«O Oriens,splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis».
Today we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent and everything already smells like Christmas. Also in the news, a certain festive laziness enters, and today is one of those days we can consider calm. The rhythms of contemporary life are not those of the old press; today everything is much more immediate and fast. No one waits until Monday to see the news after the weekend break; any publication, even from the most remote point on the planet, arrives immediately to the whole world.
Yesterday the last Jubilee Audience took place in St. Peter’s Square, in his catechesis, the Pope centered his meditation on the theme «Waiting is generating. Mary, our hope». The Jubilee is coming to an end but: «We will continue to be pilgrims of hope». «Without hope, we are dead; with hope, we reach the light». The Pope invited us to listen and pray «the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor». He denounced the injustice of wealth, increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few. He affirmed that God has destined the goods of creation for all: «Our task is to generate, not to steal». In this context, history has two movements: there are those who steal and those who generate: «History is in the hands of God and of those who hope in Him».
The Pope linked Christian prayer with Mary of Nazareth. In her, «we see one of us who generates». Mary is the Mother of God and our Mother. She is called with the title of the Salve Regina: «Our Hope «. «Jesus wants to be born again: we can give him body and voice». The task of believers then becomes that of «generating» the Word in history. We already have the schedule for the papal marathon that will close the holy doors, on the 25th St. Mary Major, on the 27th St. John Lateran, on the 28th St. Paul Outside the Walls and on January 6, 2026 St. Peter.
We know, it is evident to us, that Pope Leo XIV is an active internet user and does not hide his passion for educational apps and logic games. After almost a year of inactivity, the «Robert» profile (the Pope’s real name) has come back to life: a language learning app that rewards perseverance with experience points (XP). Users have noticed great activity: more than 30,000 points have been accumulated in a very short time. The profile, which uses the username @DrPrevost (the same one the Pope used on X before his election), shows a particular interest in German. Despite having studied the language in the past, Leo XIV seems to have resumed his studies, also adding the study of Italian. The news was published by the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, but it has not been confirmed by Vatican sources. The Pope’s «digital frequency» has not gone unnoticed, even due to the unusual schedule. Some users noticed progress around 3:00 a.m., Rome time. A detail that led a user to comment jokingly: «Holy Father, it’s 3:00 a.m., what are you doing? «. These nocturnal habits are confirmed by the Pope’s brother, John Prevost , who revealed to the National Catholic Reporter that the Pope, when he can’t sleep, often dedicates himself to his smartphone, alternating German lessons with games of «Words with Friends».
Beyond languages, the Pope shares with millions of people his passion for Wordle , the famous word game from the New York Times . During a recent virtual meeting with young American Catholics gathered in Indianapolis, Leo XIV revealed a «pontifical secret»: his game strategy. «Every day I use a different first word , I don’t have a fixed one», he confessed smiling before addressing more complex topics like artificial intelligence and the future of the Church. His brother John has confirmed that he and the Pope exchange scores daily, as many families do around the world.
The situation affects the intervention in the Heralds of the Gospel, of which the Knights are their lay branch. A mysterious letter from Bogotá to the Vatican marks a new episode in the complex relationship between the Holy See and the Knights of the Virgin, coming from a «law firm in Bogotá that also forwarded a decision from the Prosecutor’s Office». Addressed to Pope Leo XIV, it presents what is described as a silent blockade that affects the activities and spiritual mission of this association in Colombian territory, due to the restrictions imposed under the figure of the commissariat that currently governs the organization. The message sent from Colombia is not an isolated fact, but part of a global clamor. They indicate that «there are 7 promotions of seminarians and 30 deacons frozen by a Vatican intervention that completes 8 years». The letter details how these administrative measures have caused an atmosphere of uncertainty and paralysis in social and religious projects.
We are aware that this situation was found ready-made by Pope Leo, the more time passes, the more he makes it his own. It is of little use to proclaim that Brambilla was found, his appointment bears his signature. The congregation of religious is a mess and no substantial changes are expected; the flock is rearing up and the Heralds have been the first, but they will not be the only ones or the last. New year, the jubilee ends, we have a consistory and let’s hope for something more of new life.
The signatories assure that, despite having shown full obedience to the ecclesiastical authorities, the intervention process seems to have no clear end, becoming an obstacle to its natural development. The charism of the organization is being suffocated by regulations that, in practice, prevent fluid contact with its followers. The authors of the communication ask the Supreme Pontiff for a thorough review of the conditions of the commissariat to allow the association to recover its operational and missionary autonomy. In the year 2001, the Holy See granted the Heralds official recognition as an international association of the faithful of pontifical right.
Pope Francis called a single extraordinary Consistory, in February 2014, dedicated specifically to reflection on the family and the pastoral challenges of the moment, in preparation for the subsequent Synod.
The Consistory next January acquires symbolic and substantial value in a time marked by complex challenges. The insistent reference to «communion», «fraternity» and «prayer» indicates that the government of the Church cannot be reduced to an administrative dimension, but must be rooted in a shared spiritual path.
Pope Leo sets aside the Cardinal Council established by Bergoglio, choosing eight or nine cardinals with subjective criteria, thus creating the C8 and later the C9. The statement published today by the Holy See press office immediately clarifies the meaning of the meeting, which is not a mere formality, but a significant ecclesial event designed to strengthen communion and shared discernment. The meeting «will take place over two days and will be characterized by moments of communion and fraternity, as well as moments dedicated to reflection, exchange and prayer». It is not a deliberative assembly in the strict sense, but a space for listening and debate, whose objective is to foster shared discernment and offer support and advice to the Holy Father in the exercise of his high and significant responsibility in the government of the universal Church.
Oh Dawn, Radiance of eternal light, Sun of justice: come now to illuminate those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death.
«Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary, your wife, for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.»
Good reading.