Preparing new cardinals.
So far, the government of Pope Leo XIV has been marked by prudence and a certain continuity. The Pope has made only relatively minor adjustments, without affecting the broad framework of his predecessor’s reforms. He has maintained the idea of synodality, but without giving it the central importance it had, at least in rhetoric, during Francis’s pontificate. He has almost always relied on men who had served Pope Francis. Soon the time will come when Leo XIV’s pontificate must take definitive shape, and this will happen when he convokes a Consistory to create new cardinals. From the decisions he makes regarding who will receive the cardinal’s hat, we will learn much about the man who chooses them.
Paul VI set the maximum number of cardinal electors at 120, and this rule has never been modified. However, popes may make exceptions. John Paul II had already exceeded the limit of 120 electors, but this was a calculated decision, for he knew that many cardinals would soon turn eighty and therefore be excluded from the count. In fact, the Conclave that elected Benedict XVI had fewer than 120 cardinal electors. Leo XIV is not a man who makes exceptions to established rules and traditions, so until now he has waited for the number of cardinal electors to decrease. Currently, there are 116 cardinal electors, four below the limit of 120.
It is unlikely that Leo XIV’s first consistory will be limited to the minimum of four cardinals. Looking at the list of members of the College of Cardinals, we see that twelve cardinals will turn eighty next year. Therefore, by the end of 2027 there will be 104 cardinal electors. This allows Leo XIV to appoint 16 cardinal electors. He could do so by briefly exceeding the limit of 120, knowing that the total number of electors would in any case be equal to or less than 120 relatively soon, one way or another.
There is constant talk of a consistory for the creation of new cardinals in February with fourteen possible new cardinals; what profiles will Leo XIV seek? The main suspect is obviously Archbishop Filippo Iannone, Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, and Archbishop Anthony Randazzo, Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, should also receive the cardinal’s hat. It remains to be seen how Leo XIV will proceed with arrangements concerning the major cities. In Milan, Metropolitan Archbishop Mario Enrico Delpini has turned 75 and, at Leo XIV’s request, has remained at the head of Europe’s largest archdiocese, pending the appointment of his successor. It is likely that this successor will be named a cardinal. In Paris, Metropolitan Archbishop Laurent Ulrich will also turn 75 in September. Therefore, it is likely that his successor will be named a cardinal.
In the United States the situation is still being defined, as several cardinals will have to retire: Cardinal Blaise Cupich, Metropolitan Archbishop of Chicago, is nearly 80 Who will succeed Cupich? Will his successor be named a cardinal? The new Metropolitan Archbishop of New York, Roland Hicks, is awaiting the cardinal’s hat. The incorporation of new members into the College of Cardinals could revitalize the synodal debate or at least reorient it. And perhaps it will be the moment when we understand whether Leo XIV truly intends a pontificate of change and, if so, what kind of change and to what extent.
The “religious certainties” of Pope Leo XIV.
In his recent Angelus message, Leo XIV introduced a perplexing dichotomy to call into question “religious certainties”: “Dear brothers and sisters, let us not seek refuge in our own convictions and religious certainties, but remain open to an authentic relationship with Christ.” It seems that, according to Leo XIV, one must choose between our “convictions and religious certainties,” on the one hand, and an “authentic relationship with Christ,” on the other.
The words of Saint Paul tell us that we must adhere absolutely to the convictions and religious certainties handed down by the Church, and anyone who tells us otherwise is anathema. What seems most surprising of all is the idea that the Church itself must be willing to “follow unknown paths and make decisions different from those we had imagined.” As he said, neither individual Catholics nor the Church can simply “keep doing things the way we have always done them.”
The ecological conversion.
Pope Leo XIV has called for an “ecological conversion,” taking up themes associated with Pope Francis and the synodal movement in general. It all sounds like a “liberal state religion,” where climate activism, open borders, mass migration, humanism, and equality are elevated to the status of ideological beliefs that compete with traditional Christianity. The emphasis on “integral human development” and humanism risks diverting the Church’s attention from the reign of Christ and the supernatural order toward a human-centered vision of society. These ideas, he argues, are linked to a broader international liberal project that seeks to move society beyond traditional national, cultural, and religious identities. The Church risks binding itself to a passing political and cultural movement instead of maintaining its traditional Catholic identity. The Vatican is embracing a worldly religion and the world is disappearing. The Church must return to Christ, or it will be swept away by the outdated ideology it has adopted.
The Vatican’s dialogue with Moscow.
Gallagher, Secretary of the Vatican for Relations with States and International Organizations, is in the Russian Federation to hold a series of meetings with civil authorities, the Patriarchate of Moscow, and the local Catholic community. It is an attempt to keep open the channels of communication that the Holy See considers indispensable even when political dialogue appears to have broken down. He will be received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov and subsequently by Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Patriarchate of Moscow. A meeting with Yuri Ushakov, foreign policy adviser to President Vladimir Putin and a key figure in shaping the Kremlin’s international relations, is scheduled for Wednesday.
After the Ukrainian conflict, relations between the Vatican and the Patriarchate of Moscow have gone through moments of great tension. The Holy See continues to consider ecumenical dialogue an essential element of its mission, convinced that the Churches can also contribute to mitigating confrontation.
This time, it seems the Vatican has not forgotten Russian Catholics—who do exist—and this Thursday he will meet with priests and religious, celebrate Mass in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Moscow, and meet with the bishops of the four Catholic ecclesiastical districts of the country. The Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow and the dioceses of Saratov, Novosibirsk, and Irkutsk constitute a Catholic presence in the Federation. The mission must be considered above all as an attempt to maintain dialogue with Russia, even when relations between Moscow and the West remain at a low point. This is not the first time Gallagher has visited the Russian capital. His last visit was in November 2021, just a few months before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Russian ambassador to the Holy See, Ivan Soltanovsky, reported in recent days that Moscow is preparing a new invitation for Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, who already visited the Russian capital in 2023 and 2024. According to the ambassador, a new visit could take place in September.
Audience with the military of Portugal.
Pope Leo XIV’s audience with the Military Ordinariate of Portugal, together with members of the Portuguese Army, Air Force, Navy, National Republican Guard, and Public Security Police. He recalled the Gospel passage about the centurion of Capernaum. “While aware of his authority, this soldier also demonstrated the strength of faith and humility before the Son of God.” Every soldier has the “noble mission” of defending the sovereignty of the homeland and the rule of law, ensuring the security of fellow citizens and protecting them from injustice, every day. No matter how great a person’s responsibilities or power may be, or how blameless his conduct, human beings always yearn for the infinite and thirst for eternity. Approximately 70 people are in Rome for the sixtieth anniversary of the foundation of the Vicariate, which twenty-five years ago “had its first bishop.”
Zuppi at the tenth anniversary of the earthquake.
Friend Zuppi never misses an opportunity, whenever it has media impact. Yesterday he celebrated Mass in the sports field of Amatrice (Rimini) on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the earthquake that struck central Italy. “Remembering also hurts. It reopens a wound, provokes tears, and these make us weep again. Remembering together, and remembering accompanied by the Lord and His unfailing love, allows us today to experience that beatitude, otherwise incomprehensible, which proclaims blessed those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Jesus does not call suffering blessed; on the contrary, He protects us from it, but He desires that those who experience the difficulties of life find His love and ours, which means consolation, hope, and a future. That is why Jesus wept: to console our tears.”
The mosaics of Rupnik.
He has made so many that Pope Leo encounters them in many of the places he visits. In Madrid he did not greet the Blessed Sacrament in the cathedral because the chapel where it is located is covered in Rupnik mosaics. It seems that the mosaics of Marko Rupnik in Lourdes must be permanently covered. The Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, Jean-Marc Micas, has contradicted Michel Daubanes, rector of the Basilica of the Rosary, who announced three weeks ago that the mosaics of the former Jesuit abuser would only be covered during the days of the Pope’s visit, 26 and 27 September. Bishop Micas, the only bishop to have spoken on the thorny issue of removing Rupnik’s works—currently under ecclesiastical trial for sexual abuse against some thirty women—told La Dépêche that “the controversial mosaics of former Jesuit Ivan Marko Rupnik will be covered and will remain so even after the visit (of the Pope).” Not only that: the commission established by Micas and Daubanes in 2023 to decide what to do next has accelerated its work and will propose alternative solutions for Rupnik’s mosaics. Bishop Micas stated: “The mosaics will remain covered after the Holy Father’s pilgrimage. At its conclusion, a new reflection will begin. The current commission will be expanded, in particular to include artists and theologians, to consider the future of the basilica’s façade.”
Rupnik’s works are found throughout the world, but those in Lourdes always provoke discussion: this underscores the symbolic dimension of the message of Lourdes in relation to victims of sexual violence. Welcoming the pope on his apostolic visit to Lourdes under the bruised eyes of Rupnik’s Christ would have been too embarrassing and would have exposed Prevost to the mockery and criticism of those who accuse the Church of doing nothing for the victims. Allowing the pope to preach with the mosaic of the serial abuser—under canonical trial—as a backdrop would have conveyed the message that Pope Prevost protects Rupnik, just as his predecessor, Pope Francis, blatantly did.
Covering the mosaics of shame was a necessary step; covering them only for the papal visit, only to hastily remove the panels and put them back in view of the pilgrims as soon as the Pope left Lourdes, seemed too hypocritical. The Pope will meet with several victims of sexual abuse during his visit to France; the details have not yet been made public, but we know from the program that a meeting will take place in Lourdes on the afternoon of Sunday, 27 September. It would have been too shocking to repeat the usual words of understanding and encouragement in front of Rupnik’s works, who more than anyone else in recent years has become the symbol of the Church’s inability to take a clear stance on abuse. What must not be forgotten is that Rupnik’s victims, in whose name the diocesan commission of Lourdes was created and whose names now adorn the mosaics of the Basilica, were not admitted to the trial. It is important to know that for every ecclesiastical authority that acts by covering Rupnik’s mosaics, there are dozens who not only remain silent but, on the contrary, continue to disseminate his works. An example of this occurred just a few days ago at the meeting in Rimini, where a Rupnik Christ could be seen “guarding” the relics of Thérèse of Lisieux.
In the seven Bavarian dioceses, the Pope—unlike in the rest of Germany—has broad freedom to choose the new diocesan leaders. This situation therefore almost corresponds to the universal standard of the Church. In Bavaria, the cathedral chapters have a very limited right to propose candidates for bishoprics. The cathedral chapters of Cologne or Freiburg or Augsburg cannot select a candidate from a list of three proposed by the Vatican, which would then have to be confirmed by the Pope. The Bavarian cathedral chapters can only present the Vatican with a list of candidates they consider suitable.
The fact that the Pope today enjoys practically unlimited freedom of action in Bavaria is due to the loyalty of the Bavarian bishops to Rome during the Weimar Republic. After the revolution that overthrew the monarchies in Germany in 1918, the relationship between the Church and the State had to be redefined. In Bavaria, the old Concordat of 1817 stipulated that the king appointed the bishops, as was customary in other Catholic monarchies. The question now was whether this right should belong exclusively to the Pope after the abolition of the monarchy, or to the cathedral chapters, as had been the practice in Prussia since the nineteenth century. Since the Hohenzollern dynasty was Protestant and Rome had refused to grant them the right to appoint bishops, the Hohenzollerns were unwilling to grant Rome exclusive authority over episcopal appointments; a compromise was reached whereby the cathedral chapters would appoint them.
The so-called Codex Iuris Canonici stipulated the free appointment of bishops by the Pope. The Bavarian bishops aligned themselves with canon law and advocated a prominent role for the Pope in the appointment of bishops. Some canons of the Bavarian cathedrals refused to accept this and, without the knowledge of their bishops, attempted to establish their own right to elect bishops freely. However, the Bavarian bishops, with the help of the Apostolic Nuncio in Bavaria, Eugenio Pacelli—future Pope Pius XII (1939-1958)—succeeded in preventing it. Faced with the impossibility of reaching a concordat with the German Empire as a whole, Bavaria decided to enter into its own negotiations with the Vatican. The Bavarian Concordat applies not only to the seven Bavarian dioceses of Munich and Freising, Passau, Eichstätt, Augsburg, Würzburg, Bamberg, and Regensburg, but also to a non-Bavarian diocese: that of Speyer, because Speyer belonged to the Kingdom of Bavaria when the first concordat was signed in 1817. The contracting parties maintained this scope of application in 1924.
In Bavaria, episcopal sees are usually vacant for a shorter period than in the dioceses covered by the Prussian or Baden Concordats, and it is less common for bishops to come from the diocese itself. The fact that a Bavarian bishop became Pope in 2005, however, has nothing to do with the Bavarian Concordat. Or rather: almost nothing. Joseph Ratzinger was ordained a priest on 29 June 1951 by Cardinal Michael von Faulhaber of Munich, the very cardinal who had played a key role in the creation of the Bavarian Concordat twenty-seven years earlier.
The “Catholic” rainbows don’t miss a beat.
The Catholic LGBT+ Committee harshly criticized the sermon of Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau during the Feast of the Assumption, calling it “failed.” In a press release, the committee stated that Oster combined “initially understandable words” about dignity with “derogatory statements about queer people, Christopher Street Day (CSD), and social diversity.” It criticizes Oster’s subsequent statements, calling them “absurd.” The sermon suggests that queer visibility represents “moral relativism and estrangement from God.” While the bishop mentions the dignity of Pride participants, he simultaneously hints that some people might be queer because they “lack faith in God or have strayed from the Christian understanding of humanity.” Bishop Oster preached in Altötting on “Human dignity and the Christian image of man.” The Catholic LGBT+ Committee also criticizes Bishop Oster for not mentioning the attack on Berlin Pride in his sermon. They argue that the terrorist act called for a “clear condemnation and unequivocal solidarity with the victims.” When people are attacked because of their gender identity or sexual orientation, the bishop remains silent. The “Catholic LGBT+ Committee” describes itself as a “political-ecclesiastical working group” and, according to its own statements, advocates for equal rights for queer people in the Catholic Church and is a member of the Association of Catholic Organizations of Germany.
Another clueless parish priest.
The pastor of Saints Cyril and Methodius Church in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, has sparked heated controversy after using a warning to the faithful about the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) to question the traditional Mass celebrated in full communion with the Church. In a pastoral message, he maintains that the rite according to the 1962 Missal constitutes merely a “concession” for those “who have not yet matured sufficiently in the faith” to accept the reformed liturgy after the Second Vatican Council. What is curious about the case is that in that parish, liturgies according to the 1962 Missal are regularly celebrated, organized by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.
The message begins by recalling the recent excommunications resulting from the episcopal consecrations carried out by the SSPX without papal mandate. Fliss states that, “in the eyes of the Church,” all sacramental celebrations of the Society “are now invalid” and specifically asks Catholics not to participate in any of its religious services. He subsequently clarifies that this situation does not apply to the Institute of Christ the King, which is authorized to celebrate Mass according to the 1962 Missal in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. While acknowledging that the Institute of Christ the King “is in communion with the Church,” Fliss maintains that “the rite they use does not have the same status or dignity as the Mass of Paul VI,” which is usually celebrated in the vernacular. “Having the opportunity to celebrate this Latin Mass is a concession, granted to those who have not matured sufficiently in the faith to accept the Mass approved after the Second Vatican Council.” The purpose of this concession is that “the grace of God may help these participants overcome their dependence on the old Latin Mass and enter into communion with the rest of the Church by celebrating Mass in the vernacular.”
The pastor maintains that the community linked to the traditional liturgy must not promote its own celebrations: “For this reason, the Latin Mass community may not announce its own celebrations nor should it invite other Catholics to join its group.” “Why would anyone want to take a step backward in their faith and spiritual life?”
YouTuber Joe Schmid has announced his conversion to the Catholic faith.
Schmid, a former agnostic who runs the YouTube channel Majesty of Reason, published a video on Saturday titled: “I just converted to Catholicism. This is my story.” The video has reached more than 100,000 views in two days, becoming the channel’s most-watched video. “Great news! God exists. Christ is the Lord and He founded the Catholic Church. I’m not kidding. I just converted to Catholicism.” “I am a doctoral student in philosophy at Princeton University, and for quite some time I have been an agnostic and a public critic of theism and Catholicism. But at the beginning of this year, all that changed.” Schmid stated that “he grew up in a devout Catholic home,” but began to question the truth of the faith in seventh or eighth grade, when he was taught the theory of evolution at his private Catholic school. He found it difficult to reconcile the idea of an all-powerful and loving God with a brutal evolutionary process in which, “for hundreds of millions of years, animals tore each other apart, suffering and languishing.” This tension accompanied him for many years.
Schmid said he then began watching online debates with “new atheists” such as Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins, and “the problems for theism and Christianity kept piling up, and in the end I lost my faith.” For a time he was an atheist, but then, at the beginning of his senior year of high school, he discovered the YouTube channel Worldview Design of the Christian philosopher Dr. Josh Rasmussen. His arguments for the existence of God impressed Schmid and led him to become an agnostic, since he could not rule out the possibility that God existed. Schmid recalled that at that time he still had several objections to theism, but then he discovered the overwhelming evidence of miracles. He mentioned Our Lady of Zeitoun, a Marian apparition atop a Coptic church in Egypt witnessed by hundreds of thousands of people and which, he noted, has “many medically documented miracles of healing associated with it.” Ultimately, it was the accounts of Eucharistic miracles, including laboratory analyses conducted blind, that convinced him that these miracles confirmed the Catholic faith.
“It seems that the universe conspired to make it appear that God exists, that God performs certain miracles, and not only miracles, but miracles that seem to confirm specific Catholic doctrines.” “We have, for example, very well-documented Eucharistic miracles. We have extremely well-documented Marian apparitions such as those of Fatima, Lourdes, and Zeitoun, where Mary grants requests for conversion to Catholicism.” “I said to myself: ‘Look, I can’t imagine if I were to die right now and see Christ, I can’t imagine having to tell Him what I would have to tell Him from my perspective as a non-Catholic.’ And I simply was not willing to bet my soul not only on a single conspiracy, but on a conspiracy of conspiracies that only seek to make people believe that Catholicism is true.” “So, the day after that call with Ethan Muse, I made my examination of conscience, which covered a decade of my life away from the faith, and the next day I made my general confession. Praise be to God!”
Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
Good reading.