(LifeSiteNews) — Bishop Marian Eleganti is lamenting the changes in tone coming from most modern priests after the Second Vatican Council.
Preaching at the Solemn Requiem for All Souls’ Day, the former auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Chur, Switzerland, offered a sobering reminder of the reality of sin and warned that many among today’s clergy and laity fail to fully comprehend what is at stake.
“Many people die unprepared, unrepentant and without faith. This reveals a major shortcoming in the proclamation of the Gospel since the Second Vatican Council,” stated Eleganti.
“’People want to hear good news, not threatening messages,’ say the pastors. So priests no longer warn people against sin. They speak neither of purgatory nor of hell.”
This lack of effective preaching, Eleganti explains, has led to the current state of indifference over eternity, which he exposes as being prevalent in society.
Eleganti continued, “People are not worried about being lost for eternity. They think that after death everything will be fine, or that after death there will be nothing at all. They do not reckon with the fact that every life must answer to the eternal Judge.”
The Swiss bishop is known for being outspoken in his orthodox beliefs, especially against the rise of LGBT ideology. Eleganti, along with fellow Bishops Athanasius Schneider, Joseph Strickland, and Rob Mutsaerts, made public reparation for the recent “LGBT Catholic” pilgrimage to St. Peter’s Basilica. During the pilgrimage, some participants were seen carrying pride flags and wearing bags with explicit or vulgar inscriptions.
Eleganti also wrote in a LifeSiteNews opinion article how the Church must first address homosexuality in the clergy before the problem of abuse can be discussed.
“We are therefore still waiting in vain for mention of a major problem in the Church: the disproportionate frequency of homosexuality in the clergy with all its negative consequences,” wrote the bishop.
Eleganti ended his All Souls’ Day sermon urging Catholics to remain fervent in the faith through prayer, and not to give into the temptation to become lukewarm.
“God has placed eternity in the fleeting moment. There is a lot at stake!” he exclaimed.
“Let us live in such a way that we have nothing to regret.… Without prayer, we cannot recognize what will help us move forward.”
