The article from the National Catholic Register (March 11, 2026) reports that the antipope calling himself “Leo XIV” praised a deceased Maronite priest, Father Pierre El Raii, killed in an Israeli bombing in Lebanon, calling him “a true shepherd” who remained with his people. The antipope further stated, “I am close to all the Lebanese people,” and in his catechesis, he emphasized that the Church “can never turn inwards on herself” but must be “open to everyone and … for everyone,” quoting the Vatican II document *Lumen gentium* and the modernist theologian Henri de Lubac to argue that the Church is a sign of unity for all humanity. This presentation constitutes a brazen repudiation of Catholic dogma and a fresh exposition of the modernist heresies condemned by the pre-conciliar Magisterium.
The “True Shepherd” in a False Communion
The antipope’s designation of Father El Raii as “a true shepherd” is a theological absurdity from the perspective of integral Catholic faith. Catholic doctrine, as defined by the Council of Trent and reiterated by Pope Pius IX in the *Syllabus of Errors*, holds that legitimate pastoral authority flows exclusively from valid episcopal ordination in communion with the Roman Pontiff. However, since the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, the See of Rome has been vacant (*sedes vacans*). The line of post-conciliar “popes,” beginning with Angelo Roncalli (“John XXIII”), are manifest heretics who have propagated the errors of Modernism, thereby forfeiting the papacy *ipso facto* according to the teaching of St. Robert Bellarmine and Canon 188.4 of the 1917 Code of Canon Law. As Bellarmine states: “A manifest heretic… is not a Christian… therefore, a manifest heretic cannot be Pope.” Consequently, any cleric—including Maronite priests—who acknowledges the authority of these antipopes is in formal schism and cannot possess legitimate pastoral jurisdiction. Father El Raii, by virtue of his communion with the conciliar hierarchy, was a “hireling” (John 10:12-13), not a true shepherd. The antipope’s praise is thus a mutual glorification of apostasy: a false “pope” honoring a priest who served the “abomination of desolation” (Matt. 24:15) occupying the Vatican.
The Heresy of “Openness” and the Rejection of Catholic Exclusive Salvation
The core of the antipope’s catechesis is the assertion that the Church “must be open to everyone and … for everyone,” and that “All men are called to belong to the new people of God.” This is a direct, categorical denial of the Catholic dogma *extra Ecclesiam nulla salus* (outside the Church there is no salvation), which Pius IX proclaimed in the *Syllabus of Errors* by condemning the following propositions:
– “Every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which, guided by the light of reason, he shall consider true.” (Error #15)
– “Man may, in the observance of any religion whatever, find the way of eternal salvation, and arrive at eternal salvation.” (Error #16)
– “Good hope at least is to be entertained of the eternal salvation of all those who are not at all in the true Church of Christ.” (Error #17)
The antipope’s language, echoing Vatican II’s *Lumen gentium* (a document condemned in its principles by St. Pius X in *Lamentabili sane exitu*, Propositions 53-54), reduces the Church from the *solus populus Dei* (the sole people of God) to a mere “sign” of unity for all humanity. This is the naturalistic, pantheistic error of Modernism: the Church is no longer the *corpus mysticum* (mystical body) of Christ, the sole ark of salvation, but an optional human association among many. Pius XI, in *Quas Primas*, declared that Christ’s reign “encompasses all men” only in the sense that all are *subject* to His authority and *called* to enter the Church, not that all are already members or can be saved without her. The antipope’s silence on the absolute necessity of Catholic faith and baptism for salvation is the gravest omission, revealing the apostate heart of the conciliar sect.
The “People of God” as a Masonic Construct
The antipope’s focus on the “People of God” is not an innocent development but a deliberate subversion. Vatican II’s use of this Old Testament phrase (Exod. 19:6) to describe the New Testament Church was a revolutionary shift, replacing the dogmatic term “Mystical Body of Christ” with a vague, sociological concept. This shift was condemned *in advance* by Pope Pius X in *Lamentabili sane exitu*:
– “The organic structure of the Church is subject to change, and the Christian community, like the human community, is subject to continuous evolution.” (Proposition 53)
– “Dogmas, sacraments, and hierarchy… are merely modes of explanation and stages in the evolution of Christian consciousness…” (Proposition 54)
The “People of God” language opens the door to a naturalistic, democratic, and pluralistic understanding of the Church, where “diversity” is welcomed as an end in itself. The antipope quotes the modernist Henri de Lubac—whose theology was censured by the Holy Office under Pius XII—to claim the Church must be “a sign placed in the very heart of humanity.” This is pure Modernism: the Church as a humanistic symbol rather than the supernatural institution founded by Christ. Pius IX’s *Syllabus* condemned the notion that “the Church ought to be separated from the State, and the State from the Church” (Error #55), but here we see the deeper error: the Church is being separated from *herself*, from her supernatural essence and exclusive salvific mission, to become a promoter of worldly unity.
The Blood of a Martyr? A Sacrifice for What?
The antipope prays that Father El Raii’s “blood shed be a seed of peace for beloved Lebanon.” This prayer, while emotionally appealing, is naturalistic and Pelagian. It implies that the sacrifice of a life, even a priestly life, can produce peace apart from the explicit reparation of sin and the restoration of Christ’s kingship in society. Pius XI, in *Quas Primas*, taught that true peace flows only from the recognition of Christ’s reign: “If men were ever to recognize Christ’s royal authority over themselves, both privately and publicly, then unheard-of blessings would flow upon the whole society, such as due freedom, order, and tranquility, and concord and peace.” The antipope’s prayer omits the necessary condition: the public and social reign of Christ the King. It reduces the priest’s death to a generic humanitarian tragedy, not a participation in the sacrifice of Calvary for the conversion of souls and nations. This is the language of the “cult of man” condemned by Pius IX, where human suffering is valorized apart from its supernatural orientation.
The Omission of the Supernatural and the Final Judgment
The most damning aspect of the antipope’s statement is its complete silence on the supernatural. He speaks of “grave trial,” “civilian victims,” “innocent children,” “peace,” “hope,” and “unity.” He does not mention sin, the necessity of grace, the Sacrifice of the Mass, the state of grace, the judgment of God, or the eternal destiny of souls. This is the hallmark of the conciliar sect: a religion of human sentiment and social action stripped of its redemptive core. Pius X, in *Pascendi Dominici gregis*, exposed Modernism’s “immanentism,” which reduces religion to an interior feeling and social utility. The antipope’s catechesis is a masterclass in this immanentism: the Church is a “sign of hope” because she “welcomes diversity,” not because she offers the *sacramenta* as the sole means of salvation. The “prophetic value” of the Church is reduced to being a multicultural community, not the herald of the coming judgment and the kingdom of heaven.
The Maronite Context: A Schismatic Church in False Communion
The article identifies the priest as “Maronite,” a member of an Eastern Catholic Church that entered into communion with Rome in the 12th century. However, from the integral Catholic perspective, the Maronite Church, like all Eastern Catholic Churches, is in a precarious state. After Vatican II’s *Orientale Lumen* and the subsequent “dialogue” with schismatic Orthodox, the Eastern Catholics have been pressured to downplay their Latin (Roman) identity and their historical role as a bridge to conversion. More critically, the Maronite hierarchy, like all post-conciliar hierarchies, acknowledges the antipopes in Rome. Therefore, the Maronite Church is in formal schism from the true (sedevacant) Catholic Church. Father El Raii’s ministry was exercised in a structure that is part of the “conciliar sect,” not the Catholic Church. His death, while tragic, is not the martyrdom of a Catholic priest for the faith, but the death of a cleric of a schismatic body. The antipope’s eulogy is thus a celebration of ecumenical confusion, where boundaries between Catholic truth and schismatic error are deliberately blurred.
The Conciliar Roots of the Error
Every phrase of the antipope’s catechesis is a verbatim echo of Vatican II, particularly *Lumen gentium* and *Gaudium et spes*. The Council’s novel doctrines were condemned *in their principles* by St. Pius X:
– The idea that “the Church is a people in which women and men of different nationalities, languages and cultures live together in faith” reduces the Church to an ethnic or cultural club, not the supernatural unity of the *corpus Christi*. Pius IX condemned the notion that “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” (Syllabus, Error #19). Here, the civil power is replaced by “human diversity” as the defining principle.
– The claim that “even those who have not yet received the Gospel are therefore, in some way, oriented towards the people of God” is the heresy of “baptism of desire” and “invincible ignorance” run amok, destroying the necessity of explicit faith and submission to the Church. The *Syllabus* condemned the idea that “Protestantism is nothing more than another form of the same true Christian religion” (Error #18); the antipope’s logic extends this to *all* religions.
– The statement that “the fundamental law governing relationships within the Church is ‘love’” is a sentimental distortion. The fundamental law is the law of God as taught by the Church, with charity as its form, not a vague “love” that nullifies doctrinal boundaries and hierarchical authority.
Conclusion: The Apostasy of the Conciliar Sect
The article presents a seamless tapestry of post-conciliar apostasy. The antipope “Leo XIV” is a usurper, a manifest heretic occupying the See of Rome. His praise for a Maronite priest is a salute to a cleric of a schismatic Eastern Church in false communion with his own invalid hierarchy. His theology of an “open” Church is the condemned Modernism of Pius X and the indifferentism of Pius IX. His emphasis on human peace and unity without the social reign of Christ the King is the naturalism Pius XI fought against in *Quas Primas*. His silence on the necessity of the Catholic Church for salvation is the hallmark of the “abomination of desolation” standing in the holy place (Matt. 24:15). This is not a pastoral message; it is a doctrinal abyss. The only “true shepherd” is Christ, and His sheep hear His voice in the immutable Faith of the pre-1958 Catholic Church, which endures in the faithful who reject the conciliar revolution and its antipopes. All others are “thieves and robbers” (John 10:8).
Source:
Pope Leo Calls Maronite Priest Killed in Bombing ‘a True Shepherd’ (ncregister.com)
Date: 11.03.2026