It is Wednesday, the Pope has returned to the Vatican after his routine weekly stay at the papal Villa. We continue with the Magnifica Humanitas and the likes and dislikes in his appearance. The names of the four bishops of the Fraternity have already been published, everything ready for the schism of Leo XIV, the Pope of unity. The demonization of Trump, and the provocative exhibitions of the Jesuits, with SJ author and in SJ church. The narcos resuming positions in the Insigne and national Basilica of Guadalupe. Another heart-stopping day, in a heart-stopping month, in a heart-stopping year; here we are every day to tell it.
The Pope Leo and the flotilla.
Upon leaving Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo to return to the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV, questioned by journalists, referred to the violence suffered by the Flotilla activists: “Let the rights of all be respected.” “There, we must reiterate our call for respect for the human rights of all.” “Unfortunately, the people of Gaza continue not to receive humanitarian aid, which provokes protests, difficulties, and even the actions of those who participated in the Flotilla. I would like to reiterate my call to all authorities to assist, accompany, and help the people of Gaza, who are suffering enormously.”
He returned to the topic of artificial intelligence: “Today we continued the work; there has been a kind of joint effort with the Dicastery for Integral Human Development and with some who work at Anthropic.” The invitation is to “continue the dialogue, to truly seek an unarmed artificial intelligence,” because “today a war is being waged with AI,” and “we have seen other cases today, in Lebanon, without regard for human lives.”
The Pope and the atheist billionaire.
Yesterday’s speech at the Vatican, although not an investiture per se, was interpreted as a high-risk gesture toward Anthropic , almost as if it were ahead of its competitors in the race to position AI products. It is as if Leo XIII had presented his most famous encyclical alongside the then masters of the economy, Giovanni Pirelli or Krupp, the king of cannons. Or as if Paul VI had illustrated his most controversial and prophetic document, Humanae Vitae, alongside the developers of the pharmaceutical company that produced Enovid , the first contraceptive pill. The official presentation of an encyclical is not a conference or seminar on the subject where, cautiously, some outsiders or stakeholders would also be invited.
Olah declares himself an atheist—according to the New York Post , in the past he even attacked Christianity and Benedict XVI— approaches the topic of ethics with the general caution of someone who has not yet fully understood what he is talking about, or perhaps knows it very well. The Vatican presents Olah as: “A person who has chosen to work in the field of AI for the good of humanity.” Dario Amodei, co-founder with Olah , has stated that Anthropic supports the use of AI to defend the United States and democracies, opposing its use in autonomous weapons and mass surveillance on U.S. territory. However, it is undeniable that the military field is one of the most attractive areas for the development of AI—unarmed, but with criteria.
Abortion and euthanasia in the Magnifica Humanitas.
Personal dignity derives from the rational nature of the soul that infuses the human body. No physical imperfection, no functional limitation, no existential failure, etc., can diminish this dignity, because it exists on the metaphysical plane of being, although it also infuses matter. Consequently, a person is valuable not for what they are—healthy, sick, young, old, etc.—nor for what they do—capable, incapable—but for what they are, in effect, for who they are. It is enough to exist to be recognized as a person; no other conditions are needed. Personal dignity is, therefore, intrinsic, not extrinsic.
The four candidates for excommunication.
Yesterday, the General House of the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X issued an official communiqué, signed by the Superior General, Father Davide Pagliarani, announcing the names of the four priests who will receive episcopal consecration on July 1 in Écône. An act destined to forcefully reopen the debate on relations between the Society and Rome. The chosen ones are: Pascal Schreiber, Swiss, 53 years old, rector of the Herz Jesu seminary in Zaitzkofen, Germany, since 2020; Michael Goldade, American, 45 years old, rector of Saint Thomas Aquinas seminary in Virginia, since 2023; Michel Poinsinet de Sivry, French, 42 years old, superior of the Benelux district since 2022; and Marc Hanappier, French, born in 1990, professor of metaphysics and dogmatic theology at the seminary in Dillwyn, Virginia.
The communiqué states that, “in a spirit of respect for the supreme authority of the universal Church,” the files of the priests were presented to the Holy Father, accompanied by some explanations deemed necessary for a correct understanding of an initiative that would be situated in a “very complex, particular, and exceptional context.” A gesture that the Holy See, however, has perceived as another “challenge and act of disrespect” that “the Society carries out with the approval, unfortunately, of many self-proclaimed traditionalists.”
The election and consecration of the new bishops do not proceed “from any desire to claim a power of jurisdiction or to establish a parallel authority in the Church” and do not constitute “a denial, a rejection, or a challenge to the supreme, full, and immediate power of jurisdiction of the Vicar of Christ over the universal Church.” The initiative to proceed with new episcopal consecrations without a pontifical mandate, in fact, revives the same doctrinal and canonical tensions that in 1988 led to the excommunication of the four bishops consecrated by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, an excommunication that Benedict XVI later revoked in January 2009, in an attempt to open a path of agreement with the Fraternity.
Cardinal Müller’s interview with Kath.net
It focuses on the announced episcopal ordinations. The Cardinal addresses with great clarity the full range of issues at stake: the doctrine of religious freedom contained in Dignitatis humanae, the meaning of conciliar ecumenism, the dogmatic and canonical consequences for a priest who does not fully represent the Church’s doctrine, the nature of excommunication and the meaning of its revocation, the distinction between the substance of the sacraments and liturgical forms, the relationship between the old rite and the renewed rite, the question of the new episcopal consecrations and possible paths to agreement, including the hypothesis of a personal prelature.
Müller acknowledges the spiritual richness of the ancient liturgy and openly criticizes the restrictions imposed on its celebration—describing the disciplinary suppression of the old rite as “pastorally very imprudent” and “dogmatically unsustainable”—and firmly reiterates that the problem is not liturgical but dogmatic: it concerns the Fraternity’s claim to act as a body of judgment over the Magisterium of the Pope and the bishops in communion with him. He considers the new episcopal consecrations dogmatically and morally indefensible except in a situation of extreme persecution in which contact with Rome would be impossible.
The lifting of the excommunication does not represent a rehabilitation; it was the unusual path of meekness of Benedict XVI, who hoped that the lifting of the excommunication would lead to the repentance and conversion of the bishops of the Fraternity affected by the measure, and did not foresee that some would interpret his great openness as weakness. The Pope, in his task of guaranteeing or restoring the unity of the Church, will always go to the limits of what is possible, while those who have strayed, in their spiritual pride, take advantage of this to impose conditions. For the sake of unity, the Pope can certainly grant the members of the Society of Saint Pius X the celebration of Holy Mass and the other sacraments according to the liturgical form prior to the liturgical reform. Indeed, it is necessary to distinguish the dogmatic substance of the sacraments from the different rites in which they are celebrated.
Naturally, for every Catholic, the spiritual authority of the Pope, guardian of truth, peace, and human dignity, is above worldly authorities, guided by interests, power, and influence. But it is already a great achievement that States remain outside the question of truth and respect the fundamental natural rights of their citizens, especially their freedom of religion and conscience, and that they do not attempt, against all common sense, to define marriage, for example, as something other than the communion of life between a man and a woman. The members of the Society of Saint Pius X should raise this voice within the Church, not against it, thus avoiding the impression that any right to exist within the Church has been granted to heretical deviations toward the atheistic rainbow ideology. Athanasius and Augustine did not distance themselves from the Church until it definitively overcame Arianism and Donatism.
“The old rite or the new is not the issue. Unfortunately, on both sides, even on the part of the authoritarian agitators of the Roman Dicastery for Divine Worship, the theological distinction between the substance of the sacraments and the different liturgical forms is not adequately valued. The simple disciplinary suppression of the old rite and the widespread suspicion of its supporters as deniers of the Second Vatican Council is not only pastorally questionable but also dogmatically unsustainable.”
What if a schism occurred? Müller: “It would be very sad and would constitute a wound inflicted on the Body of Christ, which is the Church. But even throughout the history of the Church, there have been many separations, especially in the sixteenth century, when the Protestant Reformation did not lead to a reform of the Church but to the division of Christianity. It is to be hoped that the members of the Society of Saint Pius X will not continue to withdraw into themselves, but will look at the Church as a whole and learn from the errors of ecclesiastical history. They should not follow the path of the Donatists, the Jansenists, and the Old Catholics. One extreme does not justify the other. Neither so-called progressivism, which subjects the revealed truth of Christ to the changing currents of the spirit of the age, nor traditionalism, which reduces the entire Tradition of the Church to a few fixed ideas, can be the path of the Church, which the risen Lord chose as a sacrament, that is, as a sign and instrument.”
Strickland does not entirely like the Magnifica Humanitas.
“I consider it important to address the concerns raised by the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas of the Holy Father Leo XIV, recently published. Some have found parts insightful and convincing. Others, however, have experienced deep unease upon reading it, fearing that, beneath many true statements, the document reflects a broader theological shift that risks placing the human being at the center, thus obscuring the primacy of God.”
“The Church has always taught that each age must be judged in the light of Christ—not a Christ reinterpreted through modern ideologies, but Christ as transmitted in Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the perennial Magisterium of the Church. Technology, artificial intelligence, and changing social realities certainly demand deep moral reflection. However, no age, no crisis, no technological revolution can alter the fundamental truths of the Catholic faith: that man, fallen by sin, redeemed only by Jesus Christ, called to repentance and sanctification, and destined not only to earthly well-being but to eternal union with God.”
“In this document the emphasis often seems inverted. The language repeatedly centers on human flourishing, human vulnerability, human solidarity, human fraternity, human communion, human relationships, human participation, and the preservation of humanity itself. Certainly, Catholic doctrine teaches on these topics. However, the repeated emphasis creates the impression that the main crisis of the modern world is ‘dehumanization,’ rather than sin against God. Evil is often described in terms of fragmentation, domination, exclusion, technological reductionism, or broken relationships, instead of rebellion against divine law and the need for repentance and conversion.”
Demonizing Trump.
Barron encourages Catholics to approach the immigration policies of the Trump administration with dialogue rather than “demonizing him,” arguing that concerns about border security, child trafficking, and missing migrant children raise serious moral questions that should not be dismissed as anti-humanitarian. Interview with FOX News Digital published on May 24: “There are very good reasons, moral reasons, to be concerned about an open border.” He points in particular to human trafficking, especially of children, and cases of minors whose whereabouts are lost in the immigration process as serious concerns that deserve attention.
The bishop refers to the comments of the border security chief, Tom Homan, a Catholic, and said he was deeply moved by his call to strengthen border security during a recent call with the White House. “He was saying that we cannot fall into the simplistic trap of believing that an open border is humanitarian, that an open border is kind to the foreigner.” “It is not only the bad ones, the Republicans, who want to enforce immigration laws. There are Republicans who, for very good moral reasons, want to enforce immigration law.”
Barron argues that it is unfair to label conservatives or Republicans simply as “anti-humanitarian” for supporting the enforcement of immigration laws. The Catholic left often promotes dialogue and conciliation, “until it comes to conservatives.” He acknowledges that there are “values on both sides” of the debate and urged the Church to foster more dialogue rather than political condemnation. “Let us build bridges of dialogue. That is a role the Church can play. What I do not want from the Church is a kind of demonization of the Trump administration.”
Regarding the recent criticisms by Trump of Pope Leo XIV, Bishop Barron said he has continued to encourage more direct dialogue between administration leaders and Vatican officials. “Part of the problem in the battle between Trump and the Pope was that the President was treating the Pope too much like a politician.” The pope’s role is “to use the moral structure of Church teaching to guide prudential judgment in the right direction,” while the president’s responsibility is “to make those prudential judgments.” “The Church provides a moral framework. Great, now let us have an honest conversation with those whose function is to make that decision, but conditioned by this moral framework; that would be more fruitful.”
Provocative SJ representations.
What the Jesuits were and what they are becoming on the path to extinction. The Church of St. Francis Xavier in Manhattan is hosting an exhibition of sacrilegious “iconography” created by Nicholas Leeper, a Jesuit known for his blasphemous “art,” featuring provocative depictions of Our Lord, Our Lady, and other saints in the style of modern “pop art,” after the Archdiocese of New York canceled the exhibition on archdiocesan property. Leeper’s exhibition , titled “The Twilight of the Idols,” revolves around his icon “Virgin and Child (Tomatokos),” which sacrilegiously mimics a 1950s Campbell’s soup advertisement. The show, which includes 13 other blasphemous icons, was originally scheduled to be exhibited at the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture of the Archdiocese of New York, but was abruptly canceled. “The Church of St. Francis Xavier and Xavier High School are proud to host the exhibition in support of Leeper and the way his work provokes, examines, and seeks to deepen the relationship between faith, culture, and the life of prayer.” The parish of St. Francis Xavier is noted for its ministries to gay Catholics, lesbian Catholics, and sexual migrants. It also offers yoga classes and a Zen meditation group.
The narcos return to Guadalupe.
Guillermo Gazanini in “Wash away our filth…” has recounted in Infovaticana with precision the sad events taking place at the Insigne and national Basilica of Guadalupe. Last Sunday was especially shameful, and the protagonist, as always, was the expired Cardinal Aguiar—God deliver us—who “flirts” whenever he appears. We have the shameful audio of the Pentecost meeting with the chapter of the Insigne at 10:30 a.m. in the Basilica of Guadalupe, whose full recording lasts approximately 16 minutes. In that meeting, Cardinal Aguiar informed the Chapter that both the economic audit and the canonical investigation conducted by the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of the Archdiocese had found no irregularities that would prevent the reinstatement of Fr. Efraín Hernández as rector of the Basilica. On that basis, he proceeded to reinstate him immediately and invited him to sit in his rightful place amid the indignant silence of the chapter. He claimed, lying, that Pope Leo was aware of the situation and the results of the investigations, and saw no objection to the reinstatement. The cardinal even assured, lying again, that the apostolic nuncio agreed with the decision and even encouraged him to carry it out.
For approximately three months, the Chapter had been aware of Cardinal Aguiar’s intention to reinstate the rector even before both the economic audit and the canonical investigation were fully concluded. In response, several members of the Chapter spoke with the Mexican Episcopal Conference and the Apostolic Nunciature. Both Msgr. Ramón Castro, president of the CEM, and the apostolic nuncio, each separately, expressed in writing to the cardinal the inadvisability of reinstating Fr. Efraín Hernández due to the conflicts and institutional wear already caused. The narcos have entered the Basilica, and there is much evidence of periodic payments for bribes and unspeakable expenses that fall into the hands of the same cardinal, who would not be out of place to have an audit of his assets upon arriving at the metropolitan See and upon his departure.
We do not doubt that Aguiar is under all kinds of pressure; the Mexican world is not at all comfortable, and given his weak, easily blackmailed personality, he fears his devoted narcos far more than the Pope himself. Rome is far away, and one must eat every day; we know that Leo XIV already has all the information in his hands and that the nunciature was not at all pleased with the cardinal’s lies. Let us hope that the Basilica can regain peace and return to normality as soon as possible. The cardinal celebrated alone, together with the reinstated rector, the Pentecost Mass; the chapter collectively excused itself.
The first encyclicals.