It’s Sunday, and an August Sunday at that—saying so in Rome carries real weight. Romans leave the city in search of the Tyrrhenian breezes or the Castelli hills. The Pope remains in Rome; the presence of the faithful in the squares these days is heroic. Sightseeing in Rome in August is an act of courage; the numbers are not what they are in other months, but they still count. We keep reporting the news even on such unpromising dates—let’s move on to another day.
Pope Leo XIV’s Peruvian nationality.
A document held by Peru’s migration authorities shows how, eleven years ago, Robert Francis Prevost began the naturalization process in Peru while serving as bishop of Chiclayo and earned one of the highest scores on the history exam. The file includes the handwritten letter in which he formally requested Peruvian citizenship. In that text, addressed to President Ollanta Humala, Prevost recounted his personal story, expressed his bond with the country, and stated his intention to “remain in Peru for the rest of my life.” The process began in February 2015. As part of the requirements, the religious had to pass an exam assessing knowledge of local history, geography, and culture. “The Pope passed the test. It’s one of the highest scores I’ve seen among all the files we’ve reviewed.” The letter not only details his spiritual journey and the difficult and happy stages he experienced on national soil, but also underscores his desire to put down roots in the country. According to the official, “the file shows every step any foreigner must complete to become naturalized: from the application, through the exam, to the final resolution.” Prevost’s request joins those of thousands of foreigners who each year opt for Peruvian nationality: so far in 2026, 460,000 people have obtained Peruvian naturalization.
With the victims of abuse in France.
On his apostolic journey from September 25 to 28, Pope Leo XIV will meet with victims of abuse in the Church in France. In addition to the institutional events, a private meeting has been planned between the pontiff and several victims of abuse in the Church. This will be a unique experience, as the victims themselves will take part in preparing the event. In October 2021, France was shaken by a report from the CIASE (Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church). The investigation determined, with highly debatable figures, that approximately 216,000 minors had been victims of sexual abuse by priests and religious in France between 1950 and 2020—a figure that rose to 330,000 when abuses committed by laypeople working in ecclesiastical institutions, such as teachers in Catholic schools and youth leaders, were included. The commission also estimated the presence of approximately 3,000 pedophiles among priests and religious during the 70-year period analyzed. We assume something similar is being organized for the American trip; so far there is no news. In Argentina and Peru there is anticipation; an encounter is not ruled out, but we do not expect the victims to be selected in a way that avoids embarrassing situations.
Gallagher and Zuppi in Russia.
In separate visits that we still do not understand. The Russian ambassador to the Holy See, Ivan Soltanovsky, in an interview with the U.S. Catholic network EWTN: “We are expecting the visit of Archbishop Gallagher.We are also preparing an invitation for a new visit by Cardinal Zuppi, who has already been in Moscow in 2023 and 2024.” Gallagher will be in Moscow on August 25, while Zuppi will travel to Moscow in September. “The visit of Gallagher gives us the opportunity to address various issues,” the ambassador stated. Regarding the possibility of a visit by Pope Leo XIV to Russia, Soltanovsky clarified: “A visit by Pope Leo XIV is not currently on the agenda. It is a very delicate and important matter, but we maintain good contacts with high officials of the Holy See.” LThe visit of Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher “is an opportunity for our high officials to explain their position on many issues directly.” Zuppi is scheduled to return to Moscow in September, following his missions in 2023 and 2024: “His visit is confirmed. He has a standing invitation and we are working on it. He will always be welcome in the country.” The Pontiff, Soltanovsky added, “is not a narrow-minded person. He has a broad and ambitious vision. He possesses a clear vision and a deep understanding of current problems.”
The Catholicos of All Armenians.
On the afternoon of Friday, August 7, 2026, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church appeared before the Regional Court of First Instance of Armavir in the city of Vagharshapat, also known as Etchmiadzin—the spiritual capital of Armenia and the seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church—along with six bishops who are members of the Supreme Spiritual Council. Then something unexpected happened: Judge Hakob Manukyan recused himself. The case will have to be assigned to another judge, and only then can a new hearing be scheduled. The trial has been suspended. However, the problem remains. Because at the heart of this matter is not merely a sentence that someone allegedly refused to comply with. There is a far more important question: can a state court determine who should be recognized as a bishop by a Church? And can it prosecute the head of that Church and its bishops when they apply their own canonical order?
The proceedings against Karekin II and six other high-ranking prelates stem from the controversy surrounding Gevorg Saroyan, former bishop of Masyatsotn of the Armenian Apostolic Church and one of the ten bishops who sided with Pashinyan in the Prime Minister’s campaign against the Catholicos. Karekin II had removed him from office. Saroyan appealed to the civil courts, and a court ordered his reinstatement. The Holy See of Etchmiadzin did not comply with the order, and Saroyan was subsequently expelled from the clerical state.
The first hearing was supposed to mark the formal start of the trial. However, shortly after it opened, Judge Hakob Manukyan recused himself. The judge essentially refused to participate in a “shameful trial.”
The Church’s real-estate empire.
Two articles today focus on real-estate issues involving religious orders. An extensive report on the properties of the Salesians of Don Bosco in Rome—there are quite a few. The Salesians are about to become the largest religious order in number of members, surpassing the Jesuits, so it is no surprise that they attract attention. From Val Melaina to Castro Pretorio and the Don Bosco neighborhood. Beyond the religious façade, a dense network of institutions and activities stretches across Rome, all belonging to one of the world’s most famous religious orders. In the capital there are religious institutions so widespread that they almost go unnoticed, integrated into the urban landscape like pine trees or cobblestones. The Salesians are a case in point. We find them in Castro Pretorio, where their founder, Don Bosco, built the first major Salesian work in the city. The same complex, on Via Marsala, today houses the headquarters of the Rector Major, the spiritual and institutional leader of more than 13,500 religious, including 114 bishops, present in 138 countries around the world.
Another article takes a critical look at the number of hotel establishments in Rome owned by male and female religious. There are approximately 250 establishments with a capacity ranging between 10,000 and 13,000 people. Not all are “hotels of the Holy See”; they are managed by congregations, foundations, and independent non-profit organizations linked to the Vatican. The criticism stems from the verbal support given to the 400 people evicted from Spin Time and left on the street. For these 400 people evicted from Spin Time , after participating in emergency talks, the Church offered available accommodations. In 2022-2023, Caritas Rome hosted 188 Ukrainian refugees in 44 facilities: 15 parishes, 26 religious institutes and orders, and three shelters. Spin Time, however, had so far lacked a network. Despite this, Cardinal Baldo Reina, the Pope’s vicar, explained that “the Church of Rome, called to preside in charity, is present.” It is well known how difficult it is for many institutions to maintain buildings that have lost their original use. Hotel use—either self-managed or rented—and sale are the solutions. The lack of vocations is leaving enormous spaces empty, and the few remaining religious men or women are reduced to hotel staff. No matter how many properties they have—the more the better—what is worrying is the desacralization of their use.
The “conciliar church” and the “Catholic Church.”
For Lefebvre, the entire hierarchy of the “conciliar” Church, including the Pope, administers sacraments whose validity is questionable. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre’s stance effectively decreed that the Catholic Church no longer exists where the Pope and the bishops in communion with him are found. Therefore, it was necessary to provide the Church with “Catholic bishops” so that they could continue the Church, Tradition, and transmit the true priesthood and the true sacraments.
Living in an era other than the present.
An article today focuses on the images of the episcopal ordination celebrated in Écône on July 1, where the presence of Bishop Marc Hanappier stands out: thirty-six years old, the youngest of the four bishops consecrated that day. That age difference evokes a widespread phenomenon in certain circles, even within the Catholic Church: that of young people who choose to live in an era other than their own, to the point of not really living in their own time.
For years, circles of traditional sensibility have experienced concentrated growth among the younger generations, with manifestations that go beyond the liturgy: they encompass clothing, reading, friendships, and even the idea of authority. In the United States, the Harvard Cooperative Election Study recorded an increase in the proportion of Catholics among those born after 1997, from 15 % in 2022 to 21 % in 2023, driven mainly by men. In the United Kingdom, according to a Bible Society survey, Generation Z Catholics now outnumber Anglicans. Attendance at the traditional Latin Mass, contrary to the general decline in religious practice, is also increasingly concentrated in the 18-to-29 age group. There is a predominantly aesthetic component, driven by social media, in which rosaries, incense, and precious vestments become visual content for platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. There is also a more specifically political, monarchist, and counter-revolutionary component that reinterprets contemporary history as a long decline that began with the French Revolution.
Psychology has coined a term for this nostalgia for a time never lived: anemoia, a word invented by writer John Koenig and taken up by philosopher Felipe De Brigard, who distinguishes it from classical nostalgia by its origin, not its intensity: while the latter is based on personal memories, anemoia is constructed from imagination, fueled by films, photographs, and second-hand stories. Some researchers have linked the phenomenon to the rhetoric of populist movements, capable of attracting young voters precisely by promising a return to an era never personally experienced. This interpretation applies equally well to youthful Catholic traditionalism, where nostalgia almost always refers to an image constructed after the fact, rarely to an autobiographical memory. Cardinal Robert Sarah, on the tenth anniversary of Summorum Pontificum , urged the faithful attached to the ancient Mass to abandon the label “traditionalists,” precisely so as not to be reduced to a relic stored on a shelf.
“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
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