Robert Moyhinan: Okay, so this is a dramatic vision that you’re sketching. You grew up in the Soviet Union. You’re traveling now in the United States. The Soviet Union was a controlled society. Is this truly a controlled society? Because we consider ourselves free. One of our great phrases is, Give me liberty or give me death?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, I think that, of course, the communist society was a society of total control. But in those times, there were not yet the technical means of control that exist today. Even after more than 30 years since the collapse, those technological means were not available. Now we have them, and therefore it is evident, as we already stated, in our daily life, in our travels, and so on. Technology, our emails, our cell phones, and so on, are already controlled. We know this. Now with the global vaccination, it is a further step. I don’t enter into the technological details of the vaccination, but the fact that it is promoted in such an intense way is already a sign of concern. We have to restate and create a global movement of people of goodwill to regain basic civil freedom, to not be treated as little children who do not know what they do, or as slaves by a small, powerful elite dictating to all governments and nations how to behave. For example, during the COVID crisis, this was manifested. It was a very detailed, elaborated plan from a central elite group giving the same orders, the same details, and the same terminology to all countries.
Robert Moyhinan: Of the world. So you’re saying your evidence for what you believe is a global coordinated effort is the fact that the same phrases were used in different countries, and the same programs were unfolded.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: It is not my belief. I am stating facts. We are not stupid. We simply open our eyes and see that even in the details, the signs, the symbols, the terminology, and the plans are coordinated. They cannot simply fall from heaven.
Robert Moyhinan: Well, you are a Catholic priest, a Catholic priest and bishop, and you are presenting yourself. You mentioned there needs to be a global community that coordinates a type of resistance to this. Are you truly saying that?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, of course. We need, for the sake of reestablishing a true, worthy human life, to restore the dignity of human life, to respect true freedom, and to eliminate all signs of tyranny and dictatorship.
Robert Moyhinan: Tyranny and dictatorship. But do you think that you have any allies in this?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: I think history shows that there were always people in difficult times who started resistance. We know the resistance movements in Nazi Germany, we know the resistance movements in communist countries, and those who fought in them were honored as heroes after the collapse of the dictatorial systems, although they were persecuted at the time. I think we have to unite people of goodwill in all countries, at all levels of society, who simply use their common sense.
Robert Moyhinan: But I have to say, I must interject. We have at the head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis. He’s asked people to accept and go along with this coordinated effort to create a global response to the virus with vaccination, and then to accept restrictions, masks, and so on. How can you explain that this successor of Peter could have such a different analysis of this situation than you, who is also a bishop in the same church?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: I think it is not the task of a pope to promote such a global movement, which is evidently restricting the fundamental liberties of human society and individuals. This is not a task of the Church. It was not the task of St Peter, which Christ gave him and his successors. Peter said, when the temptation came, the first Pope and the apostles wanted to deal more with earthly realities to serve tables. We read this in the Acts of the Apostles. Peter said, It is not fitting to abandon our first task, which is prayer, the glorification of God, the liturgy, and the proclamation of the gospel and the truth of the Word. The Church, and every Pope, must follow this. Unfortunately, during 2000 years, there were cases when popes did not follow this and were immersed in worldly realities, forgetting their first task of prayer and preaching the truth of the gospel and salvation of souls, not bodies. For example, in the Renaissance times, popes were immersed in worldly things. Alexander Borgia, or Julius II, spent almost all their time as Pope fighting as soldiers or engaging in worldly pursuits. Others spent their time in music and other secular activities. This, for me, is also a sign that the current Pope must deeply reflect on whether he is truly observing his first mandate, which Christ gave to Peter, and take seriously the words of St Peter mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles.