Lo mejor de nuestra Specola son sus lectores, no nos dejan pasar una, ¡mil gracias! y nos envían sus aportaciones. Empezamos semana y que mejor forma de hacerlo que elevando nuestras oraciones con los inspirados versos de uno de nuestros lectores, Carlos Núñez Díaz , al que agradecemos y compartimos.
Virgin Mother, my Lady:
For being the Mother of God,
there are no two like You.
And thus You are Co-Redemptrix.
Through your Yes Grace arrived,
Incarnate in your Womb.
Through You Satan’s tricks remain without efficacy.
Through You in Cana the wine abounded, though it was running out.
Through You the Calvary was gentle, though there was Cross and thorn.
Through You, after the horrible Death sealed with the lance,
Hope remained alive to attain Divine Fortune.
Through You Santiago had wings to continue in the breach.
Through You the arrow fails and the weapon misses its bullets…
Through You the Son of the Blessed One Took Flesh on this earth.
Through You the war declared on us by the outcast is won…
Through You we enter Heaven, through the Door… or the Window!
Through You tomorrow we will see the One you bore with Zeal…
In the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Leo XIV presided over the solemnity of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica , cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. We saw him tired, and with a persistent cold that did not prevent him from singing several passages of the Holy Mass. The homily on the spiritual nature of the Church and the meaning of the Lateran Basilica as «Mother of all Churches». «If those who built this building had not dug deeply, the entire structure would have collapsed long ago». The same happens with the Church which must continually «dig deeply» to rest on the living rock of Christ , avoiding building on unstable ground. Quoting Saint Paul, he recalled that «no one can lay another foundation than the one already there, which is Jesus Christ.»
On the occasion of the sixth month since the election of Pope Leo XIV, Vatican Radio – Vatican News premieres «Leo from Chicago», a documentary that traces the history, family roots, studies, and Augustinian vocation of Robert Francis Prevost in his native United States. The journey begins with his childhood in Dolton, through the memories of his brothers Louis and John, and continues through schools and universities, communities and parishes, with the voices of his brothers, teachers, classmates, and lifelong friends. Leo from Chicago follows the documentary Leo from Peru , presented last June.
Leo XIV is scheduled to meet with all the cardinals in January, a need that arose during the pre-conclave, where too many cardinals knew very little about each other. The creation of new cardinals is not planned, but it is not completely ruled out. An extraordinary consistory, like the one planned for January, «is held when the particular needs of the Church suggest it or when especially grave issues must be addressed», for which «all cardinals are summoned», according to the Code of Canon Law (can. 353 §3). It is held behind closed doors and without cameras. More distinct and frequent is the ordinary consistory (can. 353 §2), in which «all cardinals are summoned, at least those present in Rome, to be consulted on some grave matter, which is more common, or to perform certain acts of the greatest solemnity», which «may be public» (can. 353 §4); for example, to vote on causes of canonization or to create new cardinals. It is still unknown what «particular needs of the Church» or «particularly grave matters» the Sacred College of Cardinals will address with Leo XIV, but «in due time the Dean of the College of Cardinals will send His Eminence the corresponding letter with more details».
We know that the issue of abuses touches Pope Leo closely and he has a special sensitivity. Fifteen people from Belgium spent three hours with the Pope: «They were hours of listening and dialogue, deep and painful that concluded with an intense moment of prayer». The meeting took place after the presentation of the report by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which pointed out the slowness of some dioceses in addressing the scourge of abuses, despite having urged the bishops to commit to this cause. In September of last year, most members of the abuse victims’ group in Belgium had already met with a pope, in this case Francis, during his visit. sent a video message to the young people gathered in front of the Cathedral of Košice, Slovakia: «Coming from different nations, but united by the same faith, your presence is a tangible sign of the fraternity and peace that friendship with Christ instills. Jesus calls you to be witnesses of communion, builders of bridges, and sowers of trust in a world often marked by division and distrust». On the other hand, on Friday, the Italian Episcopal Conference announced the date and program of the next Assembly, which will be held in Assisi and closed by the Pope on November 20. In that context, the celebration of vespers and prayers for the victims and survivors of abuses is expected, presided over by Monsignor Ivan Maffeis, Archbishop of Perugia-Città della Pieve.
In Slovenia we have a Coalition against Ecclesiastical Privileges and the Association of Atheists of Slovenia that complains that there is no systematic response to sexual abuses committed by members of the clergy and asks legislators to intervene. The issue is very delicate and controversial, and even the Roman Curia has acknowledged it, limiting its scope to the 2-3% of guilty clerics who abuse minors.
Related to the issue of abuses we know that there are many priests accused of abuses who have no possibility whatsoever to defend themselves. There are too many cases today, the end a Tribunal of the Holy See rules in favor of a priest accused of abuse: «I was defamed». The Roman Rota has accepted the appeal of a U.S. cleric against his order, which, as is common practice in the United States, had published a list of alleged abusers with credible accusations. The ruling could set a precedent for similar cases and open the possibility of an appeal to the Vatican Court of Cassation. We will follow the issue with attention and interest.
The Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life has approved the new Statutes of the Communion and Liberation Fraternity , dated September 8, 2025 and signed by Undersecretary Linda Ghisoni. This document substantially redefines the legal and pastoral structure of the Fraternity, replacing the Statutes approved in 2017, with a community model and a more centralized and hierarchical configuration . In 2017, the Statute of the Communion and Liberation Fraternity still retained, in its language and structure, the original spirit of the charism of Fr. Giussani. The new Statute of 2025 preserves the fundamental spiritual objectives, but profoundly restructures its governance. The new Statute marks the beginning of a more institutional era for Communion and Liberation. Father Pierluigi Banna, designated successor to Father Carron as leader of Communion and Liberation, but blocked by the Holy See, «denounces» the current CL leaders to the Curia of Milan. It is a sensational and unprecedented fact, part of a large-scale offensive against the movement’s leadership. Is a schism brewing? It is an open war between the wing loyal to Father Julian Carron, who took over after the founder, Father Luigi Giussani, and the current designated and supported by the Holy See. The matter dates back to the first months of 2025 , but always remained hidden until today and there has still been no formal canonical complaint , but rather a formal warning and a threat of appeal to the ecclesiastical tribunal. There are numerous indications that the internal division of CL is irreparable and the logical thing is that this reality should be recognized and stop pursuing an impossible unity.
We have seen these days in many headlines: «We are at the end of Christendom», quoting a speech by Zuppi. Christendom is not Christianity, but a historical expression of it. There have been various forms of Christendom, both in the East and in the West, but the one usually mentioned is the fruit of the first evangelization, which after the Edict of Milan in 313 allowed the Church to freely proclaim the Gospel within the confines of the Roman Empire. From this preaching a culture was born, that is, a judgment on the reality of the public life of peoples, which came to influence institutions. Thus a civilization was born: first the Christianized Roman Empire, then medieval Christendom, a Western Christian civilization that would endure approximately a millennium, from Constantine to the «slap at Anagni» (1303), an event that, according to a certain historical interpretation, certified an ideological conflict between the Church and political power.
This “society on a human scale and according to God’s plan”, paraphrasing Saint John Paul II, is not the only possible one and has not been free from serious defects, but nevertheless it has imprinted evangelical values in culture, art, charity, and, in general, in everyday life. Zuppi is right when he says that Christendom no longer exists, and not only today; but the Church remains different but at the same time equal to the medieval Church and even to that of the Council of Trent (1545-1563). The latter was the Church founded on the parish led by a priest (some have called it a «parish civilization»), while today the Magisterium urges (with little success) the participation of the laity and, above all, an effort to spread the Gospel among «those who are far away», among those who, for various reasons, do not attend church, who are no longer the adversaries of the era of ideologies, but simply the sad and dramatic result of an increasingly rampant secularization. Are we convinced and prepared to make this proposal, or are we slaves to the «dominant thinking», which wants us to be submissive to «political correctness» to the point of having forgotten the beauty of our Christian heritage?
The Berlin Wall, symbol of the socialist-communist system, was torn down on a November 9, 1989. Thirty-six years to be exact, since that «magical» night. That opening marked the dismantling of the complex of exclusionary fortifications erected in 1962 to divide the city in two, conquered by the four Allied powers against Adolf Hitler in May 1945. The fall of the Wall was the prelude to the dissolution, the following year, of communist Germany, the end of the «real socialism» regime and the collapse of the USSR, which would implode in 1991. Today we talk less about communism and more about nationalism, less about the USSR and more about Russia, less about Gorbachev and more about Putin. Today, the Wall has fallen, Germany has reunified, the countries of Eastern Europe are free again, the communist system, at least in certain parts of the world, has disappeared, but the walls have not ended.
The first is an invisible and impalpable wall, a curtain not of iron but of rubber that separates, good from the «empire of evil», eternal truth from multiple error. A generalized and osmotic revolution that still today permeates and transforms the predominant mentality, with the help of technology and the political-media cage that imprisons individuals from outside, pushing them ever more toward self-referentiality and, therefore, in the long term, toward despair and nihilism. The other wall is a war front where hundreds of people die every day. The old national Bolshevism may have expelled Lenin, and perhaps even Marx, has created a new ideology, a mixture of religious fanaticism and political authoritarianism. These walls must be torn down. The first, «returning to reality», combating the imperious prevailing cultural relativism that surrounds us and cultivating solid ideas and discarding the ideology born in 1789. The second, recovering the awareness of the enemy’s existence, the awareness of the threat hanging over Europe. As happened in 1989 with the Berlin Wall, which seemed eternal and dissolved in a few days, changing history, something will help tear down the new walls and reverse the decadent tendency that dominates us.
Does Cardinal Fernández spend too much time online? Phil Lawler, in his blog, after attending Cardinal Fernández’s presentation of the «Doctrinal Note Mater Populi Fidelis on some Marian titles referring to Mary’s cooperation in the work of salvation. «The presentation did not take place in the Holy See Press Office, but in the Jesuit Curia. Cardinal Fernández explained that this was because the document «did not lend itself to dialogue between journalists and the dicastery». In other words, he would not answer any questions. But the unusual venue allowed an external observer to interrupt the session, lashing out at the cardinal. Gallagher concluded: «I suspect that Cardinal Fernández will return to the Press Office for any future document». The Holy See issues a statement based on a study conducted in the past that has never been made public —and still has not been made public—, but is that really what was being said? Why did Ratzinger choose not to make his decision public, and does Fernández now believe it is the opportune moment?».
Our infovaticana has echoed the latest intervention by Santiago Martín who has reacted firmly to the recent note Mater Populi Fidelis , published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which discourages the use of the title of Co-Redemptrix for the Virgin Mary and recommends limiting it to that of Mediatrix of all graces . In a commentary titled «Why do they say that Mary is not Co-Redemptrix?» , the priest warns of the deep discontent that the decision has generated among the faithful. Martín compares the impact of this note to that of the controversial document Fiducia Supplicans , emphasizing that, on this occasion, the blow fell directly on the Catholic people’s love for Mary. He recalls that it was Benedict XVI who, without denying the titles, considered that it was not the moment to define them dogmatically, unlike the current decision to publish a restrictive note. «Was it taken into account that the anger would be directed against the Pope or against Cardinal Fernández?», he asks, emphasizing that the document has caused an unnecessary division among the most Marian Catholics.
And we’re wrapping up. The fact that the dogma of Mary Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix of All Graces and Advocate of the People of God has not yet been proclaimed does not mean that these ancient titles of the Most Holy Mary are false. Likewise, it was not false to affirm the Divine Motherhood, the Perpetual Virginity, the Immaculate Conception, and the Assumption into Heaven of the Mother of God and our Mother, before these four Marian dogmas were proclaimed; that is, revealed truths proclaimed by the Magisterium, which must be accepted as incontrovertible and indisputable. Even for the current four Marian dogmas, their proclamation took time. In 1971, the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship approved the Mass under the title of «Most Holy Virgin Mary, Mother and Mediatrix of Grace». Pope Saint John Paul II promulgated the Missal of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with its own liturgical formularies relating to some Marian titles, interesting to reread the introduction to the Mass of “Mary, Virgin Mother and Mediatrix of Grace”.
At the end of the Eucharistic Celebration presided over by the Holy Father Leo XIV on the solemnity of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, the Marian hymn Oh Mary, our hope was sung. In twenty-four hours and in a Holy Mass presided over by the reigning Pope we sang to the ‘Mediatrix’, things of the Roman subtleties from which so much is always learned. It is one more proof that there was no need for the abnormal “Doctrinal Note Mater Populi Fidelis on some Marian titles that refer to Mary’s cooperation in the work of salvation”, with the text of the hymn we conclude:
Mother of God and our Mother,
you are the refuge of those who trust in you.
Look upon those who invoke you,
oh Mediatrix of grace.
Mother of Christ, light of the world,
you are the cause of all joy,
in the joy of the Holy Spirit
you lead us by the hand.
Oh Mary, our hope,
Mother and sister, pray for us;
servant and Queen, intercede for us.
Holy Virgin of good counsel,
Teacher of charity and faith, show us the way
to the sources of living water .
Dispenser of all grace,
Mother of mercy and love,
Mother of the unity of believers,
Queen of peace.
Mother and companion of the Redeemer,
your prayer obtains forgiveness for us:
we take refuge under your mantle,
oh Mother of sinners.
«It is impossible for scandals not to come; but woe to the one through whom they come!».
Good reading.