position and that of one’s partner in dialogue. To that end, the Movement organizes seminars for its members on ecumenism, interreligious dialogue and dialogue with those of other convictions.”
This ecumenical “dialogue” has not been hindered by the recent claim that RCC is the one true church and that all the Christian churches are not “churches in the proper sense”. Ecumenism is flourishing at the grassroots level and many Catholics and Protestants in Rome are “taking communion together”. Focolare‘s goal is this: “That all may be one”. Pope John Paul II, addressing 18,000 young people, spoke of a united world as “the great expectation of today’s humanity, the great challenge of our future”. Focolare is the “grassroots” movement that will help unite the world to the antichrist and false prophet. Chiara Lubich, speaking at the meeting of the bishops and cardinals in June of 2000 stated, “The Church is Mother. This certainty has given us a great love and total confidence. For this reason, it has not been difficult to accept… her judgment in virtue of her discernment.” It’s obvious that the lay movement is really a hierarchy movement and the folks of Focolare are her puppets.
“[Communion & Liberation]…aims at capillary announcement and catechesis; the frequent celebration of the Sacraments; a cultural work as a deepening and an expression of one’s own faith; charitable action as education to a free service of the other; missionary commitment as education to the sense of Catholicity of the Church” (from art. 4 of the Statute).
The members of the Fraternity are adults (although it targets the young) who:
“‘…commit themselves according to the aims and the method of the Association’. This method consists in a minimal rule of personal ascesis which foresees: daily moments of prayer; the participation in meetings of spiritual formation, including an Annual Retreat; the support, also economic, of charitable, missionary, and cultural initiatives promoted or sustained by the Association.”
Again, we must ask ourselves if these “Annual Retreats” are “total immersion experiences”. The committing of oneself to the aims of the C&L without question, is another cult-like trait according to expert Robert Jay Lifton:
“The cult’s ideology becomes the ultimate moral vision for the ordering of human existence. The ideology is too ‘sacred’ to call into question, and a reverence is demanded for the leadership. The cult’s ideology makes an exaggerated claim for possessing airtight logic, making it appear as absolute truth with no contradictions. Such an attractive system offers security.”
This security they feel is expressed well by “Father” Stefano Alberto, when addressing over 100 cardinals and bishops concerning C&L:
“Our certainty, which is a source of hope, is our membership in the Church. We depend on her authority at all levels, determined to convert our spirit and heart at every moment from a worldly mentality.”
The directive organism of the Association is the “Central Diakonia”, presided over by the founder, Mgr. Luigi Giussani, and made up of 40 persons, responsible of the regions and of the Vice-president, the Secretary General, and the Treasurer. The Association foresees directive and responsible organisms at diocesan, regional, and sector levels. In every diocesan community there is an ecclesiastical chaplain appointed by the Diocesan Ordinary Bishop upon the proposal of the President of the Association. Makes one question why it is called a “lay movement.” A characteristic element of C&L is its political commitment. In contrast to many other Catholic movements, which claim to focus solely on spiritual renewal, CL confronts the world as an “alternative” culture, and consolidates its positions in political activity. Cielini (another name for C&L) defend themselves against the charge of “integrism” by stressing their aim as political crusaders is “not to impose a Christian culture and Christian values on recalcitrant, de-Christianized modern men and women, but to fully live out their own profound Christian vision”. Jeremiah 23:16 warns us of the visions of men, “…they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.” The pope, in an address to the priests participating in a course of “Spiritual Exercises” promoted by Communion and Liberation says:
“I am very happy to meet with you at the close of your annual appointment of prayer and meditation, the spiritual exercises, which for a long time now have brought together the priests Participating in, or close to, the experience of Communion and Liberation. A number of times, especially during my journeys in Italy and various other countries of the world I have been able to recognize the great and promising flowering of ecclesial movements, and I have singled them out as a cause for hope for the entire Church and for all mankind.”
Evidently Rome has great plans for C&L and the priests behind it. I think it should be mentioned that Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits also used “Spiritual Exercises” as a tool to brainwash his members. Loyola was convinced that the “Virgin” had coached him through visions and audible voices to draw up “Exercises” which are still practiced today. These exercises of “exterior piety to Mary” were promised “to open heaven’s doors”. They consisted of:
“…giving Mary morning and evening salutations, frequently charging the angels to greet her, expressing the desire to build her more churches that all those built by monarchs put together; carrying day and night a rosary as a bracelet, an image of Mary, etc.” (The Secret History of the Jesuits, Paris, 61).
These and similar practices are taught to all Catholics, but the more extreme actions as described by “Father” Pemble in the following quote were left to the “holy” men and women who supposedly had reached a perfection we could scarcely hope to attain.
“To beat or flagellate ourselves, and offer each blow as a sacrifice to God through Mary, to carve with a knife the holy name of Mary on our chest: to cover ourselves decently at night so as not to offend the chaste gaze of Mary; to tell the Virgin you would be willing to offer her your place in heaven if she didn’t have her own; to wish you had never been born or go to hell if Mary had not been born; to never eat an apple, as Mary had been kept from the mistake of tasting of it” (The Secret History of the Jesuits, Paris, 61).
These degenerate “exercises” and forms of worship were cultivated into licentious and sensual expressions in many Jesuits. One would have to wonder if the “Spiritual Exercises” the priests of C&L were participating in were similar or even the same. From the pope’s concluding speech to them, it is evident that Mary had her part in it!
“May Our Lady, Mother of God and of the Church, guide you constantly on the pathway of life. Knowing your devotion to the Holy Virgin, I hope that she will be for all of you the “Morning Star”, who will enlighten and strengthen your generous commitment of Christian witness in the contemporary world. And now I cordially give you my Apostolic Blessing.”
The pope admits that C&L’s devotion is to the “Holy Virgin” and he calls her “the Morning Star”. This title belongs to Jesus alone as Revelation 22:16 states, “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” His reference to Mary as the “mother of God and of the church” lacks any scriptural foundation whatsoever! On September 12th, 1985, Pope John Paul II, speaking to the priests of the C&L movement said:
“It is therefore you priests whom I now wish to address, in order to help you to comprehend better and to live your ecclesial membership within the context of your adherence to the movement of Communion and Liberation…The rising up of an ecclesial body as an Institution, its persuasive force and binding energy, has its roots in the dynamism of sacramental grace.”
Notice the “adherence to the movement” ? This organization demands a blind obedience from the ruling priests to his “superior”, as this following quote cleverly eludes to.
“The charisms of the Spirit always create affinities destined to sustain each person in his objective task in the Church. The creation of this sort of communion is a universal law. Living it out is an aspect of obedience to the great mystery of the Spirit. An authentic movement therefore exists as a nourishing soul within the Institution. It is not a structure that is alternative to it. It is rather the wellspring of a presence which continually regenerates the Institution ‘ s existential and historical authenticity. Within a movement, therefore, a priest MUST FIND THE LIGHT AND WARMTH WHICH MAKES HIM CAPABLE OF FIDELITY TO HIS BISHOP, well disposed towards the duties of the Institution and ATTENTIVE TO ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE. In this way the vibration of his faith and the enthusiasm of his fidelity will be more fertile.”
If the priest “finds the light”, he will be Rome’s puppet! If they only knew Jesus, who is the light, they would know what true freedom is. But they have made themselves the prisoners of men, the slaves of the false prophet and the antichrist. 1Cor.7:23 clearly teaches: “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” Oh that the Christian would be faithful to preach the gospel of grace to these poor deluded Catholics, “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” (2Tim.2:26) The pope, in another one of his addresses to C&L, said:
“In these thirty years you have been open to the most varied situations casting the seed of the presence of your Movement. I know that you have put down roots in eighteen nations in the world: in Europe, in Africa, in America, and I know also the insistency with which your presence is sought in other countries. Take on the burden of this ecclesial need: this is the charge I leave with you today. I know that you well understand the indispensable importance of a true and full communion between the various components of the ecclesial community. I am certain, therefore, that you will not fail to commit yourselves with renewed fervour in the search for more appropriate ways to carry out your activities in harmony and collaboration with the bishops, the pastors, and with all the other ecclesial movements.”
Basically, the pope wants all these movements to work together for the common good of the papacy, which is the “will of God”. Dr. Lifton again describes the cult-like attributes that often fit the description of RCC’s movements:
“In religious cults, God is ever-present in the workings of the organization. If a person leaves for any reason, accidents or ill-will that may befall them are always attributed to God’s punishment on them. For the faithful, the angels are always said to be working, and stories circulate about how God is truly doing marvelous things among them, because they are “the truth.” The organization is therefore given a certain “mystique” that is quite alluring to the new recruit.”
Archbishop Robert Sarah of Conakry, Guinea, speaking of the Catholic movements remarked, “It is marvelous to see that the Spirit is stronger than our plans and that he acts in our Christian communities as we would never have imagined it.” I agree that the plans of RCC’s movements are stronger than she could have imagined, but it is not the Holy Ghost doing the work. It is the spirit of antichrist. Be assured, Rome will in no way allow any workings to go on without her hand in it! Cardinal Jean Marie Lustiger, Archbishop of Paris, says it best:
“The Bishop’s mission is not only to authenticate the gift of God for the good of the one who receives it, but also to help to put it at the service of all, and of peace and unity in the Church. It is his responsibility to ascertain that its fecundity will bring the fruits that God wills. If this is not the case, the gift could be lost or perverted.”
The gifts that the false spirit gives to the RCC can be “lost or perverted”, but we who are Christian and receive from the true Spirit know that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)
“…to help the parishes move from a sacramental pastoral plan to one of evangelization in this de-Christianized society. A pastoral plan according to the model of the Church of the early Christians, where those who wanted to be Christians had first to be catechumens, that is, they had to follow a path of formation [There is no such thing as “path of formation spoken of in the scriptures].”
After relocating to Italy, Arguello’s teachings spread like wildfire throughout South American and parts of Europe. There are about a million people in more than a hundred countries who already belong, thousands of priests and dozens of seminaries throughout the world, thousands of parishes that have decided to take to “the Way”.
“The Neo-Catechumenal Way has spread to 105 countries over the five continents, with almost 15,000 communities. It is also represented in 800 dioceses and 5,000 parishes. It has helped to open 35 diocesan missionary seminaries throughout the world. There are families with children who leave everything friends, home, work – to set off for the more difficult areas of the world. At the moment there are over 400.”
Pope Paul VI and pope John Paul II have given their approval and support of this movement. And the growth rate shows no sign of slowing. Arguello claims that the “Catechumenate” is an “ancient formula but as offered today its flavor is so novel that people can be so startled to the point of indulging in real persecution of the Way and of the two people who started it all”. So, what is the “ancient formula” that Arguello is speaking of?
“It is a path to conversion whereby one re-discovers the riches of baptism. The current process of secularization has led a great many people to abandon the faith and the Church. Perhaps that is the reason the Lord prompted us to set up formation itinerary through which we can help renew the Council and pave a way for those who have drifted off.”
This movement was set up to address people like myself who have left Catholicism. They feel that we “abandoned” the “faith” because we were “poorly educated” in the history of Roman Catholicism. They assume that if we just read the early “church fathers” and their “church history”, that we would come running home to Rome. How wrong they are!!! When asked, “What is the link between the Neo Catechumenal Way and the catechumenate of the early Church?” Arguello answers:
“In the early Church, in the midst of paganism, a person who wanted to become a Christian had to follow instruction in Christianity that was called the ‘catechumenate’ from the word ‘catecheo’ which means ‘I resound’ and ‘I listen’. But we might ask: ‘Listen to what?’ Not just God speaking through the Scriptures: a catechumen is somebody who has learned to listen to God speaking throughout history.”
Notice the clever attempt to draw men away from the scriptures alone and get them into traditions. Then “cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved”. The “catechumenate” is somebody who has “learned to listen to God speaking throughout history”. Which history is this? Rome’s history of course and her elected “church fathers”. With all the forgeries and lies, how could one possibly trust anything she says? The truth is that Rome wants to get all of us former Catholics out of the word of God and into their traditions and history. I receive hundreds of letters from Catholics sending me quotes from the “early church fathers”. They all have one thing in common, they challenge the doctrine of “sola scriptura” that is, scripture alone. They go so far as to say that the Christian’s faith in the word of God is “heresy”. They continually deny our right to read and study the word with the help of the Holy Ghost, even though the word of God commands us to study. They insist that only the Roman Catholic teaching magesterium has the right to interpret scripture. They are the biggest abusers of “private interpretation”, of which God clearly teaches that “no scripture is of private interpretation”. (2Pet.1:20) We have a promise from God that His word “endureth for ever”. “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matt.24:35) In the Bible, when a pagan wanted to become a Christian, all he had to do was believe! Let’s look at a couple instances. In Acts 16:30-31 Paul is asked a question by the jailer, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Paul does not mention these instructions called “catechumenate” as a prelate to becoming a Christian. Romans 10:9 clearly teaches “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” In Acts 8 we read about a eunuch who was reading the book of Isaiah but he didn’t understand it because he was not yet born-again. The eunuch asked Philip who was Isaiah speaking of, “himself or some other man”.
“Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. The eunuch believed and asked Philip, ‘See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?’ And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.”
Notice that as soon as the eunuch came out of the water, Philip was not there. The eunuch was now born-again and he had the Holy Spirit to teach him. There was no need for Philip to stay and teach him “the sacraments” or “catechumenate”. There were no stages for the eunuch to go through. He heard the testimony of Jesus and believed and was saved. Philip left the eunuch with the word of God and the Holy Ghost to teach, and the eunuch went on his way rejoicing! Let’s look a little closer at Arguello’s explanation of “catecumenate”.
“The early catechumenate had first a pre-catechumenate, then the catechumenate, election, and neophytism. All terms that indicate moments of passage. The problem is that for about 16 centuries there’s been no catechumenate in the Church. No one knows what it is any longer. We are among those who are recuperating it after 16 centuries.”
What a sad commentary that Arguello claims that the Catholic church had to wait 16 centuries for someone to come along and restore “catecumenate”. Had not RCC denied the word of God to her people for centuries, they would have been instructed in the true faith “once delivered to the saints”. (Jude 3)
“What the early Church had was a kerygma, a proclamation of salvation. This proclaiming of the Gospels was done by itinerant apostles such as Paul and Silla [sic] and brought about a moral change in those who heard it. They changed their lives with the help of the Holy Spirit accompanying the apostles. This changed life was sealed and helped through the sacraments. Concretely, baptism was given in stages. The Neo-Catechumenal Way wants to bring back that ‘gestation’, that synthesis of Kerygma, Changed life and Liturgy.”
The moral change that takes place in a born-again believer is because that believer is indwelt by the Holy Ghost. Arguello claims that the changed life is “sealed and helped through the sacraments”. The scriptures never even once uses the term “sacrament”. It is a pagan invention! A sacrament is something one does to earn grace. Grace is “unmerited favor”. You cannot earn grace! That’s an oxymoron! We are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise when we believe. “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise….” (Eph.1:13) Arguello goes on to say:
“The Neo-Catechumenal Way does not aim at being a movement in itself but at helping the dioceses and parishes to open up a path of initiation that purposes to evangelize the people of today…and expresses his hope ‘that brothers in the episcopate, along with their presbyters, will appreciate and help this work for the new evangelization’. It’s an instrument at the service of bishops and parish priests to bring back to the faith the great many who have abandoned it.”
Sadly, many who have abandoned Catholicism have not yet received Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. They will be easy prey. For those of us who know Jesus, there is no lie or trick that can turn our hearts from God’s word. His Spirit is ever with us guiding us through His word. His word is the lamp unto our feet and the light unto our path. Arguello mentioned that families belonging to “the Way” “leave everything to go off on missions”. When asked why they would do such a thing, Arguello answered, “Out of gratitude. Because they’ve been saved and they want to let others share in that salvation.” What Arguello is claiming here is against Catholic doctrine. It is considered the “sin of presumption” to believe one is saved. Not even the pope knows where he is going when he dies. Mother Teresa did not know where she was going when she died. Is Arguello being honest here? As the founder of Neo-Catechumenate, wouldn’t you think he’d know what Rome teaches concerning salvation? How can this man instruct others in “catechumenate” when he doesn’t know it himself? As mentioned in the beginning of this article, in Brazil alone, 600,000 a year leave the Catholic church. These statistics have the Catholic bishops begging Vatican to do something.
“The outskirts of so many cities, in South America for example, have been invaded by sects [Protestants]. Bishops have asked for help, given the fact of huge human settlements without a Church presence. So families are sent, with the blessing of the Holy Father, who through their witness and the Word begin to evangelize in the poorest areas and form small Christian communities. Then bishops, also thanks to the Redemptoris Mater seminaries, send priests, and so new parishes are born, giving a chance to lots of people who had gone over to the sects to return to the Church, as is happening in fact, for example, among the poor waterfront people of Guayaquil in Ecuador, among the ‘Pueblos jovenes’ of Lima in Peru, among the miners of Coronel in Chile, etc.”
During the recent Italian Eucharistic Congress held in Bologna the founders and those in charge of the movements and the new Church bodies met for the first time. What was the significance of this gathering? Arguello answers:
“It was very important. We are witnesses to a great event: the Holy Spirit is breathing on his Church, despite our sins, to assist it. Our experience throughout the world is that we have always found help in other groups and movements, from Communion and Liberation in the universities, the priests of Opus Dei in the parishes, the Focolare, the Charismatics, etc. It is important and a source of enrichment, to know how to help oneself: WITHIN DIVERSITY THERE IS JUST ONE MISSION WE ALL HAVE TOWARDS THE WORLD.”
How true his last statement is! They do indeed have only one mission, and that mission it to bring the whole world under subjection to the pope (emphasis – mine). They are the puppets of Rome and Rome is pulling all the strings. They think they do service to God, and are unaware that they serve the antichrist. They are the builders of the one-world religion. Does Neo-Catechumenate also practice “total immersion experiences” by getting the subject in a controlled environment? The answer is “Yes, they do”. Arguello explains:
“This kerygmatic phase ends with a three-day retreat during which the community starting on the different stages of pre-catechumenate, catechumenate, election, etc. is formed, guided by the same team of catechists in communion with the parish priest.”
It’s quite a vast and artful plan Rome has devised to wage her “holy war”. “The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.” (Ps 55:21) While the pope smiles to the world and cries “Peace”, he and his minions plot to overcome all who oppose or try to escape her. Proverbs 5 describes Roman Catholicism perfectly:
“For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them. Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house.”
By Rebecca A. Sexton All information was found on the following websites: http://www.disinfo.com/pages/dossier/id423/pg1/ http://hometown.aol.com/fatherpius/neo5.html http://www.balaams-ass.com/journal/resource/tresdies.htm http://www.4degreez.com/free_thought/brainwash.html http://www.legionofchrist.org/eng/articles/en99100802.htm http://www.rc.net/focolare/ If you would like to become Born Again, and come to know this wonderful heart peace, turn to our Salvation Page now. source: http:/cuttingedge.org
