George Gänswein speaks of relativism as a threat to faith and freedom

Apostolic Nuncio to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, reminded Christians of the dangers of relativism in today’s society during a recent conference in Šiluva, Lithuania. Remarking that it “leads to the erosion and ultimately the destruction of a faith based on the confession of truth. And this leads to a poisoning of faith”.

The conference, organized jointly by the Lithuanian civic group Laisvos visuomenės institutas (Institute of a Free Society), the Lithuanian Christian Workers’ Trade Union, and the Faculty of Catholic Theology at Vytautas Magnus University, brought together academics, civic leaders, public intellectuals and clergy to discuss the principles of the Šiluva Declaration. 

Building positively

This is the third such conference dedicated to reflecting on the Šiluva Declaration, published on September 12, 2021, during the town’s annual Marian festival. The public document advocates the defence of fundamental human rights, the fostering of virtue and the promotion of societal common good. It recognises the importance of a society built upon the pillars of truth, family values, human dignity and faith in God. It has since become a moral reference point for Catholic social thinkers in Lithuania.

The former Prefect of the Papal Household and longtime personal secretary to Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, delivered the keynote address, drawing deeply on the late Pontiff’s philosophy. His lecture offered a rich philosophical and theological reflection on faith, reason, and relativism, aspects that he described as a “constant theme in Ratzinger’s work”. Archbishop Gänswein warned that when either faith or reason is diminished, it inevitably leads to “pathologies and the disintegration of the human person".

The conference opened with remarks from Archbishop Kęstutis Kėvalas of Kaunas and Archbishop Gintaras Grušas of Vilnius, who both stressed the Christian duty to defend the truth in public life.

In his opening remarks, Archbishop K. Kėvalas urged vigilance against temptations to experiment with human nature and dignity. He also reminded attendees that Šiluva, a Marian shrine known for one of Europe’s earliest approved apparitions, symbolizes fidelity to God’s order in creation. “The holy place of Šiluva invites respect for the order that the Creator has given to this world”, he said.

Archbishop G. Grušas recalled Pope Leo XIV’s words that the Church “can never be exempted from the duty to speak the truth about man and the world, using, when necessary, even harsh language that may initially cause misunderstandings”. He stressed that all Christians, including those in public life, have a duty to defend the truth, which he described as “not an abstract idea, but a path along which a person discovers true freedom”.

Recovering reason

Archbishop Georg Gänswein urged participants that in the face of today’s great challenges, such as technical thinking and globalization, the first step must be to recover the full scope of reason. He described true reason as inherently truthful, contrasting it with relativism, which he called “an expression of weak and narrow-minded thinking… based on the false pride of believing humans cannot recognize the truth and the false humility of refusing to accept it”. “The truth sets us free”, he added, referencing John 8:32, noting that it serves as the standard by which humans must measure themselves and that embracing it requires humility.

The conference also featured a range of thought-provoking talks on Lithuania’s moral and political identity, the challenges of liberal democracy, post-Soviet societal changes and the role of faith and family in public life. It concluded with a panel discussion on Europe’s moral direction, freedom of speech, and the renewal of Christian values in society.

Archbishop Gänswein concluded by warning that relativism, the defining mindset of modernity, which he described as “a creeping poison”, ultimately undermines human freedom. Driven by self-sufficiency and amplified by social media, it blinds people to truth and their ultimate purpose. Humanity’s true goal, he affirmed, is “to come to the knowledge of the truth, which is God, and thus to attain eternal life”. His address was met with sustained applause.