Tuesday, we are still in August, heat, the feast of Saint Clare of Assisi, nights of Perseids that prepare us for an eclipse tomorrow.
The strange consultants appointed by Leo XIV.
Pope Leo XIV has appointed new consultants to the Vatican Dicastery for Religious Life, including defenders of LGBT ideology and «women’s ordination,» greater liturgical experimentation, and structural changes in Church governance. On August 6, Pope Leo XIII appointed 15 new consultants to the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, headed by Prefect Sister Simona Brambilla. Among those appointed are two bishops, five priests, two religious brothers, and six religious sisters, including several figures who have publicly supported heterodox positions associated with Pope Francis’s synodal reforms.
The most revealing appointment is that of Sister Patricia Murray, former executive secretary of the International Union of Superiors General. Murray has been a prominent advocate of Pope Francis’s vision of so-called synodality in women’s religious life. In a conference on synodality held in 2021, Murray argued that debates on controversial issues could not be excluded from the process. «We must also allow the issues that people want to address to be mentioned,» explicitly referring to the diaconate and women’s priesthood. Murray was also questioned about «the pain of LGBTQ+ people» during a Vatican press conference on the Synod on October 16, 2023. «I think that in many of the tables, if not all, the issue of the pain and wounds of people, both individually and collectively, has been addressed and heard,» she replied.
Another relevant appointment is that of Sister Maria Nirmalini, an Indian religious sister who participated in the 2023 Synod on Synodality. In an interview with Vatican News, Nirmalini advocated for a «liturgical reform… with less emphasis on uniformity and more on creativity.» She praised Pope Francis for «including us women» and interpreted it as a sign that «we are all included on this journey.» She also highlighted Francis’s approach to Islam as a major achievement, saying: «One of the many milestones of Pope Francis is the great progress he has made in interreligious dialogue, particularly with Muslims.»
Another recently appointed consultant is Brother Emili Turú Rofes, a Catalan Marist who served as Superior General of the Marist Brothers from 2009 to 2017. Turú has strongly promoted the synodal transformation of the Church. In an interview published in The Synodal Times on February 12, 2024, Turú described synodality as what «the Lord expects of the Church in this millennium.» Turú stated that religious communities must be willing to «strip themselves of the superfluous aspects of their tradition» to welcome «the newness of the Spirit.» He expressed hope for a «new style of relationship in the Church… with believers and non-believers. I hope that in a few years, looking back, we can recognize that the journey we have traveled together has made us better people.»
Sister María Rosaura González Casas is another appointee whose writings and public statements point to significant changes in Church structures. This Mexican religious sister is a psychologist and professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University. In an interview with Europa Press published on October 31, 2022, González Casas stated that the Church has systematically failed women and that if it continues this way, «we will have no future as a Church.» She added that women have often been treated within the Church as «second-class citizens» and simply as «labor,» without voice or vote in decision-making. She attributed this situation to what she called the influence of ecclesial culture and hierarchical structures, which also cause «abuses against nuns.»
Eijk at the Vatican.
The Pope received Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk, Metropolitan Archbishop of Utrecht and Primate of the Netherlands, at the Vatican. Eijk was born in Duivendrecht on June 22, 1953, at the age of seventy-three, the son of a Protestant father and a Catholic mother. After an initial period as a physician, he entered ecclesiastical life. He graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Amsterdam in 1978 and practiced as an internist for a couple of years before entering the Rolduc seminary in the diocese of Roermond. Ordained a priest in 1985, he continued his academic studies, obtaining a doctorate in medical bioethics with a thesis on euthanasia and, subsequently, a second doctorate in philosophy from the Angelicum. Since 2004, he has been a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
Consecrated bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden in 1999, on December 11, 2007, Benedict XVI transferred him to the primatial see of Utrecht, where he is the seventieth successor of Saint Willibrord. The cardinal was created cardinal in the consistory of February 2012, with the title of San Callisto, and participated in both the 2013 conclave and the one that, in May of last year, led to the election of Leo XIV. Eijk has made the defense of moral doctrine and liturgical discipline a constant feature of his episcopate, distinguishing himself among the most attentive voices within the College of Cardinals on bioethical issues and topics related to Catholic identity.
From a priestly residence to a five-star hotel.
We would like to report that new religious houses are opening, but that is not the case; we must live off the income. The Domus Paulus VI on Via della Scrofa is being remodeled: the Vatican building will become a luxury hotel, a 30-year concession and an investment of up to 60 million euros are planned. In the heart of Rome, a few steps from Piazza Navona, one of the most famous buildings linked to the Holy See is preparing to change its identity. For decades, the Domus Paulus VI has been a reference point for priests, religious, cardinals, and other members of the Church visiting Rome. Emeritus cardinals, former apostolic nuncios, and prelates expressed their opposition to the transformation of the Domus. Some argued that the building should have retained its original purpose, maintaining its function as a residence for the clergy.
The future operator would be responsible for the renovation of the building, with an estimated investment of between 50 and 60 million euros. The concession would last thirty years and would guarantee the Holy See an annual income of approximately 5 million euros. Considering the duration of the concession and the planned investments, the total nominal value of the transaction would exceed 200 million euros.
The Holy See’s assets include thousands of properties: more than 4,200 dwellings in Italy and approximately 1,200 abroad. The project also includes an agreement with the Italian government on the extraterritoriality of the property, which helps define the specific legal framework in which the operation will be carried out.
Pope Leo «guest of honor» in Buenos Aires.
A deputy from La Libertad Avanza (LLA), Andrea Freguia, promoted an initiative in the Legislature of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires to declare Pope Leo XIV «guest of honor,» as recognition of his «humanitarian trajectory and his international leadership in the defense of life, freedom, the dignity of the human person, and peace.» The libertarian recalled that «His Holiness Pope Leo XIV is the highest authority of the Catholic Church and head of the Vatican City State. Since the beginning of his pontificate, he has promoted the defense of life, religious freedom, the dignity of the human person, peace, and respect for fundamental freedoms, consolidating himself as one of the main figures on the international stage» and indicated that «the Holy See plays a relevant role in international relations and maintains diplomatic ties with the vast majority of the world’s States. In this framework, the Pope exercises a function that transcends the religious sphere and has a significant institutional and diplomatic dimension.» «Granting this recognition constitutes a way of highlighting the significance of his visit and reaffirming the vocation of the City of Buenos Aires to defend life, freedom, the dignity of the human person, respect for institutions, and an international insertion based on cooperation and dialogue.»
The Pope’s journey to the heart of secularism.
The main news of this week was the long-awaited confirmation by the Holy See of Pope Leo XIV’s trip to Argentina, Uruguay, and Peru in November. But before embarking on his tour of three South American countries, the Pope will travel to France. The visit to the «eldest daughter of the Church» is scheduled from September 25 to 28 and will be of great importance. This is a journey to the heart of secularized Europe, where, among other things, the law on the end of life was passed just a few months before the Pope’s arrival. It is, however, a journey to a country with an ancient Christian tradition, where the Catholic faith is experiencing an extraordinary resurgence, and no one really understands why.
It is a journey that will reveal much about how Leo XIV intends to address what promises to be a real attack on the heart of Christianity. France, in fact, is also one of the places in Europe where Christianophobic attacks have become so widespread that they have given rise to an observatory dedicated to recording them one by one.
France is probably the place from which to begin the reconstruction of a Christian culture, a task for which Leo XIV prepared the faithful from the beginning of his pontificate. His first trip was to Monaco, one of the smallest countries in the world, to pay homage to a nation with an ancient Christian tradition. The trip to Spain, where 1.2 million people came to Madrid while in secularized and anticlerical Barcelona, an incredible crowd held its breath at the extraordinary and heartfelt blessing of the Tower of Jesus of the Sagrada Familia.
The Pope will not intervene in European institutions, as was thought, it will happen, it is only a matter of time. But he dedicates an entire day to Metz, the city of the Venerable Robert Schuman, one of the great architects of a united Europe after the Second World War.
Have we adapted Catholic liturgy to Protestant liturgy?
For years this phrase attributed to Annibale Bugnini has circulated among Catholic circles most critical of the liturgical reform. It does not seem to be a literal quote from Bugnini, but the historical question underlying that formula has foundation. The question is to what extent the new ecumenical climate has influenced the criteria for liturgical reform and to what extent certain decisions have altered the perception of the Catholic faith in the celebration.
Annibale Bugnini was one of the central figures of the liturgical reform following the Second Vatican Council. Secretary of the Consilium ad exsequendam Constitutionem de Sacra Liturgia, he played an important role in the concrete development of the new liturgical books. The liturgical reform was the result of a much broader process, which matured through the liturgical movement, the theological and patristic reflection of the 20th century, the Second Vatican Council, and the subsequent decisions of the Holy See. The Council did not order the abandonment of Latin; on the contrary, it established that its use should be preserved in the rites of the Latin Church, while allowing a wider use of vernacular languages, especially in readings, exhortations, and in certain parts of the celebration, according to the norms established.
The Second Vatican Council gave new impetus and a more explicit conciliar form to the ecumenical path of the Catholic Church. Non-Catholic observers were, in effect, observers. They had no authority to make decisions about the reform of Catholic liturgy and cannot be considered co-authors of the new Missal. The liturgical reform did not change Catholic doctrine on the Eucharist, the sacrifice of the Mass, the real presence of Christ, or the ministerial priesthood.
Liturgy is not simply a neutral container into which a doctrine is inserted. Words, gestures, silences, orientations, symbols, times, and spaces of the celebration contribute to expressing and transmitting what the Church believes. In the transition from the previous liturgy to the reformed one, has the balance with which the different dimensions of the Catholic faith are perceived in the celebration also changed?
The problem consists in understanding what global image of the Mass emerges from all the changes and, above all, from their concrete pastoral implementation. Christian unity is not born from the elimination of differences, but from truth. But one may ask whether, in the legitimate desire to renew the liturgy and also to promote the ecumenical path, that balance has been fully preserved through which Catholic liturgy not only expresses the faith of the Church, but also continues to form that faith in the hearts of generations.
Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War.
An article today presents a case among thousands, Antonio Molle Lazo, a 21-year-old Carlist murdered by Spanish red militiamen on August 10, 1936. His beatification process is underway. Red militiamen captured him while he was defending a convent in the town of Peñaflor, near Seville. They beat him brutally and repeatedly tried to force him to shout: «Death to religion!» and «Long live Russia!» But he only responded: «Long live Christ the King!» and «Long live Spain!»
Due to his Catholic militancy, which consisted mainly of distributing leaflets and putting up posters, in 1936—when the Republic was already mired in the violence of the Popular Front—he ended up in prison for a month and a half. To another traditionalist who shared a cell with him, Antonio once said: «I prefer to endure the greatest torments rather than deny my God.» He remained faithful to this resolution. We are talking about martyrdom out of hatred for the faith because the fury with which he was tortured by the red militiamen leaves no room for doubt.
Antonio’s tortured body was initially buried in the Jerez cemetery. A year and a half later, before transferring him to another place in the same cemetery, the coffin was opened and witnesses confirmed that the body was in excellent condition and did not emit a bad odor. Finally, also as a result of the constant pilgrimages to his tomb, with special authorization from the Archbishop of Seville, Cardinal Pedro Segura, and the Vatican, it was decided to bury his remains in the Chapel of Christ the King, in the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Crowned, in Jerez. A model of Catholicism that many today consider obsolete, and, precisely for that reason, a model we urgently need.
Trump prefers Catholics.
Almost 2 billion dollars in international aid from the Trump administration. The criteria have changed: funds will no longer go to ideological NGOs, but to Christian organizations, with the commitment that all funding will go to on-the-ground activities. The U.S. Department of State, led by Catholic Marco Rubio, announced nearly 2 billion dollars for religious and community organizations dedicated to healthcare and humanitarian aid, thus emphatically refuting all criticism from those who had harshly criticized cuts in U.S. international aid.
The U.S. Department of State stated on August 6 that this is the «largest allocation of international health aid to religious organizations in more than two decades.» Among the beneficiaries are Christian networks and organizations World Vision, Compassion International, and Samaritan’s Purse. The largest part of the allocation, approximately 1.4 billion dollars (about 1.2 billion euros), is part of what Washington calls the «Global Health Strategy ‘America First’.» The disbursement of funds must comply with the new directive «Promotion of Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance» (PHFFA), which categorically excludes funding for programs linked to the progressive ideology of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), gender ideology, or abortion. As a curious fact, Europe has a humanitarian budget of 1.9 billion euros for 2026, which means that U.S. funding for religious organizations equals the entire annual allocation of the EU.
«As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.»
Good reading.