Pope Francis to Buddhists: May Buddha Guide You to a Deeper Encounter with Yourselves, Others and the Earth

On March 16, 2023, Pope Francis received Taiwanese Buddhists at the Vatican. After praising the sacred values and principles of Buddhism, Francis invoked the name of Buddha, asking that He guide the monks into a closer relationship with everyone, including the planet. The Pope’s heretical action elevates Buddha to the status of a spiritual leader on par with Jesus Christ. Pope Francis expressed the following words to the Buddhist delegation:

“Your visit, which you have termed an educational pilgrimage, represents a privileged occasion for advancing the culture of encounter …  For as we experience others in their diversity, we are encouraged to move outside of ourselves and to accept and embrace our differences.” [1]

“The culture of encounter builds bridges and opens windows to the sacred values and convictions that inspire others. It tears down the walls that divide people and keep them prisoners of preconceptions, prejudices or indifference.” [1]

“Dear friends, it is my hope that this educational pilgrimage will lead you, guided by the thoughts of your spiritual teacher Buddha, to a deeper encounter with yourselves and with others, with the Christian tradition, and with the beauty of the earth, our common home.” [1]

This is the embodiment of the modern ecumenical movement. This is a mixture of ecumenism and reverence for nature and false gods. As a result, the uniqueness of the Christian faith and witness is diminished, and the false notion that Christianity and all other religions, including Mother Earth worship, are equal and valid is propagated.

Rome is creating a great universal fraternity, and Pope Francis is appealing to all religions to join him. One thing is certain: Pope Francis will not preach the true gospel of Jesus Christ, nor will he preach the worship of the true God of heaven. The Vatican follows a multicultural, universalist gospel, which teaches that all religions are different paths to the same God. Regrettably, this ecumenical philosophy is also being adopted by all the other churches.

The ecumenical movement is determined to spread a counterfeit gospel by leaving people in their errors and in a false religious system that will never bring us salvation. We must be faithful to God’s truth, which requires us to reject ecumenism, a movement that seeks to compromise certain truths in the name of unity and the common good. The masterminds of ecumenism want to change the faith by ignoring important biblical teachings that God wants the world to hear.

The only hope for this world is found in Christ Jesus. It’s not enough to just acknowledge or confess Him with our lips; we must accept His clear teachings, apply them in our lives, and teach others, for this alone will grant us the peace and salvation that we need. There are not many ways to God, and there are not many gospels. There is only one path to peace with God and with our fellowmen, and that’s through faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to God’s commandments (Revelation 14:12).

“Satan determines to unite them in one body, and thus strengthen his cause by sweeping all into the ranks of Spiritualism. Papists, who boast of miracles as a certain sign of the true church, will be readily deceived by this wonder-working power; and Protestants, having cast away the shield of truth, will also be deluded. Papists, Protestants, and worldlings will alike accept the form of godliness without the power, and they will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world, and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium” (Great Controversy, p. 588).

Sources

[1] https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2023/03/16/230316c.html