Gary Michael Voris: Mike, hello everyone, and welcome to the Vortex, where lies and falsehoods are trapped and exposed. I’m Michael Vorst. In Rome last month, Church Millins had the honor of meeting with and interviewing Bishop Athanasius Schneider. We covered a broad range of topics in the nearly hour-long interview.
Among the topics discussed was the possibility of a coming persecution of the church in the West, and a number of very good bishops, Cardinals, Cardinal Burke have said that it looks like a persecution is coming. What do you think of that?
Bishop Schneider: Yes, it could be, and we know the history of the church. There were a lot of persecutions in our recent times. Take the French Revolution. After this persecution, the church was purified, the French church. Then, the Mexican persecution of the church, the Cristeros, yes, but even so, before this persecution, there was a crisis of the clergy in Mexico, a moral crisis. Also, we should not forget this: often, when there was persecution outside, God used it to purify the church internally. So we have to not be afraid. It is always a time of confession of the whole faith of martyrs.
Gary Michael Voris: During our time with His Excellency, we asked some pointed questions about how the church has gotten to such a state that it almost needs a persecution from without to purify it from within. The damage from within has gotten so bad because of the unfaithfulness of many of the clergy.
Would you say that’s perhaps due to the lack of formation when they were in seminary?
Bishop Schneider: Yes, it is, of course, a lack of formation, a deformation they received in the seminary. This, in my opinion, is one of the causes. Not only a lack of formation, but also deformation. They were deformed. They were taught, I suppose, even a relativistic theology.
Gary Michael Voris: The deformation of many of today’s bishops and even Cardinals stretches back decades, even before Vatican II. Theological relativism has established itself among various leaders in the church, where falsehoods are preached and only partial truths are taught. Often those partial truths and deformations are extremely dangerous, such as the idea that we have a reasonable hope that all men are saved, an idea brought into Catholic circles last century by a Jesuit-trained Swiss theologian and priest, Hans Urs von Balthasar. Von Balthasar’s ideas are supported by various clergy in the West, especially in the United States, including celebrity priest Father Robert Barron. The idea that hell is empty of humans or that we have a serious hope, a reasonable hope, of this is shut down immediately by Bishop Schneider.
One of the things we hear a lot, particularly in America, is the idea that almost everybody goes to heaven and almost nobody, if anybody, goes to hell.
Bishop Schneider: Well, this is a lie because it directly contradicts the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Divine Teacher. Jesus clearly states that those on the left side go to eternal hell, which is prepared for the devil and his followers. So this is a real danger. When clergy speak in such a manner that all will go to heaven, it is very irresponsible. I consider it a great sin against the love of neighbor.
Gary Michael Voris: If you’d like to see more, there’s a trailer you can click on, which is about two or three minutes long. These sorts of interviews are important to pay attention to so you can not only be more informed about affairs in the church but also approach these events with a truly Catholic mind, a highly refined Catholic sensibility, and intuition. It is our great grace and privilege here at Church Mill to be in near constant communication with men such as Bishop Schneider, whose insights help us understand the current crisis from the correct point of view. It is why we are happy to share these with you. Please watch the entire interview, reflect on what His Excellency is telling us, and make it a part of your own dealings and conversations with your family, friends, and loved ones. God loves you. I’m Michael Vorst.