Leo XIV Warns Against ‘Rigidity’ and ‘Moralism’ in Preaching the Gospel: A New Testament Reality Check

In address to leaders of Neocatechumenal Way…

Leo XIV Warns Against ‘Rigidity’ and ‘Moralism’ in Preaching the Gospel: A New Testament Reality Check

Bob Prevost of Chicago (right) greets Kiko Argüello of the Neocatechumenal Way
(image: Independent Photo Agency/Alamy Live News)

Today, Robert Prevost (‘Pope Leo XIV’) received representatives of the so-called Neocatechumenal Way, one of the many Vatican II-spawned lay movements. It was founded in 1964 by Francisco ‘Kiko’ Argüello (b. 1939), Carmen Hernández (1930-2016), and Rev. Mario Pezzi (b. 1941).

In his address to those gathered, Leo, similar to his predecessor Jorge Bergoglio (‘Pope Francis’), made a point to warn against using “rigidity” and “moralism” in their preaching of the Gospel, catechetical efforts, or pastoral work, lest people experience “guilt and fear”:

The Church accompanies you, supports you, and is grateful for what you do. At the same time, it reminds everyone that “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). Therefore, the proclamation of the Gospel, catechesis, and the various forms of pastoral action must always be free from forms of coercion, rigidity, and moralism, so that they do not arouse feelings of guilt and fear instead of inner liberation.

(Antipope Leo XIV, Address to Leaders of the Neocatechumenal Way, Vatican.va, Jan. 19, 2026; translation via ChatGPT because official English translation not yet published.)

A Gospel of “inner liberation” without “feelings of guilt and fear”! Now wouldn’t that be appealing to sinful man! It is not, however, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as we will demonstrate shortly.

It is disingenuous of Leo XIV to quote 2 Corinthians 3:17 in support of his guilt-free gospel, while at the same time failing to disclose so many other passages in the New Testament, especially in the Gospels themselves, that contradict his point.

Knowing fallen human nature better than fallen man himself (cf. Jn 2:25), Our Blessed Lord and Savior used various kinds of legitimate means of teaching and proclaiming the Good News. In fact, the word “repent” was one of the first expressions He uttered when He began His public preaching: “The time is accomplished, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the gospel” (Mk 1:15).

There can be no genuine repentance without an awareness of guilt and at least some kind of fear (either a filial or at least a servile fear of God). Indeed, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov 1:7); and, “The fear of the Lord driveth out sin: For he that is without fear, cannot be justified: for the wrath of his high spirits is his ruin” (Ecclus [Sir] 1:27-28).

Let’s have a look at a few passages from the New Testament, beginning with the Gospels, that show how much “guilt and fear” on account of sin and God’s just punishments are indeed part of the true Gospel:

Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many miracles in thy name? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity. (Mt 7:21-23)

Every one therefore that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. But he that shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword. For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s enemies shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not up his cross, and followeth me, is not worthy of me. (Mt 10:32-38)

The Son of man shall send his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all scandals, and them that work iniquity. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Mt 13:41-42)

Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels…. And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting. (Mt 25:41,46)

Amen I say to you, that all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and the blasphemies wherewith they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, shall never have forgiveness, but shall be guilty of an everlasting sin. (Mk 3:28-29)

And if thy hand scandalize thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life, maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into unquenchable fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished. (Mk 9:42-43)

And there were present, at that very time, some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answering, said to them: Think you that these Galileans were sinners above all the men of Galilee, because they suffered such things? No, I say to you: but unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen upon whom the tower fell in Siloe, and slew them: think you, that they also were debtors above all the men that dwelt in Jerusalem? No, I say to you; but except you do penance, you shall all likewise perish. (Lk 13:1-5)

And Peter opening his mouth, said: In very deed I perceive, that God is not a respecter of persons. But in every nation, he that feareth him, and worketh justice, is acceptable to him. (Acts 10:34-35)

Thou wilt say then: The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well: because of unbelief they were broken off. But thou standest by faith: be not highminded, but fear. For if God hath not spared the natural branches, fear lest perhaps he also spare not thee. See then the goodness and the severity of God: towards them indeed that are fallen, the severity; but towards thee, the goodness of God, if thou abide in goodness, otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. (Rom 11:19-22)

But to me it is a very small thing to be judged by you, or by man’s day; but neither do I judge my own self. For I am not conscious to myself of any thing, yet am I not hereby justified; but he that judgeth me, is the Lord. (1 Cor 4:3-4)

Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor liers with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God. (1 Cor 6:9-10)

Wherefore, my dearly beloved, (as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but much more now in my absence,) with fear and trembling work out your salvation. (Phil 2:12)

And to you who are troubled, rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with the angels of his power: In a flame of fire, giving vengeance to them who know not God, and who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who shall suffer eternal punishment in destruction, from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. (2 Thess 1:7-9)

And the angels who kept not their principality, but forsook their own habitation, he hath reserved under darkness in everlasting chains, unto the judgment of the great day. As Sodom and Gomorrha, and the neighbouring cities, in like manner, having given themselves to fornication, and going after other flesh, were made an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire. In like manner these men also defile the flesh, and despise dominion, and blaspheme majesty…. Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own confusion; wandering stars, to whom the storm of darkness is reserved for ever. (Jude 6-8,13)

And if the just man shall scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them also that suffer according to the will of God, commend their souls in good deeds to the faithful Creator. (1 Pet 4:18-19)

And the smoke of their torments shall ascend up for ever and ever: neither have they rest day nor night, who have adored the beast, and his image, and whoever receiveth the character of his name. (Apoc 14:11)

And I saw another angel flying through the midst of heaven, having the eternal gospel, to preach unto them that sit upon the earth, and over every nation, and tribe, and tongue, and people: Saying with a loud voice: Fear the Lord, and give him honour, because the hour of his judgment is come; and adore ye him, that made heaven and earth, the sea, and the fountains of waters. (Apoc 14:6-7)

And there came down fire from God out of heaven, and devoured them; and the devil, who seduced them, was cast into the pool of fire and brimstone, where both the beast and the false prophet shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever…. And hell and death were cast into the pool of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the pool of fire. (Apoc 20:9-10,14-15)

We must also not forget the solemn teaching of the Council of Trent on this point, to wit:

Now they are disposed to that justice when, aroused and assisted by divine grace, receiving faith “by hearing” [Rom. 10:17], they are freely moved toward God, believing that to be true which has been divinely revealed and promised, and this especially, that the sinner is justified by God through his grace, “through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” [Rom. 3:24], and when knowing that they are sinners, turning themselves away from the fear of divine justice, by which they are profitably aroused, to a consideration of the mercy of God, they are raised to hope, trusting that God will be merciful to them for the sake of Christ, and they begin to love him as the source of all justice and are therefore moved against sins by a certain hatred and detestation, that is, by that repentance, which must be performed before baptism [Acts 2:38]; and finally when they resolve to receive baptism, to begin a new life and to keep the commandments of God.

Can. 8. If anyone shall say that the fear of hell, whereby by grieving for sins we flee to the mercy of God or refrain from sinning, is a sin or makes sinners worse: let him be anathema.

(Council of Trent, Session VI, Chapter 6 and Canon 8; Denz. 798, 818; underlining added.)

And in another place:

The Council teaches, furthermore, that though it sometimes happens that this contrition [for sins] is perfect because of charity and reconciles man to God before this sacrament is actually received, this reconciliation nevertheless must not be ascribed to the contrition itself without the desire of the sacrament which is included in it. That imperfect contrition which is called attrition, since it commonly arises either from the consideration of the baseness of sin or from fear of hell and its punishments, if it renounces the desire of sinning with the hope of pardon, the Synod declares, not only does not make a person a hypocrite and a greater sinner but is even a gift of God and an impulse of the Holy Spirit, not indeed as already dwelling in the penitent, but only moving him, assisted by which the penitent prepares a way for himself unto justice. And though without the sacrament of penance it cannot per se lead the sinner to justification, nevertheless it does dispose him to obtain the grace of God in the sacrament of penance. For the Ninivites, struck in a salutary way by this fear in consequence of the preaching of Jonas which was full of terror, did penance and obtained mercy from the Lord [cf. Jonas 3]. For this reason, therefore, do some falsely accuse Catholic writers, as if they taught that the sacrament of penance confers grace without any pious endeavor on the part of those who receive it, a thing which the Church of God has never taught or pronounced. Moreover, they [heretics] also falsely teach that contrition is extorted and forced, and that it is not free and voluntary.

(Council of Trent, Session XIV, Chapter 4; Denz. 898; underlining added.)

Regarding fear, contrition, and holiness, the old Catholic Encyclopedia explains:

The great majority of ordinary Christians must be deterred from sin principally by the fear of hell and spurred on to good works by the thought of an eternal reward, before they attain perfect love. But, even for those souls who love God, there are times of grave temptation when only the thought of heaven and hell keeps them from falling. Such a disposition, be it habitual or only transitory, is morally less perfect, but it is not immoral. As, according to Christ’s doctrine and that of St. Paul…, it is legitimate to hope for a heavenly reward, so, according to the same doctrine of Christ (cf. Matthew 10:28), the fear of hell is a motive of moral action, a “grace of God and an impulse of the Holy Ghost” (Council of Trent, Sess. XIV, cap. iv, in Denzinger, n. 898). Only that desire for remuneration (amor mercenarius) is reprehensible which would content itself with an eternal happiness without God, and that “doubly servile fear” (timor serviliter servilis) is alone immoral which proceeds from a mere dread of punishment without at the same time fearing God. But the dogmatic as well as the moral teaching of the Church avoids both of these extremes (see ATTRITION).

(Catholic Encyclopedia, s.v. “Merit”)

Perhaps we should also note that the Fear of the Lord is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost bestowed in the Sacrament of Confirmation.

The Neo-Modernists of the Vatican II religion love to talk about Sacred Scripture, and yet they preach many ideas that are so obviously opposed to what is found in those very Scriptures (for example, the apostatical claim that God wills a diversity of religions) that one wonders what text they are actually reading.

As for the Neocatechumenal Way, we should point out how Judaized it is. Its bizarre liturgical practices include a gigantic altar-table on which sits a menorah (Jewish candelabrum), and in at least one particularly egregious case, a priest of the Neocatechumenal Way wore the vestments of a Jewish rabbi as he offered ‘Mass’! (Here we note that both ‘Pope’ John Paul II and then-‘Cardinal’ Joseph Ratzinger have celebrated ‘Mass’ in the peculiar style of the Neocatechumenal Way.)

Whatever else they might do in the Neocatechumenal Way, however, we can now be fairly certain they won’t be preaching a Gospel that is “rigid” or “moralizing”, or one that induces feelings of “guilt and fear”. In other words, they won’t be preaching the true Gospel anytime soon, and that’s all we need to know.

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