Those who have followed the Synod on Synodality have seen two years of dedicated work to build the Synodal Church, which bears a grotesque resemblance to Bishop Sheen’s description of Satan’s ape church: it is a new church, set up in opposition to the Catholic Church; it seeks to be a brotherhood of men, with a supposed love for humanity that champions freedom and equality; and, in a predominantly superficial manner, it has many of the notes and characteristics of the actual Catholic Church. Even if we had never heard of Bishop Sheen’s prophetic words we could nonetheless recognize the Synodal Church as an “ape of the church.”

Still, we may wonder whether the Synodal Church truly is “emptied of divine content” as Bishop Sheen saw the ape church would be. After all, the Synodal documents reference God and even quote the Bible — how, then, could we say that it is truly emptied of divine content?

To evaluate this we must briefly consider the actual divine content of the Catholic Church. Certainly that divine content includes God’s truth and the means by which He distributes grace, especially the sacraments. It also includes the institution of the Church itself, with its marks and attributes. The divine content shines forth most clearly when the Church is led by saints, but even in times of crisis it will never disappear.

Although the open construction of the Synodal Church began in earnest only two years ago, the foundation was already being prepared by Vatican II. It took six decades of gradual demolition to bring us to the point at which Francis announced his intentions to “create a new church” in October 2021.

Although the open construction of the Synodal Church began in earnest only two years ago, the foundation was already being prepared by Vatican II. It took six decades of gradual demolition to bring us to the point at which Francis announced his intentions to “create a new church” in October 2021. Every step of the way played a role in replacing divine content with the errors of fallen men. Now, after the recent Synodal session in Rome, we can see the following distinct ways in which the Synodal Church lacks the divine content of the Catholic Church.

False Ecumenism. John XXIII opened his Council with the stated aim of unifying all Christians, but most Council Fathers apparently believed that such unity would have been accomplished through a process of leading non-Catholics to the Church. As we see in the Synthesis Report from the recent Synodal session, however, the illusion has completely vanished:

“The synodal path is, in fact, implementing what the Council taught about the Church as Mystery and People of God, called to holiness. It values the contribution all the baptized make, according to their respective vocations, in helping us to understand better and practice the Gospel. In this sense, it constitutes a true act of further reception of the Council, prolonging its inspiration and reinvigorating its prophetic force for today's world.”

According to the Synodal documents, all baptized people are considered the People of God and members of the Synodal Church. As we know, over half of the baptized people in the world reject one or more truths of the Catholic Church — many of them actually despise the teachings of the Catholic Church — but this does not matter for the Synodal Church. Indeed, the religious beliefs of all baptized people form the “sensus fidei” of the Synodal Church:

“Baptism, which is at the root of the principle of synodality, also constitutes the foundation of ecumenism. Through it, all Christians participate in the sensus fidei and for this reason they should be listened to carefully, regardless of their tradition, as the Synod Assembly did in its discernment process.”

Thus we can identify two key ways in which the Synodal Church lacks the divine content of the Catholic Church by virtue of its false ecumenism: non-Catholic beliefs are welcomed; and, because contradictory religious beliefs are encouraged, the notion of objective religious truth is completely undermined.

Translation: yes, the Synodal Church is jettisoning the Catholic Church’s divine content, but there is no need to fear because that is just what happens when you embrace a dynamic and living Tradition.

Renunciation of Morality. As we know, many of the truths Jesus entrusted to His Church involve the need for us to follow His commandments. He has known from all eternity that following the commandments would be difficult for us, but He gives us the grace to do so. In the Synodal Church, though, sinners must be “accompanied” rather than taught to rely on God’s grace to follow His commandments:

“The difficulty we encounter in translating Jesus’ clear evangelical vision into pastoral choices is a sign of our struggle to live up to the Gospel. If we use doctrine harshly and with a judgmental attitude, we betray the Gospel; if we practice mercy ‘on the cheap’, we do not convey God's love. The unity of truth and love implies bearing the difficulties of others, even making them our own, as happens between brothers and sisters. This unity can only be achieved, however, by patiently following the path of accompaniment. Certain issues, such as those relating to matters of identity and sexuality, the end of life, complicated marital situations, and ethical issues related to artificial intelligence, are controversial not only in society, but also in the Church, because they raise new questions.”

By treating God’s commandments as too onerous to follow, the Synodal Church keeps souls in sin and deprives them of the actual mercy God wants to give them. And by encouraging some of its members to remain in their serious sins, the Synodal Church effectively teaches that sin is not especially problematic, which essentially undermines all of Catholic moral teaching.

Dynamic and Living Tradition. As discussed in a previous article, Henri de Lubac’s conception of “living tradition” helped facilitate the revolution in the Church, which has prepared the way for it to be eclipsed by the Synodal Church. The Synthesis Report makes this even more evident, indicating that the concept of living tradition should allay fears that the Synod will cause a departure from the Catholic Faith:

“We know that ‘synodality’ is a term unfamiliar to many members of the People of God, causing some people confusion and concern. Among the fears expressed is that the teaching of the Church will be changed, causing us to depart from the Apostolic faith of our forebears and, in so doing, will fail to respond to needs of those who hunger and thirst for God today. However, we are confident that synodality is an expression of the dynamic and living Tradition.”

Translation: yes, the Synodal Church is jettisoning the Catholic Church’s divine content, but there is no need to fear because that is just what happens when you embrace a dynamic and living Tradition.

Even if the Synodal process yielded a church which resembled the Catholic Church during her most glorious years, it would still be sinister because it would be a church created by the consensus of men rather than the authority, wisdom, and love of God.

Blasphemous Search for New Truth. Almost as if to mock the Catholic Church’s claims that it safeguards the truths entrusted to it by God, the Synodal Church has to adopt “conversation in the spirit” to determine what it wants its members to believe:

“Conversation in the Spirit is a tool that, even with its limitations, enables authentic listening in order to discern what the Spirit is saying to the Churches. Its practice has elicited joy, awe and gratitude and has been experienced as a path of renewal that transforms individuals, groups, and the Church. The word ‘conversation’ expresses more than mere dialogue: it interweaves thought and feeling, creating a shared vital space. That is why we can say that conversion is at play in conversation. This is an anthropological reality found in different peoples and cultures, who gather together in solidarity to deal with and decide maters vital to the community. Grace brings this human experience to fruition. Conversing ‘in the Spirit’ means living the experience of sharing in the light of faith and seeking God's will in an authentically evangelical atmosphere within which the Holy Spirit’s unmistakable voice can be heard.”

As ludicrous as the actual process of “conversation in the spirit” is, it seems that the most blasphemous aspect of this is that the Synodal leaders need this tool — “even with its limitations” — to “discern what the Spirit is saying.” If it was the Holy Spirit they were listening to, they would simply need to look at what the Church has taught for almost two thousand years. But they are not interested in God’s truth, so they must find another way to listen to their guiding spirit. The practice of involving the laity — many of whom are as heretical as the bishops — as voting members to discover new truth has only adds to this mockery of the Catholic Church.

Thus, without even considering the “doctrinal content” of the new religion, we can conclude that the blasphemous way in which the Synodal Church searches for its “truth” is a rejection of the Catholic Church’s divine content. As described in an article from two years ago, even if the Synodal process yielded a church which resembled the Catholic Church during her most glorious years, it would still be sinister because it would be a church created by the consensus of men rather than the authority, wisdom, and love of God.

All of this enables us to see that Francis’s Synodal Church matches Satan’s ape church in terms of divine content: “It will have all the notes and characteristics of the Church, but in reverse and emptied of its divine content.”

So while it seems entirely reasonable to charitably encourage the bishops to take further steps to address the crisis there is no substitute for trying to become saints, which requires us to reject the Synodal Church that Francis and Satan have created.

So now that Francis has revealed his and Satan’s Synodal Ape Church, what do we do? As an initial matter, it should be obvious that faithful Catholics must distance themselves from the Synodal Church — it has never been more clear that Catholics must do all they can (consistent with duties of state) to attend the Traditional Latin Mass rather than the Novus Ordo. In tandem with this, there is no justification for continuing to accept the novelties promulgated by Vatican II and its aftermath, especially those related to false ecumenism.

In addition, we can consider Bishop Sheen’s words of advice to close the essay in which he described the ape church:

“Those who have the faith had better keep in the state of grace, and those who have neither had better find out what they mean, for in the coming age there will be only one way to stop trembling knees, and that will be to get down on them and pray . . . The way out of this crisis is basically spiritual, because the trouble is not the way we keep our books, but in the way we keep our souls.” (p. 46)

We may need a lot of things to make it through this crisis, but we need saints first and foremost. Those who think they can combat the Synodal Church without doing their best to cooperate with God’s grace are almost certainly deluded and will generally make matters worse.

Beyond this, it is understandable and perhaps even necessary to consider whether people (including bishops) can be members of both the Synodal Church and the Catholic Church. Maybe one must make some allowance for those who do not fully appreciate the significance of being in the Synodal Church — as distinct from the Catholic Church — but it seems that we cannot possibly give the bishops in charge of the Synod any such allowance.

For better or worse, those of us who are not bishops do not appear to have a direct role to play in deciding the status of those who are in the Synodal Church. It has become oddly controversial to express it, but even if all of the laity who attend the Traditional Latin Mass were to decide that Francis is not the pope it would have no binding effect on anyone. That said, it is feasible that at some point the consensus of the laity could play a role — along with God’s grace, of course — in prompting the bishops to take concrete action to address the crisis.

Returning to Bishop Sheen’s advice, though, it is perhaps worth considering that he does not appear to suggest that the “solution” to the ape church will come from the Catholic bishops. Indeed, in all of the prophetic warnings that point to our current crisis we do not appear to have any hint that the “solution” will consist in anything other than faithful Catholics trying to be saints — by keeping the unadulterated Faith, trying to avoid all deliberate sin, praying the Rosary, and performing penance — and patiently imploring God’s intervention.

So while it seems entirely reasonable to charitably encourage the bishops to take further steps to address the crisis there is no substitute for trying to become saints, which requires us to reject the Synodal Church that Francis and Satan have created. Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, pray for us!

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