The Bishop of Charlotte (USA), Michael T. Martin, has ordered all pastors of the diocese to show a video explaining his “pastoral vision” at all Sunday Masses, either during the homily or immediately after Communion.
According to LifeSiteNews, the priests received the password-protected video this week and were unable to access its content until Saturday at noon, when the unlock key was provided to them.
This measure raised questions among some clergy about the reason for the restriction.
A message centered on evangelization
Under the title “Everyone so Loves Jesus, We Share Him with Others” (“So in love with Jesus that we share Him with others”), the video with the bishop’s message did not directly address the recent controversies in the diocese, but instead focused on a call to evangelization.
Martin proposes a pastoral renewal oriented toward forming missionary disciples and encourages the faithful to take an active role in transmitting the faith. The bishop envisions a diocese in which nearly 600,000 Catholics live their faith visibly and share it with others.
The video emphasizes the need to strengthen parish and family life as the foundation for the mission, as well as to move from a merely internal experience of faith to an explicit proclamation of the Gospel.
An episcopate marked by controversy
Bishop Martin assumed leadership of the Diocese of Charlotte in June 2024, and since then his management has generated various controversies.
In 2025, he decided to merge the four existing celebrations of the Traditional Latin Mass in the diocese into a single chapel located about 65 kilometers from downtown Charlotte, a space that, according to criticisms gathered in various media, cannot accommodate all interested faithful.
Subsequently, in mid-December, he ordered that the rails and kneelers for receiving Holy Communion be discontinued in all Masses celebrated according to the ordinary rite before January 16, 2026. He also ordered the removal of any “temporary or movable” elements used for kneeling during the distribution of Communion.
Dubia submitted to Rome
Last month, 31 priests from the diocese—approximately a quarter of the diocesan clergy—submitted dubia to the Holy See requesting clarifications on the bishop’s authority to restrict certain traditional practices.
The video—which will be shown this Sunday—is centered on evangelization and does not make explicit reference to these internal tensions, although it fits into the broader framework of the pastoral orientation promoted by the prelate since his arrival in the diocese.