Leo XIV: the ‘cupichgate’ and journalism: ‘Dilexit te’: the last document of Pope Francis, the Vatican and antisemitism, between the tribe and diversity, we need a rich church, the proud, a Pope at the crossroads.
by SPECOLA |
Empezamos otro día de infarto por la cantidad y calidad de los artículos. Un buen número de religiosos han asistido a su jubileo. La asistencia no ha sido para echar cohetes, se ha salvado la situación, no ha despertado demasiado interés. Si hemos visto grupos de religiosos muy jóvenes y perfectamente habituados que son, sin duda, una enorme esperanza en el desierto actual de la vida religiosa. The Pope indicated in these three verbs —ask, seek, and knock— the key to understanding the vocation of those who have chosen to follow Christ in the evangelical counsels . «These are attitudes that are familiar to you, accustomed by the practice of the vows to ask without demanding, docile to the action of God». «Be like leafy trees capable of spreading throughout the world the oxygen of an authentic way of loving».
Cupich was received in a private audience yesterday by Pope Leo XIV. The Holy See Press Office confirmed that the meeting took place alongside a delegation of Chicago union leaders, who were in Rome on pilgrimage. The audience was held in the Apostolic Palace and was part of a series of meetings that the Pope held this week with NGOs and U.S. Catholic charitable organizations. According to Vatican sources, it is understood that the cardinal may also have had a private conversation with the Pope about the controversy in Chicago surrounding the lifetime achievement award given to Senator Dick Durbin. Without a doubt, the Pope was following the matter very closely known informally as «Cupichgate», which has sparked heated debate in U.S. Catholic circles in recent months.
Yesterday afternoon, Pope Leo visited the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development: after a moment of exchange with its superiors and all the staff, he stopped to greet everyone and blessed the installation “The Tree of Human Dignity”.
Yesterday, Pope Leo XIV received in audience the participants of the 39th Conference of MINDS International , a global network that brings together the world’s leading news agencies . Leo XIV pointed out how, in the paradox of the «age of communication», both agencies and information consumers are going through a deep crisis: «the false is often confused with the true, the authentic with the artificial». «Today no one should be able to say: ‘I didn’t know’. For this reason, he encouraged journalists to continue developing critical thinking , promoting an «active citizenship» capable of supporting those who work with integrity and freedom. The Pope defined information as a «public good», which must be defended through ethical and civil alliances between journalists and citizens. He reminded reporters that «they risk their lives so that people know how things are», citing explicitly Gaza, Ukraine, and countries devastated by war . «Being a journalist can never be considered a crime, but a right to be protected». This passage directly evokes his first speech to the media after his election to the papacy, when he called for the release of journalists imprisoned for trying to report the truth». The speech concluded: «I exhort you never to sell your authority. May the Spirit of God, who is truth and strength, and infuses meekness and courage, sustain you».
The Apostolic Exhortation on Love for the Poor has been presented, ‘the last document of Pope Francis’, which maintains the structure desired by the deceased pope, adding only some personal reflections with the controversial contribution of the ineffable Paglia. Initially conceived as an encyclical, at the end of the summer it was decided to transform it into an apostolic exhortation. The first document of the new pontificate is essentially the last of the previous one. The text is marked by numerous quotes from Francis and those who read Dilexi te may be disappointed by the content already widely addressed. This last document of Francis , could not fail to include the programmatic manifesto of the new Pontiff: the social doctrine of the Church that influenced the choice of his name. Leo’s teaching was characterized by its Christocentrism, which also influenced his reflections in the apostolic exhortation. The theme of love for the poor, on the other hand, cannot avoid evoking identification with Christ and, therefore, his love for humanity. «Dilexi te» has a predecessor in «Storia della povertà» , a book by Vincenzo Paglia a disservice to Francis. Pope Leo is already thinking about his first encyclical and did not want this one to be it.
Leo XIV sent the bishops an attached letter, brief and in his own hand, of Dilexi Te: «Dear brother in Christ. With great joy I write to you, following a practice initiated by Pope Francis more than ten years ago, which associates the entire College of Bishops with important moments of the Pontifical Magisterium. May “Dilexi te” help the Church to serve the poor and help the poor to reach Christ. Fraternally in Christ, Leo PP. XIV».
– The text is completely Bergoglian; Pope Francis even becomes almost the «narrator» («as Francis says, etc.»); it is as if it were the last document of his predecessor. Apparently, he wanted to conclude the «cycle of Francis», a bit like the first encyclical of Pope Francis with the text, in fact, of Pope Benedict XVI.
– The Apostolic Exhortation was signed on October 4: in memory of Pope Francis and not of the Saint?
– It was written, apparently, by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia following the line of one of his previous volumes: in our opinion, it was hardly even reviewed by Pope Leo XIV, except for some personal reflections, especially at the end of the Apostolic Exhortation (he himself says so in no. 3);
-It was supposed to be an Encyclical, given its length and the number of notes, then downgraded to Apostolic Exhortation ( HERE and the photograph at the bottom by Nico Spuntoni);
– The names of today’s presenters say it all: Cardinal Michael Czerny SI (Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development ) and Cardinal Konrad Krajewsky (Prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Charity );
-Point 86, which takes up the conciliar constitution Gaudium et spes , where the part on private property is cited «whoever is in extreme need has the right to obtain what he needs from others’ riches», is extrapolated, in our opinion, from the context of GS itself: does it authorize de facto proletarian expropriation?
-Is it an almost «socialist» system and pro-Liberation Theology?
-no. 12 On the numerous poor: but hasn’t poverty constantly decreased, as all economic sources report, including the FAO?
– «Jesus, the poor Messiah» (18 and 19): we don’t believe it;
-«A Church for the poor» (35): we hope not only;
-«Jesus the migrant» (73): we don’t believe it;
-It is evident a very strong support for the «popular movements» (81);
-It seems to us that there are some exaggerations regarding St. John Paul II and the poor (87);
-good and valid expressions on the “spiritually poor” (114);
-The exhortation in the part referring to almsgiving is good and effective (115-118).
In conclusion: is this the last document of a cycle (we hope finished), or the continuation tout court of Pope Francis’s pontificate?
Leo XIV often speaks of unity . In his speech on May 14, 2025, during the Jubilee of the Eastern Churches , he strongly recalled the importance of legitimate liturgical variety and emphasized how the Eastern Churches «preserve unique spiritual and sapiential traditions» that must not be diluted in a uniform osmosis, but valued in a respectful communion. There he reaffirmed that the multiplicity of rites , far from being an obstacle, is «an inestimable treasure for the Church», which must be carefully preserved and without undue reductions. What Leo promotes —and it could not be otherwise— is unity. But if unity means all together, here the problems begin. In the last decade approximately the Church seems to have embarked on a silent but evident path: that of small groups and the ‘ecclesial tribes’ have multiplied.
It is not a minor issue and for thirty years, the Holy See has reacted immediately to any hint of antisemitism». Relations between the Vatican and Israel have deteriorated since October 7. Is this the line of the Pope or of the Secretary of State? The danger of new and serious disagreements with other countries is evident, difficult to minimize, but above all risky for the international role of the smallest state in the world. The Leo XIV himself admitted , assuring that «there is still a long way to go». While the » pastoral » part has been the simplest so far, the Pope appeared «surprised» to have been «elevated to the rank of world leader «. Regarding the diplomatic role of the Holy See, Prevost explained: «All this is new to me… I feel very stimulated, but not overwhelmed «. Perhaps this is also the key to understanding the diplomatic incident , certainly of great importance, that recently involved Israel and the Vatican .
An incident broke out after an interview, more a statement, and here there is no improvisation, with the cardinal secretary of state Pietro Parolin in L’Osservatore Romano on the second anniversary of the October 7 massacre perpetrated by Hamas against Israel . The shame for what happened spreads in the sacred palaces although Leo XIV tried to nip the controversy in the bud: «I prefer not to comment now; the cardinal expressed very well the position of the Holy See ». But the Pope’s tone on Gaza, on the second anniversary of October 7, was decidedly different from Parolin’s. A two-speed pontificate ? Or a synchronization between the Pope and his main advisor, still to be achieved? There are many questions and reconstructions for a pontificate still in its beginnings, with a Pontiff little familiarized with Vatican diplomacy and, especially in this initial phase. There is a problem in managing relations with heads of state and government, and the incident with Israel has brought it to light. In the first face-to-face meeting between Leo XIV and the Israeli president Isaac Herzog , on September 4, 2025, the diplomatic tension emerged with extreme clarity from the unusually long communiqué on the audience published by the Holy See Press Office .
Leo XIV has accepted the invitation to go to Domus Australia , to preside over Vespers in the church of Santa Maria del Rosario in Pompeii. Upon entering, the scene was eloquent: the master of ceremonies was Marco Agostini , a familiar face in the most traditionalist Roman circles. The altar , despite having been adapted to the « terrible liturgical reform », had been set up coram Deo , even though it was just Vespers and not a Holy Mass, a deliberate choice. Before asking to revise Traditionis custodes —which remains a liturgical and juridical disgrace— we should stop and reflect. Unity is not belonging, diversity is not division, communion is not in a private club. The risk is that every believer, every priest, every bishop ends up saying: » we » against » them «. The Mystical Body ceases to be one Church and becomes a mosaic of sects , each convinced of being the only true and just one.
«To have value, the Pope’s word must be a rare word»: this advice given to Pope Francis by one of his close associates was not heeded, as his pontificate has been characterized by a frenzy of interviews and pronouncements. Throughout his pontificate, Francis granted more than 200 interviews to all kinds of media, not to mention his famous press conferences on the plane returning from his trips, sometimes marked by controversial statements that quickly overshadowed the topics of the trips». «Since early September, a new media game has been imposed. Every Tuesday afternoon, when the Pope leaves his residence in Castel Gandolfo, where he usually takes a 24-hour rest at the beginning of the week, his greeting to the faithful gathered outside gives journalists the opportunity to ask him questions about current events». The Holy See’s communication team continues to shine by its absence, Pope Leo, of course, is very much his own master to do and say what he wants and when he wants, but it is a fact, and not a minor one, that this type of improvised interventions, and therefore imprecise, on complex topics that cause division do the papacy no favors.
And we move on to the thorny issue of Vatican finances. Throughout the history of Vatican finances, the IOR has gone through periods of uncertainty and phases of profound restructuring. From the events of the 1980s to the crisis after 2001, and up to the modernization efforts of the last decade, the common thread preached has been the search for transparency within a complex system. The Vatican interacts with the global financial ecosystem , but within a regulated framework. THE last decision of Pope Leo does not go so much in a technical direction that improves things but seeks to put an end to a period of friction between Vatican offices and administrations. Following the motu proprio of Pope Leo XIII , the apostolic letter Coniuncta cura , we have the more than noteworthy opinion of Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, economist and former president of the IOR (2009-2012) .
Are we facing a paradigm shift or simply a technical correction, as you have said on repeated occasions? This is not a paradigm shift, but the correction of a previous error. The 2022 motu proprio had concentrated all resources and institutions linked to the Holy See in the IOR. This centralization generated confusion and fear among the business sector and donors. The new intervention by Leo XIV seeks to rebalance that decision (…) It is a necessary correction, not a revolution.
«The IOR is not a bank. It is an institution that manages the Church’s assets, but does not perform financial intermediation. It does not take deposits to grant credit. It must resort to external banks, both Italian and foreign, to operate. And it has always done so, also for reasons of transparency. The key is in how the funds are managed, with what rules and with what qualified personnel». «Laws and procedures, no matter how perfect, are not enough. Scandals always arise from human errors, not from regulatory failures. The quality of people is crucial: competence, of course, but also an understanding of what the Church is and who its stakeholders are. Those who work at the IOR must know that they manage resources destined for a spiritual mission, not for profit. It is a moral responsibility, not a technical one.
«When Benedict XVI summoned me in 2009, my task was precisely to create a regulatory system in line with international standards against money laundering. For this reason, the AIF (Financial Intelligence Authority) was created to ensure transparency and supervision. It was a necessary decision: without compliance with global regulations, no bank would work with the IOR again». The motu proprio of Leo XIV «I wouldn’t say it «complicates», but it risks generating ambiguous messages. The text suggests a reduction of the IOR, which could be interpreted as a signal of closure. Leo XIV is a pope of great spiritual vision, but I believe that in these technical matters he should trust those who understand the complexity of the Vatican financial system. It is not about power, but about efficiency and international credibility».
We don’t know how it fits with the predicated theme of a poor church: «The wealth of the Church is an indicator of its vitality. A poor Church does not evangelize, does not educate nor support charitable works. Its members must live modestly, but the institution must be financially solid to fulfill its mission. It is not I who says it; Clement of Alexandria explained it in the 2nd century: it is not a sin to have wealth, but not to know how to use it for the common good. Those who preach a poor Church often do so out of hatred or ideology». «The economy of the Vatican must be a tool, not an end. If it loses its spiritual orientation, it becomes a caricature of the secular world. Rules, budgets, and procedures serve to give credibility to the mission, not to imitate the logic of the world. That is why I say we need «men, men and more men»: prepared, honest, and spiritually aware».
What will be, in your opinion, the indicators of the success of Leo XIV’s reform? «Three words: trust, transparency, and continuity. Faithful and investor trust in the good management of resources; transparency in decision-making; continuity in vision, without oscillations between centralization and dispersion. Reforms work if they consolidate the good, not if they create new centers of power». «The priority is to become exemplary again, as Benedict XVI said. There is no point in imitating worldly models. We need to demonstrate that it is possible to manage resources spiritually, with rigor and faith. The Church must become rich again, not to accumulate, but to bear witness. In a world that has lost faith in all authority, the only wealth that still convinces is the one put at the service of the good».
Martin, SJ, is a dangerous voice within the Catholic Church and seeks to deprive those who experience unwanted attraction to people of the same sex or gender dysphoria of the help they crave. He would prefer to keep men and women, boys and girls, enslaved in lives from which they seek freedom. Commenting on yesterday’s oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on Colorado’s ban on so-called «conversion therapy» , Martin began by categorically stating: «Of course, conversion therapy should be banned». He insisted that there is no evidence that people can change, and that therapy to help them change is «outdated, discredited, and dangerous». What the Jesuit claims to know as truth contradicts countless stories of men and women who have been and continue to be freed from what are often overwhelming homosexual impulses or gender confusion. Martin knows that what he says is demonstrably false, and offends both human reason and Catholic faith. His incessant message of «Let’s normalize homosexuality and transgenderism in the Catholic Church» directly opposes the Church’s genuine understanding of the human person and human sexuality. He ignores the Church’s authentic teaching, endangering, rather than helping, those who feel attraction to people of the same sex or are gender-confused. Sarah warned Martin and the colorful bishops: “You cannot be more merciful than Christ”.
We continue with the theme and Cardinal Joseph Zen denounced the LGBT pilgrimage to the Vatican and joins other bishops to make reparation for the profanation of St. Peter’s Basilica. In a statement in Chinese: “Recently, news emerged that an LGBTQ+ organization organized a Holy Year event, in which participants entered St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to pass through the Holy Door”. “They flaunted accessories with rainbow colors, wore clothes with slogans, and same-sex couples held hands passionately: it was purely a protest action. This was not a jubilee pilgrimage (in which believers renew their baptismal vows, repent of their sins, and commit to reform). Such actions gravely offend the Catholic faith and the dignity of St. Peter’s Basilica: a grave offense against God! The Vatican knew about this event in advance, but issued no condemnation. It seems truly incomprehensible to us! “Those who experience attraction to people of the same sex” must be treated with charity; however, “we cannot tell them that their lifestyle is acceptable”.
It is always welcome to remember the massacre of Christians in Africa. U.S. Republican Senator Ted Cruz, from Texas, warns those responsible for tens of thousands of Christian deaths in Nigeria that he will “hold them accountable”, which has provoked energetic denials from the Nigerian government.“Since 2009, more than 50,000 Christians in Nigeria have been massacred, and more than 18,000 churches and 2,000 Christian schools have been destroyed”. “It is the result of decisions made by specific people, in specific places, at specific times, and it says a lot about who is attacking now that light is being shed on these matters”. He added that “the United States knows who those people are”. The U.S. State Department pointed out that the Nigerian government “sometimes took measures to investigate alleged human rights abuses by officials, but prosecution and punishment for such abuses were rare”. “Nigerian Christians are being persecuted and executed for their faith by Islamist terrorist groups, and are forced to submit to sharia and blasphemy laws throughout Nigeria”.
The ISTAT report records a widespread decline in weddings, especially in the church. And in Milan, only 7% get married before a priest. The church and the sacraments no longer form part of people’s daily life because they no longer understand what they are. Translated into the number of marriages celebrated: 63 religious marriages versus 929 civil marriages. The most recent available report on the state of marriage in Italy, the ISTAT report titled Marriages, Civil Unions, Separations and Divorces , dated November 22, 2024, which presents 2023 data. Marriages celebrated in the church represent 41.1% (more than 75,000). Civil ceremonies represent 58.9% (more than 108,000). In summary, only four out of ten marriages are celebrated with a religious rite. However, it must be added that 24.1% of all marriages are second marriages, which, in most cases, cannot have a religious rite. Atheism, both in theory and in practice, is so deep that cohabitation is preferred to marriage, not only religious, but also civil. The weakening of transcendence also entails the erosion of human values. The dimming of the light of faith means the dimming of the light of humanity, its principles, its virtues.
And we end with an interesting article by Gavin Ashenden in What We Need Now . «Since the election of Pope Leo, we have waited with great anticipation for him to reveal his heart and mind, to know what kind of papacy awaited us after his election. And we have waited with anxiety, with a mixture of hope and fear. Without wanting to add more fuel to the fire of irreverence, many of us have been traumatized by the turmoil that arose under Pope Francis’s pontificate. In the last twelve years, a mixture of ambiguity and threat has emerged. The threat arose from a series of papal pronouncements (or commissioned by the pope) that raised more theological questions than answers, in a deeply disturbing and anguishing way. It arose from the desire to defend issues that seemed designed not to clarify Catholic teaching, but to obscure and undermine it, with the effect of causing maximum disturbance to the Magisterium by stimulating progressive instincts and ideologies. It also arose from a campaign against traditional spirituality, which resembled more a vendetta than a preference or rebalancing of the Church’s liturgical life after a turbulent period».
«What has happened could even be described as a kind of «post-Pope Francis post-traumatic stress disorder» (PTSDPP). It has been very difficult to live with it. It has disturbed the clarity of theological analysis in our search for dogmatic stability, while also disturbing and disorienting our spiritual antennae, which govern the heart’s struggle as we strive to love God within the safe embrace of the doctrinal boundaries of the Catholic Church. (…) When we learned that Cardinal Prevost had been elected, we all looked for signs. How did he dress? How did he speak? How much of his heart could we see? What were his opinions? What kind of father would he be in a family where some kind of spiritual and emotional stress had been the norm for more than a decade?
«The signs that have emerged in the last three months have been, in general, positive». «Then he spoke with Crux and answered the basic questions they asked him. The response was not the one expected. I listened very carefully to the interview and followed every word as it unfolded. My optimism grew. They asked him the right questions sensibly, and although he addressed the topics raised in a discreet and informal way, he concluded each response with an unequivocal statement of Catholic faith». «And then I began to perceive the vibrations of disapproval from other Catholics. Conservative Catholics, who, like me, were on high alert, were alarmed. They had placed many hopes in the belief that the interview would bring a clear and direct refutation of Traditionis Custodes and Fiducia Supplicans by Pope Francis , but it was not so». «The most serious problem that Pope Francis left to his successor was how to address the damage caused to the integrity of the Magisterium. How can Catholic theology address a pope who writes an encyclical that is then challenged (as is his right) by some of his cardinals, who respectfully and correctly ask him to respond to their dubia, precisely to protect the integrity of the Magisterium, but who then ignores them?».
«It is dangerous for a pope, even after a «bad» papacy, to repudiate his predecessor. The moment a pope embarks on this process, he risks being repudiated in turn by his successor. Suddenly, instead of an evolving, organically coherent and integrated Magisterium, affirmed by a succession of papacies in slow but steady development, the possibility looms that the Magisterium becomes something more like a political game». «For Pope Leo, it was a delicate exercise to encourage conservative Catholics without scaring progressives and, in doing so, preserve the unity of the Church as much as possible».
«Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste and falls house by house».
