The bishop of Kazakhstan says laity must defend the Faith because many priests fear losing their positions
ROME (ChurchMilitant.com) – Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Astana, Kazakhstan is denouncing what he calls gnostic clergy who erroneously believe doctrine and pastoral practice can be separated. To masque over their error, he added, they abuse sentimental expressions of mercy and compassion.
Bishop Schneider, in his address last Thursday at the Lepanto Foundation, likened this Gnostic group, comprised of priests, bishops and cardinals, to the Pharisees and Scribes. Even though the Jewish leaders knew the divine truth about marriage, he said, nevertheless they sought to have Jesus legitimize the practice of divorce that had been widely adopted out of “pastoral reasons.”
Schneider called these Jewish leaders the first liars, teaching that pastoral practice could be in conflict with doctrine.
In contrast, he said, Jesus didn’t use sophisms nor have “exemptions with reference to an alleged pastoral practice” as did the Scribes and Pharisees.
Schneider recalled how Jesus “condemned each deliberate mental sexual act and all the more each corporal sexual act outside of marriage.” He added that Christ had commissioned the Magisterium for all time to “teach all nations to obey everything I have commanded you.”
The bishop spoke of the recurring attempts over the past 2,000 years “to re-interpret the crystal-clear and uncompromising teaching of Christ on the indissolubility of marriage and on the iniquity of any sexual act outside marriage.”
The bishop said this new gnostic clerical party wants Church approval of “sexual acts outside a valid marriage and even sexual acts against nature.”
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Moe is the founder of GnosticWarrior.com. He is a father, husband, author, martial arts black belt, and an expert in Gnosticism, the occult, and esotericism.
