In the ancient Roman calendar, the first month was March and the year consisted of ten months. But starting from the Julian calendar, two more months were added to align our time with the lunar: January and February. The first month was dedicated to Janus, the god of endings and beginnings. The Ides of January 2026 have arrived.
In a Panorama article, it is argued that Pope Leo XIV has taken a Ratzingerian turn and has finally revealed his identity: he is more conservative than progressive and much more Ratzingerian than Bergoglian. Leo XIV inaugurated the new year by announcing a series of catecheses dedicated to the Second Vatican Council and a rereading of its documents. The objective is to address the divisions that have arisen over the years between progressives and conservatives, often fueled by ideological interpretations. Echoing the approach of Benedict XVI, the Pope advocates for the «hermeneutic of continuity and reform,» in opposition to that of rupture. Leo XIV urges us to go beyond the slogan of the «spirit of the Council» separated from the texts. The true Vatican II must be known in its official documents; only then can the Council be understood in its authenticity and without instrumentalization. With Leo XIV, Catholicism seems to turn the page with fluidity, but with a very clear direction; He has assumed Ratzinger’s spiritual legacy and bid farewell to his predecessor with the calm and elegance that distinguish him. He distances himself from the previous pontificate: less politics, more faith.
In recent months, the Vatican has worked hard to free political prisoners, but it has also tried to offer Maduro an exit strategy. Pope Leo XIV received in audience the Venezuelan opposition leader, María Corina Machado, Nobel Peace Prize winner and politician, whom Donald Trump excluded from the succession of the now former president Nicolás Maduro. Machado, even before the White House, wanted to meet with the Pope. «I had the blessing and honor of meeting His Holiness and expressing our gratitude for his continued support for the situation in our country». «I also conveyed to him the strength of the Venezuelan people, who remain firm and pray for the freedom of Venezuela, and I asked him to intercede for all Venezuelans who continue to be kidnapped and disappeared«. The also met with Parolin. Our image today is, without a doubt, much more pleasant than that of Pope Francis blessing Maduro; let’s hope it is a sign of a good course for Venezuela.
The Court of Cassation of the State of Vatican City, composed of Cardinals Farrell (president), Zuppi Artime (judges), Chiara Minelli and Patrizia Piccialli (appeal judges). The Court of Cassation met to decide on the recusal of the Promoter of Justice of the Vatican, Alessandro Diddi. The Promoter of Justice sent a copy of his declaration of abstention to the Secretariat of the Court of Cassation: he waited until the last day to withdraw from the trial, thus delaying the judicial process by three more months. The recusal is out of time, declared the Court of Cassation: «Diddi abstains to avoid being expelled». The next hearing of the Court of Appeal will be held on February 3, the defense’s appeal remains pending and the prosecution will be represented before the court by the Vice Promoter of Justice, Roberto Zannotti. The fate of Vatican justice could once again depend on conversations between Ciferri and Chaouqui; and Pope Leo could be dragged back into an impious war, as happened with his predecessors Benedict XVI and Francis in the context of a financial transparency never fully accepted in Vatican City.
On November 4, 2025, the Doctrinal Note Mater Populi Fidelis was published, which has caused consternation among the faithful, but also among Mariologists, as it represents an objective diminution of the privileges reserved to Our Lady by the Tradition of the Church. The question now arises regarding its practical consequences, which are not few. Un verbal exchange between Diane Montagna and Cardinal Fernández was published on November 27 on his Substack page . The cardinal confirms: «From now on, without a doubt». The journalist, unsatisfied, asks again for clarifications on the meaning of the word «always». Fernández reiterates that it does not refer to the past, but only to the present, limited to official documents. It seems that in the Doctrinal Note, the adverb «always» does not have the same meaning as in common language. Divine and natural law, for example, is always valid, at all times, places, and situations. For the cardinal, the term «always» is redefined as limited only to the present and, hypothetically, to the future: «from now on». Mater fidelis, although presented as a doctrinal note, bases its reasoning on pastoral measures, subject to historical conditions. The assessment that the document expresses of Marian titles in the document is not absolute and permanent, but momentary and contingent. The conclusion is that the faithful remain free to believe and promote the truth that Mary has always been Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of all Graces, working to ensure that these truths are proclaimed as dogma of faith. If the use of the title of Co-Redemptrix was not inappropriate in the past, it may not be in the future.
Let’s go with cardinals. Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who remains bishop of Munich, commented cautiously and skeptically on Pope Leo XIV’s recent statements on freedom of expression and would have wished that the Pope had been more specific. Marx commented: «I’m not sure about this quote because I can’t make sense of it». It could refer to the US president Donald Trump, just as it could to many other situations. In his opinion, Marx continued, it would have been better if the Pope had given more concrete examples. He acknowledged that there are problems with freedom of expression not only in China, but also in other countries: «But they need to be analyzed more closely». He «would have spoken more firmly. But, fortunately, I’m not the Pope». Marx also observed with concern the state of society. «Democracy is in turbulent waters»
Cardinal Timofey Radcliffe offered ahead of the consistory an interview that oscillates between memories and clichés, but is extremely useful for sowing provocations here and there and conveying the message that, despite the change of pontiff, the agenda must not be altered. The cardinal, however, considered it appropriate to manifest to the world his opposition to the doctrine of the Church on the eve of his preaching before the College of Cardinals. Ethis clear opposition is now perceived as dynamism, freshness, and openness to God’s «surprises,» concepts that Radcliffe did not fail to reiterate in his meditation at the Consistory. Just as he prepared the 2023 Synod with his preaching in the Spiritual Exercises under the motto of «prohibiting is prohibited,» now he has given the new pope the signal that the situation must not change. Nothing should be prohibited to a homosexual man, not even the possibility of being elected pope (and much less the priesthood); nothing should be prohibited to a woman, not even priestly ordination (and, at this point, why not the papacy?). And what about a «traditionalist» faithful? His Eminence forgot to mention it.
Long interview with José Tolentino de Mendonça, the cardinal and poet, the idea of opening Conciliazione 5, a space that the Church reserves for contemporary artists, dates back to 2025. Are there similarities between the visions of Francis and Leo XIV? «The vision of the Church remains centered on the principles of the Second Vatican Council, although there can always be new interpretations, in response to the different historical circumstances that must be reconciled. We live in an era of accelerated transitions. Like in the end of Blade Runner, in Roy Batty’s monologue ‘Tears in the Rain,’ our human generation can say: ‘I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe.’ Can the Church fit into the contemporary art system even though theoretically it cannot join the market? ‘We want to be part of the system, but in another way: to create critical thinking, open ourselves to new visions, listen to silent voices, intercept original paths, promote community practices. Ours is a gallery of dialogue with various institutions.’ ‘I must admit that today there is a lack of cultural literacy of the contemporary even within the Church. This poses a huge challenge. The Church is a worldwide constellation of realities, there is no local dimension; today it’s about accepting polyphonies. Universalism goes beyond particularisms.'»
It is not a cardinal, but it looks very promising the interesting intervention by the archbishop of Oklahoma City, elected secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops last month: «Transgenderism and the Eclipse of Truth » .In a meeting of Catholic lawyers, businessmen, and executives, he warned against the “plague of relativism” and the “eclipse of truth” that ravages every aspect of American life and denounced the transgender movement as a “well-intentioned madness”.“We see the plague of relativism in almost every aspect of life. In politics, we talk about alternative facts; in education, this emphasis on equally valid perspectives; and, sadly, sometimes even in the Church, with its pressure to change its moral teaching, especially its sexual ethics. There is no more compelling proof that we live in a culture where experience and desire eclipse truth than the transgender movement ” .“The pill gave the illusion of completely decoupling sex from reproduction, fueling the fiction that sexual desire could be pursued at no cost or without consequences”, which resulted in the acceleration of the “rapid breakdown of the family ” and the establishment of abortion as a constitutional right in case contraception failed». Coakley also defended parents’ rights and the integrity of women’s sports. He harshly criticized those who » marginalize parents to protect the supposed gender rights of their children» and denounced «the injustice of men identifying as women in sports». «The new threats to the Church’s good works are due to the intolerance of some political left extremists and their affinity with the most radical forms of social movements».
While the network of political organizations affecting the climate change scam is being dismantled, we continue with Catholic institutions that persist with the theme. The Graduate School of Sustainable Management of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart organizes the fifth edition of the executive course «Finance and Integral Ecology: The Sustainable Management of Ecclesiastical and Religious Assets». A press release states: «The protection of creation and nature, the dignity and respect for human life are fundamental principles that must guide investment and asset management decisions of every Catholic institution, in full compliance with the Church’s social doctrine and the path traced by Popes Benedict XVI and Francis». Ethical and responsible finance «is a powerful engine of change, helping to build a bridge between economic growth and sustainability».
There are more topics, and we have an intensive course dedicated to Reserved Crimes, the so-called «Delicta Graviora», promoted by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, at the Pontifical Urban University. There are crimes against the Sacrament of the Eucharist (such as sacrileges committed in satanic rites) and against the Sacrament of Penance; those committed by clerics who acquire and distribute child pornography, and even those who, violating the discipline of the Catholic Church, attempt to confer holy orders on a woman. In 2001, with the Motu Proprio «Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela», Pope John Paul II granted the Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith jurisdiction to know and judge, within the framework of canon law, particularly grave crimes whose jurisdiction had previously been attributed to other Dicasteries or was not entirely clear. «Normae de gravioribus delictis» was updated and reformulated in 2010 with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI. In 2021, Pope Francis promulgated a new version of the Norms on the Most Grave Crimes Reserved to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, updating and modifying the text promulgated in 2001 by John Paul II and revised in 2010 by Benedict XVI. The Norms promulgated in 2021 did not add any new Reserved Crime to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, but introduced new elements, mainly relating to procedural aspects.
It is no surprise, we have said it for years when they tried to hide it; our readers will remember the publication of images from Pope Francis’s audiences that revealed the huge and growing voids. The data published by the Pontifical Household on Pope Bergoglio’s audiences indicate a constant decrease in the number of faithful. However, Francis’s papacy has been very socially committed and has received overexposure in the media. The Pontifical Household now publishes them because, by order of Pope Francis himself, they stopped being published for eight years, due to the collapse in attendance and it would not have been good publicity for the Pope. A hemorrhage that in 2017 recorded a new decline: 2.7 million. From that moment, Santa Marta stopped. The last two years of his pontificate have recorded historic lows: in 2023 and 2024, approximately 1.7 million faithful. Everything points to the fact that Francis’s repeated invitation to Catholics not to proselytize was scrupulously followed by the faithful themselves. Francesco’s simplistic approach, based on slogans, the trivialization of complex phenomena, and the charisma of a trusted butcher, triumphs in the short term but fails in the long term. Form without substance can be captivating, but it does not convince. Advertisers know this well; having to sell even the superfluous, they can only rely on novelty. The emphasis on novelty should have filled St. Peter’s Square and the churches. But it was not so, and it could not be otherwise. Only Christ is the perennial novelty; only He makes all things new.
Pope Francis, who spent huge sums on his personal promotion, who relied on social media, connected with Fazio to promote his book and with the Sanremo Music Festival to greet him, who went to the Roman optician, who drove a Fiat 500L, who carried his own briefcase as if he were just another employee of the Vatican property registry going to work, has failed to win people’s hearts, despite the media publicity that says otherwise. This happened because if substance is lacking the hearts of the faithful become disillusioned because they thirst for God. Pope Francis has suffered excessive media exposure, but the criterion of popularity cannot be the only one to judge a pontificate and determine if it is failed or not, numbers are not everything, but they are something and much more when, for unconfessable reasons, they try to hide them.
«What is this? A new teaching with authority. He even commands the unclean spirits and they obey.»
Good reading.
