Vatican Retreat Preaches Naturalistic Morality While Denying Christ’s Kingship

The VaticanNews portal reports on a reflection delivered by Bishop Erik Varden during the 2026 Lenten Spiritual Exercises in the Vatican for antipope Leo XIV, cardinals, and heads of dicasteries. Varden’s theme, “The Fall of Thousands,” explores the concept of spiritual and communal “falls” within the Church, attributing the worst harm to internal corruption rather than external opposition. He cautions against simplistic searches for “diseased roots” in scandalized communities, noting that signs of inspiration and holiness can coexist with later warped developments. Using Bernard of Clairvaux’s interpretation of Psalm 90, he distinguishes between “carnal” and “spiritual” natures, suggesting that spiritual men are attacked more fiercely and that casualties are “more numerous on the right” where “lethal weapons” are used. He warns against dualism, urging integration of physical and spiritual selves, and emphasizes that spiritual integrity is evidenced in everyday habits like online behavior and comportment at table. The reflection avoids defining sin, grace, or the sacramental remedy, framing “falls” in psychological and communal terms rather than supernatural ones. This article embodies the post-conciliar church’s apostasy through its deliberate omission of Catholic supernaturalism, replacing the doctrine of sin and redemption with therapeutic moralizing.