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Mixing Paganism Mary Ann Collins June 2004
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Pope John Paul II mixes paganism with Christianity. In October, 1986, the Pope convened and led a multi-faith service at Assisi, Italy. Leaders of pagan religions participated and publicly prayed to their gods. Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, animists, and Zoroastrians participated in this service. So did an Orthodox patriarch and some Protestant leaders. (A picture and some articles are online.) [Note 1] The video, “Catholicism: Crisis of Faith,” has film footage of this service. You can see and hear the Dalai Lama chanting, African shamans calling on their gods, and Muslims chanting from the Koran. The altar that was used for the service had a statue of Buddha on top of the Tabernacle (an ornate container for consecrated bread). Catholics believe that consecrated bread is literally the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. Putting a statue of Buddha on top of the Tabernacle is, in effect, elevating paganism above Jesus Christ. (A picture is online.) [Note 2] In 2002, the Pope convened another multi-faith service in Assisi. Leaders of pagan religions participated in the service. [Note 3] The Pope met with a Buddhist patriarch and told him: “Buddhism is a religion of salvation.” [Note 4] The Pope visited Benin. He apologized for the fact that westerners have rejected African religions, including voodoo. [Note 5] Some Catholic priests have written books that mix Catholicism with ancient pagan religions or modern New Age paganism. Anthony de Mello wrote “Sadhana, A Way to God: Christian Exercises in Eastern Form.” Bede Griffiths wrote “Cosmic Revelation: The Hindu Way to God,” and “The Other Half of My Soul: Bede Griffiths and the Hindu-Christian Dialogue.” Aelred Graham wrote “Zen Catholicism,” and “Conversations: Christian and Buddhist.” George Maloney wrote “Mysticism and the New Age.” John J. Heaney wrote “The Sacred and the Psychic: Parapsychology & Christian Theology.” [Note 6] In America, there is a Catholic-Hindu “house of prayer.” It has a statue of Shiva (the Hindu god of destruction), a statue of Buddha, and a crucifix. People who come there use mantras and Eastern meditation techniques. The “house of prayer” is popular and is usually filled to capacity. The local archbishop approves of it, and his diocese supports it financially. [Note 7] In India, there is a Benedictine monastery that is modeled after a Hindu ashram. The members of the community admire Hindu gods and goddesses. The founder (Bede Griffiths) says that Hindu temples are a “sacrament.” He teaches that Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims are all “brothers in Christ.” [Note 8] Catholic theologian Richard Grigg believes that Americans should replace the God of the Bible with “the Goddess.” He wrote the book, “When God Becomes Goddess: The Transformation of American Religion.” [Note 9] This mixture of paganism and Christianity can be seen in the artwork of the Sistine Chapel. It is the Pope’s private chapel, but it is as large as a church. Michelangelo painted the ceiling. It has pictures of patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and pagan prophetesses (sybils). Near the entrance of the Sistine Chapel, there is a painting of Greek philosophers. (You can see pictures online.) [Note 10] This mixture can also be seen in the 22 Vatican museums. Some of them have Christian artwork. Others have statues of pagan gods and goddesses. According to the Bible, these are idols, and they should be destroyed. However, the Vatican has preserved them and put them on public display. (Pictures are online.) [Note 11] Saint Peter’s Basilica is the church of the popes. It is one of the largest churches in the world. There is a circular courtyard in front of it, with an obelisk in the center of the courtyard. (You can see pictures online.) [Note 12] Obelisks are associated with pagan religions. This particular obelisk is also associated with the slaughter of Christians. It was originally in the Circus of Nero (the Circus Maximus), where Christians were fed to the lions. In 1587, Pope Sixtus V had it moved to the center of the circular courtyard in front of Saint Peter’s Basilica. [Note 13] The Sistine Chapel and Saint Peter’s Basilica are much like the Catholic church. They are large, expensive, ornate, and impressive. And they mix paganism with Christinity.
USE OF THIS ARTICLE I encourage you to link to this article. You have permission to quote from this article, as long as you do it fairly and accurately. You have permission to make copies of this article for friends and for use in classes. NOTES 1. “October 1986: The Day Assisi Became the ‘Peace Capitol’ of the World, “American Catholic,” January 1987. You can see Pope John Paul II lead the multi-faith service at Assisi in the video “Catholicism: Crisis of Faith.” You can also see and hear Muslims, shamans, Hindus, and the Dalai Lama call on their “gods.” (You can get the video at D&K Press: 800-777-8839.) John Cotter, “Assisi Assessed.” You can read this article online of you search for the title and/or author. A picture of Pope John Paul II leading the multi-faith service. This is on an ultra-conservative Catholic website. They believe that Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XIV are heretics because they teach things that are contrary to Catholic doctrine, as declared by previous popes and Catholic Church councils. 2. A picture of the altar that was used for the religious service in Assisi. There is a statue of Buddha on top of the Tabernacle (an ornate container for consecrated bread). 3. “Pope’s Assisi Prayers for Peace,” CNN.com, January 24, 2002. 4. A picture of the Pope with a Buddhist patriarch. The text gives quotations from the Pope, including his statement that salvation can be found through Buddhism. 5. N. Adu Kwabena-Essem, “A New Look at ‘JuJu’: The Pope’s Apology to Africa” 6. These books are available at Amazon.com. 7. Randy England, “Unicorn in the Sanctuary: The Impact of the New Age on the Catholic Church,” pages 72-74. 8. Randy England, pages 70-72. 9. Peter Jones, “Pagans in the Pews: How the New Spirituality Is Invading Your Home, Church and Community,” page 127. 10. Albert Skira, “Treasures of the Vatican,” pages 136-137. Page 136 shows Raphael’s fresco “The School of Athens” and page 137 describes it. The website Christus Rex has a series of 27 web pages with color pictures of the Sistine Chapel. Three of these web pages have pictures of prophets and sybils. A sybil is a pagan prophetess. (Go to their home page and look for “Sistine Chapel”.) 11. Christus Rex has a series of 22 web pages with color pictures of the Vatican Museums. A number of them have statues of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian gods and goddesses. (Go to their home page and look for “Vatican Museums”.) 12. Christus Rex has a series of 14 web pages with color pictures of Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Pontifical Palace, and the Vatican Gardens. (Go to their home page and look for “Vatican City”.) 13. National Geographic, “Inside the Vatican,” pages 13, 17, 18. These are pictures of the Egyptian obelisk that is in front of Saint Peter’s Basilica. It used to be in the Circus of Nero, where Christians were slaughtered. In 1586, Pope Sixtus V had the obelisk moved to the courtyard in front of Saint Peter’s. Albert Skira, “Treasures of the Vatican,” page 170. This shows a painting of the obelisk. Below the picture there is text giving its history. You can see pictures of the obelisk online by doing a Google “image” search. Go to Google’s home page. You will see some words that are underlined. Click on “Images.” Search for “St. Peter’s + obelisk” or for “Saint Peter’s + obelisk”. |
Copyright 2004 by Mary Ann Collins. All rights reserved. www.CatholicConcerns.Com
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01/12/2006