Hence, when, after centuries, Western European man tired of theory without practice, there being no essential connection to the uncreated, he turned to the logical implication: freedom from a false god. His anti-Catholicism was, at base, a desperate cry - to throw off the totalitarian yoke of man-only religion. He was not rejecting Christ as much as the pope. Having lost confidence, however, in Christ - the Christ he knew through the pope - a false Christ - and not having ready access to the true Face of God, European man announced the death of God (who, it is true, had “died” already centuries before, practically, experientially, for Western man) and found a replacement in himself – not unlike Lucifer, who found a replacement for God in himself - in the reflection of God’s Light in himself. He mistook his own light, a mere reflection, for God’s uncreated Light. In erecting man as the ultimate value, however, European man did not go far from where he was; he simply rejected the false god of papal religion’s creation and his vicar, the pope. 

For the Orthodox to now team up with the root cause of this present darkness is a major error; an error of apocalyptic proportions. It reveals ignorance, not only of contemporary Papalism – a horrific picture - but also of where we are in salvation history. The writing is on the wall. The die has been cast. By making allies with the deluded and deluding, the Orthodox will only confuse and discourage those serious seekers who exist in the West. Western man knows, in his heart, that the Papacy is counterfeit. He simply has no way out. Or, so he thinks.

Orthodoxy is the way out for the West. This must be made clear, not more confused, such as saying that we are “two traditional Churches, united by a common faith”. Holy Tradition is the life of the Holy Spirit in the Church, not mere human tradition. The Orthodox Faith does not countenance created grace, the filioque, universal jurisdiction, infallibility, indulgences, stigmata as signs of holiness, catholic “charismatic” spirituality and the rest of the papal delusions…

A clean break - and not a further merging - with the papacy is what will help contemporary man, and the contemporary West.

May God enlighten His Grace and all Orthodox bishops today of this truth, and quickly. 

3. Blessed Angela (†1309)

And here are some extracts from “Revelations of blessed Angela” (†1309)
(Revelations of blessed Angela. - M., 1918).

The Holy Spirit, she writes, says to her: “O, My daughter, My sweetest, I
love you so much” (p.95). “I was with the Apostles and they saw Me with
their bodily eyes, but did not feel Me like you feel Me” (p.96). Angela
reveals also such things about herself: “In the darkness I see the Holy
Trinity, and I feel I myself dwell within the Trinity in the darkness in the
very middle of It” (c.117). Her feelings to Jesus Christ she expresses in
the following words: “I could put my whole self inside of Jesus Christ”
(p.176). Or: “I cried of His sweetness and sorrow for His departure and
wanted to die” (p.101) - and in such moments she would start to beat herself
so violently that nuns had to take her out of kostel (p.83).

One of the greatest Russian religious philosophers of the 20th century
A.F. Losev gives a sharp, but true appraisal of Angela’s “revelations”. He
wrote: “Being tempted and enticed by flesh results in the Holy Spirit’s
appearing to blessed Angela and whispering such amorous words to her: “My
daughter, you are My sweetest, My daughter, you are My dwelling, My
daughter, you are my delight, love me, for I love you so much, much more
than you love Me”. The Saint is in sweet languor, born away with love
languishing. And the beloved appears again and again and more and more burns
her body, her heart, her blood. The Cross seems to her to be the bride-bed…
What can be more in contrast to the Byzantine-Moscow austere and chaste
ascetics, than these continuous statements: “My soul was accepted into the
Divine light and enskied”, - her passionate looking on the Lord’s Cross, on
Christ’s wounds and individual members of His body, her intended calling
forth of blood marks on her body, etc? To crown it all Christ embraces
Angela with His hand, nailed to the cross, and she says to Him being full of
languish, torment and happiness: “Sometimes in this strong embrace my soul
seems to enter the side of Christ. And it is impossible to relate the joy
and illumination one feels there. They are so mighty that I could not stand
on my feet, but was lying and my tongue grew numb… And I was lying and my
tongue and members of the body grew numb (A.F.Losev. Essays on antique
symbolism and mythology. - M., 1930. - V.1. - p.867-868).

4. St. Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine of Siena (+1380) is one more vivid example of Catholic
sanctity. She was canonized by Pope Paul VI in the highest rank of saints -
“Doctors of the Church” (Doctor Ecclesiae). I’ll quote a few extracts from
Catholic book by Antonio Sikari “Portraits of saints”. To my mind these
extracts need no comments.

Catherine was about 20 years old. “She felt, a decisive turning point in her
life was coming near, and she kept devout prayers to Her Lord Jesus
repeating a beautiful, most tender formula that became habitual to her:
“Unite in matrimony of faith with me!” (Antonio Sikari. Portraits of saints.
V.II. - Milano, 1991. - p.11).

“Once Catherine had a vision: her divine bridegroom embraced her and drew
her to Himself, then He took the heart from her chest to give her another
one, which was more like his one” (p.12).

Once it was said, she died. “Later she said that her heart was lacerated by
divine love and that she went through death having seen the gates of
paradise”. But “return, My child, the Lord told me, you have to return… I
shall lead you to princes and masters of the Church”. “And the humble young
lady started to send her messages all over the world, long letters, which
she dictated with an astonishing swiftness, at times three or four at a time
and on different subjects, however without floundering and doing it ahead of
secretaries. These letters end with a passionate formula: “The sweetest
Jesus, Jesus the Love” and are often opened with the words: “I, Catherine,
Jesus’ servant and slave of His slaves, am writing to you in His precious
blood…” (12).

“The main thing that arrests attention in Catherine’s letters is her
insistent repetition of the words: “I want” (12).

“According to some researches in ecstasy she addressed these resolute words
“I want” even to Christ” (13).

In her correspondence with Gregory XI, whom she tried to persuade [him] to return from Avignon to Rome: “I say unto you in the name of Christ… I say unto you, Father, in Jesus Christ… Answer to the call of the Holy Spirit, addressed to you” (13).

She addressed the king of France with the following words: “Fulfill God’s
will and mine” (14).

5. Teresa of Avila:

“Revelations” of Teresa of Avila, canonized by the same Pope Paul VI as a
Doctor of the Church (16th century), are no less indicative. Before death
she cried out: “Oh, my God, my Spouse, at last I will see you!” This cry, an
extremely strange one, did not sound by chance. It is a natural result of
Teresa’s whole “spiritual” exercise, the essence of which is revealed for
example in the following fact.

After numerous appearances “Christ” says to Teresa: “From this day you will
be My spouse… From now on I am not only your Creator, God, but also the
Spouse” (D.S. Merezhkovsky. Spanish mystics. - Brussels, 1988. - P. 88).
“Oh, Lord, I want [to] either suffer with You, or die for You!” Teresa prays and collapses utterly exhausted with these caresses…”, D. Merezhkovsky writes.

After this it is no surprise, when Teresa confesses: “The Beloved calls my
soul with such penetrating whistle that I cannot overhear it. This call so
touches the soul that it breaks down with desire”. It is not by chance that
renowned American psychologist William James, analyzing her mystical
experience, wrote that “her understanding of religion was reduced to endless
flirting between the worshipper and the deity” (James W. Variety of
religious experience./Transl. from English. - M., 1910. - P.337).

6. Teresa of Lisieux

One more illustration of the idea of sanctity in Catholicism is Teresa of
Lisieux (Teresa the Little, or Teresa of the Child Jesus), who died in the
age of 23, and in 1997 marking the 100th anniversary of her death John Paul
II by his “infallible” decision declared her to be one more Doctor of the
Ecumenical Church. Here are a few quotations from spiritual autobiography of
Teresa “Story of one soul”, expressively testifying her spiritual state
(Story of one soul/Symbol. 1996, No.36. - Paris. - P.151).

“In an interview before taking the veil I revealed what I was going to do in
Karmela: I have come to save souls, and first of all to pray for the
priests” (to save not herself, but others!).

Speaking about her unworthiness she adds: “I invariably keep a bold hope to
become a great saint… I thought I was born for glory and looked for the ways
to achieve it. And then the Lord, our God… let me know that my glory would
not be revealed to judgment of a mortal, and the essence of it is I will be
a great saint!!!” (comp. Macarius the Great, whom people called [an] “earthly
god” for the highness of his life, prayed: “O God, cleanse me, a
sinner, for I have never done anything good in Thy sight"). Later Teresa
wrote even more frankly: “In the heart of my Mother-Church I will be Love…
through this I will become everything… and my dream will come true!!!”

Teresa’s doctrine about spiritual love is also extremely “remarkable”: “It
was kissing of love. I felt beloved and said: “I love You and commit myself
to You forever.” There were no requests, no struggle, no sacrifices; long
ago Jesus and small poor Teresa understood everything after a single glance…
This day brought not only mutual glances, but fusion, when there were no
more two of them, and Teresa disappeared like a water drop lost in the depth
of the ocean”. I think no comments are necessary to this dreamy romance of a
poor girl - a Doctor of the Catholic Church.

7. Ignatius Loyola

Mystical experience of one of the pillars of the Catholic mystics, founder
of the Jesuits Order Ignatius Loyola (16th century) was also based on the
methodical development of imagination.

His book “Spiritual exercise”, which has enormous authority with the
Catholics, calls a Christian to imagining and contemplating the Holy
Trinity, Christ, Mother of God, angels, etc. All this fundamentally
contradicts the foundations of the spiritual feats of the saints of the
Ecumenical Church, for it leads the faithful to the total spiritual and
mental disorder.

8. The wisdom of the Fathers of Philokalia

An authoritative collection of ascetic writings of the ancient Church “The
Dobrotolubie” (”The Philokalia” strictly forbids this kind of “spiritual
exercise”. Here are a few quotations from it.

Saint Nilus of Sinai (5th century) warns: “Do not desire to see sensually
Angels or Virtues, or Christ, otherwise you’ll go mad taking a wolf for the
shepherd and bowing to demon-enemies” (St.Nilus of Sinai. 153 Chapters on
Prayer. Ch.115 // The Dobrotolubie: In 5 volumes. V.2. 2nd edition. - M.,
1884. - p. 237).

St. Simeon the New Theologian (11th century) reasoning about those who
“imagine heavenly blessings, angel hosts and abodes of saints” in prayer
definitely says “this is a sign of prelest” (spiritual deceit). “Going this
way even those who see light with their bodily eyes, smell fragrance with
their nose, hear voices with their ears and the like get seduced (St. Simeon
the New Theologian. On three forms of prayer // The Dobrotolubie. V.5. M.,
1990. p.463-464).

St. Gregory the Sinaite (14th century) reminds: “Never accept things when
you see something sensual or spiritual, inside or outside, even if it has an
image of Christ or an angel or a certain saint… The one who accepts it
easily gets seduced… God does not resent one being attentive to himself, if
one fearing to get seduced does not accept what He gives,… but rather
praises him as a wise one” (St. Gregory the Sinaite. Hesyhast instruction //
same. - p.224).

9. Conclusion

So the landowner, whom St. Ignatius Brianchaninov described in his work, was quite right, when he seeing a catholic book “On the Imitation of Christ” by Thomas a Kempis (15th century) snatched it out of [another’s] hands and said: “Stop playing a romance with God”. The above examples do not leave any doubts in the truth of these words. Unfortunately, the Catholic church has lost the art to distinguish the spiritual from the sensual, and sanctity from
reveries, and thus also Christianity from paganism.

Excerpt from: WHY ORTHODOXY IS THE TRUE FAITH, The Holy Trinity-St.Sergius Lavra

“We look favorably on the ecumenical movement and hope that theological dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox will resume as soon as possible.”

Ecumenism is condemned as heresy in 1998, but the ecumenical movement is looked upon favorably in 2004? Is ecumenism not practiced in the ecumenical movement? Wasn’t the inquirer looking for his judgment on ecumenism?

It would seem, sadly, that Archbishop Christodoulos has thrown off the “conservative facade” he once wore so proudly and is now clearly showing his true colors. Behold one of the main problems with nailing down the “heresy of Ecumenism”: its defenders are “unstable in all their ways.”

In any case, even more obvious than the intentions of the Papacy are the delusions of the Orthodox ecumenists. Even a so-called “corporate reunion” doesn’t leave room for a retraction of such heretical views as the filioque or papal infallibility and supremacy, not to mention all of the delusions accepted or reaffirmed only in the past century, such as the “catholic charismatic” movement, the veneration of the “immaculate heart” of Jesus, stigmata (mystical or otherwise), indulgences (this is the “year of the Eucharist indulgence”, etc. Is it possible that our Orthodox ecumenists have resigned themselves to accept the Papacy as is, heresy and all, but just “quarantined” within the “Western Patriarchate”?

Let the Orthodox be aware: nothing has changed except the methodology. It is the same old papacy: it has always been and is now about being first and on top, and everything and anything is “on the table” in order to achieve this.