The Apostolate of Elder Care: A Trojan Horse for Naturalistic Humanism
Infovaticana publishes a tribune by Yousef Altaji Narbón that presents itself as a profound call to restore the Christian duty towards the elderly, rooted in Scripture and tradition. The article laments the world’s rejection of the aged and champions a “pro-life” apostolate of service, framing it as a return to biblical values. However, beneath this pious veneer lies a dangerous synthesis of sentimental naturalism and modernist omission that fundamentally betrays the integral Catholic faith. The article’s core error is its reduction of the supernatural end of man to a naturalistic ethic of human dignity and compassionate service, utterly divorced from the explicit, non-negotiable context of the reign of Christ the King over all aspects of life and the absolute necessity of the sacraments and doctrinal purity for salvation. It promotes a “pro-life” work that is, in fact, pro-man, echoing the errors condemned by Pope Pius IX’s Syllabus of Errors and the modernist infiltration decried by St. Pius X.
1. The Omission That Reveals the Apostasy: Silence on the Supernatural
The article’s most damning flaw is not what it says, but what it omits. In a lengthy discourse on the “value” of the elderly and the “apostolate” of serving them, there is a complete and total silence on the primary supernatural goods necessary for the salvation of their souls. There is no mention of:
- The absolute necessity of the sacraments. For a Catholic, the most critical act of charity toward a dying elderly person is to secure a valid priest for confession, last rites, and the viaticum. The article mentions receiving Communion in passing but frames it as a general piety, not as the sine qua non of salvation. This omission aligns perfectly with the modernist error condemned by Pius X in Lamentabili sane exitu, which seeks to reduce religion to ethical sentiment and “pious customs” while downplaying sacramental grace.
- The doctrine of redemptive suffering. While it mentions uniting pains with Christ, it does so in a vague, psychological manner. It never connects the suffering of the elderly to the propitiatory sacrifice of Calvary, nor to the concept of making satisfaction for sins. The focus is on their “value” to us and their “salvation” in a generic sense, not on their souls’ urgent need for purification and sanctification through grace.
- The primacy of doctrine. The article speaks of “forming lives with thoughts and pautas probadas con el tiempo” (tested guidelines). But what are these guidelines? The article provides no doctrinal content. It reduces faith to “experiencia” (experience) and “piedad” (piety), the very errors Pius X condemned as the “renovation” of the Church by immanentist philosophies. A true apostolate must teach the unchangeable doctrines of the Faith—the nature of God, the Incarnation, the necessity of the Church, the Four Last Things. Its silence here is a silent endorsement of the “dogmaless Christianity” Pius X anathematized.
This silence is not accidental. It is the hallmark of the conciliar sect’s “pastoral” approach, which prioritizes human need and dialogue over doctrinal clarity and sacramental integrity. The article operates entirely on the natural plane of “dignidad” (dignity) and “servicio” (service), mirroring the secular humanitarianism of NGOs. This is a direct echo of the error condemned in the Syllabus: “The Church ought to be separated from the State, and the State from the Church” (Error 55), leading to a purely secular concept of charity. The article’s charity is directed to “el prójimo” (the neighbor) in a generic sense, not specifically to the soul of the Catholic neighbor in danger of eternal damnation if deprived of the sacraments and true doctrine.
2. The Naturalistic Foundation: “Dignity” Over God’s Law
The article’s central thesis is the “importancia” (importance) and “indispensabilidad” (indispensability) of the elderly based on their inherent human dignity and the wisdom they possess. This is a palpable rejection of the supernatural order. The true Catholic view, as taught by Pope Pius XI in Quas Primas, is that all authority, dignity, and order flow from Christ the King:
“For the Father has appointed Christ heir of all things… His reign encompasses all human nature… there is no power in us that is exempt from this reign.” (Quas Primas, 30).
The dignity of the elderly does not stem from their “sabiduría” (wisdom) or “experiencia” (experience) as natural goods, but from their potential to be members of the Mystical Body of Christ and to achieve their supernatural end. The article’s focus on natural wisdom (“conocimientos de todo tipo”) and “plenitud de todas las cosas terrenales” (fullness of all earthly things) as seen in Abraham is a blatant naturalism. It cites Genesis 25:8 (“filled with days”) but ignores that this fullness is supernatural, a grace, not a natural achievement. The article reduces the “sabiduría” granted by God to a vague spiritual experience, not to the infused wisdom of a soul in sanctifying grace, which is the sole source of true wisdom.
This naturalism is further exposed in its practical suggestions. It recommends “conversaciones sobre temas de su interés” (conversations on topics of their interest), “juegos de mesa” (board games), “escuchar su música favorita” (listening to their favorite music). While these may be good natural acts, they are presented as the core of the apostolate. Where is the priority of prayer, catechesis, and sacramental preparation? The article’s apostolate is indistinguishable from a secular volunteer program for the aged. It violates the principle that the spiritual good of the soul infinitely outweighs the temporal good of the body. By treating the elderly primarily as recipients of emotional comfort and human activity, it participates in the “cult of man” condemned by Pius IX.
3. The Heresy of Implicit Indifferentism and the Rejection of Christ’s Social Kingship
The article speaks of “civilización cristiana” (Christian civilization) and “orden instituido por Dios” (order instituted by God). Yet, it completely divorces this order from the social reign of Christ the King as defined by Pius XI. It never once states that all human societies—families, states, care institutions—must be explicitly ordered to the glory of God and the salvation of souls according to Catholic law. It does not condemn the secular, atheistic state that funds “asilos” (nursing homes) where souls are starved of sacraments and fed with modernist doctrine. It does not call for the establishment of Catholic homes for the aged, run by valid religious orders, where the Unbloody Sacrifice of Calvary is offered daily and true doctrine is taught.
This omission is a formal assent to the errors of the Syllabus:
- Error 40: “The teaching of the Catholic Church is hostile to the well-being and interests of society.” The article, by not demanding that society (including care for the elderly) be structured according to Catholic teaching, implicitly accepts the secular state’s neutrality, which Pius IX condemned as hostile.
- Error 77: “In the present day it is no longer expedient that the Catholic religion should be held as the only religion of the State…” The article’s focus on “servicio” (service) to all elderly, regardless of faith, without prioritizing the salvation of Catholic souls, is a practical application of this indifferentist error.
True charity, as taught by the Church, is ordered. The first and greatest commandment is to love God, then neighbor. To love a neighbor is to will their ultimate good, which is eternal salvation. Therefore, the primary work for an elderly Catholic is to ensure they die in a state of grace, with the last sacraments, having professed the integral Faith. The article’s “apostolate” is a humanitarian project that could be, and often is, carried out by atheists and Freemasons. It is a work of the flesh unless it is elevated by explicit reference to and action for the supernatural end.
4. The Symptomatic Modernist Mentality: Feeling Over Doctrine, Experience Over Authority
The entire tone of the article is emotive, experiential, and individualistic. It is built on personal anecdotes (“Beatriz, Shawquia, Tahsin, Jaime”), emotional appeals (“gozo en el corazón”), and subjective “pautas” (guidelines). This is the precise methodology of Modernism, which Pius X defined as the “synthesis of all heresies” and which seeks to base religion on “religious experience” rather than on objective divine revelation and the authoritative Magisterium.
Consider the language: “apostolado olvidado” (forgotten apostolate), “chispa para encender la llama” (spark to light the flame), “alma devota se regocija en santo fervor” (devout soul rejoices in holy fervor). This is the language of subjective religious sentiment, not of doctrinal conviction. Where are the citations from the Summa Theologiae, the Enchiridion, or the pastoral letters of pre-1958 popes on the care of the sick and dying? The article’s authority is personal feeling and selective, decontextualized Scripture, exactly the method Pius X condemned in Lamentabili, Propositions 12, 25, and 26.
Furthermore, the article’s structure is democratic and decentralized. It gives “pautas” and “sugerencias” (suggestions) for individual initiative. It says: “No hay una fórmula precisa o de paso a paso” (There is no precise step-by-step formula). This is a rejection of hierarchical, authoritative instruction. The true apostolate is not a free-for-all of personal creativity but the execution of the mandate of the Church, through her legitimate pastors, who alone have the authority to teach, sanctify, and govern. The article’s model is the autonomous, creative layperson, not the obedient Catholic subordinate to the true hierarchy. This is the spirit of Vatican II’s “universal call to holiness” stripped of its (already erroneous) context, leaving only the shell of lay autonomy.
5. The Critical Absence of Judgment and the False Peace
The article concludes with a severe warning from Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) about abandoning parents. This is good as far as it goes, but it is a natural moral warning, not a supernatural one. It threatens divine punishment for a natural sin (ingratitude) but says nothing of the far greater sin: scandal and apostasy through neglect of the Faith.
What is the state of most elderly Catholics today? They are likely in “nursing homes” run by religious sisters who are members of the conciliar sect, where they receive a “communion” that is often invalid (due to defective matter or intention) and hear sermons of heresy. They are deprived of the true Traditional Latin Mass and the true sacraments. The greatest act of “abandonment” is not failing to visit, but failing to extract them from these modernist prisons and place them where they can die as Catholics. The article says nothing of this. It does not call for the rescue of souls from the “abomination of desolation” occupying the Vatican and its structures. Its “severidad” (severity) is directed only at natural neglect, not at the spiritual murder perpetrated by the post-conciliar hierarchy.
This omission makes the article an instrument of false peace. It soothes consciences by providing a list of nice, natural things to do, while the eternal souls of the elderly are perishing in the desert of post-Vatican II “Catholicism.” It is a tranquilizer for the modern conscience, allowing traditionalist-leaning Catholics to feel they are “doing something” while remaining in full communion with the apostate antipopes from John XXIII to “Leo XIV.” It is the ultimate expression of the “hermeneutic of continuity” fraud: appearing to care for tradition while actively ignoring the only tradition that matters—the unchanging Faith, which demands a total break with the conciliar revolution.
Conclusion: A Call to Authentic, Supernatural Charity
The apostolate of caring for the elderly is indeed vital and forgotten. But it must be radically re-oriented. It must be an apostolate of:
- Salvation: The primary goal is the elderly person’s death in sanctifying grace. This requires access to a validly ordained priest (from the pre-1958 hierarchy or a validly consecrated bishop in the resistance), the sacraments, and unwavering catechesis in the Faith of all time.
- Doctrine: Every act of service must be accompanied by explicit instruction in the unchangeable Catholic Faith, especially on the Four Last Things, the nature of the Church, and the errors of Modernism. The “pautas” must be the Ten Commandments, the Precepts of the Church, and the teachings of the pre-1958 Magisterium.
- Hierarchy: This work must be directed and supervised by legitimate Catholic authority—bishops and priests who uphold the entire papal magisterium before 1958 and reject the conciliar antipopes. It cannot be a free-lance, feel-good project of individuals.
- Separation: It must involve the physical and spiritual separation of the elderly from the conciliar sect’s institutions. The “asilo” must be a Catholic home, under Catholic rule, or the elderly person’s own home, guarded by Catholic family who practice the true Faith.
The article from Infovaticana provides a well-intentioned but utterly compromised blueprint. It builds a house on the sand of naturalistic humanism. The true apostolate builds on the rock of Christ the King, whose reign must penetrate every institution, every family, and every act of charity. To serve the elderly is to serve Christ in His members, but only if we serve them as Catholics, for the supernatural end, under the authority of the true Church, and in absolute rejection of the modernist infection. Anything less is not just insufficient—it is a collaboration with the very apostasy that has led to the abandonment of the elderly in the first place.
“And the King answering, shall say to them: Amen, I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40). But who are “these my least brethren”? They are the members of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, not just any human in need. The article’s universalism betrays the particularism of the Gospel. The apostolate must be exclusively Catholic in object, means, and end, or it is not of Christ.
Source:
TRIBUNA: El apostolado olvidado, los ancianos (infovaticana.com)
Date: 15.02.2026