Benedict XVI’s Assisi Event – How Bad Was It?

By Bro. Michael Dimond, O.S.B.
Read more of Benedict XVI’s Recent Heresies

There were approximately 300 representatives of various false religions at Benedict XVI’s October 27, 2011 interreligious prayer meeting.  Out of the 300, there were 10 featured speakers.  Here are portions of some of those speeches.  All of these speeches were endorsed by Benedict XVI because he made all of them possible.  In fact, Benedict XVI knew about and approved the content of each speech before it was given.

October 27, 2011 Address of Acharya Shri Shrivastsa Goswami, Representative of Hindu Religion from the Sri Radharamana Temple: “‘O infinite bodied Lord!  I see you in each hand and feet, in each eye and head, in each name and being.  I bow down to you in all of them’  Hinduism is a pilgrimage from ignorance to truth, from death to immortality…  From Krishna to Buddha, from Mahatma Gandhi to Martin Luther King Jr., to Bishop Tutu – all these pilgrims of truth declare that there is no way to peace.  Peace itself is the way… Dialogue will be a futile exercise unless we undertake it with humility, forbearance, and the desire to respect the ‘other’ – and that too without wanting the same in return.  This will empower us to say ‘no’ to injustice of any kind.  It requires a lot of courage, and that courage will only come from prayer.  Let us therefore join Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the great 16th century spiritual master, in his prayer: ‘I do not desire wealth or worldly enjoyments; nor do I seek fame or name.  I only beg that I may serve others with love’.  This is strenuous business.  It requires us to see anew what the ancient Vedas declared: that the truth is one – and at the same time, that it is professed in many different ways.  Om Shantih, Shantih, Shantih.” [1] 

The Hindu leader begins by declaring that every human being is God.  In this speech we see the bold promotion of the blasphemy of pantheism – that God is in everything.  The Hindu then declares a former Hindu leader a “spiritual master,” as he asks all present to join him in his prayer. 

October 27, 2011 Address of Ja-Seung, President of the “Jogye Order” Korean Buddhism: “Everything is interconnected.  You and I do not exist as separate individuals; rather, we are all intricately connected with each other.  Buddhism offers insight into this truth through the doctrine of Dependent Origination.  I also would like you to join me in a ‘Fraternity for Peace’, so that harmonious coexistence and mutual respect, regardless religion, race and culture are made possible in this world… Dear religious leaders, the ‘Declaration for Religious Peace’ from the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism promotes mutual respect among different beliefs. [2]

In this speech, the worldwide promotion of the false religion and doctrines of Buddhism are endorsed. 

October 27, 2011 Address of Professor Julia Kristeva, Representative of Non-Believers: “The words of John Paul II, ‘Do not be afraid!’, were not only directed at believers, encouraging them to resist totalitarianism.  The cry of that Pope, the Apostle of human rights, also urges us, not to fear European culture, but, on the contrary, to spur us toward humanism: to link Christian humanism and that which, springing from the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, aims to open insecure paths to freedom.  Today I would like to thank Pope Benedict XVI for having some humanists for the first time ever to come here.  This is an event… Today far from deglobalization, it is necessary to come up with new international norms for regulating and controlling the global financial and economic sector and eventually to create one authority on universal ethics and solidarity.”[3]

In this speech, Benedict XVI gives a world-wide forum to an official leader of people who don’t believe in God.  Benedict XVI gave non-believers a world-wide forum to promote agnosticism, humanism, and their other false beliefs.  This agnostic leader also aggressively promotes a one-world system that would control and regulate every aspect of life on earth.

October 27, 2011 Address of Professor Wande Abimbola - Spokesperson of “Ifu and Yoruba Religion in the World”: “First of all, let me express my profound gratitude to the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, for inviting me to participate in the Day of Reflection, Dialogue, and Prayer for Justice and Peace in the World.  I am sure that I speak for the leadership and practitioners of the Indigenous Religions of Africa and the World at large when I say we are delighted to be included in such a historic and momentous event.  May the Holy Father continue to wax strong, to fulfill his mission and destiny to the peoples of the world.  Secondly, I bring greetings and salutations from the peoples of Africa and the members of Yoruba Religion worldwide, whose spokesperson I am.   I am a spokesperson of those who sent me.  I am not speaking for my personal self.  The spiritual authority with which I speak belongs to those who sent me.  The time has come for the leaders of all the world’s religions to have a new frame of mind in which indigenous religions are given the same respect and consideration as other religions.  We cannot have peace in the world when we disrespect, abuse or look down upon our neighbors.  A fundamental prerequisite for peace, therefore, is for all peoples of faith to have respect and love for one another.  Let us relate to people on the basis of their character, not on the religions they practice or the denominations to which they belong.  Let us all work together for greater respect, love and justice, while at the same time holding fast to the tenets of the religions we espouse.  We must always remember that our own religion, along with the religions practiced by other people, are valid and precious in the eyes of the Almighty, who created all of us with such plural and different ways of life and belief systems.  To respect our fellow men and women is not enough.  We need also to develop a profound respect for nature.  Unless and until nature, our Mother, is given her due regard and honor in our thoughts and actions, human beings cannot find the true peace and tranquility which we are all looking for… [He then starts to say a prayer]

Ifa n lo lee gbolomi tutu niyawo
Aya Ifa tutu jomi lo
Baraa mi Erigi Alo
Ifa lo gbolomi tutu niyawo
Aye Ifa tutu jomi lo
Adeyeri, Ifa a priest of Alaraan Adetutu,

Ifa a priest of Ajiforanghogbola,
These are the Ifa priests who divined for Orumila
On the day he was going to marry She-who-bathes-with-cold-water
As a result, the life of Ifa became cooler than water
My Great Lord, Erigi Alo,
Ifa married She-who-bathes-with-cold-water
The life of Ifa became cooler than water.

The above-quoted verse is a reference to Olokun, the last and most beloved wife of Ifa.  May the cool waters of Olokun, from the depths of the oceans, bring coolness, love, tranquility and peace to all of us and to our world which is riddled by strife, hatred, war and bigotry.” [4]

At the beginning of his speech, Abimbola expresses profound gratitude to Benedict XVI for inviting him to this event and enabling him to promote his false religion.  Second, Abimbola demands that satanic Yoruba religions be given the same respect as other false religions around the world.  Third, he encourages people to hold fast to the religions in which they now believe.  Fourth, he says, “We must always remember that our own religion, along with the religions practiced by other people, are valid and precious in the eyes of the Almighty.” 

In this we speech have Benedict XVI promoting that all religions are “valid and precious in the eyes of the Almighty.”  This is blasphemy against the one true God, The Holy Trinity.  Abimbola then states that everyone must have a profound regard for nature in their thoughts and actions.  He says that unless this happens, human beings will not find true peace.  Abimbola then invoked the false gods Olokun and Ifa – chanting prayers to these false gods while shaking a rattle.  After his speech, Benedict XVI stood up and shook Abimbola’s hand.  Benedict XVI therefore gave full public support for what Abimbola said and did.  Wande Abimbola was one of the 10 chosen to give a speech during this meeting.  Wande Abimbola sat in the center of the assembly two spots from Benedict XVI.  Abimbola represented Yoruba African religions.  Here are some facts about the Yoruba "religion" from their own website: http://www.yorubaorganization.com/?page_id=124

“Nowadays there are hundred temples all across Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, devoted to Ifa and Orisha. There, the followers perform the ancient rituals with drumbeats, chanting, dances, sacrifices and communicating with the Spirit through possession… Understanding of secrets of invisible spiritual forces is possible, only through direct interaction with them. That is why in religious-magic Yoruba tradition, one of the major roles has a discipline named Ifaiyа – that is intended to establish connection with the spiritual forces that have their own self-consciousnesses… The whole religious-magic practices are very efficient because Yoruba oracles are based on instructions sent from the Spiritual world.”

As mentioned already, Abimbola invoked the false god Olokun.  “Olokun is considered the patron Orisa of the descendants of Africans…It works closely with Oya (Deity of the Winds)… Olokun is experienced in male and female personifications, depending on what region of West Africa He/She is worshipped. It is personified in several human characteristics… It also governs material wealth, psychic abilities, dreaming, meditation, mental health and water-based healing… Some Afro-Cuban lineages worship Olokun in tandem with Yemoja. In the past Santeria worshippers considered these two Orisha to be manifestations of one another… However in Africa, Yemoja is the divinity of the Ogun River in Nigeria and Olokun is considered the mother of all bodies of water…” (from the wikipedia articles on Olokun)

As mentioned already, Abimbola also invoked the false God Ifa.  “Ifa worship originated in West Africa and is celebrated in the Yoruba religion.  It is also celebrated in Santeria, West African & Diaspora Vodou, and similarly in Orisa Ifa lineages all over the globe.” (from the wikipedia article on Ifa)

Wande Abimbola’s mother is “a high priestess of Sango.”  “In the Yorùbá religion, Sàngó (also spelled, Sango or Shango)…is perhaps one of the most popular Orisha also known as the god of fire, lightning and thunder… [Orisha is a false religious tradition that entails the worship of a false god within the Yoruba religion]; Some believers will also consult a geomantic divination specialist… Shango is venerated in Haitian Vodou, as a god of thunder and weather”. (from the wikipedia articles on Orisha and Shango)

Therefore, Benedict XVI invited a man to promote and pray to false gods - thereby desecrating the basilica of St. Francis, with the body of St. Francis nearby.  Benedict XVI gave a world-wide forum for the promotion of spirit and nature worship, magic and vodou.

The Council of Elvira, A.D. 305: “It has been decreed that those who in adult age after receiving Baptism shall go into the pagan temples to worship idols, which is a deadly crime and the height of wickedness, shall not be admitted to communion even at death.”

As we see from this regional council, in the early Church going into a pagan temple (which John Paul II did in Thailand) to worship idols was considered the height of wickedness.  It represented such apostasy from the Faith that those who even repented of it were only admitted to confession (not Communion).  If going into the pagan temple was considered such severe apostasy, what would they say about a purported leader of the Church who turns the Catholic churches themselves into pagan temples so that the pagans can worship false gods in them?  They would undoubtedly consider it the height of apostasy.

October 27, 2011 Introductory greeting for Assisi by “Catholic Cardinal”Peter Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace: “In October 1986 at the invitation of Blessed John Paul II, Heads and Representatives of Christian Churches, Ecclesial Communities and World Religions gathered here in Assisi, the city of St Francis, to fast and pray for peace.  They came mindful that ‘peace’, as the Pope declared on that occasion, ‘needs to be built on justice, truth, freedom and love’, and that ‘Religions have the necessary function of helping to dispose human hearts, so that true peace can be fostered and preserved’.  Twenty-five years after that historic gathering, I have the pleasure to welcome you heartily to Assisi, where we have come together at the invitation of Pope Benedict XVI to celebrate the memory of that moment of brotherhood and prayer and to set out anew as ‘pilgrims of truth and pilgrims of peace’.  We are gathered here aware of a common call to live together in peace, a deep yearning that throbs incessantly in our hearts.  The indefatigable search for that desire’s attainment makes us fellow travelers.  We come from different religious traditions and from various parts of the world to renew and strengthen a quest for the truth that each of us, out of our own tradition, is ceaselessly committed to.  We come also to bear witness to the great power of religion for good, and to renew a common commitment to building peace, to reconciling those in conflict and to bringing man back into harmony with creation.”[5]

At the introductory speech for this event, the apostate “cardinal” declares that this Assisi prayer meeting will be a continuation of the first Assisi prayer meeting of John Paul II, where “world religions gathered here in Assisi, the city of St. Francis , to fast and pray for peace.”  Praying with leaders of non-Catholic religions has always been condemned as a mortal sin.  The apostate “cardinal” then declares that these leaders of false religions, who are firmly committed to propagating their false faiths, are “ceaselessly committed” to the truth.  Finally, he states that different false religions bear witness to the great power of “religion” for good.  This means that all religions are good.

Benedict XVI’s October 27, 2011 Address to Leaders of the world’s various religions: “Dear Brothers and Sisters, Distinguished Heads and Representatives of Churches, Ecclesial Communities and World Religions, Dear Friends,

Twenty-five years have passed since Blessed Pope John Paul II first invited representatives of the world’s religions to Assisi to pray for peace… As a Christian I want to say at this point: yes, it is true, in the course of history, force has been used in the name of the Christian faith.  We acknowledge it with great shame.  But it is utterly clear that this was an abuse of the Christian faith, one that evidently contradicts its true nature… The enemies of religion – as we said earlier – see in religion one of the principle sources of violence in the history of humanity and thus they demand that it disappear.  But the denial of God has led to much cruelty and to a degree of violence that knows no bounds…  In addition to the two phenomena of religion and anti-religion, a further basic orientation is found in the growing world of agnosticism: people to whom the gift of faith has not been given, but who are nevertheless on the lookout for truth, searching for God.  Such people do not simply assert: ‘There is no God’.  They suffer from his absence and yet are inwardly making their way towards him, inasmuch as they seek truth and goodness.  They are ‘pilgrims of truth, pilgrims of peace’.  They ask questions of both sides.  They take away from militant atheists the false certainty by which these claim to know that there is no God and they invite them to leave polemics aside and to become seekers who do not give up hope in the existence of truth and in the possibility and necessity of living by it.  But they also challenge the followers of religions not to consider God as their own property, as if he belonged to them, in such a way that they feel vindicated in using force against others.  These people are seeking, they are seeking the true God, whose image is frequently concealed in the religions because of the ways in which they are often practiced.  Their inability to find God is partly the responsibility of believers, to all believers to purify their faith, so that God, the true God, becomes accessible.  Therefore I have consciously invited delegates of this third group to our meeting in Assisi, which does not simply bring together representatives of religious institutions.  Rather it is a case of being together on a journey towards truth, a case of taking a decisive stand for human dignity and a case of common engagement for peace against every form of destructive force.  Finally I would like to assure you that the Catholic Church will not let up in her fight against violence, in her commitment for peace in the world.  We are animated by the common desire to be ‘pilgrims of truth, pilgrims of peace’.  Thank you.”[6]

In Benedict XVI’s main address he links his own event with John Paul II’s original event.  He thereby endorses John Paul II’s act of inviting leaders of various false religions “to pray for peace.”  Benedict XVI then says that it’s a great shame force has been used in the history of Christianity.  Benedict XVI is therefore condemning the Crusades and all just Christian wars that occurred in history.  This is heretical.  Popes approved and blessed the Crusades. 

Benedict XVI then declares that agnostics (people who are not convinced that God exists) are “pilgrims of truth.”  To call agnostic unbelievers “pilgrims of truth” is outrageously heretical.  Benedict XVI goes on to say that the fact agnostics aren’t convinced that there is a God is partly the responsibility of believers!  This assertion is directly contrary to Sacred Scripture.  Sacred Scripture declares that a man can know the existence of God by the natural light of reason and by the creation of the world.  The Bible declares that those who do not believe in God are inexcusable.  Benedict XVI also says that the true God’s image is concealed in different false religions.  Benedict XVI ends his heretical address by saying that if “believers” of different false religions continue to purify their “faiths,” they can continue to lead people to the true God!  This is total apostasy from the Catholic faith.  When he is talking about “believers,” he is clearly talking about leaders and members of non-Catholic religions.   

Later on October 27, 2011 after the main speeches inside the Basilica of St. Francis the participants gathered outside the Basilica.  Representatives of different religions were given time to pray in silence and gave some words renewing their commitment to “world peace”:

Words of Sikh leader Dr. Tarunjit  Singh Butalia:  “… respect and esteem, in order to help bring about a peaceful and fraternal coexistence between people of different ethnic groups, cultures and religions.”[7]

Words of Professor Guillermo Hurtado, another representative of non-believers from Mexico :  “We, humanists in dialogue with believers, commit ourselves together with all men and women of goodwill in building a new world in which respect for the dignity of each and every person, their interior aspirations and the freedom to act on the basis of their own beliefs, is the foundation for life in society.  We will make every effort to ensure that believers and non-believers in reciprocal trust can live out the shared quest for truth, justice and peace.”[8]

Words of Benedict XVI:  “Violence never again!  War never again!  Terrorism never again!  In the name of God, may every religion bring upon the earth Justice and Peace Forgiveness and Life, Love!”[9]

Benedict XVI says that every religion upon the Earth can bring justice, peace, forgiveness and life.  What an incredible display of complete and total apostasy from the Catholic faith.

After the remarks by the leaders of various false religions, the Vatican moderator then said: “We will now observe a moment of silence during which each person is invited to pray for peace or to earnestly desire it, each according to the dictates of their conscience.”  The representatives were then given some time to pray to their false gods.  Then the various false religious leaders were given lamps, and the participants exchanged a sign of peace with each other.  This exchange included Benedict XVI exchanging “a sign of peace” with an eastern schismatic “Orthodox” leader and a rabbi.

We have seen once again that at the Assisi prayer meeting, Benedict XVI promoted every “religion” on the planet.  Benedict XVI therefore demonstrated, once again, what we have proven about his anti-pontificate.  Complaining about and denouncing the activity at the Assisi prayer meeting is not good enough to save your soul.  There is only one faith possessed by members of the Catholic Church.  Therefore, if you want to retain the Catholic faith, you must denounce as outside the Church those who do not possess the one true Catholic faith.  Therefore, a person must hold the position that Benedict XVI doesn’t have the Catholic faith and is an antipope.  If not, a person places himself outside the Catholic Church and on the road straight to Hell with Benedict XVI. 

Benedict XVI’s October 27, 2011 ending address for “Day of Reflection, Dialogue and Prayer for Peace”: “From my heart I thank all of you here present for having accepted my invitation to come to Assisi as pilgrims of truth and peace and I greet each one of you in Saint Francis’ own words: May the Lord grant you peace – ‘il Signore ti dia pace.’”[10]

Benedict XVI once again declares members of every religion, including the representatives of non-believers, “Pilgrims of truth.”  What an apostate!

Benedict XVI’s October 28, 2011 Address to delegations which participated in the October 27  World Day of Prayer for peace: “… May this friendship continue to grow among the followers of the world’s religions and with men and women of good will everywhere.  I thank my Christian brothers and sisters for their fraternal presence.  I also thank the representatives of the Jewish people, who are particularly close to us, and all of you, the distinguished representatives of the world’s religions.  I am aware that many of you have come from afar and have undertaken a demanding journey.  I express my gratitude also to those who represent people of good will who follow no religious tradition but are committed to the search for truth.  They have been willing to share this pilgrimage with us as a sign of their desire to work together to build a better world.  Looking back, we can appreciate the foresight of the late Pope John Paul II in convening the first Assisi meeting, and the continuing need for men and women of different religions to testify together that the journey of the spirit is always a journey of peace.  Meetings of this sort are necessarily exceptional and infrequent, yet they are a vivid expression of the fact that every day, throughout our world, people of different religious traditions live and work together in harmony.  It is surely significant for the cause of peace that so many men and women, inspired by their deepest convictions, are committed to working for the good of the human family.” [11] 

Benedict XVI first declares that followers of different false religions are “men and women of good will.”  He then immediately declares those who “follow no religious tradition” are also “of good will.”  This is heresy.  Benedict XVI also declares that different religions testify together concerning “the journey of the spirit.”  This is to say that false religions possess and are guided by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth.  Benedict XVI thus mixes the Holy Spirit with the evil spirit – for the evil spirit created the false religions of the world.  Benedict XVI blasphemes the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Truth.

Benedict XVI’s Recent Heresies

The Heresies of Benedict XVI file

Endnotes: