Paweł Chmielewski: A Killer Indifference to Christ. Who betrays the fact of the Gospel?

There are fewer things that origin specified mischief among modern Catholics as lying to the salvation of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church. The sight of Catholic clergymen—priests, bishops, cardinals, popes—who either cast a shadow on this fundamental truth, or straight deny it, evokes large pain, rage and concern for all who sincerely care about preserving the faithfulness of the Gospel in the Church. The book by Eric Sammons, which now reaches the hands of the Polish reader, touches the very core of this problem.

Indeed, as the author of “Killing Indifference” writes, the belief that Catholicism is only 1 of the equal paths that lead to the same goal has become increasingly dominant in the Church for decades. There are attempts to convert Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, pagan... due to the fact that it seems to be unnecessary: in all religions or religions there is adequate “truth” to gain salvation through it. specified judgment, however, is simply a complete lie, and modernist theology unsuccessfully tries to make sense of it. spiritual relativism and indiferentism were thoroughly condemned by the large popes of the 19th and 20th centuries; unfortunately, seemingly not sufficiently effective, since mistake is spreading all the time. This is why it is so crucial that Sammons' book goes to as many Polish Catholics as possible. In our country too, we are increasingly transforming the Roman Catholic Church into a dialogue-ecumenical Church. A visible community with another people, sold propagandaally as a "universal brotherhood," becomes more crucial to us than faithful to the fact of the Gospel.

And yet we sin against the first commandment: not even in this way that we are convinced to worship Pachamam or Buddha, whose figures are placed in churches; it is simply a fundamental mistake to abandon the primacy of God for the sake of prosperity and common cooperation. We do not want to remember that Christ brought into the planet a sword, and as Christians—as Roman Catholics!—we are called not to abdicate sin and error, but to fight them and to "get" the planet for our Lord. individual will say this is an old-fashioned narrative, times have changed, we must not convert anyone by force. Right; but not the strength of the sword, but the strength of the word and testimony. The book of Sammons shows perfectly how, under the pretext of moving distant from force in religion, 1 step at a time, the Church left any effort to convert... It is as if, in the name of fighting the plague of drunk drivers, we have banned driving at all: no doubt, we will accomplish the goal! Is that precisely what this was about?

"Killing indifference" is crucial and interesting not only due to the fact that it hits the very core of the modern crisis; Sammons besides gives us useful conceptual tools, systematizing today’s misconceptions. He presents the differences between the Catholic Church's attitude to the Innovers before the Second Vatican Council and after the Council, pointing out the various shades of positions occupied by subsequent popes: Paul VI, the creator of the thought of dialogue; John Paul II, who, as Sammons writes, did good harm to the Church with good intentions; Benedict XVI, who tried to correct the mistakes of his predecessors, but did not want or was incapable to carry out this work to the end; yet Francis, who, as the first of the popes, seems to exceed the red line of orthodoxy in relation to another religions.

The book’s circumstantial power is added by the fact that its author converted to Catholicism from Methodist Protestantism. I frequently wondered how painfully people like him must experience the modern crisis of the Church. After years of being in error, they yet found the fullness of truth, surrendered to the Bishop of Rome, accepted the sacraments... to find out that the 1 actual Church they joined was not convinced of its own uniqueness! So why were their sacrifices, why did they change their lives? Since Catholic shepherds say that different paths lead to salvation, they may as well proceed in their old communities... The mistake of dialog is simply a painful cheek aimed at the face of all converts; I am not surprised, therefore, that it is they, like Eric Sam-mons, who are peculiarly delicate to the problem of blurring out the fact about the only salvation of the Church.

I am glad that “Killing Indifference” besides appeared in Poland. Although until late it may seem that we are missing the many problems facing the Catholic Church in Western countries, present it was only a mirage: besides in our country there are errors of spiritual indifference, and the cooperation of Catholics with innovators is becoming increasingly worrying. Eric Sammons' book restores order of thought. I have read it with large benefit and I am certain that it will be the same for all sincere and afraid about the good of the Church of readers.

Paweł Chmielewski

The text is an introduction to the Polish edition of the book “Killing Indifference”, Publishing home 3House 2023.