Conciliar Sect Endorses Espionage as “Moral” at Business Summit
EWTN News (February 3, 2026) reports that James Olson, retired CIA Chief of Counterintelligence, addressed the Legatus Summit—a gathering of executives affiliated with the conciliar sect—defending espionage as morally compatible with Catholicism. Olson invoked Old Testament narratives and distorted Thomistic principles to justify systematic lying, theft, and deception in intelligence operations. The event, hosted at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Santa Barbara, California, included other speakers such as former HUD secretary Ben Carson and former Google executive Vic Gundotra.
Moral Theology Subverted for Nationalist Pragmatism
Olson claimed that espionage involves “living a lie” but insisted it aligns with Catholic morality because it serves “the greater good” of national security. He cited the Cuban Missile Crisis as an example where CIA intelligence “saved the day,” framing espionage as a necessary evil for geopolitical stability. This argument directly contradicts the Church’s perennial teaching that lying is intrinsically evil (St. Augustine, De Mendacio; Catechism of St. Pius X). The Eighth Commandment admits no exceptions, as reiterated by Pope Innocent III: “To lie is to fall into sin. Nor is it possible to conceive of a lie that is not sinful” (Denzinger 783).
The notion that immoral acts become permissible under the guise of “love of country” echoes the condemned error of nationalism in Pius XI’s encyclical Quas Primas: “The State is happy not by one means, and man by another; for the state is nothing else than a harmonious association of men”—both must submit to Christ the King. Olson’s appeal to “moral discussions with cleared priests” further exposes the doctrinal corruption of the conciliar sect, which subordinates divine law to utilitarian calculus.
Scripture and Aquinas Weaponized for Deception
Olson invoked Rahab’s deception in Joshua 2 to legitimize espionage, stating: “Rahab famously hung a scarlet cord from her window and she and her household were spared death.” This constitutes a gross hermeneutical error. The Church has always taught that Scripture cannot sanction sin (Providentissimus Deus, Leo XIII). Rahab’s natural virtue of hospitality does not sanctify her falsehood; rather, her later inclusion in Christ’s lineage (Matthew 1:5) highlights God’s mercy toward repentant sinners—not an endorsement of situational ethics.
Similarly, Olson’s reference to St. Thomas Aquinas deliberately misrepresents the Angelic Doctor’s teaching. While Aquinas permits killing in just war (ST II-II Q. 40), he unequivocally condemns lying as a “sinfulness which is opposed to truth” (ST II-II Q. 110). The Syllabus of Errors condemns the proposition that “moral laws do not stand in need of the divine sanction” (Proposition 56), directly refuting Olson’s claim that “lying, cheating, [and] stealing” can be justified by subjective intentions.
Legatus: A Vehicle for Neo-Church Syncretism
Legatus, founded by Tom Monaghan in 1987, exemplifies the conciliar sect’s fusion of faith with secular power structures. By hosting Olson—who praised CIA traitors like Aldrich Ames as “contemptible” while excusing his own “cheating”—the organization elevates patriotic loyalty above supernatural virtue. This mirrors the modernist heresy condemned in Pius X’s Lamentabili Sane: “Truth changes with man, because it develops with him, in him, and through him” (Proposition 58).
The summit’s emphasis on “business leadership” and Olson’s endorsement of “nonofficial cover” operatives (e.g., posing as businessmen) reveal the neo-church’s capitulation to Masonic operational models. As Pius IX warned: “The State, as being the origin and source of all rights, is endowed with a certain right not circumscribed by any limits” (Syllabus of Errors, Proposition 39)—a prelude to the totalitarian impulses Olson now defends.
Omission of Eschatological Reality
Notably absent is any mention of the Church’s mission to save souls or the eternal consequences of sin. Olson’s reduction of morality to earthly outcomes (“force for stability and peace”) reflects the naturalism condemned by St. Pius X: “The Faith teaches us… that a double order of things exists” (Lamentabili Sane). By contrast, Pius XI’s Quas Primas declares: “The Kingdom of our Savior encompasses all men… to lead them to eternal happiness.”
The article’s silence on Christ’s Kingship—replaced by CIA operatives as arbiters of “commonsense policy decisions”—confirms the conciliar sect’s apostasy. As true Catholics recognize: Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus (“Outside the Church there is no salvation”).
Source:
Former CIA spy tells Catholic leaders faith and espionage can coexist (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 03.02.2026