The Vatican Venerates Buddhism as it sends an Ecumenical Greeting during the Feast of Vesak

Vesak is a holy day observed by Buddhists worldwide. This day honors the important events surrounding the life of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. On May 1, 2022, through the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Pope Francis addressed Buddhists, equating Buddhism and Christianity and placing them on the same level.

This is the embodiment of the modern ecumenical movement. As a result, the uniqueness of the Christian faith and witness is diminished, and the false notion that Christianity and all other religions worship the same God is promoted. People need to understand what is really going on in the interfaith unity movement.

Pope Francis is creating a great universal fraternity, and Rome is appealing to all churches to join him. But if our people knew what was going on within the ecumenical movement, they would not be so easily deceived. These are misrepresentations of true biblical faith that must be exposed because if we remain silent, we will be colluding with sin.

During the Feast of Vesak, the Vatican issued the following statement:

“The Buddha and Jesus Christ direct their followers to transcendent values, albeit in different ways. The noble truths of the Buddha explain the origin and causes of suffering and indicate the eightfold path that leads to the cessation of suffering. “It is the fading away and cessation of that very same craving with nothing left over; giving it away, letting it go, releasing it, and not adhering to it” (Dhammacakkappavattanasutta, 56.11). If practiced, the teaching is a cure to the ceaseless grasping that leads to greed and power-plays.” [1]

Rome is praising and encouraging Buddhist practice. We are told that both Christianity and Buddhism basically teach the same thing. Jesus and Buddha are nearly identical, despite minor differences. This is the position of the Vatican. They continue to draw parallels between Buddhism and Christianity, even quoting Laudato Si’:

“We can help humanity become resilient by unearthing the hidden treasures within our spiritual traditions. For Buddhists, the Noble Eightfold Path can develop compassion and wisdom to engage in social concerns. For Christians, hope is one of those treasures. As Pope Francis says, ‘hope would have us recognize that there is always a way out, that we can always redirect our steps, that we can always do something to solve our problems’ ” (Laudato si’ 61).

“We are convinced that hope rescues us from discouragement. In this regard, we would like to share the wisdom of the late Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh on the importance of hope: ‘It can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today’ (Peace is Every Step, 1991, 41-42). Let us work together for a better tomorrow!”

“Dear friends, we wish that your celebration of Vesak will keep hope alive and generate actions that welcome and respond to the adversities caused by the present crises.”

Buddhists will bow before Buddha in many temples around the world during Vesak celebrations. They bring flowers, foods, and other offerings as acts of reverence and veneration. Throughout the day-long celebration, they chant and meditate in front of Buddha idols and perform charitable deeds. What does idol worship have in common with Jesus Christ?

“And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” 2 Corinthians 6:15-17.

Rather than looking for superficial commonalities between the different religions, we must ask ourselves the following questions: If not by combining truth and error, how does Satan try to deceive people? Even if a belief system has some good points, how much error should we tolerate? And, in order to live in peace with the rest of the world, do we overlook errors that enslave people to a false gospel?

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 has been adopted by all the other churches.

The ecumenical movement is determined on spreading a counterfeit gospel by leaving people in their errors and in a false religious system that will never bring us happiness. We must be faithful to God’s truth, which requires us to reject ecumenism, a movement which seeks to compromise certain truths in the name of unity and the common good. The masterminds of ecumenism want to change the faith, and surrendering to them is a betrayal of the gospel of Christ.

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 and apply them in our lives, 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 Christ Jesus and Christ alone.

Sources

[1] https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2022/05/01/220501b.html