EWTN News reports on two young converts from Islam to Catholicism in Spain, Jonás and Lourdes Ángel, who received baptism at the Easter Vigil in Getafe. The article describes their personal journeys, the opposition they faced from their Muslim families, and their gratitude for the support of their catechists and parish community. While the narrative is framed as a triumph of faith, a deeper analysis reveals the theological and spiritual bankruptcy of the post-conciliar approach to conversion, which prioritizes subjective experience, naturalistic happiness, and community support over the objective truths of the Catholic faith.
The Primacy of Subjective Experience Over Objective Truth
The article’s portrayal of Jonás and Lourdes’ conversions is emblematic of the post-conciliar Church’s shift towards a subjective, experiential understanding of faith. Rather than emphasizing the objective truths of the Catholic faith—such as the necessity of grace, the reality of sin, and the demands of the Gospel—the article focuses on the converts’ personal feelings and experiences. Jonás recounts that his conversion began with a “personal encounter with Christ,” and that he was “firmly convinced that the Catholic faith was the true one.” However, the article does not delve into the specific doctrines that led to this conviction, nor does it mention the role of grace in his conversion. Instead, it highlights his emotional journey and the sense of completeness he felt after baptism.
Similarly, Lourdes describes her attraction to Christianity as a feeling of happiness and fulfillment: “I wanted that; I wanted to understand how they could be so happy.” This focus on subjective happiness and emotional fulfillment is a hallmark of Modernism, which reduces religion to a matter of personal experience rather than objective truth. As St. Pius X warned in Pascendi Dominici Gregis, the Modernists “reduce the whole of religion to sentiment” and “make of faith a mere feeling.” The article’s emphasis on the converts’ feelings and experiences, rather than on the objective truths of the faith, is a clear manifestation of this Modernist error.
The Absence of Supernatural Doctrine
The article’s treatment of the sacraments is equally troubling. Jonás describes the Eucharist as “a spiritual treasure, what recharges me with spiritual strength,” and says that it gives him “the capacity to view the world in a supernatural way.” However, the article does not explain the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, nor does it mention the sacrificial nature of the Mass. Instead, the Eucharist is presented as a source of personal strength and a means of viewing the world differently—a thinly veiled naturalistic interpretation that strips the sacrament of its supernatural reality.
This approach is consistent with the post-conciliar Church’s tendency to reduce the sacraments to mere symbols or communal rituals, rather than efficacious signs of grace. As the Council of Trent taught, the sacraments of the New Law “contain the grace they signify” and “confer grace on those who do not place an obstacle in the way” (Session VII, Canon 6). The article’s failure to mention this doctrine is a grave omission that reflects the post-conciliar Church’s departure from authentic Catholic teaching.
The Role of the Neocatechumenal Way
Lourdes’ involvement with the Neocatechumenal Way is another cause for concern. This movement, founded by Kiko Argüello and Carmen Hernández in the 1960s, has been criticized for its syncretistic practices, its emphasis on emotional experiences, and its departure from traditional Catholic liturgy and doctrine. The Neocatechumenal Way’s approach to catechesis is heavily influenced by the “new evangelization” promoted by the post-conciliar Church, which prioritizes personal experience and community building over the transmission of objective doctrine.
The article’s positive portrayal of the Neocatechumenal Way’s influence on Lourdes’ conversion is consistent with the post-conciliar Church’s embrace of this movement, despite its questionable theological foundations. As the False Fatima Apparitions document notes, the post-conciliar Church has been infiltrated by Modernist and Masonic influences that seek to undermine the faith from within. The Neocatechumenal Way’s emphasis on subjective experience and community support, rather than on the objective truths of the faith, is a clear example of this influence.
The Omission of the Demands of the Gospel
While the article mentions the opposition faced by Jonás and Lourdes from their Muslim families, it does not adequately address the demands of the Gospel. Jesus Himself warned that following Him would entail division and persecution: “Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword. For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother” (Matthew 10:34-35). The article’s focus on the converts’ personal happiness and community support obscures the reality that conversion to Catholicism often entails suffering and sacrifice.
Moreover, the article does not mention the necessity of ongoing conversion and the struggle against sin. As St. Paul wrote, “For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would” (Galatians 5:17). The article’s portrayal of conversion as a one-time event that brings immediate happiness and fulfillment is a distortion of the Catholic understanding of the Christian life as a continual battle against sin and temptation.
The Post-Conciliar Church’s Obsession With Naturalistic Humanism
The article’s overall tone and content reflect the post-conciliar Church’s obsession with naturalistic humanism—a focus on human happiness, community support, and personal fulfillment, rather than on the supernatural truths of the faith. This approach is consistent with the post-conciliar Church’s embrace of the “cult of man,” which places human experience and feelings at the center of religion, rather than God and His revelation.
As Pope Pius XI warned in Quas Primas, the post-conciliar Church’s rejection of Christ the King’s reign over all nations and individuals has led to a “secularism of our times, so-called laicism, its errors and wicked endeavors.” The article’s focus on the converts’ personal happiness and community support, rather than on the objective truths of the faith and the demands of the Gospel, is a clear manifestation of this secularism.
Conclusion
The article’s portrayal of Jonás and Lourdes’ conversions is a microcosm of the post-conciliar Church’s theological and spiritual bankruptcy. By prioritizing subjective experience, naturalistic happiness, and community support over the objective truths of the Catholic faith, the article reflects the Modernist and secularist influences that have infiltrated the Church since the Second Vatican Council. The omission of key Catholic doctrines—such as the sacrificial nature of the Mass, the reality of sin, and the demands of the Gospel—is a grave disservice to the converts and to the readers of this article.
As Catholics faithful to the unchanging Tradition of the Church, we must reject the post-conciliar Church’s naturalistic humanism and return to the objective truths of the faith. Only then can we truly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who came not to make us happy in this world, but to save us from our sins and lead us to eternal life.
Source:
How Christ transformed 2 young converts from Islam (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 10.05.2026