His last day on Turkish soil began at the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral. He was received by Sahak II, Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, to whom the Pontiff humbly offered the opportunity to taste the bread he had just blessed .Sahak II’s speech was particularly significant, as he praised the papacy for serving as a moral guide and expressed his gratitude for all the times popes throughout history have spoken out to denounce the suffering of the Armenians. Subsequently, at the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Leo XIV concluded his pilgrimage to Turkey with a Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of San Jorge, organized by Bartholomew I to commemorate the apostle Andrew. The Pope’s speech included a notable thanks to Bartholomew I for his support of the work of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, followed by a request to «continue doing everything possible to ensure that all autocephalous Orthodox Churches return to actively participating in this effort». This is because, after the 2018 Orthodox schism caused by tensions over the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church, the Patriarchate of Moscow—a great “adversary” of Constantinople—decided not to participate in the Commission’s debates.
The plane carrying Leo from Istanbul to Beirut was escorted by two fighter jets during its landing. While other states had previously shown the same courtesy to previous pontiffs, it is easy to understand that Lebanon is a country going through a conflict in the Middle East , characterized mainly by the low-intensity war with Israel , but also by internal tensions e instability . Numerous military presence at the airport and in the streets, and despite the heavy rain, many people came out to the streets to greet the Pope, who arrived at the Presidential Palace aboard a popemobile. The president Joseph Aoun: «In our land today, as in our region, there is much oppression and many oppressed. Their wounds await your blessed hand and long to hear your great and courageous voice». «We implore you to tell the world that we will not die, nor leave, nor despair, nor surrender. We will stay here, we will breathe freedom».
Pope Leo XIV concluded his visit to Turkey and will continue his international tour in Lebanon with a message of peace. He arrived in Beirut on Sunday as part of his first international trip as pontiff, a five-day tour that began last week in Turkey. By visiting Lebanon, the pope arrives at what was once one of the greatest strongholds of Christianity in the Middle East. But the community has already shrunk in this Mediterranean nation, an emblem of the broader Christian exodus across the region, which is otherwise steeped in the origins of the faith. Christians remain the largest religious minority in the Middle East and North Africa, representing 2.9 percent of its population in 2020, but their proportion has declined from 3.3 percent in 2010. Over the years, they have fled conflicts in Gaza, Iraq, and Syria, where another 13-year civil war has had a major impact on Christian residents. In Syria, it is estimated that the Christian population has shrunk from 1.5 million in 2011, when the war began, to about 400,000 today. In Lebanon, Christians made up more than half of the population before the civil war, but now represent around 32 percent. Lebanon remains the largest stronghold of Catholicism. But in the last 10 years, the total number of baptized Catholics here has fallen from 2.07 million in 2010 to 2 million in 2024.
Hezbollah, in a statement, welcomed the Pope’s visit and asked him to condemn Israel’s actions. The Lebanese have scattered around the world, settling in the United States, Australia, Brazil, and other countries. Another place that is visibly losing its Christians is Bethlehem, the Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank where Christians believe Jesus was born. Israeli military restrictions and the resulting economic difficulties have contributed to driving a recent exodus. The Christian proportion of the population has fallen from 85 percent before the founding of Israel in 1948 to around 10 percent in 2017.
Approximately half an hour after takeoff from Istanbul, the Pope left his seat and headed to the back of the cabin, opting to meet with the journalists on board during the transfer to the Lebanese capital. A decision that broke with the recent practice of briefings at the end of the trip introduced by Francis, returning the conversation with the press to the middle of the journey, while events and impressions were still in full swing.
«Good afternoon! Good afternoon to everyone!».
To the question about Turkey’s role in building regional and world peace, from the Anadolu press, the Pope responded starting from a concrete point: on that trip, and now in Lebanon, he intends to be above all a messenger of peace . He pointed to the Republic of Turkey as a country capable, at least in the current context, of demonstrating the possibility of coexistence between a Muslim majority and Christian minorities; not an idealized model, but a concrete example that also derives from having lived through historical moments in which that peace was not guaranteed. Precisely for that reason, he said, being able to speak directly about peace with Recep Tayyip Erdogan was a «highlight» of his visit.
On the topic of Gaza and the war in Ukraine, at the urging of an NTV network journalist, Leo XIV clearly reiterated the Holy See’s position: the two-State solution .For the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this proposal has not only been shared for years, but remains the only path considered just and viable, while at the same time recognizing a significant political fact: Israel does not currently accept it.
Then, in the Pope’s words, there was a second axis, more specifically ecumenical . The trip to Nicaea to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council was, he explained, the original reason for the stop in Turkey. There, at the site of one of the ancient basilicas, he was able to commemorate the profession of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed , the agreement reached «by the entire Christian community» and the value of a unity that is not proclaimed in theory, but celebrated with concrete gestures. The Pope also mentioned the possibility of celebrating the bimillennium of the Redemption and Resurrection in 2033 , possibly in Jerusalem.
Müller, in an interview with Raymond Arroyo’s program «The World Over,» broadcast on October 30 claims that «it is progressivism, not tradition, that divides the Church.» He criticized the restrictions imposed on the traditional Roman Rite and warned about the growing theological relativism within the Vatican, particularly in some areas of interreligious dialogue. The cardinal argued that it is the progressive sectors that «do not follow the Church’s doctrine,» those that adopt «moral compromises» and those that «relativize the sacrament of marriage» through the blessing of same-sex couples; the division, he reiterated, does not arise from attachment to liturgical tradition, but from positions that distance themselves from Catholic teaching. Regarding opposition to the traditional Roman Rite, Müller stated: «I cannot understand these people», asserting that there is no theological justification for limiting its celebration and that the only argument from its detractors is: «We have the authority». If that rite is truly considered problematic, he added, the exact nature of the error would need to be explained, something that has not been done to date.
The cardinal rejected the claims of Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, who had described the traditional Mass as a «spectacle.» According to Müller, it cannot be argued that the bishops and popes who celebrated it for centuries were interested in turning it into a spectacle, considering that such statements were more aimed at generating headlines than expressing solid theological evaluations. Arroyo then recalled recent words from Pope Leo XIV, reported by Crux, according to which the Mass could be celebrated in Latin anywhere, as long as it was according to the new rite. Müller responded that Vatican II never asked to «invent a new liturgy» because the previous one was wrong, but to promote greater understanding of the celebration for those who did not know Latin.
The controversies surrounding the traditional Mass represent a useless dispute that must be resolved: «We can discuss with those who deny the divinity of Jesus Christ, but not with those who prefer the Mass according to the ancient rite». He denounced that some bishops have advised the faithful attached to traditional liturgy to stay home or turn to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, an attitude that, in his opinion, exacerbates division in the Church; hence his call for dialogue as the only way to ease tensions. Müller then denounced a «growing theological relativism» in the Vatican, which, in his view, manifests itself in certain approaches to interreligious dialogue. He also criticized the creation of a Muslim prayer room in the Vatican, which he described as a gesture of «self-reduction,» driven more by a desire to appear «open» than by serious theological reflection. He questioned whether this decision had been debated with the relevant bodies and warned that some Muslim groups might interpret it as «a symbol of recognized superiority». Warned against the risk of confusing or equating religious doctrines that embody different interpretations of fundamental issues such as peace, freedom, or human dignity: «We cannot mix them. We are not ‘Fratelli tutti'».
Luis Badilla enters the topic of sacred music in the Vatican so despised in the previous pontificate. «The announcement by the Vatican Foundation “Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI” confirming that it will award the Italian conductor Riccardo Muti the “Ratzinger Prize 2025” on December 12 is not only wonderful and unexpected news but also extremely significant, especially because it will be Pope Leo XIV who bestows this prestigious honor, relatively young but one of the most celebrated in the world. On the same occasion, the 84-year-old maestro will conduct a concert in homage to the Bishop of Rome, whose program is still unknown. Riccardo Muti returns to conduct in the Vatican almost forty years after his first performance in 1986 ( the » Messe du Sacre » by Luigi Cherubini ). The last time was in 2012″.
«After the parenthesis during the pontificate of Pope Bergoglio, who detested this type of event, the Vatican is reviving a custom, a tradition that was born in 1966, when the RAI Symphony Orchestra offered a symphony for Pope Saint Paul VI. It was April 20, 1966. The conductors were Nino Antonellini and Piotr Wollny. The event took place in the Pio Auditorium on Via della Conciliazione, today the Santa Cecilia Auditorium. That same year, construction of the Hall began, designed by the renowned architect Pier Luigi Nervi, inaugurated in 1971 and since then has been a preferred venue for Vatican concerts». Highlight the presence of good music in the Vatican and very especially on June 29, 1985, Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul with Herbert von Karajan and Mozart’s Coronation Mass. What Pope Benedict XVI did, «who prayed with music» is on another level and in addition to his surprising technical knowledge at times, he was a pianist.
«This beautiful tradition was interrupted on June 22, 2013, when the new Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis, elected three months earlier, did not attend the already scheduled concert to celebrate the Year of Faith desired by Pope Benedict XVI. Everything happened unexpectedly and without prior notice. Until a few minutes before the start of the evening, the papal chair was in the center of the Paul VI Hall, and only the Pope’s entrance was awaited. Instead, it fell to Monsignor Rino Fisichella, then president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, to announce, with evident embarrassment, the absence of the Holy Father due to «an urgent and unavoidable duty he had to attend to»». The Pope, as was said and written immediately, clarified: « I am not a Renaissance prince who descends to the palace courtyard to deal with these matters ». The highlight of the concert program, in the absence of Pope Francis, was Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Benedict XIV: «It can be said that the quality of music depends on the purity and greatness of the encounter with the divine, with the experience of love and pain. The purer and truer that experience is, the purer and greater the music that is born and develops from it will be».
We continue with interesting in-depth articles, today focusing on the situation that occurs in so many religious spheres. In the last thirteen years we are full of whispers that do not explain, but archive; do not clarify, but seal. In every institution composed of close relationships and numerically limited —movements, seminaries , diocesan curias, local communities— gossip finds fertile ground. What has changed in the last decade is not the emergence of the plot, but the legitimization of the method. Gossip no longer acts simply as an internal toxin in self-referential worlds; it is often perceived, accepted or tolerated as sufficient motivation for decisions that shape paths , vocations , roles and reputations . The plot repeats with a rigid script: at a certain point, it is said that someone is « problematic ». There is no point in proving it, no point in giving details . The insinuation is enough. Now everything is called abuse of conscience, psychological, relational, even physical; what matters is the effect: to delegitimize the person one wants to neutralize.
The language of psychology helps identify what is happening under the surface. Gaslighting is the attempt to manipulate another person’s reality , to the point of making them doubt their own memory, perceptions, and judgment. The gaslighter, psychologists explain, begins by inserting small lies into real facts, so that the victim starts to believe that they » forgot something «. Then questions their ability to evaluate reality: «You are too sensitive… you exaggerate… you are making it up «. Gradually, the victim loses confidence in themselves, feels confused, wonders if they are really «sick» and develops an emotional dependence on the aggressor, perceived as the only one who can provide approval and security. Many cases of spiritual abuse do not involve minors, but adults. A seminarian whose ordination depends on the rector’s judgment, a consecrated person bound by vows to a founder, a priest linked to a community, a curia employee whose future employment depends on the bishop: all are, in this sense, «vulnerable.» The spiritual abuse is a wound that often «clips the wings» of those who with enthusiasm had entrusted their life to God. The power dynamics that have shattered the soul of many and the words «father,» «bishop,» «formator» instill fear.
And we’re wrapping up. December 8 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council. This event in the history of the Church has been, and continues to be, the subject of heated debates and conflicts between opposing factions. Luca Del Pozzo intends to explain to younger generations what the Council was and what it really said. The result, after more than three years of work, is Il Concilio Vaticano II spiegata ai miei figli, a volume of more than 700 pages published by Cantagalli. The author’s stated goal is to put an end to a «toxic and misleading narrative that has completely distorted perception and compromised correct understanding and reception». Preface by Cardinal Sarah: «offers an important contribution to clarifying misunderstandings and erroneous interpretations». In the three parts that make up the volume, focused on the analysis of the main documents, corroborated by numerous interventions from the pontiffs who experienced it firsthand and confirmed by a timely pronouncement from the then Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the author develops the thesis that, above all, Vatican II was not an event of rupture, but —in line with Benedict XVI’s interpretation— of renewal within continuity. Del Pozzo is convinced that it is neither useful nor necessary to dream of an anachronistic return to the Tridentine Church, and much less to expect a Vatican III. Instead, it is necessary to return to Vatican II and implement the renewal that derives from it, without subjecting the documents to one’s own ideas and orientations. Cardinal Sarah defends «a real and authentic implementation of the Council, more than programs of ecclesial reform or synodal processes with uncertain outcomes, is the true renewal that the Church has always pursued, that is, conversion and return to Christ, or the call to holiness».
«Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof. But only say the word…»
Good reading.