The Primacy of Human Dignity or the Primacy of Christ the King?
Archbishop Jesús González de Zárate, president of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference, recently updated the antipope Leo XIV on the political situation in Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro. While acknowledging “limited progress,” Zárate lamented that “democracy has not yet” arrived and highlighted the ongoing suffering of the Venezuelan people. He emphasized the need to “restore the primacy of human dignity, which is the fundamental point of the Church’s social doctrine,” linking it to “freedom of citizens, the right to participate, the paths toward democratization… and overcoming of merely partisan or private interests for the sake of the common good.”
This statement, while seemingly innocuous, reveals a profound theological error: the elevation of “human dignity” and “democracy” to the primary principles of social order, rather than the absolute sovereignty of Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Church. The prelate’s focus on naturalistic concepts like “human dignity” and “participation” without explicitly grounding them in the divine law and the Kingship of Christ is a hallmark of the modernist mentality that has infected the conciliar sect.
The Social Doctrine of the Church vs. Modernist Social Gospel
The “Church’s social doctrine” as invoked by Zárate is a far cry from the immutable teaching of the true Magisterium. Pope Pius XI, in his encyclical Quas Primas (1925), unequivocally declared: “His reign, namely, extends not only to Catholic nations or to those who, by receiving baptism according to law, belong to the Church, even though their erroneous opinions have led them astray or discord has separated them from love, but His reign encompasses also all non-Christians, so that most truly the entire human race is subject to the authority of Jesus Christ.” He further stated, “The state is happy not by one means, and man by another; for the state is nothing else than a harmonious association of men,” and that “rulers of states therefore not refuse public veneration and obedience to the reigning Christ, but let them fulfill this duty themselves and with their people, if they wish to maintain their authority inviolate and contribute to the increase of their homeland’s happiness.”
Zárate’s call for “democratization” and “participation” echoes the condemned errors of the Syllabus of Errors (1864) by Pope Pius IX, particularly proposition 39: “The State, as being the origin and source of all rights, is endowed with a certain right not circumscribed by any limits,” and proposition 63: “It is lawful to refuse obedience to legitimate princes, and even to rebel against them.” The true Church has always taught that authority comes from God, not from the people or the state, and that the primary duty of rulers is to govern according to God’s law, not merely to facilitate “participation” or “democracy” as ends in themselves. The focus on “human dignity” divorced from its divine origin and ultimate end is a characteristic of the naturalistic humanism condemned by St. Pius X in Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907) and Lamentabili Sane Exitus (1907), which warned against reducing Christianity to a mere social or ethical system devoid of its supernatural foundation.
Reconciliation Without Justice: A Modernist Fantasy
The prelate’s assertion that “reconciliation” does not mean “forgetting” but that “the healing of hearts must be based on the truth,” while seemingly prudent, lacks the crucial element of divine justice. He explicitly rejects “vengeance” or “retaliation,” stating, “We cannot believe that revenge or retaliation will provide the answer.” This sentiment, while understandable in a human context, directly contradicts the Church’s teaching on the necessity of justice, both divine and human. The true Church has always upheld the concept of retributive justice, where wrongdoers are punished for their crimes, not merely for the sake of revenge, but for the restoration of the moral order established by God. The Catechism of the Council of Trent explicitly states that “the punishment of the wicked is not only for the benefit of the innocent, but also for the good of the wicked themselves, as it deters them from sin and leads them to repentance.”
Furthermore, Zárate’s call to “restore the population’s trust in institutions such as the National Electoral Council, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, and other state institutions” to reestablish “healthy democratic coexistence” is a clear endorsement of the very systems that facilitated Maduro’s authoritarian rule. This is a classic modernist error: the belief that human institutions, devoid of divine sanction and moral rectitude, can be reformed through “dialogue” and “participation” rather than a return to the principles of Christ the King. The Church’s role is not to legitimize flawed human structures but to proclaim the absolute necessity of submitting all things to the divine law. As Pope Leo XIII wrote in Immortale Dei (1885), “The Almighty, therefore, has given the charge of the human race to two powers, the ecclesiastical and the civil, the one being set over divine, and the other over human, each the highest in its own kind, and each fixed within limits which are defined by its particular nature and constitution.” The prelate’s focus on “reconciliation” without a clear call for the establishment of a Catholic social order, where the Church guides the state according to divine law, is a betrayal of the Church’s prophetic mission.
The Diaspora and the Weakened Church: A Consequence of Apostasy
The archbishop’s lament regarding the Venezuelan diaspora, with “more than 8 million Venezuelans outside our country,” and its impact on ecclesial life, is a stark illustration of the consequences of abandoning the integral Catholic faith. The “widespread impoverishment of the population” and the Church’s weakened capacity to carry out its programs are not merely economic or social problems; they are symptoms of a spiritual crisis. When nations and their leaders, even those claiming to be Catholic, embrace ideologies like socialism and communism, which are intrinsically condemned by the Church (as seen in the Syllabus of Errors, Section IV, and numerous papal encyclicals), the inevitable result is the destruction of families, communities, and the very fabric of society.
The Church’s true mission is not merely to provide “food and healthcare” through social programs, but to lead souls to salvation through the sacraments and the preaching of the Gospel. The weakening of the Church’s pastoral outreach is a direct result of its modernist shift towards a “social gospel” that prioritizes temporal welfare over eternal salvation. This is a clear manifestation of the “pest of indifferentism” condemned by Pope Gregory XVI in Mirari Vos (1832), which warned against the idea that “the best plan for holding the Church together is to allow everyone to think and act as they please.” The exodus of faithful Catholics from Venezuela is a judgment upon a society that has rejected Christ the King and embraced the errors of modernism and socialism.
Conclusion: A Call for True Conversion, Not Mere Political Reform
The statements of Archbishop Zárate, while expressing concern for the Venezuelan people, ultimately fall short of the Church’s true mission. By focusing on “democracy,” “human dignity,” and “reconciliation” without explicitly demanding the establishment of the Social Reign of Christ the King and the submission of all civil authority to the divine law, the prelate perpetuates the modernist errors that have led to the current crisis. The Church’s role is not to be an “agent of reconciliation” in a purely human sense, but to proclaim the only true path to peace and justice: the absolute sovereignty of Our Lord Jesus Christ over all nations and individuals. Until the “clergy” of the conciliar sect returns to this fundamental truth, their pronouncements on social and political matters will remain spiritually bankrupt and contribute to the ongoing apostasy.
Source:
Venezuelan archbishop: Maduro’s gone, but the same people are still in charge (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 12.05.2026