Our Infovaticana page has repositioned some things in its presentation, our Specola appears separately and we think it makes its use more agile. The translation service into English, French, Italian, German, and Portuguese is interesting. We start on this December 3, feast of St. Francis Xavier.
The first international apostolic journey of Leo XIV has concluded, an itinerary that lasted from November 27 to December 2, 2025, articulated around a precise symbolic and historical objective: to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea. This journey incorporated a methodological novelty in the relationship between the pontificate and the press: during the flight to Lebanon on November 30, the Pope went to the back of the plane to greet the guests and responded in advance to two questions posed by Turkish reporters, breaking the practice established by Pope Francis, which provided for the press conference only on the return flight and at the end of the apostolic journey. The Vaticanists are accustomed to the recent model, in which Pope Francis controlled times, messages, and frames with a highly centralized and preventive method, oriented toward a constructed communication to direct the interpretation of the facts.
The Pope revealed his desire for his next apostolic journey to be to Africa. Although he clarified that «nothing is certain», he expressed his particular interest in visiting Algeria to honor the places where St. Augustine of Hippo lived, and thus «continue the dialogue and build bridges between the Christian world and the Muslim world». He mentioned that other destinations in Latin America are being considered for 2026 and 2027, including a possible trip to Argentina and Uruguay, which are awaiting his visit, and to Peru, where “I think they will receive me too”.
Beyond Venezuela and its upcoming journeys, Leo XIV used the press conference to address various topics such as the need to stop violence on a global scale, assuring that he has held telephone conversations with Donald Trump, and the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, about seeking solutions in the Middle East. The Pope revealed that he has held personal meetings with representatives of unidentified political groups, involved in regional conflicts, to try to convince them to «lay down their arms and violence and sit at the table of dialogue». «Our work is not something we announce publicly». He addressed the concerns that Islam generates in Europe, attributing this fear often to people who are «against immigration». The Middle East, particularly Lebanon, offers an alternative model by showing a land where «Islam and Christianity are present and respected, and where there is the possibility of coexistence».
Leo XIV’s first press conference on the plane is a manifesto for the press, accustomed in recent years to statements like «You are a faggot», «They are barking at the gates of Russia», «If you offend my mother, I’ll punch you», «What happened in the Conclave was…». It is already positive that Pope Leo changes the tone and places the papacy in a space of prudence, spirituality, and courtesy. The international press received the journey with surprisingly cold , sometimes distracted , attention, far from the involvement that has usually accompanied the Pope’s public appearances during the last thirteen years. LThe response to the imam’s invitation to join the prayer was a «No, thank you» : a direct response , without controversial nuances, followed by the explicit decision to continue the visit to the Muslim place of worship . That serene and contextualized refusal does not indicate closure, but ecclesiological coherence and interreligious respect. In the Islamic tradition, the prayer of a non-Muslim in a mosque can be perceived as an inappropriate or exploitative gesture , even as an unintentional parody of the sacred.
The international press largely chose minimal media coverage , decidedly less than that reserved for Pope Francis’s statements, with whom many correspondents had built an economically profitable and emotionally gratifying relationship. An increasing number of journalists decide not to fly anymore, not only because of a stifling internal climate , but also because of an operational model that has little to do with journalism and much with prefabricated logistics . The journeys during the apostolic journeys are carried out in groups , in minibuses organized by the Holy See , and overnights are held in affiliated luxury hotels. Coverage often reduces to an editorial copy —a copy and paste of the information published by the Vatican Press Office— , which produces a story lacking emotion and unable to offer a genuine reading of the facts. Leo XIV disrupted the established norms of the Vaticanists, accustomed over the years to the gossip of Pope Francis, from his improvised political confidences to the acceptance of bar phrases, from the controversial passage on homosexuals on the apostolic flight to the famous «if you offend my mother, I’ll give you a punch». It seems that the Pope closes the curtain on the gossip and reopens the stage of what the Successor of Peter has always been—and what many journalists wanted us to forget—a man of prayer, spiritual paternity, and confirmation in the faith.
The topic of Venezuela is not minor and has had repercussions in the media. It seems that finally someone is taking the Venezuela disaster seriously, the Cuba thing doesn’t interest even the Cubans. Pope Leo on the crisis in Venezuela prefers that the United States prioritize economic pressure and dialogue, and leave any military option as a last resort. This points to a contrast with the treatment that Pope Francis had given to the government of Nicolás Maduro, whom he considered at the time a legitimate president and received on several occasions in the Vatican on very cordial terms. “It is better to seek ways of dialogue, perhaps pressure, even economic pressure, but seeking another way to change, if that is what the United States decides to do”. Leo XIV shows himself more willing to harden the international stance toward Caracas, although without endorsing warlike actions. The priority is “the good of the people”, and he confirmed that the Church works, through the Episcopal Conference and the nunciature, to “calm the situation”. Leo XIV appears as a shift in Vatican diplomacy: more critical of the regime, more inclined to international pressure, but without breaking with the pacifist doctrine, thus differentiating himself from the dialoguist and political recognition line that characterized Pope Francis in his meetings with Maduro.
Another important topic is the German reform project, the Synodal Way, which has been a subject of debate with Rome for years. The German bishops and the Roman Curia maintain periodic conversations. He recognizes that, for many Catholics in Germany, certain aspects of the reform project, as it has been structured so far, do not reflect «their own hope for the Church nor their own way of living as Church». Pope Leo warned that the voice of those who have more power should not be silenced, nor that of those who, although they are very numerous, have no place to make themselves heard and participate in the Church. «The fact that synodality is practiced in a certain way in one place and differently in another does not imply that divisions or ruptures arise. I think it is very important to remember that». « There are great similarities, but also some clear differences, between how the Synodal Way in Germany was advanced and how it could best continue in the universal Church». He referred to the ongoing dialogue between a group of German bishops and cardinals of the Roman Curia , a dialogue in which he himself participated as a cardinal. There is an ongoing process, the Pope affirmed, «to ensure that the German Synodal Way does not deviate from what should be considered the path of the universal Church». «I am sure it will continue. I hope that adjustments are made on both sides in Germany, but I have a lot of hope that everything will turn out well».
Let’s go with other information from today. We are surrounded by madness, this one, thank God, is not ‘Catholic’, but it is madness. A Methodist pastor from New York revealed last week his plans to transform into a woman and said as a 51-year-old woman he now identifies as asexual. «So I can joyfully announce that I am in transition. I affirm to everyone that I am transgender . The best way to say it is that I am not becoming a woman, but that I am stopping pretending to be a man. This is a process, and it may be shocking to some what all this means». Phaneuf added more details and claims that the pastor’s sexuality is now asexual, an orientation in which a person experiences little or no sexual attraction to others. They have the images, we save the farce, of Phil Phaneuf with a blonde wig and makeup. He will change his name to Phillippa and the preferred pronouns will be «she». He confirmed that he has been receiving hormone replacement therapy for three months and changes in appearance, voice, and hair are expected. Last year, the United Methodist Church revoked the norms that condemned LGBTQ+ identities in the community, according to its official website. The UMC now affirms human sexuality as a sacred gift and states that this applies to all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, according to its official website.
We are not going to Chile and in a new report for Reduxx: “The Chilean government faces growing scrutiny after sponsoring and approving the distribution of a new LGBTQIA+ children’s book in public schools, despite long-standing controversies related to pedophilia surrounding the organization behind the book”. Until very recently, Chile was one of the most socially conservative countries in South America. In 2022, 62% of voters rejected a liberal and pro-abortion constitution proposal in an overwhelming referendum promoted by the young leftist president Gabriel Boric. Boric launched a «National Plan for LGBTIQ+ Social Rights» that included plans for education, health, and the workplace. The new transgender propaganda book, «Ariel is a girl», focuses on a boy who begins to identify as a girl and was created by the Homosexual Integration and Liberation Movement (MOVILH). “The book has an initial print run of 5,000 copies, which will be distributed in kindergartens and libraries throughout Chile”. MOVILH is one of Chile’s leading LGBT activist organizations and has received more than 279 million pesos in government funds since 2001. The group has also received support from the European Union, as well as from countries like Norway, the Netherlands, and Spain. According to its website, MOVILH was founded in June 1991 and the following year was admitted to the International Association of Lesbians, Gays, Trans and Intersex (ILGA), which since 1993 has collaborated with the United Nations to promote changes in laws and policies. The founding member Rolando Jiménez expressed his support for “activist organizations that defended pedophilic relationships between adults and children”.
We continue with the aftershocks of the previous pontificate, there are whims that cost a lot and end up being ridiculous. Pope Francis insisted that a popemobile be transformed into an ambulance. The result, our image of today, has little to envy the axes-wielding Methodist pastor. Panels now cover the rear part of the white car that served as «Popemobile» only for one day, on May 25, 2014, in Bethlehem. Patients who undergo examinations and treatments will sit in the Pope’s seat. It looks so little like an ambulance that it will be called «vehicle of hope». They surely don’t believe it, but they tell us that: «The vehicle will play an essential role in providing quality medical care to children, while continuing to be a symbol of hope». It doesn’t seem to have cost much and besides, for the moment the contraption remains stuck in Bethlehem with little hope. The Israeli authorities have not yet authorized its use in the Gaza Strip.
And we end with Joachim Heimerl who offers some reflections on the ancient Rite of the Mass and on the Novus Ordo: “Ite missa est” – The Church has lost its identity. “Ite missa est” initially means nothing more than “Go, the Mass has been carried out”. Very little, one might think, but it is not so, and even less if one knows where the term “missa” comes from in the first place. It is commonly claimed that “missa” comes from the Latin “mittere” (“to send”); therefore, the Mass is, in all seriousness, a “mission” and the participants in it are simply “sent”. Now «Mass» is often replaced by «Eucharistic celebration» or, more generally, by «religious service», and that says it all: the «new Mass» is increasingly understood as a Protestant «Lord’s Supper»; therefore, even its name lacks any trace of the memory of the sacrifice of the cross.
“Mass” first of all, and the Latin word “missa” turns out to be an ancient Hebrew word (“missah”). This word, like the Mass itself, dates back to the time of the Apostles and logically means what the Mass really means: the sacrifice of the Lord. Therefore the final words say: «Go, the sacrifice is complete». For this reason, and for nothing else, the faithful give thanks with a sense of «Deo gratias» and leave the church not as «messengers», but as redeemed grateful: the sacrifice of Christ has reconciled them with God. The “new Mass” has cast a veil over this truth of faith. The altar of sacrifice has disappeared and is now oriented toward the people like a worldly «Lord’s table». The cross on the altar in the center is in most cases barely visible; it feels that the focus here is not on the sacrifice of Christ, but on the celebrant and the «celebrating» community.
«Where are we to get bread enough in the desert to feed so great a multitude?»