When Pope Francis was elected in 2013, his immediate predecessor was still alive—the first pontiff to resign in several centuries—and the celebration for all deceased prelates did not include the previous Pope for years: an unprecedented fact in the modern history of the Church. It was only on November 3, 2023, that Pope Francis dedicated the Mass for deceased bishops to Joseph Ratzinger and remembered him as «Emeritus Bishop of Rome». Pope Leo has celebrated the traditional funeral for the cardenales and bishops who died in the last year, in this case with the death of Pope Francis. He visited the Vatican crypts to pray at the tombs of his predecessors and did not miss the visit to Santa Maria Maggiore at the tomb of the late Pope Francis. «We renew the beautiful custom, on the occasion of the commemoration of all the faithful departed, of celebrating the Eucharist for the cardinals and bishops who left us during the past year. With great affection, we offer it for the chosen soul of Pope Francis, who died after opening the Holy Door and imparting the Easter blessing to Rome and the world». He made a stop at Santa Maria Maggiore on the way to Castel Gandolfo as every Monday afternoon.
Today, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith will publish the ‘Doctrinal Note’, Mater Populi fidelis, with a broad and detailed reflection on various titles attributed to the Virgin Mary throughout history and their theological and pastoral implications. The text, approved by Pope Leo XIV and signed Fernández. It is indicated in the Presentation that it responds to «numerous questions and proposals received by the Holy See in recent decades, particularly in relation to certain Marian titles», and seeks to clarify in what sense they are acceptable or not , specifying «the place of Mary in her relationship with the faithful, in the light of the mystery of Christ as the only Mediator and Redeemer». The document attempts to maintain the necessary balance between the uniqueness of Christ’s mediation and Mary’s cooperation in the work of salvation , safeguarding the faith of the Christian people and, at the same time, ecumenical sensitivity. Mater Populi Fidelis is the fruit of more than thirty years of studies and debates within the Dicastery, of conferences and sessions that have gathered abundant and rich material, now systematized in this synthesis.
The election of Leo XIV has momentarily silenced the discomfort of the Vatican workers. On Saturday the 8th, the Jubilee of the world of work will be celebrated, and the Pope’s employees want to remember that they continue in their struggle. The board of directors of the Association of Lay Employees of the Vatican reaffirms its solidarity with those who have chosen to undertake legal actions. While it would have been preferable to reach an agreement beforehand, and if this did not happen, it is certainly not due to a lack of willingness on the part of the employees. And they ask, with evident euphemisms easy to understand, that «all men and women of good will, without exception, must act to reduce tensions, for the good of the workers and for the image of the Vatican».
Cardinal Gerhard Müller has warned in an interview that some bishops are de facto forcing many Catholics to stay home or seek refuge in the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X. «I have heard from some bishops that Catholics who do not want the new form of the liturgy can stay home or go to the Lefebvrists [FSSPX]». «We must be very open, talk to people in a good dialogue, in a synodal way, to dialogue together». For Müller, it is not the Latin Mass that divides the Church, but the blessing of homosexual couples, which «relativizes the sacrament of marriage, which is a revealed truth».
He criticized what he considers a growing theological relativism in the Vatican’s approach to interreligious dialogue and condemned the creation of a Muslim prayer room in the Vatican. «The Vatican is the seat of the Catholic Church, and allowing non-Catholic worship there amounts to a self-relativization». «This decision seems motivated by the desire to appear «open» rather than by theological reflection». «I do not know if a cardinal, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, or the Pope was consulted. Muslims could interpret it as a symbolic victory, a sign that their supposed superiority is recognized». Cardinal Müller reaffirmed that the foundations of Catholic doctrine are based on Greek and Roman philosophy, as understood by the first Fathers of the Church, who «recognized that there was some truth in philosophy, but never in the pagan Greek or Roman religions. They never accepted the ancient religions». «Different religions have different conceptions of peace, freedom, and human dignity. We cannot mix them. We are not all brothers». The issue of women’s ordination «goes against the Catholic faith that women can receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Only men can be bishops, priests, or deacons».
The divisions between conservative and liberal currents within the Catholic Church have deepened since the Second Vatican Council, especially regarding the interpretation of its reforms. The implementation of Fiducia Supplicans , which opened the door to blessings for same-sex couples, and the continued application of Traditionis Custodes , which restricts the traditional Latin Mass, have intensified these tensions. Many now perceive an emerging conflict between those seeking to preserve doctrinal and liturgical continuity and those promoting a more pastoral and inclusive approach. «The great mistake was to introduce idols into the church, not to expel them».
The Orlandi case promises to accompany us throughout our mortal existence. New revelations: «In Rome there is a network of Vatican catacombs where a body can disappear with extreme ease». «How much do we really know about the dark areas surrounding the city-state?». Maria Antonietta Calabrò links the disappearance of the Vatican citizen with the major financial crises that have marked the last decades of the Holy See. She recalled the bankruptcy of the Banco Ambrosiano, the attempted assassination of John Paul II by Mehmet Ali Ağca and the Geneva Agreements for the creditors of the Banco Ambrosiano, managed with funds from the Secretariat of State of the Holy See.
She also recalled subsequent scandals: the first Vatileaks scandal in 2012 and the crisis of the Institute for the Works of Religion ( IOR ), which culminated in the repatriation of one billion euros to Italy after the 2015 Vatican-Italy tax agreement. The journalist highlighted a lead that had gone unnoticed: the «London lead », which emerged in 2017 and was dismissed as «false» without satisfactory explanations. Magistrate Otello Lupacchini: «All these leads point to a specific place : Vatican City». «It is logical that a file on the case exists , given that the Secretariat of State and other emissaries had direct contact with those who tried to extort Emanuela. If the file is classified, it is not simply a smokescreen».
He says it, which is already serious and denotes the nature of the character, and moreover appeared on the official Vatican news website. Cristóbal López Romero, SDB, repeated a scandalous claim that the Catholic religion does not possess the fullness of truth. «Religions, for their part, have the responsibility to offer paths of meaning and truth, not domination». «No religion can appropriate truth as if it were its sole owner. No one possesses the truth; in any case, it is the truth that possesses us all, and in every religion there are glimmers of truth». They echo the comments of Pope Leo XIV during the homily he delivered in St. Peter’s Basilica on October 26, at the closing Mass of the Jubilee of the Synodal Teams and Participatory Bodies. Leo stated that “being a synodal Church means recognizing that truth is not possessed, but sought together, allowing ourselves to be guided by a restless heart in love with love”. He argued that “everyone must impose their own ideas; we all must listen to each other” before stating “no one is excluded [from the Church]; we are all called to participate. No one possesses absolute truth; we all must seek it with humility and seek it together”. The protest has been immediate among many Catholics around the world, mainly because the Catholic Church, as the Mystical Body of Christ, has always taught that it is the sole guardian of the truth revealed by God. It is forgotten that the «Church of the living God» is «the pillar and bulwark of the truth», as St. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 3:15. Or «I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me», in John 14:6.
For the Vatican, or rather, for Parolin who continues, the issue is a problem between farmers and herders, like that of Cain and Abel. Trump does not see it that way: “If the Nigerian government continues to allow the murder of Christians, the United States will immediately suspend all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may well enter that now dishonored country, ‘with guns blazing’, to completely annihilate the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities”. “I hereby order our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be quick, brutal, and cruel, just as the terrorists attack our beloved Christians!”. “They are killing Christians, and they are killing them in large numbers. We are not going to allow that to happen”. We are prepared, willing, and capable of saving our great Christian population around the world!
Rapper Nicki Minaj, one of the most popular in the world, and who seems much more sensible than some eminences, praised Trump’s message denouncing religious persecution. “Reading this made me feel a deep gratitude. We live in a country where we can worship God freely. No group should be persecuted for practicing their religion”. «Numerous countries around the world are affected by this horror and it is dangerous to pretend that we are not aware of it». «Thank you to the President and his team for taking this seriously». «May God bless all persecuted Christians. Let us remember to pray for them».
A report from the 2025 Global Christian Relief (GCR) Red List concludes that Nigeria is the most dangerous place in the world for Christians. The report details how most murders in Nigeria occur in the northern states, governed by Islamic law or sharia, where Christians «often live in remote villages in semi-arid landscapes, making them particularly vulnerable to attacks». The ongoing violence against Christians in the country has been denounced by international observers as a “genocide”. “This is an attempt at genocide much greater than what is happening in Gaza. They are literally trying to exterminate the Christian population of an entire country”. Between 2009 and 2022, more than 50,000 Christians were killed in the country, according to an Open Doors report, and since then the violence has intensified. A 2024 report revealed that more than 8,000 Nigerian Christians were murdered and thousands more were kidnapped in 2023, including dozens of priests , making it the bloodiest year recorded for Islamist attacks against Christians in the country. In 2024, 3,100 Christians were killed and 2,830 kidnapped in Nigeria.
Canada continues its particular drift and a prominent parliamentarian claims that certain passages of the Bible are “hateful” due to their stance on homosexuality, and suggested that the public recitation of those passages should be subject to prosecution. The self-proclaimed responds to the name of Miller: “In Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Romans—there are other passages—there is a clear hatred toward, for example, homosexuals”. “I don’t understand how the concept of good faith can be invoked if someone is literally quoting a passage from, in this case, the Bible—there are other religious texts that say the same—and somehow claim that is good faith”. “It is evident that in these texts there are situations in which these statements are hateful. They should not be used as a defense, and perhaps prosecutors should have the power to decide whether to bring charges”.
The Jesuits continue with their own and while they fade away they present the Liturgical and Prayer Guide for the “Jesuits for Climate Justice: Faith in Action at COP30” campaign . It is inspired by Laudato si’ and the Paris Agreement, as well as the fourth Universal Apostolic Preference of the Society of Jesus: the care for our common home.
And we end with the Father Nicola Bux is one of the few who speaks clearly and reminds «the pastors who advocate changing the doctrine on homosexuality and other moral issues must be reminded that «the Church has no authority to change even a jot» of the Apocalypse, of which the Catechism is a faithful interpreter. The Catechism can only «change» or develop in the sense of deepening the understanding of the doctrine, but without being able to revoke it». «True mercy does not consist in leaving a person in sin, but in helping them to convert and rediscover the truth. Where sexist thinking has generated suffering, as in the phenomenon of people who repent of having undergone the so-called «gender transition» , we see the wounds caused by a lie that has affected body and soul. The body is not at our disposal, but is a gift from God. Going against the reality of the body means opposing the Creator himself: it is a deception that takes on the characteristics of the Antichrist, when even a pastor of the Church goes to the extreme of defending it».
Is Catholic doctrine «exclusive» or «non-inclusive»?. «I would say yes, in a certain sense it is, because it follows Jesus Christ, who said that he came «to bring division» (cf. Lk 12:51). Christ does not seek consensus, but truth: his «inclusion» is that of those who welcome salvation in truth. The teaching of the Church is not conformity to trends or worldly powers, but fidelity to Him who said: «Whoever is not with me is against me» (Mt 12:30). Christian freedom consists in following the truth, even when it divides». «As John XXIII recalled at the opening of the Second Vatican Council, the problem of the world is always the same: to be with Christ or against Him and his Church. Doctrinal progress is not a change of substance, but an organic development, like the growth of a body: as it ages, we do not add a new limb, but what already exists matures. It is not the Church that must change to adapt to the world, but each Christian who must convert to the immutable truth that is Christ the Lord». He reminds that the authority of the bishop is exercised in persona Christi . As Pope Leo the Great recalled, before Christ the bishop must «disappear». The Magisterium is not above the Word of God, but serves it, teaching only what has been handed down ( Dei Verbum , 10; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 86). When a pastor proposes a «complacent and flexible Gospel», he ceases to be a teacher of the faith and becomes an echo of the world. Fidelity to the deposit of faith is true charity toward souls.
«Blessed is he who eats the bread in the Kingdom of God».
Good reading.