The Holy Innocents BPSS Centre: A Case Study in Post-Conciliar Naturalism
VaticanNews portal reports (January 5, 2026) on the Holy Innocents BPSS Centre in Timau, Kenya, operated by the “Servants of the Holy Innocents Sisters,” founded by Meru “bishop” Salesius Mugambi and Sr. Veronica Nkirote Rukunga. The center claims to address alcohol/drug addiction and mental health through a “holistic” BPSS model (biological, psychological, social, spiritual), describing itself as “Friends of the Drunkards” using “science and compassion.”
Eclipse of the Supernatural in “Pastoral Care”
The article conspicuously avoids any reference to sacramental grace as the foundation of spiritual healing. Rather than invoking the ex opere operato (by the work performed) efficacy of Confession or Extreme Unction for addicts—as mandated by the Council of Trent (Session XIV, Canons 4, 6)—the center reduces spiritual care to generic “guidance.” This aligns with the modernist heresy condemned by St. Pius X in Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907), which declared that Modernists reduce religion to “a kind of philosophy” divorced from objective truth.
“We combine faith, science, and compassion to heal wounded lives.”
Here, “faith” is stripped of its dogmatic content and equated with emotional support, contradicting Pope Pius IX’s Syllabus of Errors (1864), which condemned the proposition that “Divine revelation is imperfect, and therefore subject to continual and indefinite progress” (Error 5).
False Mercy and the Omission of Repentance
Sr. Veronica’s statement that the sisters serve “without being judgmental” dangerously implies tolerance for sin. Contrast this with Christ’s command: “Go, and sin no more” (John 8:11), which demands metanoia (repentance). The term “Friends of the Drunkards” risks normalizing vice, ignoring St. Paul’s warning: “Do not be deceived: neither drunkards… will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:10).
Syncretism of Science and Sentimentality
The BPSS model’s “four pillars” subordinate spiritual healing to secular methodologies. Kelvin Mwega, the clinical psychologist, emphasizes “lab tests” and “medically assisted detox” but never mentions the necessity of sacraments for souls in mortal sin. This reflects the naturalism condemned by Pope Pius XI in Quas Primas (1925): “When God and Jesus Christ are removed from laws and states… the foundations of authority are destroyed.”
Illegitimate Authority and Novel Charisms
The “Servants of the Holy Innocents Sisters” are a post-conciliar foundation with a self-proclaimed charism “inspired by Our Lady of Sorrows.” However, no pre-1958 Magisterial document recognizes such a charism for addiction therapy. True religious orders—like the Dominicans or Franciscans—derive their missions from revealed truth, not sociological crises. The center’s lay associates, like Vincent Mutwiri, further blur the line between clergy and laity, violating Pope Pius X’s condemnation of democratizing Church authority in Vehementer Nos (1906).
The Silence on Final Ends
Sr. Joan Nyakato urges addicts to “reach out” but neglects to warn of eternal consequences. Compare this to the Catechism of the Council of Trent: “The priest… must sometimes rebuke the sinner sternly, lest by allowing sin to go unpunished, he seems to consent to it.” The article’s call for “compassion” lacks the sine qua non of Catholic charity: leading souls to salvation through truth, not unconditional acceptance.
Conclusion: A Microcosm of Conciliar Apostasy
The Holy Innocents Centre epitomizes the post-conciliar shift from supernatural faith to naturalistic humanism. By prioritizing temporal healing over eternal salvation, it embodies the “cult of man” denounced by Pope St. Pius X. As Pope Pius XI warned: “When the kingdoms of Christ the King are ignored… society totters toward ruin” (Quas Primas). Until such works reaffirm the Kingship of Christ and the primacy of grace, they remain but another vector of modernist decay.
Source:
Kenya: Religious sisters help battle addiction as ‘Friends of the Drunkards’ (vaticannews.va)
Date: 05.01.2026