The global revolution we are experiencing is not a historical accident. It is the culmination of a systematic process of deconstructing the old world order, rooted in the Catholic faith, now being replaced by a godless relativism. In his book The Deconstruction of the Old Order, Donai de la Zerda rigorously exposes this reality: the world is not progressing neutrally, but deliberately destroying the transcendent pillars – the good, the beautiful, and the true – that sustained Christian civilization.
The old order: Catholic and universal foundation
The old world order was not merely political or economic. It was the historical realization of the evangelical mandate: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). Its universality –katholikós in Greek – became possible in 1492 with the discovery of America, when the entire globe could first be evangelized. That order centered on God, natural law as moral norm, and the dignity of the human person created in the image and likeness of the Creator (Gn 1:26-27).
Modernity, with the French Revolution as its decisive break, severed that bond. God was dethroned to enthrone man as the measure of all things. Ideologies arose – liberalism, socialism, communism – that, under promises of freedom and progress, sowed relativism. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states clearly: “Respect for the human person entails respect for this principle: ‘Each one must consider his neighbor as another self’” (CCC 1931). When God is removed, respect collapses and man becomes a wolf to man.
Deconstruction: language, morality, and human nature
The main mechanism is the destruction of language. De la Cerda compares the Tower of Babel with Orwell’s Newspeak. In Babel, human pride sought to “make a name for themselves” without God (Gn 11:4). God confused the languages to halt that rebellion. Today, confusion is deliberate: essential concepts – woman, marriage, freedom, good and evil – are redefined until emptied of essence.
Moral relativism denies objective truths. “There are no longer fixed concepts or objective truths,” the author summarizes. The Catechism condemns it: agnosticism and indifferentism arise from fleeing the ultimate question of existence (CCC 2128). Gender ideology, transhumanism, and cultural bestialization are not progress; they are direct attacks on Christian anthropology. Man, a rational animal endowed with intellect and free will, is reduced to sensory stimuli or artificially elevated to “homo deus” without need of redemption.
This deconstruction manifests in woke culture as a hydra: each “head” cut – radical feminism, sexual diversity, anti-human ecology – generates two new ones. Evil cannot be fought with evil. The solution is not in progressivism or liberalism sharing its modern root. Only from Christ, King of the universe, can order be restored.
Agenda 2030: development promises, risks of ideological colonisation
The UN’s 2030 Agenda, with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, presents itself as hope for eradicating poverty and protecting the planet. Some aspects resonate with the Church’s Social Doctrine. However, the Holy See has expressed clear reservations: risk of ideological colonization, ambiguity on life, family, sexuality, and human dignity.
Pope Leo XIV, in continuity with his predecessors, insists that true peace arises from recognizing every human being’s dignity, not from agendas separating morality and positive law. Underlying it is spiritual warfare: while sustainability is discussed, a model is promoted that often ignores natural law and reduces man to consumer or resource. Technology – artificial intelligence, transhumanism – accelerates this deconstruction when used without ethical reference to the Creator.
As the Gospel recalls, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mt 16:26). Progress without God is acceleration into the void.
The only answer: spiritual counter-revolution
Denunciation is not enough. The cultural battle is only a front; the war is spiritual (Eph 6:12). De la Cerda affirms it forcefully: the new order cannot be fought with the new order’s tools. The solution is to return to the old order in its essence: Christ the King.
This means recovering the traditional Mass, solid catechesis, formation in natural law, and public defense of the faith. Laity are called to holiness in the world: forming families, educating children in truth, rejecting digital idiocy that destroys abstraction and thought. The counter-revolution begins with prayer, fasting, and fraternal correction. It is not nostalgia, but fidelity to the deposit of faith.
The Catholic Church, founded by Christ, will not fall. She has resisted heresies, persecutions, and divisions because her foundation is divine. Today, amid postmodern confusion, Catholics must be light: “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14).
Sources
- Holy Bible (73 books), official Catholic version.
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1992 (esp. nn. 1931, 2128 and sections on social morality).
- Donai de la Zerda, La deconstrucción del viejo orden, 2024.
- Holy See Note on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 2016.
- Encyclicals and papal messages of St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI, Francis, and Leo XIV on peace, integral development, and human dignity.
- Genesis 11 (Tower of Babel) and Matthew 28:19 (missionary mandate).
