The Enneagram is a nine-sided figure that looks like a theorem straight from Euclid’s Elements. Instead of teaching basic mathematical facts, however, the Enneagram purports to teach a path to enlightenment, a path that Church leaders find worrisome.
In 2000, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops prepared a draft statement, “A Brief Report on the Origins of the Enneagram,” cautioning against its use. It was never published, but it can be found on the website of the National Catholic Reporter. In 2003, the Vatican’s document “Jesus Christ, Bearer of the Water of Life” discussed the dangers of New Age spirituality, and mentioned the Enneagram in its glossary. In 2004, the USCCB Committee on Doctrine released “Report on the Use of the Enneagram: Can It Serve as a True Instrument of Christian Spiritual Growth?” for the conference’s internal use. Father Thomas Weinandy of the USCCB’s Secretariat of Doctrine provided that report for this article.
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