Dear Maria:

I think you need to be reading different sources. Rick Warren is not doing Satan's work. This is not to say that Warren can be recommended to Catholics (explained later). Meyer, on the other hand, may be said to be doing Satan's work (explained later).

As for Rick Warren, who is not a false prophet, and the Pope, there is no mission to bring apostasy (explained later). You must be getting this from conspiracy nuts.

You really need to avoid websites and such that spew this nonsense.

Now, with that said, I will explain why I cannot recommend Rick Warren, and why I give a big warning to all people, Catholic and Protestant, concerning Joyce Meyer.

Concerning Rick Warren: Warren has a Southern Baptist background. I use to be a Southern Baptist back in the 1970s. Southern Baptists are good Christian people, usually politically and theologically conservative. They hold the typical theological views of fundamentalist/evangelical denominations, which are not always in line with Catholic teaching. But, 95% of what they believe is the same as Catholics, 5% is not. That 5% is significant, however.

His Purpose Driven series, which "Why am I Here on Earth For" is one, can be good books for evangelicals, but his books will have a evangelical worldview and theological understanding. As such I cannot recommend his books to Catholics as it may cause confusion or lead to adopting ideas that are not quite Catholic.

Rick Warren and the Pope: Warren was invited to the Vatican colloquium on marriage and family held this last November 17-19. Warren agrees with the Catholic Church on the issue of marriage and family.

Warren said about the invitation: "I can hardly criticize from across the Tiber and then refuse to talk, when invited, about these matters," he continued. "That’s especially the case when the American bishops have been resolute in standing with us, despite our real differences, on questions of religious liberty and the future of the family."

Witnesses will draw from
 the wisdom of their religious tradition and cultural experience as they attest to the power and vitality of the complementary union of man and woman. It is hoped that the colloquium be a catalyst for creative language and projects, as well as for global solidarity, in the work
 of strengthening the nuptial relationship, both for the good of the spouses themselves and for the good of all who depend upon them.

The colloquium's stated goal:

The Complementarity of Man and Woman: An International Colloquium is a gathering of leaders and scholars from many religions across the globe, to examine and propose anew the beauty of the relationship between the man and the woman, in order to support and reinvigorate marriage and family life for the flourishing of human society.

This is a good thing. We need to band together with all those, regardless of denomination or religion to fight for the dignity and complementarity of one man and one women in Holy Matrimony.

This has absolutely nothing to do with any one-world false religion that people talk about in the End Times, nor has it anything to do with apostasy. All this is ridiculous and stems from the minds of people who are a banana short of a bunch.

Rick Warren has deep disagreements with the Pope and the Catholic Church, but he agrees on this issue of marriage and family, as well as on abortion and other such issues. 

As to Joyce Meyer: Meyer has a Pentecostal background who preaches the "Prosperity" gospel, the "name it and claim it" gospel. This is also known as :"Positive Confession" and "health and wealth" gospel. These notions are absolutely contrary to Catholic teaching, and are contrary to the the teachings of nearly all Protestant denominations, including most Pentecostal denominations.

This form of "gospel" gives its preachers the excuse to take large salaries, buy million dollar homes, and essentially live a millionaire life-style from the donations hard-working people give to these people's ministry.

Meyer is one of these people who lives a lavish lifestyle on the backs of the many people who donate to her ministry. She who owns several million dollar homes and travels in a private jet costing upward of $36 million new and around $4-5 million used. She responds that she doesn't have to defend her spending habits because "...there's no need for us to apologize for being blessed. ...You can be a businessman here in St. Louis, and people think the more you have, the more wonderful it is...but if you’re a preacher, then all of a sudden it becomes a problem."

Well, the problem is that the gospel ministry is not a business, and the money for her to live the multi-million dollar life-style comes from donations. After Wall Watchers (a Christian nonprofit watchdog group) called on the Internal Revenue Service to investigate Meyer and her family she decided to take a salary reduction. Her salary was $900,000 and her husband's was $450,000. That is $1.3 million dollars in salary. This is outrageous for a ministry. Ministers can make a good salary, nothing wrong with that, but these people make exorbitant amounts of money, and benefit from their ministries buying million dollar planes and other material goods to which they have access, making of them a multi-million dollar lifestyle.

After an investigation by the United States Senate inquiry into the tax-exempt status of religious organizations by Senator Chuck Grassley, she agreed to greater financial transparency.

in 2009 Meyer's ministry received accreditation from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). In an announcement on March 12, 2009, the ECFA said that Joyce Meyer Ministries and Oral Roberts University had met their requirements of "'responsible stewardship', which involves ministries' financial accountability, transparency, board governance and fund-raising practices."

Despite this, her lavish lifestyle is unethical in our opinion, an exploitation of her donors, and contrary to the Christian mission.

Meyer's theology also exploits people. It promises healing and wealth by just having faith to name it and claim it. If one is not healed or does not gain wealth he is left feeling like he has no faith. Ultimately, this form of false Christianity is religious abuse that harms millions.

Under no circumstances should Catholics or Protestants read her books or get involved with the Prosperity or Word of Faith theologies. Others in this aberrant movement include E. W. Kenyon, Oral Roberts, A. A. Allen, Robert Tilton, T. L. Osborn, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, and Kenneth Hagin.

I suppose that one could say that Meyers and the others preaching the Prosperity gospel are doing the devils works in that they preach something that is not genuine Christianity.

As for "don't have to go to church to be spiritual": I really cannot speak to this without seeing a legitimate source. We must remember that there are many statements attributed to Pope Francis which are complete hoaxes, or are quoted out-of-context making it look like the Pope is saying something he did not say.

Secular media never, and I mean never, report on the Pope accurately. Some media do a better job than others but none are really accurate.

I advise that you avoid all sources except loyal Catholic sources when reading about the Pope.

With that said, human beings are not just a physical body. We have a spirit. Thus, all human beings can be spiritual to some degree. Hindus, Buddhists, and other religions can be spiritual to a degree. The spirituality of these people, or of so-called Christians who do not go to church, is a natural spirituality. Supernatural spirituality can only come with Jesus Christ and His Church. Those who do not attend Church commit a grave sin, which deprives them of a supernatural spirituality.

Concerning atheist: Again, we have to be sure of the source of any quote to be sure it is accurate. The Pope has never, at any time, violated any Church teaching.

As for atheist, the Catechism says:

Atheism

2123 "Many . . . of our contemporaries either do not at all perceive, or explicitly reject, this intimate and vital bond of man to God. Atheism must therefore be regarded as one of the most serious problems of our time."

2124 The name "atheism" covers many very different phenomena. One common form is the practical materialism which restricts its needs and aspirations to space and time. Atheistic humanism falsely considers man to be "an end to himself, and the sole maker, with supreme control, of his own history." Another form of contemporary atheism looks for the liberation of man through economic and social liberation. "It holds that religion, of its very nature, thwarts such emancipation by raising man's hopes in a future life, thus both deceiving him and discouraging him from working for a better form of life on earth."

2125 Since it rejects or denies the existence of God, atheism is a sin against the virtue of religion. The imputability of this offense can be significantly diminished in virtue of the intentions and the circumstances. (my emphasis) "Believers can have more than a little to do with the rise of atheism. To the extent that they are careless about their instruction in the faith, or present its teaching falsely, or even fail in their religious, moral, or social life, they must be said to conceal rather than to reveal the true nature of God and of religion."

2126 Atheism is often based on a false conception of human autonomy, exaggerated to the point of refusing any dependence on God. Yet, "to acknowledge God is in no way to oppose the dignity of man, since such dignity is grounded and brought to perfection in God. . . . " "For the Church knows full well that her message is in harmony with the most secret desires of the human heart."

 Atheist may have a chance for salvation because of what is called diminished responsibility and perhaps invincible ignorance.

Although atheism is objectively a grave sin, in order to make it a mortal sin, in which if a person dies with mortal sin on their soul results in condemnation in hell, three conditions must exist. The Catechism explains:

1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent." (my emphasis)

1858 Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: "Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother." The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger.

1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. (my emphasis) It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God's law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.

1860 Unintentional ignorance can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense. (my emphasis) But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the conscience of every man. The promptings of feelings and passions can also diminish the voluntary and free character of the offense, as can external pressures or pathological disorders. (my emphasis) Sin committed through malice, by deliberate choice of evil, is the gravest.

1861 Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God's forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ's kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God.

An atheist, who was raised as an atheist and knows no other way to think, or for other reasons that impairs the person from making a truly free decision to reject God, can be saved by God's mercy because of diminished responsibility and invisible ignorance.

There is no guarantee of this, but it is possible. As the Catechism states: "...although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God."

The bottomline to your confusion is that you are reading the wrong sources. Do not listen to what the press says about the pope. Read only loyal Catholic sources, such as the Catholic World Report, LifeSiteNews, ZENIT, National Catholic Register (not the National Catholic Reporter, which is a liberal rag), our site, and other such loyal Catholic sources.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary