EWTN News reports that Auxiliary Bishop Keith Chylinski of Philadelphia, in a video message for Mental Health Awareness Month, urged the faithful to reject “stigma” around mental health, stating that God “wants us to be healthy mind, body, and soul” and praising advances in medical science and psychotherapy over the past 50 years, while encouraging those struggling to seek resources offered by the Church. The message, while superficially appealing to compassion, is a textbook example of the post-conciliar neo-church’s capitulation to secular psychologism, reducing the supernatural order of grace and the salvific power of the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to a therapeutic model of “well-being,” thereby obscuring the reality of sin, the necessity of the sacraments, and the absolute primacy of the soul’s eternal salvation over temporal psychological comfort.
The Erasure of Sin and the Supernatural in Favor of Secular Therapeutic Models
The core of Bishop Chylinski’s address is the complete omission of the foundational Catholic teaching on the nature of man: that he is a fallen creature, wounded by Original Sin, and subject to concupiscence. His statement that God “wants us to be healthy mind, body, and soul” is a gross distortion of the Gospel. Our Lord did not come to make us “healthy” in a naturalistic, psychological sense; He came to save sinners. “They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32). By framing the Christian life in terms of “health” and “well-being,” the bishop adopts the language of the secular world, which is incapable of understanding that true peace is only possible in the kingdom of Christ (Pius XI, encyclical Quas Primas).
The bishop’s praise for “advances in medical science and psychotherapy over the past 50 years” is particularly telling. This period corresponds precisely to the era of the conciliar sect, which has systematically dismantled the supernatural life of the faithful. The “psychology” he praises is largely a product of the modernist and materialist worldview, often rooted in the errors condemned by Pope Pius XII, who warned against the “psychologism” that reduces the spiritual life to mere emotional states. True Catholic doctrine teaches that the primary cause of human suffering is sin, and the primary remedy is grace, obtained through the sacraments, prayer, and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. To put “psychotherapy” on the same level as, or even as a substitute for, the sacrament of Penance, is a betrayal of the faith.
The “Stigma” of the Cross and the Rejection of Redemptive Suffering
The bishop’s call to reject the “stigma” around mental health is a direct attack on the Catholic doctrine of redemptive suffering. The Cross is the central mystery of our faith, and suffering, when united to the sufferings of Christ, has immense salvific value. To treat suffering as a mere “stigma” to be eradicated by “asking for help” from secular resources is to deny the very words of St. Paul: “I fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh, for his body, which is the Church” (Col. 1:24).
This mentality is a direct fruit of the modernist heresy condemned in the Syllabus of Errors, which rejects the idea that suffering and the Cross are necessary for the perfection of man (Errors 56-64). The bishop’s message is a call to comfort, not to holiness. It is a call to avoid the Cross, not to embrace it. The true remedy for the anguished soul is not the therapist’s couch, but the confessional, where the penitent receives the grace of absolution and the strength to bear his cross with Christ.
The Silence on the Abomination of Desolation and the Crisis of Faith
Perhaps the most damning omission in the bishop’s address is his complete silence on the true source of the spiritual crisis afflicting the modern world: the apostasy of the post-conciliar hierarchy and the destruction of the Holy Mass. The faithful are not suffering from a lack of “psychotherapy”; they are suffering because the bread of life has been taken from them. The “staggering” mental health crisis among Catholics is a direct result of the loss of faith, the loss of the true sacraments, and the loss of the true priesthood.
The bishop speaks of “reaching out to those who are suffering,” but he offers them the poisoned chalice of the conciliar sect’s “resources.” He does not tell them that the only true hope is in the unchanging Catholic faith, in the Traditional Latin Mass, and in the sacraments administered by true priests. He does not warn them that the “Church” he represents is the very source of their confusion and despair. His message is a band-aid on a mortal wound.
The Neo-Church as a Subsidiary of the Secular Therapeutic State
The bishop’s language reveals the true nature of the conciliar sect: it is no longer a supernatural society instituted by Christ to lead souls to heaven; it is a naturalistic organization dedicated to temporal well-being. His statement that “the way that we live our spiritual lives affects us physically and vice versa” is a subtle but profound error. It suggests a false equivalence between the supernatural and the natural orders, reducing the spiritual life to a mere component of “holistic health.”
This is the logical conclusion of the modernist project, which, as St. Pius X warned in Pascendi Dominici Gregis, seeks to “reconcile” the Church with “progress, liberalism, and modern civilization” (Proposition 80 of the Syllabus). The bishop’s message is not a call to conversion; it is a call to adaptation. It is a call to make the Church relevant to the world, rather than to transform the world through the Church.
Conclusion: The Only True Hope
The only true hope for the suffering soul is not found in the empty words of a modernist “bishop” or the false comfort of secular psychology. It is found in the immutable truth of the Catholic faith, in the infinite merits of the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and in the boundless mercy of God, who offers us the grace to bear our crosses with patience and to merit eternal life. Let us reject the false compassion of the neo-church and embrace the true compassion of the Cross, which alone can heal the wounds of our souls and lead us to the peace that surpasses all understanding.
[Antichurch] Bishop Chylinski Reduces Catholic Pastoral Care to Secular Therapeutic Accompaniment
EWTN News reports that Auxiliary Bishop Keith Chylinski of Philadelphia, in a video message for Mental Health Awareness Month, urged the faithful to reject “stigma” around mental health, stating that God “wants us to be healthy mind, body, and soul” and praising advances in medical science and psychotherapy over the past 50 years, while encouraging those struggling to seek resources offered by the Church. The message, while superficially appealing to compassion, is a textbook example of the post-conciliar neo-church’s capitulation to secular psychologism, reducing the supernatural order of grace and the salvific power of the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to a therapeutic model of “well-being,” thereby obscuring the reality of sin, the necessity of the sacraments, and the absolute primacy of the soul’s eternal salvation over temporal psychological comfort.
The Erasure of Sin and the Supernatural in Favor of Secular Therapeutic Models
The core of Bishop Chylinski’s address is the complete omission of the foundational Catholic teaching on the nature of man: that he is a fallen creature, wounded by Original Sin, and subject to concupiscence. His statement that God “wants us to be healthy mind, body, and soul” is a gross distortion of the Gospel. Our Lord did not come to make us “healthy” in a naturalistic, psychological sense; He came to save sinners. “They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32). By framing the Christian life in terms of “health” and “well-being,” the bishop adopts the language of the secular world, which is incapable of understanding that true peace is only possible in the kingdom of Christ (Pius XI, encyclical Quas Primas).
The bishop’s praise for “advances in medical science and psychotherapy over the past 50 years” is particularly telling. This period corresponds precisely to the era of the conciliar sect, which has systematically dismantled the supernatural life of the faithful. The “psychology” he praises is largely a product of the modernist and materialist worldview, often rooted in the errors condemned by Pope Pius XII, who warned against the “psychologism” that reduces the spiritual life to mere emotional states. True Catholic doctrine teaches that the primary cause of human suffering is sin, and the primary remedy is grace, obtained through the sacraments, prayer, and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. To put “psychotherapy” on the same level as, or even as a substitute for, the sacrament of Penance, is a betrayal of the faith.
The “Stigma” of the Cross and the Rejection of Redemptive Suffering
The bishop’s call to reject the “stigma” around mental health is a direct attack on the Catholic doctrine of redemptive suffering. The Cross is the central mystery of our faith, and suffering, when united to the sufferings of Christ, has immense salvific value. To treat suffering as a mere “stigma” to be eradicated by “asking for help” from secular resources is to deny the very words of St. Paul: “I fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh, for his body, which is the Church” (Col. 1:24).
This mentality is a direct fruit of the modernist heresy condemned in the Syllabus of Errors, which rejects the idea that suffering and the Cross are necessary for the perfection of man (Errors 56-64). The bishop’s message is a call to comfort, not to holiness. It is a call to avoid the Cross, not to embrace it. The true remedy for the anguished soul is not the therapist’s couch, but the confessional, where the penitent receives the grace of absolution and the strength to bear his cross with Christ.
The Silence on the Abomination of Desolation and the Crisis of Faith
Perhaps the most damning omission in the bishop’s address is his complete silence on the true source of the spiritual crisis afflicting the modern world: the apostasy of the post-conciliar hierarchy and the destruction of the Holy Mass. The faithful are not suffering from a lack of “psychotherapy”; they are suffering because the bread of life has been taken from them. The “staggering” mental health crisis among Catholics is a direct result of the loss of faith, the loss of the true sacraments, and the loss of the true priesthood.
The bishop speaks of “reaching out to those who are suffering,” but he offers them the poisoned chalice of the conciliar sect’s “resources.” He does not tell them that the only true hope is in the unchanging Catholic faith, in the Traditional Latin Mass, and in the sacraments administered by true priests. He does not warn them that the “Church” he represents is the very source of their confusion and despair. His message is a band-aid on a mortal wound.
The Neo-Church as a Subsidiary of the Secular Therapeutic State
The bishop’s language reveals the true nature of the conciliar sect: it is no longer a supernatural society instituted by Christ to lead souls to heaven; it is a naturalistic organization dedicated to temporal well-being. His statement that “the way that we live our spiritual lives affects us physically and vice versa” is a subtle but profound error. It suggests a false equivalence between the supernatural and the natural orders, reducing the spiritual life to a mere component of “holistic health.”
This is the logical conclusion of the modernist project, which, as St. Pius X warned in Pascendi Dominici Gregis, seeks to “reconcile” the Church with “progress, liberalism, and modern civilization” (Proposition 80 of the Syllabus). The bishop’s message is not a call to conversion; it is a call to adaptation. It is a call to make the Church relevant to the world, rather than to transform the world through the Church.
Conclusion: The Only True Hope
The only true hope for the suffering soul is not found in the empty words of a modernist “bishop” or the false comfort of secular psychology. It is found in the immutable truth of the Catholic faith, in the infinite merits of the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and in the boundless mercy of God, who offers us the grace to bear our crosses with patience and to merit eternal life. Let us reject the false compassion of the neo-church and embrace the true compassion of the Cross, which alone can heal the wounds of our souls and lead us to the peace that surpasses all understanding.
Source:
Bishop Chylinski urges compassion during Mental Health Awareness Month (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 04.05.2026