8.178. Pope Leo XIV said synodality and ecumenism are closely linked. Isn’t he just promoting unity in the Church?
No—what Pope Leo XIV is promoting is not true Catholic unity, but the continued advancement of the false, man-centered religion born at Vatican II. In his May 19, 2025 address to leaders of other Christian sects and world religions, Leo XIV stated:
“Synodality and ecumenism are closely linked. I wish to assure you of my intention to continue Pope Francis’ commitment to promoting the synodal character of the Catholic Church and to developing new and concrete forms for an ever more intense synodality in the ecumenical field.”
He added:
“Today is the time for dialogue and for building bridges. I am happy and grateful for the presence of the representatives of other religious traditions, who share the search for God and his will, which is always and only the will of love and life for men and women and for all creatures.”
At first glance, these may sound like warm, diplomatic words. But in truth, they embody the modernist and indifferentist errors condemned by the Catholic Church before Vatican II. By affirming the legitimacy of non-Catholic religions in their “search for God,” Leo XIV implies that heretical and pagan religions—which reject the Holy Trinity, the divinity of Christ, the sacraments, and the one true Church—are more or less pleasing to God and contribute to His will.
This is explicitly condemned by the magisterium of the pre-Vatican II Church. As Pope Pius XI declared in his 1928 encyclical Mortalium Animos:
“That false opinion which considers all religions more or less good and praiseworthy… is one of the most deceitful errors.”
Pius XI goes on to say that such thinking “departs from the true religion” and “leads souls to ruin.” Yet Leo XIV, like his Vatican II predecessors, continues to praise and affirm what the Church has always condemned: a false unity built on error, rather than conversion to the truth.
Moreover, Leo XIV’s identification of synodality with ecumenism reveals the deeper structure of the apostasy. “Synodality” in the modern Church no longer means fidelity to apostolic teaching or governance under Peter. It means “listening,” consensus-building, democratization, and doctrinal flexibility. It has been the method by which heresy is laundered into legitimacy—through ambiguous language, lay empowerment, and the redefinition of dogma as “pastoral accompaniment.”
When synodality is then joined to ecumenism—as Leo XIV now formally declares—it becomes a framework for blending Catholic truth with non-Catholic error, treating the one true Faith as just one valid option among many. It creates a vision of the Church that does not call outsiders to repentance and baptism, but walks “together” with them in a never-ending “dialogue” that replaces conversion with coexistence.
This is not unity. It is betrayal. Christ established one Church, not a dialogue partner. He sent the apostles to teach and baptize all nations (Matt. 28:19), not to build bridges between incompatible religions. True unity can only exist when all are united in one faith, one baptism, one Church—the Catholic Church, outside of which there is no salvation.
Pope Leo XIV’s statements confirm that he continues the Vatican II program of humanism, ecumenism, and doctrinal erosion. He praises heresies, empowers synodal dissent, and silences truth in the name of accompaniment. In doing so, he does not lead the Church—he perpetuates the counterfeit Church that supplanted it in the 1960s.
Catholics must reject this false vision and remain faithful to the Church of Christ—the Church of the Cross, the sacraments, the councils, and the saints. Let us not be deceived by flattering words, but cling to the true Faith, unchanged and unchangeable.
“There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside of which no one at all is saved.”
“That false opinion which considers all religions more or less good and praiseworthy… is one of the most deceitful errors.”
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by me.”
| Category | Traditional Catholic Teaching | Leo XIV / Vatican II View | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Church Governance | Hierarchical, with authority descending from Christ through Peter | “Synodal” model promoting listening circles and democratization | Undermines the divine constitution of the Church |
| Unity of Faith | One faith, one baptism, one Church necessary for salvation | Unity through shared “search for God” with false religions | Denies the dogma *Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus* |
| Ecumenism | Call non-Catholics to convert and enter the Church | “Build bridges” and “accompany” without calling to conversion | This is religious indifferentism condemned by Pius XI (*Mortalium Animos*) |
| Purpose of Dialogue | Clarify truth, expose error, call to the one true Church | Mutual enrichment, coexistence, and listening | Places truth and error on equal footing |
| Fruits | Conversions, martyrdom, doctrinal clarity | Relativism, loss of missionary zeal, doctrinal confusion | “By their fruits you shall know them” (Matt. 7:16) |
Summary:
Antipope Leo XIV’s comments are not merely ambiguous—they are a continuation of the modernist program condemned by Pope St. Pius X in Pascendi Dominici Gregis. By promoting synodality and ecumenism as mutually reinforcing, Leo XIV is advancing a new church—a man-centered church—which:
Listens to the world instead of teaching it
Accepts heresies as “partial truths”
Accompanies sinners rather than calling them to repentance
And builds false unity on emotional sentiment rather than truth
This is not the Catholic Church founded by Jesus Christ. This is the Vatican II sect, dressed up in inclusive language and pastoral tones. Leo XIV’s words prove he is no restorer of tradition—but rather a continuator of apostasy.
The true Catholic must reject this false unity, return to the immutable Faith of all time, and seek refuge in the Church of the Saints and Councils—not the synodal swamp of the postconciliar era.
“The Church is not a democracy of dialogue. She is the Mystical Body of Christ, teaching and ruling with divine authority.”
Further reading:
Satis Cognitum (On the Unity of the Church) by Pope Leo XIII - 1896
Pascendi Dominici Gregis (On the Doctrine of the Modernists) by Pope Pius X - 1907
Mortalium Animos (On Religious Unity) by Pope Pius XI - 1928