THE GROWING CHURCH OR THE SPREADING ECLIPSE?

A Traditional Catholic Reflection for the Feast of Christ the King

...wherever this counterfeit growth prevails, we see not the triumph of Christ the King — but the spreading eclipse of His light

 “He must reign, until He hath put all His enemies under His feet.”— 1 Corinthians 15:25

“When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on earth?”— Luke 18:8

Prologue: The Trumpet of Triumph

The Feast of Christ the King, instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925, was meant to reaffirm the Kingship of Christ against the same modern errors of secularism, religious indifferentism, and false human fraternity that now cloak themselves under “Church growth.” 

The Modernist-enthusiastic-newsmen eagerly shout: 

Statistics released in 2025 shows that the Church is Marching On.

The number of catholics increased by 16 million people world wide. Africa and Asia recorded the highest. Europe saw an increase such that 4 out of 10 Europeans identity [sic] as catholics.

Technically speaking, Pope Leo has an additional 16 million people to govern. The total number of catholics worldwide is 1.5 billion.

They speak with the confidence of victory parades, as if Our Lord’s Kingdom could be measured in polls and population graphs.

But pause a moment, and, think on it.

Is the Church truly growing — or merely casting a longer shadow?

Make no mistake about this: not all who bear the name of Christ belong to His Kingdom; and not every multitude that cries “Lord, Lord!” acknowledges Him as King.

 The Feast That Unveils the Lie

When Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in 1925 through Quas Primas, he did so because the world was already turning its back on the reign of Christ.

He warned:

 “These manifold evils in the world are due to the fact that the majority of men have thrust Jesus Christ and His holy law out of their lives... and that as long as individuals and states refuse to submit to the rule of our Savior, there can be no hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations.”

Now a century later, the same rebellion dresses itself in religious garments.

Modernists speak of a “universal church,” a “synodal fellowship,” a “family of faiths.”

And when their numbers increase, they exclaim: “Behold the Kingdom is growing!”

But what kingdom?

You see? The Kingdom of Christ is built not on numbers, but on truth and obedience; not on conferences, but on the Cross.

A False Measure of the Church’s Growth

From a Traditional Catholic standpoint, the numerical growth of those calling themselves “Catholic” is no proof of the true Church’s vitality.

As Our Lord taught, “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:14).

St. Augustine explains:

“Not all who are within the Church are of the Church.” (In Ioann. Tract. 26).

Thus, even if the external census increases, if the Faith once delivered is adulterated, then what grows is not the Mystical Body of Christ but a counterfeit structure retaining the name “Catholic.”

Pope St. Pius X warned precisely of this in Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907):

“The partisans of error are to be sought not only among the Church’s open enemies, but, what is to be most dreaded and deplored, in her very bosom, and they are the more mischievous the less they keep in the open.”

So — from a Traditional Catholic lens — the so-called increase of sixteen million is no true gain of souls, for jurisdiction and unity in the Faith are not matters of statistics but of supernatural reality.

The Church is one not by headcount, but by Faith, Sacraments, and lawful authority.

Where the Faith is adulterated and the hierarchy corrupted, outward communion may remain, but the inward bond of grace is broken.

Thus, the Imitator of Leo may count millions on paper, yet in truth governs only an empire of appearances — a vast body without the soul of Faith.

For as St. Pius X taught, the Church’s unity is spiritual before it is visible; and without the true Faith, numbers are but “the swelling of pride, not the growth of life.”

When Statistics Crown the Usurper

In Pascendi Dominici Gregis, St. Pius X tore away the mask of Modernism, exposing it as

“the synthesis of all heresies… which places the foundation of religion in the heart, and destroys it in the intellect.”

It is a counterfeit faith — born of sentiment, not of revelation; grounded in emotion, not in grace.

Such religion thrives on feeling rather than faith, and grows rapidly wherever hearts are stirred but minds are untaught. Like wildfire, it spreads — bright, noisy, and brief — consuming what it touches but giving no true light.

A creed that tells men, “All are saved; all are brothers; all paths lead to God,” will indeed fill stadiums, but it will empty Heaven. It requires no repentance, no obedience, no cross — only applause. It builds not the Kingdom of Christ the King, but the kingdom of man, where the creature crowns himself and truth bends to popular will.

The Pope who wrote Pascendi would look upon such numbers and sigh:

"It is not the Church expanding, but the Faith evaporating.”

For the Church grows by grace, not by novelties; by truth confessed, not by error promoted; by saints, not by crowds and clowns.

And wherever this counterfeit growth prevails, we see not the triumph of Christ the King — but the spreading eclipse of His light.

Why the Increase in Africa and Asia?

Indeed, the Faith has spread across Africa and Asia — but let us ask: which Faith is spreading now about which they gloat?

In the days of the great missionaries — of St. Francis Xavier, St. Peter Claver, and the martyrs of Uganda — men were converted by fire: the fire of supernatural Faith, of Baptismal grace, of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. They came to adore Christ the King, to renounce idols, and to die for His crown.

But today, too many “missionaries” preach the brotherhood of man without the Kingship of Christ.

• They speak of culture, development, and dialogue, but not of conversion.
• They fill the churches, yet empty them of doctrine.

Thus, what appears to be a harvest are nothing but only leaves without fruit.

Yes, Modernist “Catholicism” presents itself as a benevolent global NGO, addressing poverty, education, and healthcare. Africa and Asia, being regions of economic struggle, are drawn by this image.

Thus, growth results from institutional presence — hospitals, schools, relief programs — rather than Faith in the divinity of Christ and submission to the Roman Pontiff in the traditional sense.

St. Paul warned of such times:

 “They will not endure sound doctrine, but… will heap up to themselves teachers according to their own lusts” (2 Tim. 4:3).

The “itching ears” phenomenon appears where men seek the Church’s benefits but reject her dogmas. 

By means of the modernized, inculturated rites stripped of doctrinal content (e.g., the ecumenical service and interreligious syncretism) — the people receive emotion without truth. 

Where the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass becomes a “celebration of community,” and sacred music gives way to drumming, dancing, and applause, the sense of divine mystery disappears.

As St. Pius X warned in Pascendi Dominici Gregis (§ 39):

“In their system, worship is reduced to a mere expression of sentiment or inner experience.”

Thus, the rites may stir emotion — but no longer instruct the intellect or strengthen faith.

Note worthy is that, emotion, though natural and sometimes good, cannot sustain supernatural faith.

As Pius X explained, Modernism makes feeling the root of religion:

“Religion, the Modernists tell us, must be explained by an inner impulse or need of the heart.” (Pascendi, § 7)

When religion appeals mainly to feeling, people gather in crowds, sing joyfully, and sense belonging — yet without true conversion. The liturgy becomes a human festival instead of a divine sacrifice. The intellect, made to adore Truth, is left hungry.

Interreligious ceremonies — where false gods are honored “alongside” Christ — directly obscure His universal Kingship. When Christ is presented as one “option” among many, He is no longer King but a mere companion in the pantheon of human sentiment. 

Hence, the increase is masking a spread of sentimental religion devoid of supernatural Faith. Christ the King is quietly dethroned in the hearts of the people.

So while the numbers of “Catholics” in Africa and Asia is said to be on the increase, the quality of faith is decreasing. The outward enthusiasm conceals an inner dethronement of Christ. The masses are moved, but not sanctified; excited, but not enlightened.

 The False Procession

The enthusiasts cry again and again: “The Church is marching on!”

Yes, but which "church", and, to what music?

• The true Church marches under the banner of the Cross, led by her crucified King. The false church marches to the drums of popularity, led by the applause of men.
• The true Church conquers by martyrdom; the false by marketing.
• The true Church preaches repentance; the false preaches relevance.
• The true Church measures victory by sanctity; the false by statistics.

When Pius XI condemned the “pan-Christian movement” in Mortalium Animos, he warned:

“Such attempts can in no wise be approved by Catholics, founded as they are on that false opinion which considers all religions to be more or less good and praiseworthy.”

How prophetic that warning sounds today! For many of the “16 million new Catholics” have been gathered under a banner that bears not the Cross, but a handshake.

 The Eclipse of the King

No doubts, what we witness today is not the visible triumph of the Church, but her spreading eclipse: the eclipse that began October 26 1958 with the mixed smoke signals. 

• The sun of Truth still shines, but the smoke of Modernism clouds it.
• The Mystical Body still lives, but her countenance is shadowed by a counterfeit that calls itself her own.

Yet, as in every eclipse, the light does not die — it only waits behind the shadow.

• Beneath the noise of the age, in hidden chapels and humble homes, the lamp of Faith still burns.
• Where the Traditional Mass, non una-cum the Modernist impostors, is offered in reverent silence, where the Rosary is prayed through tears, where a priest still whispers, Introibo ad altare Dei, there the Sun of Justice yet rises upon His altar.

There, though the world grows dim, Christ the King still reigns — quietly in the hearts of the faithful, truly in the Sacrifice of the Mass, gloriously in the triumph that no darkness can quench.

The Real March of the Kingdom

The world sees statistics; Heaven sees fidelity.

The modernist counts numbers; God counts souls.

The true Church is indeed “marching on” —not in the parade grounds of popular acclaim, but along the narrow road of Calvary.

She advances through hidden altars, where the Holy Sacrifice is offered in secret; 

• through persecuted families, who keep the lamp of Faith burning amid mockery and want; 
• through faithful youth, who stand apart from the current of corruption and refuse the glittering lies of compromise; through religious souls, who hold fast to their vows though the world calls them outdated; 
• and through bishops and priests, few but steadfast, who guard the deposit of Faith whole and undefiled.

Her march is not triumphal but penitential; not adorned with worldly splendor, but clothed in the humility of the Cross.

Her glory is not measured by numbers, polls, or applause, but by the constancy of those who suffer for truth.

She does not bear the banner of the rainbow of human fraternity, but the crimson standard of the Precious Blood —the sign of redemption, of royal suffering, and of unconquered love.

And though eclipsed in the eyes of men, this Church still moves heavenward, step by step, guided by the same Light that once shone from Calvary — the Light that no eclipse can extinguish.

The Crown Restored

As we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, let us kneel anew before His throne — not merely in sentiment, but in solemn surrender. Let every heart become a throne room for His Majesty; let every home bear the emblem of His dominion; let every nation remember that no peace endures unless it bows to the Prince of Peace.

• Let us enthrone Him in our homes, by restoring prayer to its rightful place; in our hearts, by casting out the idols of self and comfort; and in our nations, by refusing laws that defy His Commandments and mocking creeds that dethrone His Kingship.
• Let us confess Him not only as Redeemer, Who saved us upon the Cross, but as Ruler, Who commands us from His eternal throne.
• Let His law govern our speech — that truth may once more be spoken without fear.
• Let His doctrine guide our thinking — that reason may serve revelation, not rebellion.
• Let His grace direct our steps — that our lives may move in harmony with His divine order.

For only when He reigns, not in name but in fact, will His Church again appear before the world as the City set upon a hill, radiant and unshaken, a beacon of divine sovereignty amid the ruins of human pride.

And if the world boasts of her numbers, we will boast of His Cross.

If they parade their fleeting growth, we will proclaim the everlasting Kingdom of Christ.

For it is not the multitude that conquers, but the Monarch.

Empires fall, ideologies fade, and false shepherds scatter —but the King crowned with thorns still reigns, and His Kingdom shall have no end.

Let the remnant, little flock, then take courage: the crown of the world is rust, but the crown of Christ is glory eternal.

“He must reign!” cries the liturgy of this Feast.

And so He shall — in truth, in holiness, and in the hearts of the faithful who would rather die with Christ the King than live under any other crown.

Viva Christus Rex!

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam