As the week unfolds, we already have the program for Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic journey to France from September 25 to 28. Stops in Paris, with a visit to the Élysée, UNESCO, Notre Dame, and finally a youth vigil at the “Stade de France” in Saint-Denis. On the 26th in Lourdes after the farewell Mass in Paris at the “Place de la Concorde.” On the 27th in Lourdes with the bishops of France, Mass, contemplative religious sisters, and the rosary with a torchlight procession. On the 28th in Metz, focused on interreligious dialogue and Mass in its cathedral.
Pope Leo XIV in Assisi.
Pope Leo XIV’s second visit to Assisi on the final day of the «GO! Franciscan Youth Meeting», the international youth gathering that began on August 3, with about 2,500 participants, organized to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis.
In the cloister of the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, the Pope greeted one by one the friars of the Franciscan community of Assisi. He celebrated Mass in front of the small church of the Porziuncola, something unprecedented for the occasion, since “there is no record of a Roman pontiff celebrating the Eucharist in the Basilica of the Porziuncola in recent centuries.” The Porziuncola is a small 13th-century church, listed among the most important Franciscan sites: within its walls, Saint Francis understood his vocation, welcomed Saint Clare and the first friars, and later received the gift of the Pardon of Assisi, making it one of the saint’s favorite places.
In his homily, he reiterated the need to “avoid the culture of power.” “Tearing down the walls that separate human beings is never a betrayal of family, city, or tradition, but a liberation from their ghosts, from the enemies invented by fear and ignorance, from the violence used to impose a petty order on a reality that completely surpasses us,” he affirmed. “Like Francis and Clare,” we need to rediscover “a world of brothers and sisters to appreciate and serve, not to exploit and dominate. A world not to be defended, but to be welcomed.”
Shortly before, in Piazza Santa Maria degli Angeli: “Christians will increasingly be called to become peacemakers within societies tempted to exploit religion in identity conflicts.” He exhorted them to “open their minds and hearts” beyond artificial borders, “beyond the fears induced by disinformation and the walls of prejudice.” Leo XIV pointed to the example of Saint Francis as the way forward: “From Saint Francis, learn evangelical radicalism, which is the opposite of fundamentalism: it does not blind or turn violent, but makes the person sensitive, attentive, always following Jesus and therefore humble and welcoming to all.” “Escaping the culture of power and building a civilization of love is not immediately understood or accepted, though it is not easy, it brings great joy.”
“From adolescence, it is important to learn to know oneself, to make decisions and to take risks—that is, to respond to the Lord’s call—without ceasing to do so in adulthood, both in decisions already made and in those still to come. It is an adventure in which no one should feel alone and which, like faith, will last until the very end. In my experience, I can say that the Lord has never left me alone: He has always accompanied me, even giving me people with whom to walk. Thus, in the vocation of priest, member of the Augustinian community, and missionary, I have found a light that has guided me to this day, until I had to say ‘yes’ to a very special vocation: that of being Pope.”
“The value of making a definitive decision is perhaps the most revolutionary act; deciding forever does not lock us in a cage, but opens us to greater dynamism. To love is an exodus, a path to be discovered, a journey that God walks with us, and this is the true meaning of every vocation.” A question from Karolina, a young woman from Zagreb, provided the opportunity to reflect on the relationship between faith, nationalism, and conflict. Leo XIV recalled how just thirty years ago that part of Europe had experienced war and “the dangerous mixture of religious confession and nationalism.”
The Way of Francis.
The one from Assisi, to revive the Franciscan experience in the lands where the Poverello walked. This is the goal of the “Cammino di Francesco,” one of the projects of the National Committee for the celebrations of the eighth centenary of the death of the saint , whose headquarters will open tomorrow in the afternoon in Assisi, next to the Porziuncola, immediately after the Pope’s visit. The Cammino di Francesco —explain the promoters of the initiative— is the only itinerary that organically and directly connects the places where Saint Francis lived, prayed, and preached. A partnership between the Ministries of Tourism and Culture and the Regions of Umbria, Lazio, Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna and Abruzzo is working to harmonize the experience of the various existing routes related to the figure of the saint. “From patient and collaborative work this unified vision has been born: name, logo, website and, step by step, the harmonization of needs and possibilities. The government, the relevant ministries, the regions and the public and private entities and associations collaborating will offer, over time, an experience increasingly tailored to the needs of pilgrims of all kinds, who wish to discover the heart of our patron saint of Italy and their own.”
Dicastery for Religious.
The Holy Father has appointed as consultors of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life: His Excellency Bishop Alfonso Vincenzo Amarante, C.SS.R., rector magnificus of the Pontifical Lateran University of Rome (Italy); the Reverend Kevin Otieno Mwandha, S.D.B., vice-rector of the Pontifical Salesian University of Rome; the Most Reverend Father Ignasi M. Fossas i Colet, abbot president of the Sublacense Cassinese Congregation of the Order of Saint Benedict; the Reverend Fathers: Damián Guillermo Astigueta, S.I., dean of the Faculty of Canon Law of the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome; Maurizio Bevilacqua, C.M.F., director of the Pontifical Institute of Theology of Consecrated Life “Claretianum” ad instar Facultatis of the Pontifical Lateran University of Rome; Benjamin James Earl, O.P., coordinator of the revision of the Constitutions of the Dominican nuns; Flavien Zolabi Mambueni, S.I., rector of the Institut de Théologie de la Compagnie de Jésus in Abidjan (Ivory Coast); the Reverend Brothers Antoine Kazindu, F.M.S., counselor of the Lycée de Kigali (Rwanda), and Emili Turú Rofes, F.M.S., director of Faith and Praxis for Global Leadership”; the Reverend Mothers Chiara Lorenzato, superior general of the Franciscan Missionary Clarist Sisters of the Most Holy Sacrament, and María Nirmalini, superior general of the Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel; the Reverend Sisters: María Rosaura González Casas, S.T.J., deputy director of the Institute of Psychology of the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome; Mary (Makamatine) Lembo, vicar general of the Sisters of Saint Catherine, Virgin and Martyr; Patricia Murray, C.J., former secretary of the International Union of Superiors General; and Maria do Disterro Rocha Santos, F.C.I.M., president of the Conference of Religious of Brazil. Surely in the coming days we will have the first impressions of these appointments in a dicastery with a nun as half-prefect at the head and a cardinal as pro-prefect, just in case.
San Juan, Puerto Rico.
«The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral government of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Juan, Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico) presented by His Excellency Bishop Roberto Octavio González Nieves, O.F.M. The Holy Father has appointed as metropolitan archbishop of San Juan, Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico) His Excellency Bishop Eusebio Ramos Morales, until now bishop of Caguas. So more of the same, but with a very near expiration date which, given the quality of the product, is a great hope.
Bishop Eusebio Ramos Morales was born on December 15, 1952, so he is currently 73 years old (he will turn 74 in December 2026). Upon turning 75 he will have to present his resignation and it looks like a transitional appointment after the many and serious controversies of his predecessor. It is assumed that as president of the Puerto Rican Episcopal Conference he enjoys broad trust among his brother bishops. It is an unusual choice and one thought out on a very short-term basis.
We all remember the controversy over the pandemic issue. The archdiocese issued protocols with capacity limits, mandatory mask use and other health measures. In August 2021, six of the seven bishops of Puerto Rico, including González Nieves, signed a document stating that getting vaccinated was a moral duty and that there was no room for conscientious objection to mandatory vaccination. The only bishop who did not sign was Bishop Daniel Fernández Torres, bishop of Arecibo. He publicly maintained that a Catholic could indeed invoke conscientious objection and authorized priests and deacons of his diocese to issue letters for those who requested them. Fernández Torres defended that churches should not be completely closed and asked the government to respect religious freedom. The Vatican dismissed Fernández Torres in 2022 and a triumphant González Nieves declared that the decision was due to “insubordination to the Pope,” linking it to the controversy over vaccination. Fernández Torres maintained that he was never informed of a formal process and that one of the reasons for the conflict had been precisely his refusal to sign the document on vaccines.
The rumors that have circulated for years in both civil and ecclesiastical circles are persistent regarding alleged homosexual conduct, supposed cover-up of cases of sexual abuse, alleged alcoholism and alleged poor financial administration of the archdiocese. In an apostolic visitation ordered by the Vatican between 2011 and 2012, González Nieves denied the accusations and refused to present the resignation that had been requested of him, maintaining that there were no reasons to do so. He subsequently remained in office for more than a decade, until reaching retirement age.
Latin in the Curia.
Among the changes introduced by the new General Regulations of the Roman Curia promulgated by Leo XIV, there is one that, at first glance, might seem marginal. However, a comparison with the 1999 text reveals a significant change in the linguistic discipline of the Holy See’s administration. Latin retains its place in the Curia, but loses the preeminent position that the previous Regulations expressly attributed to it. The most evident change is found in the provisions concerning “Languages in use.” In the General Regulations of the Roman Curia, approved by Saint John Paul II in 1999, article 144 established that the Dicasteries “shall, as a general rule, draft their acts in Latin,” later adding the possibility of using “also the languages most used today” for correspondence and, if necessary, for drafting documents. Latin was the ordinary language provided for by the Regulations; modern languages could be used as an alternative depending on the specific needs of judicial activity.
The text promulgated by Leo XIV modifies precisely this point. Article 50 of the new Regulations states: “Curial institutions shall, as a general rule, draft their acts in Latin or in another language.” The expression “may also be used” has been removed and replaced by a simple alternative: “in Latin or another language.” Latin is still mentioned first, but the Regulations no longer present it as the ordinary language, but as a mere possibility alongside other languages. Both options are on an equal legal footing.
Latin does not disappear from the curial system. The new article 50, in fact, retains almost verbatim two other provisions of the previous Regulations. An Office for the Latin Language within the Secretariat of State is maintained, at the service of the Roman Curia, and the requirement that the main documents intended for publication be translated into the most widely spoken languages today is still maintained. In 1999, for officials assigned to the highest functional levels, knowledge of Latin was a direct requirement of the general regulations. To access levels 10, 9 and 8, in addition to a university degree, “knowledge of Latin and, in addition to Italian, at least one modern language” was required. Latin was among the formal requirements for access to those personnel categories. The new regulations assign the determination of the necessary requirements for each position to the organizational chart of each institution. These must include academic qualifications, professional experience and “knowledge of one or more languages in addition to the mother tongue and Italian.” Latin no longer appears as a general linguistic requirement. The transversal obligation that the 1999 Regulations directly imposed on senior officials is no longer applicable.
The 2025 Regulations require that linguistic competencies be determined considering “one or more languages in addition to the employee’s mother tongue and Italian.” The wording presupposes Italian as a common element, distinct both from the employee’s mother tongue and from any other language necessary for the performance of the function. This aspect is crucial, since the official language of Vatican City State, where the Holy See operates, is Italian, not Latin. Italian assumes the role of common reference language, while the other competencies are identified according to the employee’s origin and the needs of the office.
Zuppi in Moscow.
More than parallel diplomacy, we are facing duplicated diplomacy. Zuppi will return to Moscow next September to continue the humanitarian mission entrusted to him by the Holy See in relation to the war in Ukraine. The Secretariat of State is scheduling another separate visit by Zuppi. The level is what it is and he will meet with the new Russian Human Rights Ombudsman, Yana Lantratova, who replaced Tatiana Moskalkova, the interlocutor with whom Zuppi met during his previous mission to Moscow. Parolin is content to say that the work entrusted to Zuppi by Pope Francis, we do not know very well by Leo, focuses specifically on the humanitarian aspect, with the aim of identifying mechanisms capable of implementing the initial results achieved.
The Patti nightmare.
Benedetta de Vito does not like Patti. «In my mind, in my soul, an image, always the same: Prevost and Smith, side by side. He, with his usual smile, I call him laughing; she, with a grimace almost between the braids of a false old girl. But no, it is not that, it is not her empty and expressionless smile that unsettles me, no, no, it is her posture, those gestures that seem innocent but are actually studied, meditated, full of meaning. In the photo, he hides with one hand the Cross of Jesus hanging from his neck; she, on the other hand, shows, on a cord, the Franciscan Tao. And tomorrow, Saturday, she will be in Assisi for the usual and empty march for peace. Pacifism, rainbow flags: the altar of Christ, against the will of the sweetest Francis, in love with God, “my all,” used as a substitute for Jesus.
The Cross is hidden, another cross is revealed, a human cross. And perhaps, one day, it will be said that the Holy Eucharist is useless, that it is merely symbolic, that we must be a Church that moves forward, that moves forward from Truth and Tradition. Not meditating on the Last Things (which no one talks about anymore), not consoling the pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, prostrate on their knees before the Blessed Sacrament, no sir, we must demonstrate, march, shout, organize worldly events. Protest. Like in 1968. Assisi, the city of John Paul II’s ecumenism and now of the new Catholic 1968…
The peace that Jesus gives is not that of the world, but that of the heart, that is, contrition, repentance, purification, conversion and, therefore, return to the Creator. World peace is a consequence of this, a rejection of the counter-creation of the rebel angel, who made inversion the new reality. A reality accepted and pursued by men who always and forever desire not to do the will of the Father, but their own petty and selfish will, pursuing pleasures of all kinds: carnal, spiritual, intellectual…
Back to the ‘migrants’.
Human beings, at least until now, were «immigrants» or «emigrants.» We have, at least until now, the capacity to decide where we are going and we know where we come from. Well now the ideologues of the moment, following the fashions of the century, reduce us to livestock and we simply migrate, like birds or rats, wandering aimlessly from here to there. It brings to mind a memorable episode by Muñoz Seca, told by his grandson, the well-known Alfonso Ussía. The doorman of his building, an admirable man, died, and a few days later his wife. A son asked the eminent writer for an epitaph for the tomb, and it was this: «So great was their goodness, such their industriousness and the virtue of both, that they are without doubt with God.» The proposal raised doubts and was elevated to the episcopal authority since it presupposed salvation. He prepared a new one: «They were very close, the one after the other, where the one who dies always goes, but they are not with God, because the bishop does not want it.» Obviously this second one was made so that the bishop would not like it and so the definitive one was reached: «Their souls go through the ether, lightly, not knowing what they will do, because unfortunately not even God knows where they are.»
There are bishops who even adorn themselves and publish a pastoral letter about migrants. On August 3, Archbishop García-Siller, of San Antonio, published “We Will Go to You: United in Solidarity with Our Brothers and Sisters in Migration.” The text emphasized the need to recognize the human dignity that God has granted to migrants, which «does not depend on a passport, a visa or a work permit.» The “movement of peoples” “is not an interruption of God’s plan, but part of the very fabric of salvation.” As is usual in this type of episcopal emanations, they are also usually very long, 57 pages, and presented with solemnity, in the same cathedral. Archbishop García-Siller dedicated the letter, of course, to his confirmation patron, Saint Augustine of Hippo, who “taught the Church that we are all pilgrims in life, travelers heading toward our true homeland in heaven.” Fear is spreading and many even avoid attending Church, he acknowledges that a “constant and persistent anxiety” leads many to avoid basic errands, medical care and even Mass. “Pastors sit in living rooms with families who are afraid to open the blinds,” and noted that “attendance at Spanish Masses” in the archdiocese has decreased. There are many places in the United States where the Church is helping thousands of people to regularize their situation to avoid deportations. The low level of immigrants and their lack of counseling leads many to remain for decades without papers.
The bishop, mixing apples and oranges, compares the current situation with the Cristero War: “A government can try to organize itself against the faith, legislate to exclude God from public life and punish those who refuse to obey, but faith endures.”
Interview from enclosure.
A pleasant read that puts the finger on the sore spot of what is happening in many monastic communities. From Jos Wouters, abbot general of the Premonstratensian Order of Canons Regular, in a recent interview: «Several Premonstratensian abbeys in Europe are destined to disappear in the coming years. Among the communities in difficulty is the Abbey of Bern, in the Netherlands, the oldest monastery in the country that still remains in operation. «Abbeys attract marginalized people from society».
Wouters, 67 years old and originally from Wilrijk, has led the Order founded in 1121 by Saint Norbert of Xanten since 2018: 38 abbeys spread across five continents, united under a generalate based in Rome. Before being elected superior general at the Chapter of Rolduc, he was abbot of Averbode, Belgium, for ten years. During the interview, the abbot general confirms that a climate of fear and insecurity permeates not only Bern, but also broader sectors of the Order. «There are several extremely deep problems in our Order that must be addressed clearly and openly.» Premonstratensian communities are receiving fewer and fewer applications. And when candidates knock on the door of an abbey, he believes that more and more are people with psychological disabilities. «Driven by an instinct for survival, abbeys welcome these people, even though they are completely unsuitable.»
Parishes and communities welcome everyone, but too often neglect education, correction and serious support for those who need a real path of healing. The consequences are devastating, even for the very survival of these communities. People with charism, capacity and a genuine spirit of service grow tired, leave and seek healthier environments elsewhere, reluctant to waste their lives in communities dominated by disorder, emotional blackmail and lack of clear governance. By tolerating any behavior in the name of misunderstood acceptance, the most problematic individuals often end up occupying decision-making positions, imposing their own dynamics and dictating the rules. A grotesque inversion occurs: those who maintain balance, clarity and a sense of responsibility are labeled as problematic, while those who have made the community uninhabitable arrogate to themselves the right to determine who is healthy and who is not.
«The communities are too small. Therefore, collaboration between abbeys would be necessary. But this is not at all something we can take for granted.» Religiosity, he explains, allows them to mask their «inner weakness through a strong attitude of power.» «Religion then functions as an exoskeleton, like a lobster, which lacks an internal skeleton: on the outside, it is difficult to hide the inner weakness.» This dynamic generates in some members of the community the tendency to believe that they must «defend their own religious or liturgical beliefs, or even impose them on others»: an attitude that poisons the internal climate of the abbeys. «Those who are part of a community become adversaries, and normal, friendly and fraternal coexistence becomes practically impossible.»
He complains that the recommendations formulated at the end of canonical visits to monasteries often remain a dead letter. «At that moment, I have the impression that these communities end up self-destructing.» «I wish I could say more; it would be a great relief. But I want to maintain my room for maneuver. We are human, but most of us are not willing to admit it. And that is a catastrophe.»
What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his life?
Good reading.