Quoted By:
There have been many attacks on the Church through the centuries of its existence, and often the worst of these has come from outside of it. But with ecumenism we see the Church being attacked from within: while claiming to “unite the Church” the ecumenists divide it. Or rather they threaten to separate Christians from it, since the Body of Christ cannot be divided (though it can be wounded). By attacking the Church’s understanding of itself the ecumenical movement undermines its foundations in order to weaken it before the coming of Antichrist. We see the spirit of ecumenism in so many areas of human life; it is the charge of relativism, the fruit of pluralism that denies objective truth. Without discrimination or “testing of the spirits”, many well-meaning Christians are mixing false beliefs and practices into their faith (let us remember that orthodoxy means true belief and practice). The centuries have seen so many martyrs die in their refusal to deny Christ even in the smallest way, but today the attack of Satan is hidden, and the evil is made to look good, while the good is portrayed as evil. No Christian can exist in isolation; our life is dependent on membership of Christ’s Body. Where ecumenism prevails, the truth is lost and the individual is cut off from the tree, bearing no good fruit. But let us not lose heart or feel afraid, let us recall the words of saint John Chrysostom who says: “Nothing is stronger than the Church…if you fight against a man, you either conquer or are conquered; but if you fight against the Church, it is not possible for you to win, for God is the strongest of all” (in his homily prior to being exiled).
