Estamos on the eve of the Ides of October. The month advances and the Jubilee year heads into its final stretch, Rome is full, the lines to enter the basilicas are long and attendance at Jubilee events has recovered acceptable figures. Everyone is aware that the election of Pope Leo XIV has ‘saved’ the jubilee.
Pope Leo XIV received yesterday the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Inácio Lula da Silva, in a ‘private’ visit to the Vatican. The Vatican Press Office announced the news. The Brazilian president has been in Italy since yesterday to attend the inauguration of the FAO World Food Forum. Lula recounts it: «We talked about religion, faith, Brazil and the immense challenges we face in the world.» He conversed with the pontiff and thanked him for his recent Apostolic Exhortation «Dilexi Te» «and his message: we cannot separate faith from love for the poorest. I told him that we must create a broad movement of indignation against inequality, and I consider the document a reference that everyone must read and practice.» «I also expressed to him the importance of my experience with the Base Ecclesial Communities for my formation.» The president then reported that he had invited the pontiff to COP30, which will be held in Belém, Brazil, from November 10 to 21, «considering the historical importance of holding a Climate Conference for the first time in the heart of the Amazon. Due to the Jubilee, the Pope informed us that he could not attend, but assured us that the Vatican would be represented in Belém».
Gabriel Boric, president of Chile, on an official visit to the Vatican. He has visited the tomb of the late Pope Francis in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. The meeting takes place amid the debates taking place in Chile on the expansion of abortion and the approval of euthanasia, issues that have historically generated rejection in the Catholic Church and that are being supported by the Boric Government. The Executive opted to remove the immediate discussion from the assisted death project precisely so that it does not coincide with the President’s visit to the Vatican.
Yesterday we had an official visit from Pope Leo to the ‘house of the popes’, the Quirinal Palace, today the official residence of the president of the Italian republic. The formalities lost in recent papal visits have been recovered and we were able to follow it live on the first channel of public television. In Piazza Pio XII, as soon as he set foot on Italian territory, the Pope received the honors from the Extraordinary Mission of the Italian Government. Escorted by the Corazzieri, he arrived at the Quirinal Palace, where he was received by President Mattarella in the Courtyard of Honor. After the performance of the papal and Italian national anthems private meeting in the Studio alla Vetrata. Meetings with high State officials in the Hall of Mirrors, including the prime minister Giorgia Meloni and the presidents of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. Official speeches in the Ballroom and a brief visit to the Pauline Chapel, in which so many popes were elected and which is the same size as the Sistine.
The first Pope to visit the Quirinal was Pius XII , on December 28, 1939 , to return the favor to King Victor Emmanuel III , who had visited the Vatican a few days earlier. It was the first time, since the «taking of Rome» in 1870, that a Pope crossed the threshold of the palace that had served as a papal residence for centuries. John XXIII visited President Antonio Segni on May 11, 1963; Paul VI later visited Giuseppe Saragat in 1966. After a long interval, John Paul II returned to the Quirinal in 1984 to meet with Sandro Pertini , with whom he forged a deep friendship. Benedict XVI visited Carlo Azeglio Ciampi in 2005 and Giorgio Napolitano in 2008. Francis has crossed the threshold of the Quirinal on two occasions: in 2013 , again with Napolitano, and in 2017 with Mattarella , who will now also receive Leo XIV. Between 1939 and 2017, there have been ten papal visits to the Quirinal and sixteen official visits by presidents of the Republic to the Vatican. The current Quirinal Palace , seat of the Presidency of the Republic, was built in the 16th century and for more than three centuries was one of the main residences of the Popes . More than thirty pontiffs lived there and, until 1870, it was the summer residence of the papacy. After the taking of Rome and the annexation of the Papal States to the Kingdom of Italy, the palace became a royal residence and, since 1946 , the seat of the President of the Republic.
Pope Leo XIV received in audience the participants in the study meeting dedicated to the Servant of God, Cardinal Merry del Val, Secretary of State under Pope Pius X. Throughout his diplomatic career he was always close to the people, even while frequenting the Ecclesiastical Academy, where he understood that «the diplomacy of the Church flourishes when it is lived in priestly fidelity, that of a heart that offers its talents to Christ and to the mission entrusted to the Successor of Peter». «…in Rome he was very present among the children and young people of Trastevere, whom he catechized, confessed and accompanied with affection. There he was recognized as a close priest, a father and a friend». «This double dimension (that of government diplomat and accessible pastor) is what gives his figure a particular richness, since he knew how to combine service to the universal Church with concrete attention to the least». «His name is linked to a prayer that many of us know: the Litany of Humility. The spirit with which he exercised his ministry is manifested in them». The Pope points out a curious fact: «He was only 35 years old when he was appointed titular archbishop of Nicaea, and a few years later, in 1903, at just 38, St. Pius X created him a cardinal and appointed him his Secretary of State. However, his youth was not an obstacle, as the history of the Church teaches that true maturity does not depend on age, but on identification with the measure of the fullness of Christ. He followed a path of fidelity, discretion and dedication that made him one of the most significant figures in 20th-century papal diplomacy».
Yesterday, around lunchtime, the reparation rite ordered by Pope Leo XIV after the new profanation that occurred on October 10, finally took place, but no news has appeared on Vatican News , the official portal of the Holy See. A silence that hides a public scandal of universal relevance, followed and shared by millions thanks to published videos and articles; simply it is eliminated from the official narrative as if nothing had happened. The rite could have been celebrated on Saturday, October 11 , but the archpriest decided not to do so , without giving any explanation. Only after direct intervention by the Pontiff, who asked for no more delays , was it finally decided to act. However, since the Ceremonial of Bishops establishes that the rite be performed on a weekday , it was postponed until yesterday. The rite ordered by the Pope is kept in silence, but voice is given to the complacent words of those who minimize it. The most serious profanation in the recent history of the Vatican Basilica is kept in silence, but pages are found celebrating events dedicated to climate and green issues, but the wound inflicted on Peter’s altar is kept in silence.
Video message for World Mission Sunday: «I invite all Catholic parishes in the world to participate in World Mission Sunday. Your prayers and your help serve to spread the Gospel, support pastoral and catechetical programs, build new churches and respond to the health and educational needs of our brothers and sisters in mission territories». In separate videos recorded in English, Spanish and Italian, Pope Leo delivered the message ahead of the 99th World Mission Sunday this weekend, «when the whole Church prays, united, especially for the missionaries and the fruitfulness of their apostolic labors».
We now have a tribunal for the Rupnik case, the Vatican announced on Monday that a panel of five judges has been appointed to decide the disciplinary case against Father Marko Rupnik, accused of sexual and psychological abuse of consecrated women under his spiritual care. The appointed judges hold no position in the Roman Curia, to guarantee their autonomy and independence in the criminal judicial procedure. In May 2019, the then Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith initiated an administrative criminal process against Rupnik after the Society of Jesus reported to the Vatican credible allegations of abuse by the priest. A year later, the Vatican declared Rupnik in a state of excommunication latae sententiae for absolving an accomplice of a sin against the Sixth Commandment. His excommunication was lifted by Pope Francis two weeks later. In June 2023, the Society of Jesus expelled Rupnik from the religious congregation for his «obstinate refusal to observe the vow of obedience».
Pope Francis never intended to prosecute Rupnik. He always protected him—even brazenly, as in 2020, when he lifted the excommunication that the prefect Ladaria Ferrer had recently imposed on him—and, until the end, kept a reproduction of a work by the ex-Jesuit in his room at Santa Marta, even as the church intensely debated whether the abuser’s mosaics should be separated from their creator or destroyed for being offensive. As far as we know, Pope Leo did not even know Rupnik, inherited this trial and is dealing with a delicate matter. The victims refuse to accept the forgetting of what they suffered and demand justice and compensation; Rupnik, who enjoys a reputation in Vatican justice circles as a vengeful and uncooperative man and has woven networks of complicity over the years. This makes it difficult for the Vatican to find a clear solution to this murky affair. More than five months have passed since the election of Leo XIV, and nothing has yet happened in a process that is practically concluded; only a date is missing. In the Curia they have realized that the Pope does not want to address it directly and are leaving the task of unraveling the tangle to Tucho, the man who in recent years has protected Rupnik on orders from Pope Francis.
The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue of the Vatican published a letter with its best wishes to Hindus preparing to celebrate the Deepavali festival, which marks the beginning of the new year and the worship of a god. This religious celebration is based on mythology and celebrates the victory of truth over falsehood, of light over darkness, of life over death and of good over evil. Not once does the letter, signed by the Prefect of the Dicastery, Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, and the Secretary, Monsignor Indunil Janakaratne Kodithuwakku Kankanamalage, mention the Name of Jesus nor point it out as the only “way, truth and life” (John 14:6). «Hinduism is popular because, like Buddhism, it avoids conflict, as it believes that all religious traditions are different paths to the same end, but, as we will see, this is a contradiction: to affirm that two contradictory positions are correlative is not only irrational, but also false». Catholicism is «the only true faith, founded on the natural and revealed certainties given by a single God», so «it cannot, through solid reasoning, fit into the ideals of religious pluralism».
Dilexi te is, in fact, deeply the work of Pope Francis. His style is recognizable, and his ideological black beasts also stand out, including elites and corrupt structures. Pope Leo XIV thoroughly reviewed the received text, but the work was already well advanced. Leo XIV, in summary, demonstrated his willingness not to completely abandon the legacy of his immediate predecessor, even by translating it and appropriating it.
In other things it seems he has little intention of following Pope Francis. It was Pope Francis’s personal decision to entrust all the Holy See’s investments to the Institute for Religious Works, also known as the «Vatican Bank». He even clarified the matter with a Rescript, which restrictively interpreted a provision contained in the Curia reform text. Leo XIV did not hesitate to revoke that decision with a stroke of the pen, repealing the Rescript with an Apostolic Letter in the form of a Motu Proprio of three articles.
Leo XIV proceeds calmly, seeking first to resolve pending matters without causing more messes, we have enough. The general idea is that the generational change has already taken place with the election of Leo XIV, and it will give rise to a long farewell to a world that will no longer exist in the future. Four dicastery heads will change, and a new Consistory will probably be held next year, when the number of cardinals allows. Work is being done to delicately manage the cumbersome legacy of Pope Francis. Pope Francis was the last expression of a 1970s world that also brought with it all its ideological and political violence; he represented the last spark of a world destined to change.
Leo XIV does not want to erase the legacy of the previous world and seems determined to avoid a zero-sum balance with the past world and to sincerely preserve the good he saw in it. He is not a Pope of continuity or discontinuity. He surrounds himself with friends and friars for everyday decisions and with institutional figures for government decisions. What really matters will be how Leo governs, between the inheritance of the past and the gaze toward the future.
How much of Prevost is in Dilexit te, the text prepared by his predecessor? Dilexi te marks the transition between Francis and Leo XIV, a deeper analysis is interesting. Interview with John Lydon, a Canadian Augustinian who lived with the current Pontiff for ten years in Peru. Last year, the missionary published a volume on the Church’s social doctrine with a preface by the then Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. After his election, the book was translated into Italian with the title The Church’s social doctrine: from Leo XIII to Leo XIV. «While it is not possible to extrapolate exact quotes that are more the work of Pope Leo than of Pope Francis, I would say that the so organized presentation of the Church’s option for the poor is clearly the product of the current Pope’s careful and rational mentality, rather than that of his predecessor. This, of course, is my hypothesis, but I see it in the clarity of the presentation. This is a topic with which I have been familiar for many years, after having worked and taught in Peru. I would say with some certainty that his treatment of the preferential option for the poor is the most complete and best structured reflection found in any papal document. (…) As the Pope makes very clear, the poor are not a «sociological» reality; they are human beings, our brothers and sisters, equal in dignity to all. The emphasis on the poor as «subjects» of their own history, not as «objects» of simple acts of charity, is an important point that must be highlighted, as it avoids any criticism that this document falls into the field of sociology». «This document cites Pope Francis more than 50 times. In addition, Pope Leo specifically mentions that Francis was working on this document. It undoubtedly reflects the teachings of Pope Leo, but clearly continues those of Pope Francis. As mentioned earlier, I see in this document the logical and methodological formation of Pope Leo, which differs from that of the late Pope Francis».
Bishop Mark Beckman of Knoxville, Tennessee, has ordered that all celebrations of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) in the diocese cease on November 23, 2025, in the shadow of the motu proprio Traditionis Custodes of 2021 by Pope Francis. Alternative locations for the pre-Vatican II rite have not yet been designated. In a letter circulated among the parishioners of St. Mary’s Church in Johnson City on October 7, the parish clergy announced a gradual transition from the Extraordinary Form to the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite. The letter highlighted that traditional elements—such as ad orientem celebration, Gregorian chant, the use of the communion rail and Latin—would continue within the 2002 Missal, reflecting what diocesan officials describe as «the faithful’s desire for these rites».
The woke see their house of cards collapsing and try to impose their peregrine things on us by force. Spain has demanded records of doctors who refuse to perform abortions, leading pro-life professionals to denounce the measure as an attempt to create a «blacklist». The initiative arises after legislation that requires all Spanish public hospitals to perform abortions and seeks to facilitate access to abortion in areas where it is difficult to find doctors willing to kill the baby. For example, in La Rioja, the majority of public hospital doctors have refused to perform abortions due to conscientious objection. «The problem we had was that before all the health personnel opposed abortions, even in private clinics». In Castile and León, five of the nine provinces «had not reported any abortion since 2010» at the time of the 2023 report. «Women cannot do it in their province nor by paying, nor being private… not even that option exists». According to the corrupt Spanish president: «the appropriate legal mechanisms will be activated to demand their compliance. Respect for the conscience of medical professionals should never be an obstacle to women’s medical care». The National Association for the Defense of the Right to Conscientious Objection: «No matter what the prime minister says, the right to object is a constitutional right. Who can force private citizens to register in a registry that not even the Constitutional Court demands as a condition? From there, everything is tricks and stratagems”.
«…you clean the outside of the cup and plate, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness».
Good reading.