EWTN News portal reports that on April 13, 2026, “Bishop” Juan Liébana of Chascomús, Argentina, issued a message to young people wishing to enter politics. He described politics as “one of the noblest tasks” and “charity exercised at its highest level,” outlining a profile of integrity, austerity, humility, and concern for the common good. While these virtues are commendable in themselves, the entire discourse operates within a framework that systematically omits the most fundamental truth: that no political order can be just or truly charitable unless it explicitly recognizes the kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ and subordinates itself to the immutable laws of God and His Church. This silence is not accidental; it is the hallmark of the post-conciliar apostasy that has gutted Catholic social teaching of its supernatural foundation.
The Illusion of “Noble Politics” Without the Supernatural Order
“Mr.” Liébana’s exhortation, while superficially appealing, presents a vision of politics that is purely naturalistic and devoid of the supernatural principles that alone can render human society truly just. He speaks of “the common good,” “justice,” and “charity” as if these were self-evident, secular concepts accessible to human reason alone, independent of divine revelation. This is precisely the error condemned by Pope Pius XI in his encyclical Quas Primas: “The plague that poisons human society is the secularism of our times, so-called laicism, its errors and wicked endeavors.” The “bishop” offers a program for political engagement that is indistinguishable from what any well-meaning secular humanist might propose, stripped of any reference to the Church’s divinely constituted authority, the necessity of the sacraments, or the eternal destiny of souls.
The very notion that politics is “charity exercised at its highest level” is a dangerous equivocation. True charity, as defined by the Church, is a theological virtue infused by God, ordered toward the love of God and neighbor for the sake of God. It is not merely a natural benevolence or a social ethic. To reduce charity to political action is to strip it of its supernatural essence and make it a tool of human ambition, however well-intentioned. As St. Augustine teaches, the City of God and the City of Man are distinct, and the former must guide the latter. Without this ordering, politics becomes a mere power struggle, even if conducted by individuals of personal integrity.
Omission of Christ’s Kingship: The Fatal Silence
The most glaring and damning omission in “Mr.” Liébana’s discourse is the complete absence of any mention of Our Lord Jesus Christ as King of nations and societies. He speaks of “values and principles” but never specifies that these must be the objective, immutable values and principles of Catholic doctrine. He urges “humility” and “renunciation” but does not point to the necessity of submitting one’s intellect and will to the infallible teaching of the Church. He calls for “prayer” but does not specify that this must be the true prayer of the Catholic faith, directed through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints, and culminating in the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Pope Pius XI, in Quas Primas, explicitly states: “The State is happy not by one means, and man by another; for the state is nothing else than a harmonious association of men.” And further: “Let rulers of states therefore not refuse public veneration and obedience to the reigning Christ, but let them fulfill this duty themselves and with their people, if they wish to maintain their authority inviolate and contribute to the increase of their homeland’s happiness.” The “bishop” of Chascomús, by failing to mention this foundational truth, implicitly endorses the very secularism he claims to oppose. He offers a politics of “good works” without the King who alone can sanctify those works and render them efficacious for eternal salvation.
The “Common Good” Without the Church: A Modernist Chimera
The concept of the “common good” as presented by “Mr.” Liébana is a hollow shell, filled with naturalistic aspirations but emptied of its Catholic content. The true common good, as defined by the Church, includes not only temporal prosperity but, more importantly, the spiritual welfare of citizens, their access to the means of grace, and the recognition of the true religion. Pope Leo XIII, in his encyclical Immortale Dei, teaches that “the Almighty, therefore, has given the charge of the human race to two powers, the ecclesiastical and the civil, the one being set over divine, and the other over human, each the highest in its own kind, each fixed within certain limits, and marked out by special characteristics.”
By omitting the Church’s role in defining and promoting the common good, “Mr.” Liébana reduces it to a purely secular affair, subject to the whims of human opinion and the shifting sands of political expediency. This is the very essence of the modernist error condemned by St. Pius X in Pascendi Dominici Gregis: the separation of the natural from the supernatural, and the reduction of religion to a merely social phenomenon. The “bishop” speaks of “dialogue” and “social friendship” but does not specify that true dialogue must be ordered toward the conversion of souls to the Catholic faith, and that true social friendship is only possible among those who share the same faith and morals.
The Danger of “Good Intentions” Without Doctrine
“Mr.” Liébana’s emphasis on personal virtues such as integrity, austerity, and humility, while commendable in itself, is insufficient and even dangerous when divorced from sound doctrine. A politician may possess all these natural virtues yet still promote policies that are gravely injurious to the faith and morals of the people. Without the guiding light of Catholic teaching, personal virtue becomes a subjective and unreliable guide, easily swayed by the spirit of the age.
St. Pius X, in his Oath Against Modernism, warns against those who “under the guise of more serious criticism and in the name of historical method, they aim at such a development of dogmas as appears to be their corruption.” The “bishop” of Chascomús, by failing to anchor his exhortation in the unchanging doctrine of the Church, leaves young Catholics vulnerable to the very modernism he presumably seeks to combat. He offers them a politics of “good intentions” without the doctrinal armor necessary to resist the snares of the enemy.
Conclusion: A Call to Return to Catholic Principles
In conclusion, “Mr.” Liébana’s message to young Argentinians is a textbook example of the post-conciliar Church’s inability to offer a truly Catholic vision of politics. It is a discourse that, while using the language of virtue and service, systematically omits the most essential elements of Catholic social teaching: the kingship of Christ, the authority of the Church, and the supernatural end of human society. It is a politics of “good works” without the King who alone can sanctify those works and render them efficacious for eternal salvation.
The true path for Catholics who wish to engage in politics is not to seek a “noble task” within the structures of a secular order that has rejected God, but to work for the restoration of the social kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This requires, first and foremost, a return to the unchanging principles of Catholic doctrine, as taught by the pre-conciliar Magisterium, and a rejection of the modernist errors that have led the post-conciliar Church into the wilderness of apostasy. Only then can politics become truly “charity exercised at its highest level,” ordered toward the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
Source:
Argentine bishop offers advice to young people who wish to enter politics (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 13.04.2026