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The Vatican and the communist flagLepanto Institute

(Lepanto Institute) – A summary version of this report can be found as a video HERE.

Introduction

The Catholic Church’s teachings on abortion, contraception, homosexuality, transsexualism, and Communism are well established. Abortion was formally condemned in the very first catechism of the Catholic Church, called the Didache, and has remained formally-condemned as an act of murder throughout the entire history of the Church. Contraception has likewise been consistently condemned as an act, and formally so in the encyclicals Casti Connubii and Humanae Vitae. Homosexuality and transsexual practices were formally condemned in Holy Scripture in both the old and new Testaments, and have consistently been condemned throughout the Church’s history.

And while Socialism and Communism have been routinely condemned since Karl Marx penned his infernal manifesto, Pope Pius XII formally condemned Communism in such a way that those who knowingly and freely “publish, read, or disseminate books, newspapers, periodicals or leaflets in support of Communist doctrine and practice or write articles in them” are NOT to be admitted to the Sacraments. In fact, those Catholics “who profess and particularly those who defend and spread the materialist and anti-Christian doctrine of the Communists, ipso facto, as apostates from the Catholic faith, incur automatic excommunication reserved especially to the Holy See.”

What we are about to show in this report is that an agency of the Vatican itself, Caritas Internationalis, and its sister organization CIDSE, are formally guilty of participation in all of these things.

Background

In 2014 we wrote a major report on the participation of several Catholic organizations in a Marxist, pro-abortion and homosexualist movement called the World Social Forum (WSF). These organizations included Caritas Internationalis and CIDSE.

Caritas Internationalis is the Vatican-run umbrella organization for more than 160 Catholic-run aid and development agencies found on every continent in the world. These agencies include Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Relief Services, Development and Peace, CAFOD, TROCAIR, and many others that bear the name Caritas. The stated mission of Caritas Internationalis is:

“to serve the poor and to promote charity and justice throughout the world.”

Its sister organization is called CIDSE, which is a French acronym for “Coopération Internationale pour le Développement et la Solidarité” which can be translated as International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity. Its 18 members include organizations like CAFOD, CORDAID, Development and Peace, and TROCAIR.  Its stated mission is:

“to serve the poor, promote justice, harness the power of global solidarity and create transformational change to end poverty, inequalities and threats to the environment both global and local.”

The report, which can be viewed here, gives 76 pages of visual evidence from primary sources illustrating the entirely perverse Marxist and morally abhorrent program of the WSF. Even more disturbing is proof that both Caritas and CIDSE sat on WSF’s International Council, which is the governing body of the WSF.

Some of the evidence presented in the 2014 report:

In 2011, Caritas wrote an article on the Dakar World Social Forum, stating that the World Social Forum:

“was supported from the outset by international organizations, including Caritas Internationalis, which is still a member of the International Council of the World Social Forum.”

And the World Social Forum website, showing the composition of its International Council, clearly showed Caritas Internationalis and CIDSE on the list.

In that same report we also showed evidence of the World Social Forum actively promoting abortion. For instance, in this picture, you can see World Social Forum attendees holding printed signs calling for the legalization of abortion. This flyer for the World Social Forum in 2007 showed a pregnant woman nailed to a cross “in memory of the victims of fundamentalism.”

In 2010, the World Social Forum Movements Assembly issued a declaration stating:

“We are committed to reinforcing our fight for our people, food, and energy sovereignty and women sovereignty over their bodies and their lives, and sexual diversity recognition.”

“Sovereignty over their own bodies” is code for abortion, and “sexual diversity” is code for homosexuality and transgenderism.

LGBT activism also plays a large part at the World Social Forum. For example, here is a picture of LGBT activists at the 2004 World Social Forum, carrying rainbow flags and signs saying, “Rainbow Planet: Judge not.  Support Sexual Preference.” And these are trans-activists marching in the 2005 World Social Forum. This particular pro-LGBT slogan about “fundamentalisms” makes it into the World Social Forum nearly every year. And just for good measure, here are a couple of tents dedicated to LGBT activism in Africa at the 2007 World Social Forum.

And behind it all is the active promotion of communism. You can see red hammer and sickle flags waving at their marches herehere, and here. In this one, you can even see Caritas flags waving along with the red communist flag and the flags of a local Socialist organization called CTB. And here, you can see a booth dedicated to communism at the World Social Forum. And all this while images of Karl MarxVladimir Lenin, and other communist dictators dominated the scenes. Venezuelan Communist strongman Hugo Chavez key noted the 2005 WSF and used his speech to call for socialist revolution. In 2006 Chavez even called out Caritas by name in a speech given for the WSF.

In 2014, we had a meeting with the Pontifical Council Cor Unam, whose stated mission (until 2017 when it was assumed into the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development) was “the care of the Catholic Church for the needy, thereby encouraging human fellowship and making manifest the charity of Christ.” The purpose of the meeting was to provide fully documented evidence that Caritas Internationalis – which was under the authority of Cor Unam – was on the governing body of an international communist organization that was actively promoting abortion, homosexuality and Marxism.

Our information was warmly received, as the head of the Council at the time was Cardinal Robert Sarah. However, within months of this meeting, Cdl. Sarah was moved from Cor Unam and made Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and less than three years later, Cor Unam was absorbed into the newly created Dicastery for Integral Human Development.

No public action was taken by the Vatican or any local jurisdictions against Catholic organizations involved with the WSF. As to whether any private action to curb Catholic involvement at the WSF was taken is also doubtful, given what we will be revealing in this report.

Scope of the current report

This report is a follow up to our initial investigation from 2014. Our scope is as follows:

  • To investigate the current activities of the WSF from a Catholic moral standpoint.
  • To ascertain if any Catholic organizations, primarily Caritas and CIDSE, are continuing their participation with the WSF following our initial investigation.
  • To examine the institutional culpability of Catholic organizations involved with the WSF.

Evidence will be limited to publicly available primary sources.

Catholic organizations still participating in the WSF

According to the World Social Forum’s website, the following Catholic organizations participated in the 2021 WSF:

  • Caritas Internationalis
  • Caritas Cyprus
  • Caritas Diocesana de Tubarao/SC -Brasil
  • Caritas Georgia
  • Caritas Middle East and North Africa
  • CIDSE
  • Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd Latin America
  • Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd – United States
  • Development and Peace – Caritas Canada
  • Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

The following are screen captures from pages 345, and 10 of the World Social Forum’s website listing its participating organizations:

         

Caritas Internationalis and CIDSE on the International Council of the World Social Forum

As noted in our 2014 report, both Cartitas Internationalis and CIDSE were members of the decision-making body of the WSF, which is its International Council.

In 2017, according to the WSF’s own website, CIDSE and Caritas renewed their membership on the World Social Forum International Council.  The renewal letter signed by both organizations begins, “Dear Comrades,” and mentions that the International Council of the WSF is in the process of restructuring. The letter also indicates that those organizations expressing a desire to renew membership on the International Council, “shall delegate representatives with decision-making power in the meetings in which it participates.”

In short, by renewing their membership on the International Council, CIDSE and Caritas both acknowledge that their membership on the International Council means that they are making real decisions and guiding the direction of the World Social Forum itself.

In signing the letter, Caritas Internationalis indicated that the Secretary General of Caritas, who was Michel Roy at that time, signed the letter and affirmed its membership on the International Council.

In stating reasons for joining the International Council, Caritas said,

“It is our conviction that the WSF is, and will continue to be, the privileged space for building ideas, initiatives and meetings of citizens of the world, synergies of organizations and networks, movements and civil society entities that, like Caritas, believe in “building another possible world.”

CIDSE, for its part in signing the letter said, “The World Social Forum is the most important international space created by and for civil society and social movements in the South in particular.” It also reiterated that “CIDSE has been a member of the International Council on the World Social Forum and involved in it since its beginnings.” And while acknowledging its role in making decisions for the World Social Forum on the whole, its only hesitation was in signing any political statements.

The following web captures show the invitation to rejoin the International Council, and both Caritas’ and CIDSE’s acceptance letters.

   

Examination of recent WSF activities – social media

The International Council of the World Social Forum has its own Facebook page. Bear in mind that Caritas and CIDSE are members of the IC, meaning they are directly responsible for this content.

On January 11 of this year, the International Council of the World Social Forum posted a 20-year retrospective on the World Social Forum, ending with this pro-abortion statement directly crediting the WSF for abortion legalization:

“Alejandra Scampini celebrating the legalization of the right to abortion in Argentina: “That’s why the FSM has to be a feminist forum. How many political actions by law have come out of FSM? Thousands!”

In December 20 of 2020, the IC posted an article celebrating the decriminalization of abortion in Argentina.

In May of 2020, the IC posted this “Study of the needs of sexual and gender diversity population in Morocco.”

In June of 2020, the IC promoted a 10-week course in Marxism, put on by the International People’s Assembly, a neo-Marxist organization.

In September of 2020, the IC promoted an event run by the Left Forum, called “Plato for Revolutionaries. As you can see, the image advertising the event has Socrates drinking hemlock at the top, and the Marxist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin at the bottom.

The World Social Forum also has its own Facebook presence. Here is a sample of some recent posts, promoting abortion, LGBT activism, and Marxism:

On May 27, 2019, the World Social Forum posted a fundraising campaign for Planned Parenthood, saying “Abortion: Keep it safe and legal and funded.”

On March 30, 2019, the World Social Forum posted a video smearing the Trump administration for putting obstacles against illegal immigrants obtaining abortions.

On May 12, 2019, the World Social Forum posted a message from author Bess Kalb saying, “If men got pregnant they’d sell abortion mints at every grocery store checkout next to the Altoids.”

On May 15, 2019, the World Social Forum posted an article decrying the abortion ban voted on in Alabama.

In March of 2020, The World Social Forum posted a series of feminist memes, including one that says, “Thank a feminist if you’re a woman and you can get an abortion.”

In March 2019, the World Social Forum lamented an 11-year-old rape victim’s inability to obtain an abortion in Argentina.

In November of 2018, World Social Forum posted these images from the LGBT organization GLAAD, pushing for inclusive language for sexual deviants.

Like this post, calling the Russian Federation a rogue nation, while referring to Communist China as “peers.”

Or this one calling Communist Cuba the most sustainably developed nation in the world.

And this post of a man explaining Marxist ideologies to his cats.

Keep in mind that the declared role of the IC, in Caritas’ own words, is one of facilitation. Therefore, we can safely conclude that Caritas and CIDSE are formally cooperating with the above gravely evil and disturbing social media content due to either gross negligence or outright participation.

We will now examine the most recent iteration of the World Social Forum, which was held as a virtual forum in January of 2021.

The 2021 virtual World Social Forum

By far, the most egregious and damning evidence we found against Caritas and CIDSE came through what was broadcast during the 2021 World Social Forum. Remember, Caritas Internationalis and CIDSE are on the International Council of the World Social Forum, playing the role of facilitators. They were instrumental in making sure that the International Council was more involved in guiding and directing what happens and what is promoted at the World Social Forum.

The World Social Forum officially sanctioned a three-hour panel discussion titled, “Revolutionary Feminisms for Other Possible and Necessary Worlds.”

This is the World Social Forum’s webpage showing the flyer for the panel discussion as well as a brief outline describing what it’s all about. Here are a few key lines:

The objective of the discussion panel is “To denounce the impact of the perverse alliance between capitalism, patriarchy and coloniality on women’s bodies and to evidence the strategies of feminist struggle and resistance.”

The reference to women’s bodies is clearly a reference to abortion.

Under subthemes are a list of points.

  • Subtheme 1 has to do with fighting capitalism and patriarchy.
  • Subtheme 4 says, “Sexual and reproductive rights, the right to decide about our own body: Abortion as a strategic node of women’s freedom.”
  • Subtheme 6 actually suggests fighting against the Catholic teachings on human sexuality and abortion, saying, “Religious, political and economic fundamentalisms from the state and from society coercing women’s freedom and democracy.”

And towards the bottom of the description of this panel discussion, it says that they will achieve their goals through “Sharing feminist and sexual diversity struggles that take place in our territories, in each continent and country – confronting racism, heteropatriarchy, male supremacy, religious, economic and political fundamentalisms.”

In other words, they intend to promote sexual deviancy and tear down the traditional family.

One of the first things these feminists did in this panel presentation was to hold a pagan ritual, introducing five “elements” to invoke the Pachamama as a guide and protector of their feminist revolution. This “ceremony” is steeped in occultism, including referring to water as “the blood of the earth,” and the use of a black candle, common in witchcraft. Following this ritual, the next speaker, Nandita Shah, thanks the women for the “ceremony” leaving no doubt as to what just took place.

As a side note, worship of the Pachamama is a common subtext throughout the WSF. An organization called Pachamama Nacion held morning meditations to the Pachamama throughout the Forum, and hosted several official presentations devoted to pagan Pachamama worship. A loose translation of this activity should suffice to show the level of Pagan “ecosocialism” facilitated by Caritas and CIDSE:

Pachamama, Mother Earth, is a conscious living being who gives us everything. Humanity, deluded by symbols, suffers because it is far from the original Mother. We are living in a deep sleep that privileges the defense of the individual and the valuation of capital. We perpetuate a network of suffering and inequality where, in an abundant and joyful universe, Pachamama has been exploited and destroyed and the class system continues to fuel a belief in survival.

However, it is still possible to awaken and feel the Real, to realize all the care that Life has with its creation. And so we can feel again that we are the daughters and sons of Mother Earth and Father Sun. That we live in a wild garden and we are children playing from moment to moment, as the Andean abuelas and abuelos teach us.

The return to the poetic and magical way in everyday life is the path of the Movement Nación Pachamama, it leads us to experience popular unity. We are returning to a fundamental dimension of life, of awake imagination and sensitive perception, inspired by the teachings from the Andes that are, perhaps, a beautiful possibility to live ecosocialism.

In this conversation we are going to feel the Pachamama Consciousness, the planetary emergency that we went through and awaken to the essential, the Life, which cries out for the Sacred Activists, now!

 

Given the above, we should also note according to credible reports from Wiccans, that the WSF is a meeting ground for other practitioners of the occult.

Thirty minutes into the Feminist panel discussion, an activist named Meral Cicek praised Argentina’s recent pro-abortion legislation and held up a green handkerchief that called for legal abortion. At 2 hours and 27 minutes (audio is 2:22:20) into the same discussion, another participant holds up the green kerchief, calling the decriminalization of abortion a “victory.”

In yet another panel presentation, entitled “Feminisms and Sexual Diversity,” the speaker discusses how these feminists have pressured the International Council to give them promotional space over the years, and with the newly organized structure of the International Council, orchestrated by Caritas and CIDSE, they finally obtained a platform. She states:

“…I just wanted to share that the feminist dialogues was looked at [in past WSF events] as an autonomous event it was not considered to be part of the WSF. …we wanted to be the insiders but [we were] on the outside.

We wanted to from the outside pressurize the World Social Forum to take up issues which [are] more relevant to us and to give us more space within so the access and all the theoretical dialogues that went on in the international council should take up the issues which we thought were very important…”

What’s clear from this video is that the promotion of abortion through these feminist presentations was permitted directly by the International Council – which includes Caritas and CIDSE.

Beginning at 2:24 of this video, the feminist panelists celebrate homosexuality, the decriminalization of abortion, and Karl Marx, while mocking the Catholic Church and the Church’s teachings on life and human sexuality.

Later in the presentation is the push for a “self-feminist queer future” program that is packed with anti-Catholic thought:

…we held these sessions with trans and queer speakers as part of south feminist futures commitment to resist white neoliberal cis-head patriarchal supremacy and to reimagine a self-feminist queer future to help advance the struggle for emancipation and self-determination for queer trans gender fluid and non-binary people across the globe.

The one workshop we held was under the theme confronting hegemonies and this had the aim of exploring the globalization of the anti-gender movements and the exportation of queer and transphobia across the global south largely from parts of America. This central movement … is having a profound impact on obviously academic freedom, comprehensive sexuality education, lgbtq rights, reproductive justice and that these struggles are of course absolutely critical for their survival.

We must remain dissident and we must not full track to struggles that end in recognition and rights for queer and trans and non-binary people this often results in a false recognition and confines rights to a cis heteronormative paradigm. It’s only recognition and rights on their terms not ours and this is rooted in patriarchy and policing and only only perpetuates the status quo so we must not settle and struggles that end at marriage equality and legal protection from discrimination although importance and potential prerequisites or steps these do not guarantee self-determination nor do they ensure reproductive justice.

The next speaker at 2 hours and 16 minutes emphasizes that “sexual rights” are endangered by “Catholic fundamentalists” against the “freedom of women:”

in the path towards the 2022 Mexico forum our system of struggle is the self determination and the free decision as regards reproductive rights and sexual rights. This is still a priority for us. It’s now endangered by the advancement of the right wing in Italy, US in most European countries and in other countries around the world. In Italy we have Catholic fundamentalists against this freedom of women.

Several of the speakers discussed so-called women’s struggles to obtain a legal “right” to an abortion, and one addressed her direct work in helping to decriminalize abortion in Argentina (154:27 – 155:33).

I am part of the abortion campaign for a free safe abortion in Argentina and we work with more than

700 movements, NGOs, and cultural centers feminist centers. We are bonded federally nationally territorially in social networks. We have been in the making for 15 years abortion – free abortion – in Argentina and in December in Argentina after many many meetings, plenary sessions, marches, movements in the streets, we’ve conquered free legal abortion and as of Sunday any person in our country has the possibility to voluntarily interrupt their pregnancy up to the 14th week of pregnancy and we will continue working in this. This is a historic moment for our country.

After this, one of the speakers talks about the plan to export the decriminalization of abortion to other Catholic countries. (1 hr 55:54 – 1 hr 57:49).

“…this struggle has become a transporter struggle. More than 20 countries have participated. Feminist colleagues and comrades have participated in the marches in the streets and in 2018 this green handkerchief has become a symbol of this struggle.

…When we were talking about fundamentalism and radicalism we have to be on the lookout.

This is already a right but we have to pay attention, we have to be aware. We know by the Uruguayans the Italians that sometimes it’s difficult to access and we are looking at Poland and Honduras that they have had backfires in the last weeks. We are looking at the comrades who have been arrested for boarding for having an abortion but that that is not the main purpose. That’s not said that that’s not what they are taking to jail but that is the underlying reason.

Here in Argentina today we are demanding with this law that all the women who have gone to jail because of an abortion be free so now I’d like to give a warm warm regards that this free and legal abortion movement – I hope that it can be possible so in your countries and I will see you in the next forum.”

Another officially sanctioned presentation, promoted by the World Social Forum on its own website, trained radicals in pushing for the legalization of abortion in their own countries.

A translation of the description of this activity reads as follows:

The struggles for the right to legal, safe and free abortion in Abya Yala. In community territories, neighborhoods, in the countryside and the city. The mobilization, the cultural ideological struggle from the neighborhoods, the offensive of religious fundamentalisms in society and from the States, among others.

The full video of this activity can be seen here. This presentation is entirely focused on the promotion of abortion throughout the world and speaks often against Christian opposition to abortion. There can be no clearer proof that the WSF has as a primary focus the death of preborn babies.

Some examples from this presentation include:

This woman stating that we must talk proudly about abortion to remove its stigma in Latin American countries.

This activist calling for free abortions throughout Central America and for Argentina’s “green tide” to sweep over other countries.

This abortion activist stating that sexual education is the key to passing abortion legislation and the absolute necessity to preach abortion in classrooms to children.

And weaved through the entire presentation are calls against Christianity and Catholicism in particular for fighting against abortion.

   

This anti-Catholic presentation calling for the right to kill preborn children happened under the watch of both Caritas and CIDSE. These activists are actively fighting against the Catholic Church, apparently with the blessing of the Vatican’s main social justice apparatus.

Conclusion

We began this report seeking the answer to three questions.

First, to investigate the current activities of the WSF from a Catholic moral standpoint.

Based on our investigation, the WSF is a Communist organization that is actively worshipping the Pachamama, is pushing acceptance of homosexuality and transgenderism, and is advocating for the decriminalization of abortion all over the world. From a Catholic moral standpoint, participation, let alone facilitation is entirely ruled out.

Second, to ascertain if any Catholic organizations, primarily Caritas and CIDSE, are continuing their participation with the WSF following our initial investigation.

Both Caritas and CIDSE, according to primary sources including their own web sites and copious meeting notes from the WSF show that both organizations are intimate partners with the WSF.

Finally, to examine the institutional culpability of Catholic organizations involved with the WSF.

According to primary sources, both Caritas and CIDSE worked to ensure the continuance of the WSF when it nearly dissolved and were instrumental in strengthening the role of the WSF’s governing body, the International Council. Both organizations serve on the IC and both agreed that the role of the IC is one of facilitation. Neither have protested the evil actions of the WSF, or even done the bare minimum to avoid the appearance of scandal. Therefore, both are directly culpable for ALL actions of the WSF.

The bottom line is this: Caritas Internationalis and CIDSE are on the governing body of a Communist organization that is engaged in Pagan worship, and celebrates decriminalization of abortion all over the world while actively fighting against the Catholic church’s stand against grave evil.

Keep in mind we gave a highly detailed report to the Vatican in 2014 on this material, and shortly thereafter, Cardinal Sarah was moved out of Cor Unam. Not only has nothing been done to resolve this issue, but it is now worse than it has ever been!

This is a perfect illustration of just how deeply serious the crisis in our beloved Church truly is! Pray the Rosary daily for the Church, for our clergy, for the consecration of Russia, and most especially for the pope!

In the meantime, write your bishop and tell him about this report. Explain to him that you absolutely refuse to give any money for any USCCB or Vatican collection until the Vatican’s relationship with this demonic, communist organization is completely severed and a formal apology is issued.

Reprinted with permission from the Lepanto Institute