At the Catholic Identity Conference (CIC) in Pittsburgh on October 4, Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Astana, Kazakhstan, delivered a solemn appeal to Catholics worldwide: reject the “modern idols” that have entered the life of the Church — including the promotion of LGBT ideology and what he called the “idol of climate change.”
“The First Commandment does not admit even the slightest ambiguity and vagueness,” Schneider said, according to LifeSiteNews. “A Catholic can acknowledge only the worship of the Most Holy Trinity and of Christ the King, the Incarnated God. Therefore, a Catholic cannot participate even indirectly in any other religious cult.”
He continued that believers must refuse to “burn even the smallest grain of incense before the images of the new idols,” naming as examples “the idol of political correctness, the so-called ‘Mother Earth,’ and the idol of climate change, of icebergs.”
Concerns Over ‘Climate Change’ Symbolism
The bishop’s remarks came days after Pope Leo XIV blessed a block of ice from a Greenland glacier during the Vatican’s Raising Hope for Climate Justice conference at Castel Gandolfo. The symbolic act, meant to draw attention to environmental degradation, drew both praise and criticism.
As LifeSiteNews reported, the event also featured actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who urged Catholics “to be a crusader for the environment.” Pope Leo’s Vatican, the outlet noted, “has wholly embraced his predecessor Pope Francis’ focus on climate change and ‘care for creation,’” citing initiatives such as a new votive Mass inspired by Laudato Si’ and an ecological training center at the papal villa.
‘Idol of the LGBT Ideology’
In his address, Bishop Schneider also warned against what he called “the idol of the so-called LGBT ideology or ‘community.’” He said Catholics cannot identify with “LGBT Catholics,” since “LGBTQ organizations in theory and in fact are unrepentant and proud, denying the Sixth Commandment of God.”
He added that such movements “justify sexual acts outside a valid marriage, concretely justifying the sin of sodomy, fornication, and promoting a lifestyle which contradicts the divinely created order and beauty of nature and reason,” according to LifeSiteNews.
Reparation for ‘Blasphemous’ LGBT Pilgrimage
Schneider’s address referenced a Vatican-approved LGBT pilgrimage held in early September, which saw more than 1,000 participants, some wearing rainbow attire and carrying pride flags, process through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.
He called the event “tragic” and “blasphemous,” saying it must be answered with “reparation and expiation.”
“This is so grievous that it cannot be left without asking God for forgiveness and reparation and expiation,” he said, describing the scene at “one of the most holy places of Christianity.”
According to LifeSiteNews, Schneider joined Bishops Joseph Strickland, Marian Eleganti, and Robert Mutsaerts in leading millions of faithful in praying an act of reparation for what they termed an “abomination.”
Bishop Eleganti told LifeSite that “Reparation is important. God is justice and truth; He is not only mercy… so it needs reparation.” Bishop Mutsaerts agreed, saying, “When something grave happens, you have to make reparations, and that’s what we did.”
A Call to the Faithful
Bishop Schneider concluded by expressing hope that Pope Leo XIV himself will make an act of reparation. “We pray that God may give [him] the light and the strength and the courage to do this,” he said.
The bishop’s words come at a time of growing tension in the Church over moral and doctrinal clarity. His message to the faithful was clear: Catholics must worship God alone and resist the cultural and ideological pressures that risk becoming, in his words, “the idols of our age.”
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