Apostolic Nuncio to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, Archbishop Georg G\u00e4nswein, reminded Christians of the dangers of relativism in today\u2019s society during a recent conference in \u0160iluva, Lithuania. Remarking that it \u201cleads to the erosion and ultimately the destruction of a faith based on the confession of truth. And this leads to a poisoning of faith\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The conference, organized jointly by the Lithuanian civic group Laisvos visuomen\u0117s institutas (Institute of a Free Society), the Lithuanian Christian Workers\u2019 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 \u0160iluva Declaration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the third such conference dedicated to reflecting on the \u0160iluva Declaration, published on September 12, 2021, during the town\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The former Prefect of the Papal Household and longtime personal secretary to Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop Georg G\u00e4nswein, delivered the keynote address, drawing deeply on the late Pontiff\u2019s philosophy. His lecture offered a rich philosophical and theological reflection on faith, reason, and relativism, aspects that he described as a \u201cconstant theme in Ratzinger\u2019s work\u201d. Archbishop G\u00e4nswein warned that when either faith or reason is diminished, it inevitably leads to \u201cpathologies and the disintegration of the human person\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The conference opened with remarks from Archbishop K\u0119stutis K\u0117valas of Kaunas and Archbishop Gintaras Gru\u0161as of Vilnius, who both stressed the Christian duty to defend the truth in public life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his opening remarks, Archbishop K. K\u0117valas urged vigilance against temptations to experiment with human nature and dignity. He also reminded attendees that \u0160iluva, a Marian shrine known for one of Europe\u2019s earliest approved apparitions, symbolizes fidelity to God\u2019s order in creation. \u201cThe holy place of \u0160iluva invites respect for the order that the Creator has given to this world\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Archbishop G. Gru\u0161as recalled Pope Leo XIV\u2019s words that the Church \u201ccan 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\u201d. He stressed that all Christians, including those in public life, have a duty to defend the truth, which he described as \u201cnot an abstract idea, but a path along which a person discovers true freedom\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Archbishop Georg G\u00e4nswein urged participants that in the face of today\u2019s 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 \u201can expression of weak and narrow-minded thinking\u2026 based on the false pride of believing humans cannot recognize the truth and the false humility of refusing to accept it\u201d. \u201cThe truth sets us free\u201d, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The conference also featured a range of thought-provoking talks on Lithuania\u2019s 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\u2019s moral direction, freedom of speech, and the renewal of Christian values in society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Archbishop G\u00e4nswein concluded by warning that relativism, the defining mindset of modernity, which he described as \u201ca creeping poison\u201d, ultimately undermines human freedom. Driven by self-sufficiency and amplified by social media, it blinds people to truth and their ultimate purpose. Humanity\u2019s true goal, he affirmed, is \u201cto come to the knowledge of the truth, which is God, and thus to attain eternal life\u201d. His address was met with sustained applause.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
El nuncio apost\u00f3lico en Lituania, Letonia y Estonia, el arzobispo Georg G\u00e4nswein, record\u00f3 a los cristianos los peligros del relativismo en la sociedad actual durante una conferencia celebrada recientemente en \u0160iluva, Lituania. Se\u00f1al\u00f3 que el relativismo \u201cconduce a la erosi\u00f3n y, en \u00faltima instancia, a la destrucci\u00f3n de una fe basada en la confesi\u00f3n de […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2425,"featured_media":53923,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[549,548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-evangelizacion","category-foco"],"yoast_head":"\n