Another day very much focused on the death of Enzo Bianchi, with all the media reporting the news and offering their comments, more or less critical. He is not an indifferent figure and represents another closing of the sixties era. Another intense day.
It is often said in Hispanic lands that «Zamora was not won in an hour,» neither in an hour nor in seven months; when things are not resolved, they tend to become complicated. It is a set phrase used to advise patience, constancy, and perseverance in facing an arduous task. It is a very ancient saying already used in literary works such as La Celestina. Its origin lies in the siege that in the eleventh century the beautiful city of Zamora suffered for seven months at the hands of Sancho II of Castile. Before his death, Ferdinand I decided to divide his territories among his children: Sancho II of Castile, Alfonso VI of León, García of Galicia, Urraca of Zamora, and Elvira of Toro. However, in 1065 the king died, and it was then that a bitter struggle for the kingdoms began. Zamora remained in the hands of Urraca, a loyal supporter of Alfonso VI. At that time, the city was an important border and military enclave on the Duero line. Sancho besieged it, but he neither won it in an hour nor in the seven months the siege lasted, for he was betrayed and assassinated before seeing it completed. The person responsible for this regicide was Bellido Dolfos, loyal to Doña Urraca, who escaped from Zamora and managed to gain the trust of Sancho II in order to assassinate him at a moment when he was alone with him. Pope Leo may feel besieged, but the real problem lies with the false friends who are very fond of changing sides.
Why is Pope Leo XIII not roaring?
What is holding him back? Who is stopping him? Almost sixteen months have passed since that May 8, 2025, the day Robert Francis Prevost was elected to the papacy, and the government of the man who took the name Leo XIV still has evident difficulties in getting started. It could be said—figuratively and without malice or prejudice—that the great feline has still not roared or produced the fruits that many expected during and, above all, after the Conclave. Of course, this pope was elected at a relatively young age compared to his two immediate predecessors (he will turn 71 on September 14), and a fairly long pontificate is to be expected; for some, this “wait and see” attitude regarding clear positions and desired replacements is more than normal.
The reality is different, especially when compared with almost all contemporary pontificates: to give a recent example, Pope Francis dismissed Cardinal Bertone as Secretary of State and appointed Parolin on August 30, 2013, barely five months after his election, and by the end of December of the same year the Roman Curia had already been largely shaped in his own image and likeness. Today, almost a year and a half after taking office, Leo XIV still keeps the entire Bergoglian ecclesiastical apparatus at his side, just as the lay apparatus remains largely linked to the Community of Sant’Egidio. While it is true that a government is also judged by the appointments and the people chosen by the “boss” to advance his agenda, the stagnation in which the Holy See finds itself is still evident and flagrant.
It is true that Pope Leo has reviewed or replaced some of Francis’s legislative acts in recent months, but the men at the head of the Vatican apparatus remain the same as in the previous pontificate. Even the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Fernández, remained in his post despite universal complaints. Leo XIV personally entrusted him with several delicate matters, such as the negotiations (spectacularly failed) with the Lefebvrians that led to a new schism. Under Leo XIV, the extension of high officials—and of many holders of dioceses and archdioceses worldwide—well beyond the canonical retirement age set by Paul VI at 75 is becoming a de facto standard practice.
Cardinals Marcello Semeraro, of the Causes of Saints (79 in December); Arthur Roche, of Divine Worship (76 and a half); Farrell, Camerlengo and Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, who turns 79 tomorrow; and Kurt Koch, of Christian Unity (also 76 and a half), remain in office. Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, turned 75 on August 25, and in a little over a month and a half, Lazzaro You Heung-Sik, of the Clergy, will also reach 75.
From many quarters doubts are beginning to arise as to whether Leo XIV is, in the words of a cardinal with an important past in the Curia, a “polite Bergoglio,” understood as a man with the same agenda but with a more “papal” aesthetic and manners. Paraphrasing Winston Churchill’s famous phrase about Stalin’s Russia, we may be facing “an enigma wrapped in a mystery.”
It is true that the apparatus surrounding him pays him homage in an attempt to reposition itself, but at the same time it evades him, trying to block the necessary renewal at the top of Vatican power. Among the most active actors in this regard is, obviously, the Community of Sant’Egidio, which de facto controls the entire communications apparatus of the Holy See, as well as the Italian Episcopal Conference with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi. Only when we see that Leo has found the courage to distance himself from these people will it be possible to truly assess his line and the reach of the power of his “roar.”
Mass of Creation.
The five weeks of this “Time” will be dedicated “to prayer and the commitment to care for our ‘common home,’” and the Pontiff, at dusk, from the charming garden with its pond and the statue of the Virgin, adorned for the occasion with white and pink hydrangeas at her feet, urges everyone to take time to meditate on the beauty of creation and reflect. «Let us silence the noise of human activities to listen to the melodious voice of creation, in which God, the Creator of all things, speaks to us. This contemplative exercise, which fosters the encounter with the Lord, constitutes a first step toward an authentic ecological conversion, in which the effects of the encounter with Jesus Christ are clearly manifested in our relationship with the world around us.» “Contemplating with wonder the birds of the sky and the lilies of the field, so precious in the eyes of the Creator, helps us understand the greatness of God’s love for us. If the Lord never ceases to grant splendid beauty and provide for the needs of plants and animals, how much more attentive will He be to the needs of His beloved sons and daughters!” “It is not too late, and the Time of Creation calls us to a profound conversion: ‘What has been used for destruction can be redirected toward life, for the care of the poor, the feeding of the hungry, and the protection of creation.’” It cannot be missing, and at the end, alluding to the “Canticle of the Creatures” of the Poverello of Assisi, the Pope encourages us to commit ourselves “to live and promote” “universal fraternity,” “inseparably united to the task of protecting creation.”
This war must end.
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher’s trip to Moscow marked a definitive paradigm shift in the Holy See’s diplomacy regarding the situation in Ukraine. We do not know what was said behind closed doors during the bilateral meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. However, much information can be gleaned from the initial statements of both the Holy See and the Russian delegation before the meeting and in the subsequent press conference. These meetings are the first of their kind to take place under the new pontificate. Leo XIV has introduced a different, more “diplomatic” strategy. Pope Francis relied heavily on his personal impressions and charisma. Leo has adopted a more conventional and institutional approach, with great attention to detail and the conviction that peace cannot be achieved without clarity. Leo XIV has emphasized that the Church must tell the truth, even when it is incomprehensible to the world.
The phrase that captured the most attention was Gallagher’s firm declaration: “This war must end.” He called for clear and transparent negotiations and stressed the “persistent differences” between the Russian Federation and the Holy See in assessing certain situations, clarifying that the Holy See does not yield to Russian propaganda.
Gallagher’s visit has not had the impact it might have had in the Western media, and his words were drowned out by videos broadcast with Russian translation. The Russian Foreign Ministry rushed to transcribe and publish the exact content of Lavrov’s words, but neither the Holy See’s Secretariat of State nor the Vatican media did so, despite having sent a journalist to accompany the archbishop. The Holy See recognizes that Russia is a global actor that cannot be excluded from the talks, and extends a hand to a Moscow that feels increasingly isolated.
Cupich: between schisms and embraces.
Very strict with some, very understanding with others, and always in the same direction. Cardinal Cupich has allowed Michael Pfleger, who has performed “blessings” for homosexuals and supported the “ordination of women,” to return as principal pastor of a parish in Chicago, Santa Sabina. A review board said there was “no reason” to believe the priest was guilty of his tenth allegation of sexual abuse. In a statement on August 24, Cupich announced that Father Pfleger, who has a long history of contradicting Catholic doctrine on homosexuality, female “ordination,” the papacy, and of supporting pro-abortion and left-wing politicians, has been cleared of a sexual abuse allegation against a minor filed in July and dating back more than 30 years, following an investigation by an “independent review board.” Since 2021, the priest has been accused of sexual abuse on five occasions before being cleared and allowed to resume his “ministry.”
The false accusations against Ouellet.
A court in Quebec has ruled that the accusations of Pamela Groleau, who in 2022 implicated the cardinal in a class-action lawsuit for abuses in the diocese of Quebec, are false and defamatory. Judge Martin Castonguay ordered Groleau to pay the cardinal 100,000 Canadian dollars, the amount Ouellet had requested in his counterclaim. The 52-page ruling, signed at the end of a seven-day trial in March, ends a civil case that had attracted international attention since 2022. On March 19, 2001, John Paul II consecrated him bishop in St. Peter’s Basilica; on November 15, 2002, he was appointed Archbishop of Quebec and Primate of the Catholic Church in Canada, a position he assumed on January 26, 2003; and on October 21 of the same year, he was created cardinal. From 2010 to 2023, he headed the Congregation for Bishops. He participated as a cardinal elector in the conclaves of 2005 and 2013. His resignation, submitted in 2019 upon reaching the age limit, was accepted by Francis in January 2023; in his place, Roberto Francisco Prevost, then Bishop of Chiclayo, was appointed.
Enzo Bianchi has died.
The body has been lying in state since Wednesday morning at the Casa della Madia in Albiano d’Ivrea. Enzo Bianchi will return to Castel Boglione, the town in the Asti region where he was born on March 3, 1943. The funeral will take place tomorrow in the parish church. After the funeral, the founder of Bose will be buried in the municipal cemetery. The announcement bears the signatures of the brothers and sisters of Madia: Goffredo Boselli, Giovanni Gatti, Maurizio Milesi, Claudio Bellandi, Antonella Casiraghi, and Laura Marino, together with their relatives Maddalena and Ines Moccafighe, Loredana Nicala, Francesca Bianchi, and Sandra Cordara. The simple text begins with the traditional formula: “Having concluded his earthly pilgrimage, he has entered into the rest of the Lord.” Those who sign express their gratitude to the Lord for the gift of his life.
The Fraternity has added a prayer to the message, summarizing how his brothers wish to remember him. They thank him for a life “filled with passion” for the Word, his “frank and prophetic words,” and his “unconditional hospitality, capable of turning every encounter into a space of fraternity and sincere ecumenism.” They ask God to purify “all his weaknesses” and grant him the opportunity to contemplate “that Face which he sought with love in the Scriptures, in the liturgy, and in the gaze of every brother and sister.”
In his final years, Bianchi acknowledged his faith “more filled with questions and doubts than before,” but also how he remained steadfast in what had not faded: “his love for the Lord remained.”
Enzo Bianchi dies in exile.
Enzo Bianchi, 83, one of the principal founders of the monastic community of Bose, founded in 1965 in the province of Biella. In 2020, he was removed from Bose by order of Pope Francis and founded Casa della Madia, a monastic “confraternity” located in Albiano d’Ivrea. Since then, he had gradually withdrawn, partly due to health problems, and in his final days his condition worsened due to kidney failure, which caused his death in metabolic coma.
Bianchi last appeared in public last May in Turin, where he presented a book by Spadaro SJ. In recent years, he had addressed, among other topics, that of the Mass in the ancient rite, debating with other theologians and Church historians, always maintaining a stance in defense of the Council and its reforms. In 2017, Enzo Bianchi suffered a harsh conflict with Pope Francis, who desired a change in the leadership of the Community to avoid an excessive concentration of power. After a long tug-of-war, which included the intervention of a psychoanalyst sent directly by the Vatican, Bianchi: “I am in the exile that was imposed on me.”
Aldo Maria Valli and Enzo Bianchi.
«I remember him as a welcoming and curious person, always ready to answer questions. Talking with him was pleasant and, of course, never boring. His reflections were never banal. Despite a non-classical formation (he had a degree in accounting and had not completed his university studies in economics), he was able to address philosophical and theological questions with a certain mastery. He had a talent for writing, both in short journalistic articles and in essays. I admit that I was fascinated by him, until I realized the distance between our positions when I began to recognize myself as an involuntary modernist and, consequently, rediscovered Tradition.»
«In 2022, together with Don Nicola Bux, I dedicated the book “The Changing of the Guard” to Enzo Bianchi, in which I summarized the internal conflict in the monastery of Bose, the Vatican’s intervention, and the vicissitudes Bianchi faced in the final stage of his life. I believe that Enzo Bianchi’s story is paradigmatic of the post–Second Vatican Council Church, with all its deviations, ambiguities, and contradictions, in the context of the almost unanimous applause of secularist culture.» He published a book, “What Is Beyond?”, in which he took up this question. He explained: “We know the here and now and see that it has an ineluctable limit. We hope there is a life after death, but I believe we must make it present in the here and now. Elements of eternity already exist here and now. What is not yet, is already here. «Lately, his thoughts often revolved around death. Once, when I met him, he asked me: «Do you think if I had been tall and handsome I would have become a monk?» «You know, Aldo, I still haven’t fully accepted this thing about death. I’m afraid of it.»
The monk who was popular outside the monasteries
Reducing Bianchi’s figure to the disastrous conclusion of the Bose experience would be a mistake. He played a fundamental role in opening Italian Catholicism to ecumenical dialogue and restoring the centrality of the Scriptures. He addressed an audience that often would not have listened to a bishop or entered a parish. Theologians, philosophers, and intellectuals of the most diverse kinds passed through Bose. He maintained relations with the Orthodox world, with Protestants, and even with Buddhist communities. He had an extraordinary ability to relate to others and even an extraordinary ability to be at the center of those relationships.
Bianchi lived the constant tension between the monk and the public figure, between the community and the founder, between the preacher of secrecy and a public figure who had very little in common with the secret world. Even some who had shared or frequented the Bose experience for a long time ended up criticizing him precisely for this: his departure from the original spirit, his growing self-promotion, even his taste for titles and praise which, in their view, were incompatible with the radicalism of his beginnings. The young man who had come to Bose in 1965 to seek God in silence had become a public moral authority.
«You are the Son of God!»
Good reading.