Bishop Erik Varden, prelate of Trondheim (Norway) and member of the Trappist order, has warned about the danger of instrumentalizing Christianity for political or ideological purposes, stating that using the Cross “as a weapon to strike others” represents a drift “toward heresy or even blasphemy.”
In an extensive interview granted to OSV News during his visit to St. Mary’s seminary in Baltimore on May 7, the Norwegian bishop also reflected on Christian hope, artificial intelligence, community life, and the need to recover patience as an essential virtue.
Varden, known for his intellectual and spiritual profile within the Church, was in charge of preaching the Lenten spiritual exercises in the Vatican for Pope Leo XIV and the Roman Curia.
In his statements, he insisted that the Gospel cannot become a tool in the service of cultural or partisan agendas.
“The Gospel is an end in itself”
Asked about the rise of political discourses that resort to Christianity as an identity element or for confrontation, Varden responded clearly: “Any attempt to instrumentalize the Gospel for a subsidiary purpose, whether cultural, ideological, or political, is suspect.”
The Norwegian bishop particularly alerted against forms of Christianity that eliminate the central core of the faith: Christ crucified and risen.
“Any presentation of Christianity that abstracts the scandal of the Cross or perversely uses the Cross as a weapon to hurt others is drifting toward heresy or even blasphemy,” he affirmed.
In response, he defended a deeply Christocentric experience of the faith, less focused on rhetoric and more on the concrete witness of life.
As he explained, Christianity transformed the ancient world not only through preaching, but by showing “a new way of being human,” based on reconciliation and forgiveness.
“When Christianity is invoked as a component of a discourse of hate, we simply must not get on that train”
The truth must be spoken “in charity”
Varden acknowledged that there is a risk of falling into tribal dynamics even within Christian environments.
To avoid it, he proposed recovering an ancient teaching from St. Paul: “Speaking the truth in charity.”
“Love for those who are wrong does not consist in pretending that the error does not exist, but in addressing it in a constructive way,” he explained.
In this sense, he encouraged Catholics to form themselves seriously in the faith, study Scripture, and live deeply the sacramental grace, avoiding superficial or merely emotional responses.
For the Trappist bishop, only a Church that authentically lives the beauty of grace and communion will be able to offer a convincing alternative to contemporary ideological conflicts.
No spiritual hope in artificial intelligence
Another of the most forceful points of the interview was his reflection on artificial intelligence.
Although he recognized its practical utility for certain tasks, Varden showed himself to be deeply skeptical regarding any spiritual expectation placed in these technologies.
“In terms of spirituality, I have absolutely no hope in artificial intelligence,” he affirmed. As he explained, a true spiritual renewal requires a transformation of the human heart, something that “an algorithm cannot do.”
The statements come at a time when numerous technological and cultural sectors present AI as a tool capable of replacing increasingly broad human processes, also in educational or psychological areas.
Varden, however, defended the fact that conversion and religious experience belong to an irreducibly human dimension.
Patience, a forgotten virtue
During the interview, the bishop of Trondheim also reflected on the impatience of the contemporary world and the obsession with immediate gratification. He criticized the mentality that seeks to satisfy any desire instantly through apps, consumption, or entertainment.
“Being human is something great, and great things take time,” he recalled, quoting Cardinal John Henry Newman.
For Varden, patience constitutes an indispensable virtue for Christian life and to avoid false expectations of building the Kingdom of God through purely human or political mechanisms.
The Christian community as a living witness
The Norwegian bishop also insisted on the need to rebuild authentic Christian communities. He recalled with satisfaction a day recently celebrated in Trondheim Cathedral, where faithful from different backgrounds shared conferences, prayer, silence, conversation, and a fraternal meal.
He observed how people conversed with each other “without even thinking of looking at their mobile phones,” something he considered especially significant in a society marked by isolation and digital hyperconnectivity.
According to Varden, parishes will only be able to attract others again if they manage to become places where spiritual life, intellectual formation, coexistence, and Christian friendship converge.