Antipope’s “Friendship with Christ” Distorts Revelation and Undermines the Church
Vatican News portal reports (January 14, 2026) on an address by the antipope Leo XIV during his Wednesday General Audience, continuing a series on the Second Vatican Council. The article focuses on his commentary regarding Dei Verbum, the conciliar document on Divine Revelation, which he describes as “one of the most beautiful and important of the Council.” The antipope emphasizes Jesus’ words in John 15:15—”No longer do I call you servants…but I have called you friends”—claiming this establishes a “relationship of friendship” as “the only condition of the new covenant.” He urges daily personal prayer and meditation to “cultivate friendship with the Lord,” while omitting any reference to the sacraments, the necessity of grace, or the hierarchical nature of the Church. This relativistic presentation of divine revelation exemplifies the neo-modernist subversion of Catholic doctrine.