The Reduction of Ecclesiastical Governance to Humanistic Management
The VaticanNews portal reports that Bishop Erik Varden, a conciliar bishop, delivered the tenth reflection during the 2026 Lenten Spiritual Exercises in the Vatican for “Pope Leo XIV” (the antipope Robert Prevost), Cardinals residing in Rome, and heads of Dicasteries. His topic was St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s treatise De consideratione. The article summarizes Varden’s reflection, which frames “consideration” as “thought searching for truth” in “contingent human affairs,” and emphasizes surrounding oneself with “good people” characterized by “proven sanctity, ready obedience, and quiet patience,” while omitting any explicit requirement of Catholic faith or submission to the pre-1958 Magisterium. The reflection concludes that a prelate must be “the Bridegroom’s friend,” delighting in sharing that friendship, and that the pastoral burden is light if one loves it. This presentation constitutes a radical naturalization of ecclesiastical governance, stripping it of its supernatural ends and reducing it to a psychological and managerial technique utterly alien to the integral Catholic faith.
1. Factual Deconstruction: Misapplication of a Monastic Treatise
The article presents Varden’s reflection as applicable to the Roman Curia serving an antipope. St. Bernard wrote De consideratione specifically for Bernardo dei Paganelli, a Cistercian monk who became Abbot of Clairvaux and later Pope Eugene III. The treatise is a monastic guide for an abbot governing a religious community, addressing the spiritual perils of office within a framework of monastic obedience, contemplative prayer, and the salvation of souls. It is not a manual for a papal curia, nor does it contemplate a “church” that has apostatized from Catholic doctrine. Varden’s extraction of generic “qualities” like “catholic in faith” (which in Bernard’s context meant orthodox Catholic faith) and application to a conciliar structure that openly embraces Modernist errors is a profound distortion. The “problems of the Church” Bernard addressed were those of monastic discipline and the spiritual health of a Catholic religious order; they were not the institutional “problems” of a post-conciliar sect that has systematically dismantled Catholic doctrine, liturgy, and discipline since 1958.
“Needed are collaborators ‘of proven sanctity, ready obedience, and quiet patience; […] catholic in faith, faithful in service; inclined towards peace, and desirous of unity; […] farsighted in counsel, […] industrious in organisation […], modest in speech’.”
This list, stripped of its Catholic context, becomes a checklist for any bureaucratic efficiency. The article notes Bernard’s advice to “surround himself with good people” and that “the better the Church’s central offices are run, the greater the benefit will be for the Church worldwide.” This is managerial jargon, not Catholic ecclesiology. The “Church” in Bernard’s mind was the Corpus Mysticum Christi, a supernatural entity governed by divine law. The “central offices” were the monastic administration of Clairvaux, not a Vatican curia serving an antipope. The fundamental error is the reduction of the Church’s mission from the salvation of souls to the efficient management of human affairs.
2. Linguistic and Rhetorical Analysis: The Language of Naturalistic Humanism
Varden’s language, as reported, is soft, psychological, and devoid of supernatural categories. Key terms are repurposed:
- “Consideration” is defined as “thought searching for truth, or the searching of a mind to discover truth” in “contingent human affairs.” This is pure rationalism, contradicting Catholic theology that truth is found primarily in Revelation, not in the flux of human events. St. Pius X’s encyclical Pascendi Dominici gregis (1907) condemned the Modernist error that “truth is to be found only in the human mind, and that it is variable according to the variations of the mind” (Lamentabili sane exitu, n. 58).
- “Good people” is a vague, naturalistic term. In Catholic doctrine, a “good person” is one in a state of grace, believing all truths necessary for salvation and avoiding mortal sin. The article’s criteria (“proven sanctity,” “quiet patience”) are subjective and could apply to non-Catholics or heretics. The Syllabus of Errors of Pius IX (1864) condemned the proposition that “Man may, in the observance of any religion whatever, find the way of eternal salvation” (Error 16).
- “Peace” and “unity” are presented as intrinsic goods without reference to the peace of Christ’s reign and the unity of Catholic faith. This is the liberal error of “peace” as mere absence of conflict, not the supernatural concord that comes from submission to Christ the King. Pius XI in Quas Primas (1925) taught: “The Kingdom of our Redeemer encompasses all men… but His reign is opposed only to the kingdom of Satan and the powers of darkness” and requires “deny[ing] themselves and carry[ing] their cross.”
- The “Bridegroom’s friend” imagery is emptied of its sacramental and hierarchical meaning. In Catholic tradition, the bishop is the spouse of the Church, not merely a “friend” sharing a relationship. This language flattens the ontological reality of Holy Orders.
The tone is pastoral, therapeutic, and encouraging—precisely the tone of the conciliar revolution that replaced Catholic dogma with humanistic psychology. There is not one mention of sin, judgment, hell, the necessity of grace, the sacraments, or the absolute primacy of God’s law over human laws. This silence is not accidental; it is the hallmark of Modernism, which St. Pius X defined as “the synthesis of all heresies” (Pascendi Dominici gregis).
3. Theological Confrontation: Omission of the Supernatural and Christ’s Kingship
The article’s entire framework is naturalistic. It presents ecclesiastical governance as a matter of human virtue and organizational skill. This is a direct repudiation of Catholic doctrine on the nature of the Church and the purpose of authority.
- The Church as a Supernatural Society: The Church is not a human organization but a divine institution, the Mystical Body of Christ, governed by divine law. Pius IX’s Syllabus (Error 19) condemned: “The Church is not a true and perfect society, entirely free… but it appertains to the civil power to define what are the rights of the Church.” The Church has inherent, God-given rights to teach, govern, and sanctify, independent of human approval. Varden’s focus on “running central offices well” treats the Church as a mere human corporation, denying its supernatural origin and end.
- The Primacy of Christ’s Kingship: Pius XI’s encyclical Quas Primas (1925) is categorical: “The Kingdom of our Redeemer encompasses all men… His reign is spiritual and relates mainly to spiritual matters.” It requires that “all men… allow themselves to be governed by Christ.” The encyclical condemns secularism: “When God and Jesus Christ… were removed from laws and states… the foundations of that authority were destroyed.” Varden’s reflection contains not a single reference to Christ’s reign over individuals, families, or states. This omission is a rejection of Quas Primas and a capitulation to the secularism Pius XI condemned.
- The Purpose of Prelates: Bernard, in his original context, wrote for a monk who would govern a community oriented to the salvation of souls through the monastic life. The primary duty of any prelate is the sanctification of souls, which is achieved through the sacraments, the sacrifice of the Mass, and the teaching of Catholic doctrine. Varden’s summary reduces this to “giving God glory” in an abstract sense and “considering earthly necessities” through human prudence. There is no mention of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the central act of worship, no mention of the sacraments as necessary means of grace, no mention of the final judgment. This is the “soup of the poor” Modernism condemned by Pius X—a religion without supernatural substance.
- Unity and Peace on Catholic Terms: The article quotes Bernard’s desire for collaborators “inclined towards peace, and desirous of unity.” In Catholic doctrine, true peace and unity exist only in the unity of faith and submission to the one true Church. Pius IX’s Syllabus (Error 18) condemned: “Protestantism is nothing more than another form of the same true Christian religion, in which form it is given to please God equally as in the Catholic Church.” The conciliar church’s “ecumenism” and “dialogue” are precisely this error. Varden’s vague “unity” could include heretics and schismatics, which is anathema.
4. Symptomatic Analysis: The Conciliar Revolution’s Apostasy in Practice
This reflection is not an isolated incident but a symptom of the systemic apostasy of the post-1958 “church.”
- The Hermeneutics of Continuity in Action: Varden attempts to graft a pre-1958 monastic text onto a post-1958 conciliar structure. This is the “hermeneutics of continuity” condemned by sedevacantists as a fraud. The “Church” for which Bernard wrote was the Catholic Church, one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, with a pope who was the Vicar of Christ. The “church” for which Varden speaks is the conciliar sect, which has embraced Modernism, religious liberty, and ecumenism. Applying Bernard’s advice to this entity is like applying the rules of a Benedictine monastery to a Masonic lodge—the form is similar, but the substance is diametrically opposed.
- The Cult of Man and Pastoral Psychology: The entire reflection is about human qualities: “proven sanctity” (subjective), “quiet patience,” “farsighted counsel,” “industrious organization.” This is the “cult of man” Pius XI warned against in Quas Primas: “When God and Jesus Christ… were removed from laws and states… the entire human society had to be shaken.” The focus is on human efficiency and psychological well-being (“the burden is light if you love it”), not on God’s honor, the defense of His law, or the salvation of souls from eternal damnation.
- Silence on the Non Possumus: A true Catholic prelate, following Pius IX’s Syllabus and Pius XI’s Quas Primas, would demand that the state publicly recognize Christ the King and submit its laws to the Ten Commandments. He would condemn religious liberty as a “pest” (Syllabus, Error 15). He would reject ecumenism as “indifferentism.” Varden says nothing of the sort. This silence is a public denial of the social reign of Christ, which is a hallmark of the conciliar apostasy.
- The “Bishop” and the “Pope”: Erik Varden is a conciliar “bishop” ordained in the new rite, in a church that has abandoned Catholic doctrine. “Pope Leo XIV” is an antipope, a member of the conciliar sect. The entire exercise is a dialogue among apostates, using a saint’s text to give a veneer of tradition to their naturalistic reforms. St. Robert Bellarmine taught that a manifest heretic loses his office ipso facto (De Romano Pontifice, II:30). Those who recognize such a heretic as a pope are themselves suspect of heresy.
5. Doctrinal Weapons: Pre-1958 Magisterium vs. the Conciliar Naturalism
The following pre-1958 documents expose the heterodoxy implicit in the Vatican retreat’s theme:
- Quas Primas (Pius XI, 1925): “The Kingdom of our Redeemer encompasses all men… His reign is spiritual and relates mainly to spiritual matters… The state must leave the same freedom to the members of Orders and Congregations… The annual celebration of this solemnity will also remind states that not only private individuals, but also rulers and governments have the duty to publicly honor Christ and obey Him.” The article’s reflection contains zero reference to the duty of states or the social reign of Christ. It is a complete abandonment of this encyclical.
- Syllabus of Errors (Pius IX, 1864): The entire document condemns the errors of secularism, the subordination of the Church to the state, and religious liberty. 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, to the exclusion of all other forms of worship.” This is precisely the error of the conciliar church, which embraces religious liberty. Error 55: “The Church ought to be separated from the State, and the State from the Church.” The Vatican retreat’s silence on the union of Church and state is an implicit acceptance of this condemned error.
- Lamentabili sane exitu (Pius X, 1907): This decree condemns Modernist propositions. n. 58: “Truth changes with man, because it develops with him, in him, and through him.” n. 59: “Christ did not proclaim any specific, all-encompassing doctrine suitable for all times and peoples, but rather initiated a certain religious movement.” The reflection’s emphasis on “consideration” as a search for truth in “contingent human affairs” aligns with this condemned notion of evolving truth. n. 26: “Faith, as assent of the mind, is ultimately based on a sum of probabilities.” The article’s focus on human prudence and “good people” reduces faith to a probabilistic human enterprise.
- Pascendi Dominici gregis (Pius X, 1907): The Pope describes the Modernist as “one who adapts the faith to his own liking” and “regards dogmas as symbols of the truth.” The Vatican retreat, by avoiding dogmatic definitions and focusing on vague “consideration,” embodies this symbolic, non-dogmatic approach.
Conclusion: The Apostasy of Naturalistic Governance
Bishop Erik Varden’s reflection on St. Bernard’s De consideratione, delivered to the conciliar curia of antipope “Leo XIV,” is a masterpiece of theological obfuscation. It takes a medieval monastic text, strips it of its Catholic, supernatural context, and applies it to a post-conciliar structure that is doctrinally bankrupt. The result is a naturalistic, humanistic manual for church administration that:
- Omits the supernatural end of the Church (salvation of souls through grace and sacraments).
- Ignores the kingship of Christ over all nations (condemned by Pius XI as the remedy for secularism).
- Reduces truth to human searching in “contingent affairs” (condemned by Pius X as Modernist).
- Fosters a “cult of man” through emphasis on human qualities and organizational efficiency.
- Silences the non possumus of the pre-1958 Magisterium on religious liberty, the separation of Church and state, and the duty of rulers to honor Christ.
This is not “consideration” in the Catholic sense; it is the apostasy of consideration. True consideration, according to St. Bernard and Catholic doctrine, begins with the contemplation of God’s majesty, the Incarnation, and the Redemption—truths that demand the total subjection of all human affairs to the law of Christ. The Vatican retreat preaches the opposite: that human affairs, if managed well by “good people,” will somehow reflect the angelic hierarchies. This is a lie. Without the explicit recognition of Christ the King, without the sacraments, without the dogmatic faith of the Church before 1958, no amount of “good people” or “quiet patience” will save a single soul or restore the social order. The conciliar sect has exchanged the sacrificium of the Mass for a management seminar, and the throne of Christ for a committee meeting. This is the spiritual bankruptcy of the Antichurch.
Source:
Lenten Retreat: Bishop Varden reflects on 'De consideratione' (vaticannews.va)
Date: 27.02.2026