EWTN News portal reports on the life of Sergio Gutiérrez Benítez, known as “Friar Storm,” a Mexican “priest” who combined liturgical ministry with professional wrestling to fund an orphanage. The article, published on May 19, 2026, presents this figure as a model of creativity and charity, emphasizing his work with orphans and the inspiration he provided for the Hollywood film “Nacho Libre.” While the narrative highlights apparent good works, it completely ignores the fundamental theological and ecclesiological crisis that defines the post-conciliar era in which Gutiérrez operated. The story of Friar Storm is not merely an anecdote of unconventional charity; it is a symptom of the conciliar sect’s substitution of naturalistic humanism for the supernatural mission of the true Church, where the Most Holy Sacrifice is reduced to a backdrop for secular spectacle, and the priesthood is reimagined through the lens of popular culture rather than the immutable deposit of faith.
The Priesthood as Performance: The Reduction of Sacred Orders to Social Work
The article presents Sergio Gutiérrez Benítez as a “priest” who “celebrated Mass by day and wrestled in a mask by night.” This juxtaposition is not presented as a scandal or a contradiction, but rather as a charming eccentricity. From the perspective of integral Catholic faith, however, this represents a profound degradation of the sacerdotal state. The priest is alter Christus (another Christ), configured to Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest, whose primary and indispensable function is the offering of the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the sanctification of souls through the sacraments. Pius XI, in his encyclical Quas Primas (1925), reminds us that “the Church, established by Christ as a perfect society, demands for itself… full freedom and independence from secular authority.” The priest’s mission is supernatural, ordered toward the salvation of souls and the glory of God, not the management of social welfare projects or the entertainment of the masses.
Gutiérrez’s decision to enter the world of lucha libre to fund his orphanage reveals a utilitarian view of the priesthood. While charity towards orphans is a corporal work of mercy, the means chosen—professional wrestling, a form of spectacle rooted in violence and theatricality—demonstrates a reliance on worldly methods rather than trust in Divine Providence and the traditional means of grace. St. Paul warns: “You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men” (1 Cor 7:23). The article notes that Gutiérrez “would finish wrestling at 10 or 11 o’clock at night… [and] arrive just in time to celebrate [Mass] on Monday morning,” adding with a smile, “No one can tell you that there was no Mass because I went off to wrestle.” This casual attitude towards the Most Holy Sacrifice, treating it as an obligation to be fulfilled around a wrestling schedule, betrays a lack of the profound reverence due to the unbloody renewal of Calvary. The Mass is not a mere ritual appointment; it is the center of the Christian life, the act by which Christ continues His propitiatory sacrifice for the remission of sins. To subordinate it to the demands of a secular career is to invert the proper order of things, placing the natural above the supernatural.
The Orphanage and the Cult of Man: Naturalistic Charity vs. Supernatural Mission
The article emphasizes Gutiérrez’s work with orphans, noting that he called them his “cubs” and that his orphanage produced “three doctors, 16 teachers, two accountants, 20 computer technicians, 13 lawyers, and a priest.” While these are commendable secular achievements, the article’s focus on them reveals the conciliar sect’s characteristic substitution of naturalistic humanism for the supernatural mission of the Church. The true Church, guided by the teachings of the pre-conciliar Magisterium, has always recognized the importance of charity, but always within the context of the primary mission: the salvation of souls and the glory of God. Pius IX, in the Syllabus of Errors (1864), condemns the proposition that “the teaching of the Catholic Church is hostile to the well-being and interests of society” (Proposition 40), but also insists that the Church’s authority is of divine origin and cannot be subordinated to civil power or secular goals.
The conciliar sect, however, has consistently reduced the Church’s mission to social work, humanitarian aid, and dialogue with the world. This is the essence of the “spirit of Vatican II,” which St. Pius X, in his encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907), identified as Modernism, the “synthesis of all errors.” Modernism, as defined by St. Pius X, holds that “the Church is an enemy of the progress of natural and theological sciences” (Proposition 57) and that “truth changes with man, because it develops with him, in him, and through him” (Proposition 58). Gutiérrez’s orphanage, while materially beneficial, is presented as the primary fruit of his priesthood, overshadowing the supernatural dimension of his ministry. The article does not mention the state of grace, the necessity of baptism, the importance of catechism, or the dangers of modernism and apostasy. It is a purely naturalistic narrative, consistent with the conciliar sect’s emphasis on the “cult of man” rather than the worship of God.
The Mask and the Myth: Symbolism of a Counterfeit Priesthood
The article describes Gutiérrez’s wrestling mask in detail: “The yellow signifies the quick reflexes that Friar Storm sought to display in the ring; the red signifies the blood which he is willing to shed for his orphans’ home, and [at the center of the mask] the diamond, to attain eternal life.” This symbolism is revealing. The mask, a central element of lucha libre, represents the concealment of identity, the creation of a persona distinct from the individual beneath. In the context of the priesthood, this is deeply problematic. The priest is not a character in a spectacle; he is a representative of Christ, whose identity is fixed by the sacramental character imprinted upon his soul at ordination. The mask of Friar Storm is a symbol of the conciar sect’s tendency to obscure the true nature of the priesthood, replacing the sacred with the profane, the supernatural with the theatrical.
Moreover, the article notes that Gutiérrez’s fame grew after his identity was revealed, and that “everyone wanted to see the man who, in addition to delivering homilies, delivered blows in the ring.” This fascination with the “wrestler-priest” is a manifestation of the world’s desire to see the Church reduced to its level, to make the sacred accessible and entertaining. It is a rejection of the transcendence of the priesthood, a denial of the mysterium tremendum that surrounds the Holy Sacrifice. The article quotes Gutiérrez as saying, “Friar Storm would never have existed had I not been a priest,” but this is precisely the problem: the priesthood is presented as a platform for a secular persona, not as an end in itself. The true priest does not need a mask; he wears the vestments of Christ, and his life is hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3).
The Legacy of Apostasy: Vocations and Imitations
The article mentions that Gutiérrez’s work inspired a “priest” known as “Father ‘Divine Force'” who combines “priestly ministry with professional wrestling” and has installed a wrestling ring in his parish courtyard to attract young people. This is presented as a positive development, a creative form of evangelization. From the perspective of integral Catholic faith, however, it is a further descent into apostasy. The parish courtyard is not a wrestling ring; it is a sacred space, adjacent to the church where the Most Blessed Sacrament is reserved. To install a wrestling ring there is a sacrilege, a desecration of holy ground. It is a concrete manifestation of the conciliar sect’s confusion of the sacred and the profane, its inability to distinguish between the supernatural mission of the Church and the entertainments of the world.
The article also notes that Gutiérrez sponsored several young wrestlers, including one who became a “priest.” This chain of “vocations” is not a sign of spiritual fruitfulness but of the perpetuation of a counterfeit priesthood. The conciar sect, having abandoned the traditional formation of priests in seminaries guided by the teachings of the Church Fathers and the pre-conciliar Magisterium, has produced generations of “priests” who are more attuned to the spirit of the world than to the spirit of Christ. These “priests” are not configured to the Eternal High Priest but to the values of secular humanism, and their “ministry” is a parody of the true priesthood.
The Silence of the Article: What Is Not Said
The most striking aspect of the article is what it does not say. There is no mention of the crisis of faith in the modern world, the dangers of modernism, the necessity of the sacraments for salvation, the importance of the Traditional Latin Mass, the teachings of the Church Fathers, or the warnings of the pre-conciliar popes. There is no critique of the conciliar reforms, no acknowledgment of the apostasy that has swept through the structures occupying the Vatican, no call to return to the immutable Tradition of the Church. The article is a product of the conciliar sect, and its silence on these matters is deafening.
The article’s tone is one of admiration and celebration, presenting Gutiérrez as a hero of charity and creativity. But from the perspective of integral Catholic faith, he is a tragic figure, a man who, despite his apparent good intentions, operated within a system that has betrayed the mission of Christ. His orphanage, while materially beneficial, cannot compensate for the spiritual ruin wrought by the conciar sect. His wrestling career, while entertaining, is a distraction from the true battle: the battle for the salvation of souls and the restoration of the Kingdom of Christ the King.
The article concludes with Gutiérrez’s declaration: “I wrestled with a single objective: that everything I earned would go to the children’s home… I never did get that $2 million, but I do say that I am proud.” This pride is understandable from a human perspective, but from the supernatural perspective, it is a symptom of the conciliar sect’s substitution of human achievement for divine grace. The true Church does not need wrestlers or social workers; it needs saints, priests configured to Christ, faithful who live by faith and not by sight, and rulers who recognize the public reign of Christ the King over all nations and every aspect of life. Until then, the story of Friar Storm will remain a poignant example of the conciliar sect’s spiritual bankruptcy, a testament to the triumph of naturalism over supernaturalism, spectacle over sacrifice, and the cult of man over the worship of God.
Source:
Friar Storm: The pro wrestler and priest who inspired a Hollywood film and changed hundreds of lives (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 19.05.2026