Not mincing his words, and quoting the Prophet Isaiah, the Holy Father said that not only can no one use God to justify war, God Himself does not listen to the prays of those who wage war:

“This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: “Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood” (Is 1:15).”

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In his separate Angelus address the Holy Father remembered our suffering Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East. As a result of this ongoing US-Israeli conflict, and restrictions imposed by local authorities the traditional Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives to the Old City in Jerusalem was cancelled. The Chrism Mass for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which takes place in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre on Holy Thursday has been postponed till after Easter, with a dispensation being granted by the Holy See.

And just this morning the news came that Israeli Police prevented His Beatitude Pierbattista Cardinal Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, meaning that for the first time in centuries the leader of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land was unable to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass. The Church continues to be persecuted because it is the truth.

I don’t know whether the Pope was aware of this latest development, when he said these nevertheless timely words at the Angelus: “At the beginning of Holy Week, our prayers are more than ever with the Christians of the Middle East, who are suffering the consequences of a brutal conflict and, in many cases, are unable to observe fully the liturgies of these holy days. Just as the Church contemplates the mystery of the Lord’s Passion, we cannot forget those who today are truly sharing in his suffering. Their ordeal challenges all our consciences. Let us raise our prayer to the Prince of Peace that he may sustain the peoples wounded by war and open concrete paths to reconciliation and peace.”

Below the Palm Sunday sermon of the Holy Father are published in full:

Dear brothers and sisters,

As Jesus walks the Way of the Cross, we place ourselves behind him, following in his footsteps. As we walk with him, we contemplate his passion for the sake of humanity, his broken heart, and his life as a gift of love.

We turn our gaze to Jesus, who reveals himself as King of Peace, even as war looms abounds him. He remains steadfast in meekness, while others are stirring up violence. He offers himself to embrace humanity, even as others raise swords and clubs. He is the light of the world, though darkness is about to engulf the earth. He came to bring life, even as plans unfold to condemn him to death.

King of Peace. Jesus’ desire is to bring the world into the Father’s arms, tearing down every barrier that separates us from God and from our neighbor, for “He is our peace” (Eph 2:14).

King of Peace. Jesus enters into Jerusalem not upon a horse, but upon a donkey, fulfilling the ancient prophecy that calls for rejoicing at the arrival of the Messiah: “Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war-horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations” (Zech 9:9–10).

King of Peace. When one of his disciples drew his sword to defend him and struck the high priest’s servant, Jesus immediately stopped him, saying: “Put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Mt 26:52).

King of Peace. While he was burdened with our sufferings and pierced for our sins, Jesus “did not open his mouth, like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent” (Is 53:7). He did not arm himself, or defend himself, or fight any war. He revealed the gentle face of God, who always rejects violence. Rather than saving himself, he allowed himself to be nailed to the cross, embracing every cross borne in every time and place throughout human history.

Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: “Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood” (Is 1:15).

As we set our gaze upon him who was crucified for us, we can see a crucified humanity. In his wounds, we see the hurts of so many women and men today. In his last cry to the Father, we hear the weeping of those who are crushed, who have no hope, who are sick and who are alone. Above all, we hear the painful groans of all those who are oppressed by violence and are victims of war.

Christ, King of Peace, cries out again from his cross: God is love! Have mercy! Lay down your weapons! Remember that you are brothers and sisters!

In the words of the Servant of God, Bishop Tonino Bello, I would like to entrust this cry to Mary Most Holy, who stands beneath the cross of her Son and weeps also at the feet of those who are crucified today:

“Holy Mary, woman of the third day, grant us the certainty that, in spite of all, death will no longer hold sway over us; that the injustices of peoples are numbered; that the flashes of war are fading into the twilight; that the sufferings of the poor are breathing their last. And grant, finally, that the tears of all the victims of violence and pain will soon be dried up like frost beneath the spring sun” (Maria, donna dei nostri giorni).

As we enter Holy Week, may the suffering of Our Blessed Lord undertaken for our salvation be our consolation, as we walk in this Valley of Tears, as we prepare to commemorate His glorious Resurrection. Pray for me, as I will for you.

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Last August the SSPX asked for a meeting with the Holy Father, which never materialized, and then a second letter where the SSPX leadership petitioned the Holy Father for permission to Consecrate new bishops. One assumes that the question they posed to the Pope was one that could have been answered with a yes/no answer. The answer the SSPX received, in the last few days according to aforementioned communiqué, “does not in any way respond to our requests.” I would really love to read the response, probably pages long, all to say no.

So, the SSPX have decided to take things into their own hands, citing an emergency crisis, like Lefebvre did in 1988.

This is will undoubtedly cause splits in the SSPX like it did post-1988, some will leave, joining the FSSP most probably. It hurts the unity of Holy Mother Church. I feel mostly for the lay faithful, especially those who are ministered by the SSPX, the faithful sympathetic to their cause, and those like myself who always maintained, like Pope Francis did, they are Catholics and not in schism. I wonder how many lay will stay with the SSPX given that the at present time their situation in the Church is much regular, though not perfect, than it was in 1988.

The bishops who take part in the Consecrations will be excommunicated, either immediately or within days. The SSPX had enough respect for Pope Francis not to do this during in his Pontificate, after all he was the Pope that they gave their priests the faculties to hear confessions and witness marriages. The irony here is that had Francis been alive, he probably would have lifted the excommunications almost as quickly as they would have been imposed. Francis had a track-record with Rupnik.

We have the ridiculous situation where the Chinese Communist Party is selecting Bishops, some without Papal approval, the same thing the SSPX intends to do, and the Vatican still persists with honouring a deal which the CCP has broken many times.

Then there is the outgoing President of the German Bishops’ Conference is giving thinly veiled ultimatums to the Pope and the Vatican about the Synodal Assembly, saying yesterday, Synodal Assembly “will not proceed without the green light from Rome; it would be a provocation to be avoided. However, I have no reason to doubt that timely approval will be forthcoming.”

From the ground this looks like hypocrisy, though in much the same way as we have no idea of the contents of this letter from the Vatican to the SSPX, we still have no idea of the contents of the secret Sino-Vatican provisional agreement. This however, won’t stop us pointing it out.

The SSPX with this announcement have clearly tried to pressure the Vatican and quite frankly try to bully Pope Leo XIV to heed to their demands. This is not only unfair on the Pope, but I suspect will not end well for the SSPX. As far as negotiating tactics go, this is Greenland. Except the SSPX are Denmark.

With respect to the SSPX, over recent decades the Vatican has done so much work to heal the wounds that followed the Council, Benedict lifting the excommunications, Francis with the granting of faculties. They are not in schism at the moment, but they will be if these consecrations go ahead. Pray they change track. Pray for the Pope. Pray for the lay faithful that are directly affected by the decisions of those who are charged to feed and defend the sheep of the Lord.

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In the last few days, the Pope has appointed new Archbishops to the Metropolitan Sees of New York and Westminster. Catholic internet has been a buzz, speculating, at times embarrassingly so, as to what the appointment of these men, +Ronald Hicks and +Richard Moth, respectively, say about how the Pope wants to lead the Church. From my end, I know next to nothing about them, and it would be imprudent to speculate. I only pray that they are up to the task of increasing the Kingdom of God on earth.

Much has been written about these appointments because they are significant Sees in their respective countries. Westminster has a Catholic population of 450,000, which makes up about 8.9% of the total population of the See. Firm missionary territory for Archbishop-elect Moth to work in. New York, on the other hand, is very much a Catholic city, with its own problems, most notably the recently announced $300 million settlement to victims of clerical sexual abuse.

The expectation is that both men will be raised to the Sacred College of Cardinals in due time. As an aside, the College itself is bloated, with Pope Francis keen to name as many Cardinals as possible, notably holding a consistory in each of the full years of his Pontificate, except for 2021 when the world was in the midst of a global pandemic.

What this has done is tie the hands of the current Pope, with the expectation being that he will wait for the number of Cardinal-electors to drop enough below the 120 number in order to hold a sizable Consistory, raising amongst others the newly appointed Prefects to the major Roman Curia dicasteries. This likely won’t happen until 2027.

Christmas greetings with the Roman Curia

Speaking of the Roman Curia, tomorrow Pope Leo XIV meets with all those who work in the Curia and the Cardinals resident in Rome to exchange Christmas greetings in the Hall of Benedictions in loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. The address has historically been used by Roman Pontiffs to describe the state of the Church, acknowledging the good things that had been achieved in the year, and to address the challenges facing Holy Mother Church. Pope Francis rather infamously used to the address to berate the Curia and those who worked in.

In the early years of the Francis Pontificate, some of his criticisms were often viewed through the lens of the failures of his immediate predecessors to address issues. We all remember Pope Francis saying in 2013 that there was a gay lobby in the Vatican responsible for the corruption in the Curia.

His speeches often descended into long and tedious rants, accompanied by the exchanging of Christmas greetings and gifts with the Cardinals resident in Rome, with some all-time Papal soundbite zingers. As the years went on and Francis molded the Curia in his own image, even reforming it with the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate evangelium, his attacks reflected poorly on his own leadership.

In his last Christmas address to the Roman Curia, almost as if he knew it would be his last, Pope Francis stated that when preparing his speech, he “thought of speaking well of others and not of speaking ill of them.” We will wait to see the tone Pope Leo XIV choses to use, considering 12 months ago, he was a member of the Curia, listening to the Pope.

Many believe that the current make-up of the Roman Curia is the most bereft of talent in centuries. A number of heads and undersecretaries of Dicasteries are incompetent. For many, this Christmas will be their last in post. Pray that Pope Leo XIV can find holy, competent men with a zeal for souls to replace these in the new year. This will be the real sign of the direction in which the Pope is taking the Church.

Meeting with Cardinals in January

Also, this week the Vatican officially announced that the Holy Father has summoned all the Cardinals to Rome for an Extraordinary Consistory on January 7-8, the day after the Jubilee Holy Year officially ends. This is the first time since the Pope’s election that all the Cardinals will be in Rome together.

The Holy See in its announcement of the consistory, described the occasion as one where the Cardinals offer “support and counsel to the Holy Father in the exercise of his lofty and weighty responsibility in the governance of the universal Church.”

“The Consistory is set within the context of the life and mission of the Church, and it intends to strengthen communion between the Bishop of Rome and the Cardinals, who are called to collaborate in a particular way in solicitude for the good of the universal Church.”

Pope Francis rather notoriously eschewed these such Consistories, holding two in his entire Pontificate. The first in 2014, where Walter Cardinal Kasper proposal of allowing divorced and ‘remarried’ to be readmitted to the sacraments under the guise of mercy, was widely rejected by the Cardinals present. This experience most probably contributed to Pope Francis shunning these gatherings of Cardinals, instead preferring an ever-smaller group of trusted confidents for advice on governing the universal Church. The next and final gathering of all the Cardinals in the Pontificate of Francis was in 2022 to discuss the implementation of Praedicate Evangelium, the document through which Pope Francis reformed the Roman Curia, with the meeting taking place after the document had been promulgated.

The infrequency of these meetings led to a lack of familiarity between the Cardinals at the pre-Conclave meetings and Conclave proper, something that Pope Leo XIV wants to remedy. It also gives us a glimpse into the way the Holy Father wants to govern his Church, Synodally, and in collaboration with his Cardinals.

Pope Leo XIV for his part has been consistent that his priorities are; Mission, Unity, and Peace. Apparently, what has been confirmed to be on the agenda for this consistory is a reflection on the Liturgy. It will be interesting to see what comes out of these two days of intense prayer and reflection. It would be funny if the issue of Communion for the divorced and ‘remarried’ makes a return. That will really be full circle.

Leo is his own man. Perhaps 2026 is the year he steps out of the large shadow of Francis.

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Traditionis custodes was promulgated more than 4 years ago, meaning that in Parish Churches where the Traditional Latin Mass continues to be offered have asked and have been granted two-year dispensations, and have had these dispensations granted twice already. In the waning months of the previous Pontificate, bishops, notably in the United States, bishops who asked for a further two-year extension have had these requests denied by the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (DDWDS).

I guess one could say new Pope, new policy, where it seemed like the previous policy was to start denying requests for dispensations to Traditionis custodes, the policy now is to liberally give these dispensations to all those who request it. Peter indeed fulfilling the commands Christ gave him; “Feed my sheep.” This is a major development, no matter how much Msgr. Enda Murphy, an official at the DDWDS, wanted to downplay the change in policy as no change at all.

I would also like to add that the bishops asking for these dispensations are not ideologues, but are driven by a zeal for souls, wanting to keep these faithful Catholics in parish communities, instead of ghettoizing them to the nearest gymnasium hall available taking bookings on a Sunday afternoon. There is a real need for this pastoral provision, and it seems obvious that the local ordinary would know his flock better than the undersecretary of an office in the Roman Curia.

So what is the end game here?

The three guiding motifs of his Pontificate, as Pope Leo XIV himself has stressed time and again during his nascent Pontificate are Peace, Mission, and Unity. The liberally granting of these dispensations, whilst maintaining the force of law of Traditionis custodes maintains a peace, prevents the cruel eviction of faithful Catholics from the Parishes that they have called home, thereby empowering the missionary work of these parishes, and fosters the unity that Summorum Pontificum brought.

There is a tiny, yet vocal minority of extremists that want to see the abrogation of the 1962 Roman Missal. The Pope placates these by keeping Traditionis custodes in force. These voices emanate from the progressivist Bologna School of the ‘hermeneutics of discontinuity’ of Vatican II, who view the continued existence of the Old Rite in the liturgical life of the post-Conciliar Church as an existential threat to their erroneous treatise.

This does feel like the beginning of the end of Traditionis custodes, a cruel and unnecessary document that doesn’t even address the problem it claimed to be solving. If the Vatican is going to give two-year extensions to all that ask for them, then in practice Traditionis custodes becomes a dead letter.

I can envision a point where the healthy decentralization of Synodality promised by Pope Francis, and championed by Leo, will see the matter of governing liturgical matters returned to the Diocesan bishop, a halfway house between Traditionis custodes and Summorum Pontificum. Thus, cutting the redundant bureaucratic step of petitioning Rome for something that will be granted.

The pointless micromanaging of Parish bulletins by Rome is over. The Pope clearly has more pressing concerns.

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The press conference was open to the public but was not open to questions from anyone, including journalists. Synodality in action. The conference itself was interrupted rather unbecomingly twice by a lay member of the faithful who was defending the title of co-redemptrix. He even told Tucho that “God does not like this, your Eminence.” Tucho was his part had a good retort, saying that the biggest debates in the history of the Church were centred on the Marian dogmas.

This document comes off the back of clamouring by some groups within the Church, most notably the International Marian Association, for the proclamation of a Fifth Marian Dogma. Pope Francis was famously against the use of Co-redemptrix and this document does seem to be a holdover from the previous Pontificate. Pope Leo XIV approved the document but not ‘in forma specifica’, meaning that it does not demand assent from the faithful. Make of that what you will.

The TL;DR is that the title of Mary as “Co-redemptrix” is inappropriate and problematic. The title of “Mediatrix” is considered unacceptable when it takes on a meaning that excludes Jesus Christ. However, it can be used appropriately so long as it expresses an inclusive and participatory mediation that glorifies the power of Christ. Titles such as those of “Mother of Grace” and “Mediatrix of All Graces” are considered acceptable when used in a very precise sense. Other titles such as ‘Mother of Believers’, ‘Spiritual Mother’, and ‘Mother of the Faithful’ have been approved by the Vatican’s Doctrinal Office. The irony here is that the words, ‘inappropriate’, ‘problematic’, and ‘unacceptable’, vary depending on which official translation of Mater Populi Fidelis you read, obviously this is a problem when it comes to the clarity of the teaching but let’s not digress.

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This document frames the role that the Blessed Virgin Mary played in salvation history as primarily limited to the Immaculate Conception, the Virgin Birth and her role in Christ’s earthly ministry, whilst omitting her role in the end times, as has been espoused in Sacred Scripture and the Book of the Apocalypse, not to mention the various private revelations associated with Our Lady’s various apparitions. This latter point is pertinent with respect to praying the rosary everyday, the first Saturday devotions, and the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Blessed Virgin Mary plays an eschatological role which this document has omitted either by accident or deliberately.

This document does not reject per se the Blessed Virgin Mary’s role in our redemption or as mediator, and does a good job of clarifying these roles in light of scripture and tradition. It does they by playing a balancing act, as both Co-redemptrix and Mediatrix have been used favourably by various Roman Pontiffs, particularly over the last century. As an example Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, the future Benedict XVI, had a negative view of the title of Co-redemptrix, however when he visited Fatima in 2010 as Pope for the beatification of Francisco and Jacinta Marto, he said of the tradition Blessing of the Sick at Fatima; “Dear friends who are sick, welcome the call of Jesus who will shortly pass among you in the Most Blessed Sacrament, and entrust to Him every setback and pain that you face, so that they become – according to His design – a means of redemption for the whole world. You will be redeemers with the Redeemer, just as you are sons in the Son. At the cross ... stands the mother of Jesus, our mother.”

This is what this document does it rejects the title of Co-redemptrix on prudential grounds, saying that “when an expression requires frequent explanation to maintain the correct meaning, it becomes unhelpful.” This rather unfortunate turn of phrase by Tucho, who has a track record of carelessness with words, really does seem to set a rather dangerous precedent, which I will just leave there for now. It does however seem to confirm the theology underlying the dogma.

The lack of alternative expression proposed by the Vatican’s Doctrinal Office to ‘co-redemptrix’ to describe Our Lady’s cooperation with Christ’s redemption on the Cross, which is Catholic doctrine, causes problems. The danger from the Vatican’s point of view, of both not providing alternatives and by addressing the titles of Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix head on, they may inadvertently cause an increase in curiosity of the faithful on the history of these titles, increasing awareness and perhaps popularity, especially on the internet where some of the most successful evangelization is being undertaken. Perhaps it would have been wiser for the Vatican to let these titles fizzle out over time, as would have occurred if these weren’t truly from the Sensus fidelium.

Why Now?

As mentioned previously, this document is clearly a holdover from the previous Pontificate, one fixated on social media as a barometer of Catholic thought. It seems to be speaking to small corner of the internet, and overtly preoccupied with avoiding confusion particular among the Orthodox and Protestants, but some Catholics too. The Church has since Vatican II been very careful not to further alienate Protestants, whilst the Protestants themselves have no such worries in further alienating the Church (female ordination, acceptance of homosexual ‘marriage’, etc.). This document very much follows in that vein.

Ratzinger is quoted throughout, ironic given that he as long-term head of the Vatican’s Doctrinal Office and then as Pope, did not feel to the need to publish an official document against the title of co-redemptrix. The precise, articulate, master of clarity, Ratzinger/Benedict XVI didn’t feel the need to do so really does say a lot.

Is this document necessary? Probably not, but it does seem that Pope Leo XIV is clearly his desk of the things left over by Francis, looking to make a fresh start. This is not a priority of the current Pontificate, but was one of the previous, a document that was so far along towards completion that Leo signed off on it, as one less thing to deal with.

I’m not even sure what Catholics are to make of the document. On one hand it clarifies the theological soundness of co-redemptrix, whilst objecting to the term itself. This whole thing reminds me of Traditionis custodes; what problem are we actually addressing here and was it really necessary. The internet is not real life, perhaps someone should tell Tucho.

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The Return of Regular Consistories?

All the world’s Cardinals have been summed to Rome by the Roman Pontiff for two days, January 7-8^th, 2026, after this Jubilee Holy Year draws to a close. Pope Francis

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Pope Leo XIV opened his homily thusly, “on this Solemnity of All Saints, it is a great joy to include Saint John Henry Newman among the Doctors of the Church, and, at the same time, on the occasion of the Jubilee of the World of Education, to name him, together with Saint Thomas Aquinas, as co-Patron of the Church’s educational mission. Newman’s impressive spiritual and cultural stature will surely serve as an inspiration to new generations whose hearts thirst for the infinite, and who, through research and knowledge, are willing to undertake that journey which, as the ancients said, takes us per aspera ad astra, through difficulties to the stars.”

The Holy Father addressing staff and students of Catholic schools and universities, concluded by saying, “I pray that Catholic education will help each person to discover their own call to holiness. Saint Augustine, whom Saint John Henry Newman greatly admired, once said that we are fellow students who have one Teacher, whose school is on earth and whose chair is in heaven.”

The importance of this moment will probably not be appreciated for sometime, as the Church grapples to define what is true development of doctrine. Ambiguity in texts, more on this later, have become the norm, a means to stave off controversy. This may have worked in something like Nostra aetate, which celebrated its 60^th Anniversary this week, but caused absolute mayhem in Fiducia supplicans. St. John Henry Newman may be the key to dogmatising doctrinal development, or at least we can hope.

Synodality

Pope Leo XIV continues moulding Synodality in his own image. Last Sunday for the Mass concluding the Jubilee of Synodal Teams and Participatory Bodies of the Synod of Synodality, the Holy Father gave more direct clues to the direction he wants to take Synodality and the Church:

“Dear friends, we must dream of and build a more humble Church; a Church that does not stand upright like the Pharisee, triumphant and inflated with pride, but bends down to wash the feet of humanity; a Church that does not judge as the Pharisee does the tax collector, but becomes a welcoming place for all; a Church that does not close in on itself, but remains attentive to God so that it can similarly listen to everyone. Let us commit ourselves to building a Church that is entirely synodal, ministerial and attracted to Christ and therefore committed to serving the world.”

Leo emphasis on a Christocentric Synodality, may help reassure those with concerns about the project, with the Holy Father convinced that listening in the Spirit, “will enable us to live with confidence and a new spirit amid the tensions that run through the life of the Church: between unity and diversity, tradition and novelty, authority and participation. We must allow the Spirit to transform them, so that they do not become ideological contrapositions and harmful polarizations. It is not a question of resolving them by reducing one to the other, but of allowing them to be purified by the Spirit, so that they may be harmonized and oriented toward a common discernment.”

The most striking part of his sermon; “The supreme rule in the Church is love. No one is called to dominate; all are called to serve. No one should impose his or her own ideas; we must all listen to one another. No one is excluded; we are all called to participate. No one possesses the whole truth; we must all humbly seek it and seek it together.”

It is true that from the start of this process well organised lobbies have tried to drive talking points and dominate the conversation in Synodality. Pope Francis to his credit, did a masterful job in not allowing these to groups to get any hold in the actual process. One had the feeling with Francis, he was the Synod and he was not going to be made to do things he was vehemently against – married priests and woman deacons. Pope Leo XIV I think here is reiterating this ever-present danger in Synodality, and highlighting that these cliques may be putting others off from wanting to or to be motivated to participate in the process.

To this end, speaking to an international group of young people that advise the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life on Thursday, Pope Leo said: “In the synodal Church, therefore, we want to listen to what the Holy Spirit says to young people; we want to welcome their charisms, the gifts that are specific to their age and their sensibilities.” This is what Synodality means to Pope Leo XIV, people actively participating in their parishes, young people injecting life, to places where the Vatican II generation has been holding the fort.

Co-redemptrix

I might of buried the lede. Next Tuesday at a press conference at the Jesuit Curia in Rome, Tucho Cardinal Fernández will present a document on the titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary that refer to her cooperation in the work of salvation. Honestly, we don’t really know what the Vatican will say, but a couple of my thoughts. The early announcement of this press conference and document means that the Vatican itself thinks it is a big deal. I doubt dogma will be proclaimed. I also doubt that titles popular among certain groups of laity will be condemned either.

I do believe that the question of Mary as co-redemptrix will finally be addressed by the Vatican. I expect it to be a fudge, much in the same way that the Vatican refuses to say whether or not the apparitions in Medjugorje are of a supernatural origin. Ever since Vatican II, the Church has been reticent to do things that may harm ecumenical efforts, so I also doubt we will see an official ringing endorsement.

The current leadership of the Church’s Doctrinal Office has lost much credibility after the debacle that followed Fiducia supplicans, where it took a document and two clarifications, to say that the Church can bless individuals as it has done since its founding. The damage done by that document included the Coptic Orthodox Church formally breaking ecumenical dialogue with Rome. I think Tucho has learnt his lesson, but that may be irrelevant, because what matters is the truth. Either Our Lady is co-redemptrix or she is not. Either the Blessed Virgin has appeared daily for decades at Medjugorje, as a postwoman as Pope Francis famously said, or she hasn’t. Ambiguity brings with it an artificial peace, the truth, no matter how hard it is to take, sets us free.

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It opened yesterday with a 4 hour meeting in the Paul VI Audience Hall, the Pope joining in for the last two hours, where representatives of the continental assemblies were given a rigid four minutes to summarise the implementation of Synodality so far in their continent and ask the Pope a question. The optics looked like AGM or something of the sort, but I do genuinely believe that the intentions behind Synodality are good. Though they they really shouldn’t have invented an abstract noun from the adjective Synodal, but I digress.

Pope Leo XIV seemed very comfortable answering questions off-the-cuff, displaying theological acumen and pastoral sensitivity, in dialoguing in Synodality. He seems to be slowly growing into the role of Pope.

Mission

The Pope started his remarks by outlining the meaning and purpose of Synodality saying; “the Synodal Process, as Pope Francis reminded us and on numerous occasions, is to help the Church fulfil its primary role in the world, which is to be missionary, to announce the Gospel, to give witness to the person of Jesus Christ in every part of the world, to the ends of the earth, in words of the Gospel. Preaching, sharing, and living what Jesus Christ taught us.”

The Pope added “we need to discuss how the Church can be a force for conversion, transforming cultures according to the values of the Gospel. Unfortunately, many times the way that we live our faith is determined more by our culture and less so by our Gospel values.”

Women in the Church

The role of women in the Church was the most common theme brought to the Pope by those representing the Continental Synodal Assemblies. In response the Pope spoke about the his upbringing in Catholic household, where both parents were both active in the Parish. The then Pope joked that when he was a teenager in the 1970’s and the feminist women’s equality movement was gathering pace in America, he asked his mother if women wanted to be equal to men, to which she replied “No, because we are already better.” Those advocating for women’s ordination, won’t be best pleased with the remark. The Pope went on to say that that “women have many gifts that they can already offer in many ways if the life of the family and that of the parish.” It is true that women dominate Parish life the world over, and play a vital role in helping priests who are often overworked and overburdened.

The Holy Father then went on to speak about his experience in Peru, with a congregation of nuns whose mission is to work in areas where there are no priests. “They have faculties to administer baptisms, serve as official witnesses of marriages. They do wonderful missionary work that really provides a witness to many priests. This is the courage that is needed to proclaim the Gospel, and it is women who are doing this.”

The Pope brushed off the question of the female diaconate that was brought up explicitly by a woman representing Europe, simply stating in passing “Setting aside the more difficult issues which belong to a study group that will be presented, I think the problem is not that there are no opportunities, but there exists cultural barriers, and this must be recognised. Not every bishop or priest is willing to allow women to exercise what could very well be their role.” Interesting that the Pope didn’t mention the phrase ‘female diaconate’, or its derivatives, in any of his answers.

The Pope did highlight, quite powerfully, the many places where women still suffer, decrying the “inequalities, treatment as second-class citizens, and where they don’t actually have the same rights. This is a challenge for the Church and all of us, to see how we can promote together, the respect for the rights of all.”

Learning from other religions

Responding to the representative of Asia, Pope Leo XIV said: “Christianity is a minority everywhere, to face the challenge of living the faith and being disciples of Jesus Christ, in places where there is oppression and there is difficulties to live the faith, there are many things all of us can bow down to and respect the holy ground that is Asia for the present and future of the Church.”

He then added: “There is a sense of mystery and of the understanding of the Divine which is part of many of the religions of Asia, that opens the door to different types of interreligious dialogue, and I think is a treasure for the whole Church, Eastern and Western, that I also believe is something that is valued by so many cultures in Asia and we could also learn from, because of that, when we talk about the Spirit, when we talk about the Spirit of Synodality, when we talk about conversation in the Spirit, there is, if you will, a mystical, contemplative element to that perhaps we could continue to discover, I say understand because it is something that goes far beyond understanding, but that contact with the Divine that we can all learn including from many in Asia and the East.”

Some Thoughts

My great concern from all of this, is the inward looking nature of it all, with the Church seemingly stuck in this self-referential cycle that she has repeated every so often since Vatican II, which is causing great difficulties in engaging with and converting the modern world to Christ. It seems that Pope Leo XIV, following on from Francis, sees Synodality as they key to breaking this cycle.

The first question that the Holy Father was asked at this gathering was how to overcome the resistance to Synodality. The Holy Father responded by saying we need to first understand what the resistance is and what is behind it. I would go further and say, there is no material resistance to Synodality by ordinary faithful Catholics at all, just an apathy to something they don’t understand and more crucially don’t have the time for. Young families with children, don’t have the time to give the Church in the Synodal structures that have been proposed. Priests, already to small in number to adequately provide pastoral care that had been routine in the past, don’t really have the time either, and so the implementation of Synodality will be left with the very people that have dominated Church life for the last 60 years.

The challenge for the Synodal leadership body and ultimately the Pope, is how to implement Synodality in a way that brings along the tried overworked priest, the busy parents looking after their kids or elderly parents, and those who are generally apathetic, as not to waste this great opportunity by it not being truly representative and hijacked by those with preconceived agendas.

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What next?

Pope Leo XIV seems to be inherently focused on making Synodality the impetus for a renewed missionary vigour not seem since the aftermath of the Council of Trent,

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On vacation in Castel Gandolfo, today the Holy Father celebrated what could be the first Mass worldwide for the Care of Creation, a new formulary of the Roman Missal, met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith made a pronouncement on the Marian Apparitions in Mount Zvir, Slovakia.

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Care for Creation

Following in the footsteps of his predecessor, who was a tireless campaigner on the issue of climate change, Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass this morning in the beautiful Laudato Si’ Village, an educational centre set up by Pope Francis in Castel Gandolfo for the study of the care of planet Earth, using the newly published Mass for the Care of Creation.

In a powerful homily that can be read in full here, the Holy Father started with some words that were off-the-cuff:

“At the beginning of Mass, we prayed for conversion, our conversion. I would like to add that we must pray for the conversion of so many people, inside and outside the Church, who still don't recognize the urgency of caring for our common home. Many of the natural disasters we still see around the world, almost every day in many places, in many countries, are partly caused by human excesses and their lifestyles. Therefore, we must ask ourselves whether or not we ourselves are experiencing that conversion: how much we need it!”

Returning to the prepared text, mediating on the Gospel of the Calming of the Storm, His Holiness continued:

“There are some elements that really help to continue the reflection this morning, sharing this familiar and serene moment, in a world that burns, both because of global warming and because of armed conflicts, which make Pope Francis' message so timely in his Encyclicals Laudato si' and Fratelli tutti. We can find ourselves precisely in this Gospel, which we have heard, observing the fear of the disciples in the storm, a fear that is that of a large part of humanity. But in the heart of the Jubilee year we confess - and we can say it several times: there is hope! We have encountered it in Jesus. He still calms the storm. His power does not upset, but creates; it does not destroy, but makes it be, giving new life. And we also ask ourselves: "Who is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?" (Mt 8:27).”

Adding:

“Our mission to protect creation, to bring peace and reconciliation, is His very mission: the mission the Lord has entrusted to us. We hear the cry of the earth, we hear the cry of the poor, because this cry has reached the heart of God. Our indignation is His indignation, our work is His work.”

“The voice of the Lord commits the Church to prophecy, even when it demands the boldness to oppose the destructive power of the princes of this world. The indestructible alliance between Creator and creatures, in fact, mobilizes our intelligence and our efforts, so that evil may be turned into good, injustice into justice, greed into communion.”

The Pope ended his homily, quoting the words of his predecessor on the Holy Eucharist:

“The Eucharist we are celebrating gives meaning and sustains our work. As Pope Francis writes, "in the Eucharist, creation finds its greatest elevation. Grace, which tends to manifest itself in a tangible way, reaches a marvellous expression when God Himself, made man, allows Himself to be eaten by His creature. The Lord, at the culmination of the mystery of the Incarnation, wished to reach our intimacy through a fragment of matter. Not from above, but from within, so that in our own world we might encounter him””

Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Rome for the fourth conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war with Russia ends, and made the short trip to Castel Gandolfo to be received in audience by Pope Leo XIV. The two men spoke in English.

According to a statement released by the Holy See Press Office, the conversation between the two centred on efforts to end the war, with the Pope expressing his sorrow for the victims and renewed his prayers and closeness to the Ukrainian people, “encouraging every effort aimed at the release of prisoners and the search for shared solutions.”

President Zelenskyy, for his part, spoke briefly with journalists after the meeting, saying; “First of all, I am very grateful for His Holiness for hosting us, and naturally for his help, the help of the Vatican, the help with prayers, but not only, also [in helping] to bring back our children stolen by Russia during this war, so that they may return to their families in Ukraine.” He concluded by saying “Of course we want peace, of course we want this war to end, and of course we rely heavily on the Vatican, that the Vatican and His Holiness can help us with a high-level meeting place to end this war.”

Immaculate Purity

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, responding to a request from Archbishop Jonáš Jozef Maxim, the head of the sui iuris Slovak Greek Catholic Church, has approved devotion to the Immaculate Purity, that has arisen from the alleged apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Mount Zvir in Slovakia.

The first of these alleged apparitions occurred on August 5, 1990, close to Litmanová, a small village of Byzantine Rite Catholics in the mountains of northern Slovakia, and involved three children: Ivetka Korcáková, 11 years old; Katka Ceselková, 12; and Mitko Ceselka, 9. The last of the alleged apparitions occurred in 1995.

The lengthy letter can be read here, is careful to pronounce that “this declaration does not imply recognition of the supernatural authenticity of the alleged apparitions, it nevertheless permits the approval of public devotion and informs the faithful that they can safely approach this spiritual offering, it they so wish, and that the basic contents of the alleged messages can help us live the Gospel of Christ.”

Rome has also entrusted Archbishop Maxim with the task of publishing a compilation of the alleged messages of the Blessed Virgin Mary, excluding “those few statements that could lead to confusion and disturb the faith of ordinary people.”

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At Mass this morning offered for the Church at the conclusion of the Conclave, His Holiness delivered an impressive Christ-centred, and what can be described as an anti-modernist sermon. If this first sermon is anything to go by Leo XIV is going to be a great pope. Here it is in full. Please do read it. Here is an excerpt that I found particularly moving:

“Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent. Settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power, or pleasure.

These are contexts where it is not easy to preach the Gospel and bear witness to its truth, where believers are mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied. Yet, precisely for this reason, they are the places where our missionary outreach is desperately needed. A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society.

Today, too, there are many settings in which Jesus, although appreciated as a man, is reduced to a kind of charismatic leader or superman. This is true not only among non-believers but also among many baptized Christians, who thus end up living, at this level, in a state of practical atheism.

This is the world that has been entrusted to us, a world in which, as Pope Francis taught us so many times, we are called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Christ the Saviour. Therefore, it is essential that we too repeat, with Peter: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”.”

Just as quickly as one Pontificate ends, another beings. Our Holy Father already has a jammed packed schedule. The first big test will be his press conference with journalists on Monday, May 12th. It will be helpful for him to answer the criticism of his handling of clerical sexual abuse allegations in Chicago and Peru. This will also help set the tone for his Pontificate, and in particular gauge what sort of relationship he will have with the secular media.

In other engagements, on Saturday, the Pope meets with the entire College of Cardinals, before addressing the faithful again on Sunday for his first Regina Caeli address, unusually from the the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. On Friday May 16th, Leo XIV meets with the ambassadors and diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See. On Sunday May 18th he will celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Square for the Inauguration of his Petrine Ministry, receiving the Pallium and Fisherman’s ring. On Tuesday May 20th, he will take possession of the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls. Wednesday May 21st, he will hold his first General Audience. Saturday May 24th, he will meet with the entire Roman Curia. On Sunday May 25th, he will take possession of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major, and of his Cathedral, the Papal Archbasilica of St. John Lateran.

Now briefly, some of my initial impressions. I think for all the great qualities Pope Francis had, a lover of Jesus Christ and Our Blessed Mother, a profound care for the poor and the migrant, he had deep personality flaws that hindered his Pontificate. He was stubborn; the Chile abuse victims, Zanchetta, and Rupnik. He was impatient; the rushed Synodality. He lacked the humility to take advice from people outside of his small circle of papal-pleasing yes-men. He resented criticism, even of the most respectful kind. He could be vindictive.

Leo XIV, on the other hand, is a more reasonable man. He has the humility and temperament fitting of a Pope. I believe he will bring stable and competent leadership back to Rome. I think the priest bashing, name-calling, and rash decisions of the last Pontificate are a thing of the past. The Cardinals have chosen a man who could unify the Church that has been divided for far too long. Instead of the stupid, petty infighting that has dominated ecclesial life for the last 60 years, let us proclaim the Truth and spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth. The Church is the only boat of salvation. We are the only true religion. We must not be ashamed to proclaim this. That was certainly the message I got from the Pope as he addressed the crowds in St. Peter’s Square yesterday, and in his homily to the Cardinals this morning.

The humility Leo XIV showed by donning the mozetta and stole on the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, are indicators of the direction of travel. The Carnival that Pope Francis announced as over, is so back. His name is also significant. Leo XIII has a great unifying Pope. Leo II anathematized his predecessor Pope Honorius I, as a heretic. Leo X excommunicated the archheretic Martin Luther. Leo IV fought the Arab invaders of Europe. What this all means, time will tell. I am hopeful.

His Pontificate will be shaped by who he chooses for positions of leadership in the Roman Curia. Personnel is key. Who he chooses to lead the Secretariat of State, the Governorate of the Vatican City State, in a dire financial predicament, and the Doctrine of the Faith, will be key. The poor governance on matters of doctrine and law, that have been the norm for past 12 years, must not be repeated. The dicastery for Communication needs reform, and as many on twitter have postulated, Bishop Robert Barron is the man for the job. Who he chooses to lead prominent dioceses around the world will also affect the Church. In America alone New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, will all have new Metropolitan Archbishops soon.

The Synodality will move forward, probably not at the frantic pace of Francis, and it will probably work, precisely because it isn’t being rushed. If it not the way to address the problems in the Church, then I am certain that Leo XIV will change course. He is an intellegent man, a man of dialogue, who truly listens. He is going to be the Pope for a very long time, he will certainly leave a lasting impact on the Church.

The Church is in good hands.

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On some procedural things, on Wednesday morning the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff will be celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica by Giovanni Battista Cardinal Re. At 4.30pm Rome time the Cardinal electors will make their way to the Sistine Chapel, and each one will make an oath of secrecy on the Holy Gospels. As both the Dean and Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinals Re and Sandri, are not eligible to participate due to age, the most senior Cardinal Bishop, Pietro Cardinal Parolin, will be preside over the Conclave. On the Wednesday afternoon there will be a round of voting. The next subsequent days there will be two rounds in the morning, and two rounds in the afternoon. After three days, if no one has achieved 89 votes, the Conclave will break for a day of prayer and reflection, and then the process repeats. When the white smoke finally appears and it is all over the Cardinal Protodeacon, Dominique François Joseph Cardinal Mamberti, will from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica announce to the world the name of the new Pope. That is unless Cardinal Mamberti is elected, then Mario Cardinal Zenari, will have the honours.

The following is going to be a blunt assessment of the lay of the land.

Twelve years on from the last Conclave, many of the same issues facing the Church remain, and many more have been added. The unifying detente that John Paul II and Benedict XVI brought between the opposing factions of the interpretation of Vatican II has been shattered. The Roman Curia still needs reform. Despite Pope Francis’ valiant efforts, it remains far too bloated. The Vatican is facing a financial black hole. Impossible potential openings on matters of settled doctrinal certainties have been teased, causing consternation and hurt to both sides of the argument respectively. Marko Rupnik is still a priest. Zanchetta is still a bishop, and who some inexplicable reason is living in Rome. We the faithful people of God are waiting for the Church to finally get a grip on clerical sexual abuse and long for the day when zero tolerance means zero tolerance. May the next Pope be the one to accomplish this. More than anything we need a Pope that will be bring unity back to the Church, that overcomes all the petty, unnecessary divisions that have emerged over the last 12 years.

One of the major turning points of the previous Pontificate, one which marked the beginning of the autocratic tendencies that would become a hallmark of Francis, was the ordinary consistory of Cardinals convoked in 2014. Pope Francis charged Walter Cardinal Kasper with delivering a keynote address to the entire College of Cardinals, espousing the need to readmit the divorced and ‘remarried’ to the sacraments, under the auspices of mercy. This did not go down well with the College; the suggestion was rejected near unanimously. Pope Francis, for whatever reason, probably to avoid having to answer difficult questions, *cough* dubia, would not hold a meeting with the whole College of Cardinals again. The end result being a College of Cardinals that barely know each other, and know have the unenviable task of choosing one from their ranks to be the Pope.

We now have the absurd situation of Cardinals walking around with name tags on their cassocks at the General Congregations, the pre-conclave meetings discussing the state of the Church and the world, and the qualities needed of the man to face these issues. The situation is such that the Vatican has published a 500 page book, with profiles of the Sacred College, and has provided this to all the Cardinals, so that they know who on earth they are actually voting for. Whoever at the Vatican complied the book is certainly going to have a major sway on who is elected Pope. Interestingly, the first line of each profile is whether said Cardinal has been a parish priest or missionary. No comment if they have been a particular good one or not. Perhaps that will be role of Synodality in the future. Or not. I would think statistics on the vocations in their respective dioceses would be a better a metric to compare candidates, but that is just me.

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I’m going to go against the grain of most commentators and say that although this is the largest conclave ever assembled, in terms of the number of voting Cardinals, there is a seriously dearth of quality candidates. You can probably count on two hands the men who have the leadership qualities, competence, and holiness to be Pope. Far too many to mention lack the intellectual rigor to run a parish, let alone hold high office. I don’t care what advanced degrees they have, or where they went to college. You only need to hear some of these men talk. I’m sorry, it is embarrassing. How the Church got into this situation is whole another story. That is not so say that God can’t work miracles with imperfect vessels. Of course He can.

The biggest single impact on the outcome of this conclave will be Pope Francis. He named the overwhelming majority of electors, and this election will be a referendum on his Pontificate, his style of governing the Universal Church and his priorities. Pope Francis used his last consistory in December to define his legacy and, as was often the case during his Pontificate, settle some scores. He elevated Italians who had taken his side against the Zuppi faction of the Italian Bishops' Conference with regards to frociaggine in Italian seminaries. He elevated Bokalic to settle scores in Argentina, and chose Bychok over Shevchuk, as to not alienate Putin, in addition to putting the latter in his place for his most respectful criticism of Francis’ words and gestures regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Then there is the usual lobbying and political interference from the outside world. Millions of words have been written about this Conclave. I’ve even added my 2 cents. The Italian media’s preferred candidate is Cardinal Parolin, who has been seen as the leading candidate during the interregnum. The Italian Press has been full of briefings both for and against Parolin, and the same can be said of his closest Italian rival Pierbattista Cardinal Pizzaballa. Through the Italians are desperate for another Italian, I think the Argentine with the name Bergoglio was Italian enough, and the College will look elsewhere.

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle of the Philippines is Beijing’s preferred candidate, and the Chinese Communist Party have been involved in election interference to derail the candidature of Parolin. The Caritas debacle certainly torpedoes Tagle chances, or one would hope.

There have been rumours of the French government briefing against Robert Cardinal Sarah, due to his outspoken rhetoric against the Islamification of Europe, and the potential threat his potential Pontificate would pose to the European Union, and the boost that it would give to anti-EU political parties who are putting the safety of European citizens as the priority against the need to welcome migrants from the Islamic world. I don’t buy these rumours. Plus, Sarah is too old.

The new Ecclessial Movements that have dominated Church life since Vatican II, and certainly still dominate the Vatican are also all lobbying for their preferred candidates. Andrea Riccardi, the influential leader of the Sant’Egidio Community, who was a staunch defender of the policies of Pope Francis in life, has already turned critical of him in death. For what it’s worth he prefers Matteo Cardinal Zuppi or José Tolentino Cardinal Calaça de Mendonça. Incidentally both members of the 2019 consistory, one of the poorest in the history of the Roman Church.

Tradition being the democracy of the dead, as Chesterton once put it, Jean-Marc Cardinal Aveline would have been Pope Francis’ favorite candidate to succeed him. Other favorites of the late Pontiff are at this point I think are too tainted by the various divisive actions of the previous pontificate to have a realistic shot of being elected. Tucho, Roche, Hollerich, Grech, Czerny, and to a certain extent Parolin, even though he has tried to distance himself from Francis over the last four years.

I have no idea who is going to be the next Pope. I certainly have three names, out of the ten or so men that in my humble opinion have the attributes to lead to the Church. I shall not be saying who they are, but as a hint, their names have not been mentioned in this article.

The most important thing for us as Catholics is to pray. Pray that God is merciful on his people, pray that he gives us a wise and holy shepherd once again to lead Church Militant, against the forces of evil that rail against her. The next Pope cannot fix all the problems that are facing the Church. No, but he can do a great deal in righting the ship, fixing the holes, and tending to the wounded on board. We the faithful can, through our prayers and sacrifices, do a great deal in tackling the problems facing the Church. The next Pope, if he is a bad one, can certainly make the situation worse. I’m remined of the words of Pope Benedict XVI, then retired in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, when Pope Francis visited him with the five Cardinals he elevated in the 2017 Consistory, remarked “the Lord wins in the end”. Christ by His death, resurrection and ascension into Heaven has already obtained for us the victory.

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He suffered terribly over the last few months, and continued to push himself beyond his limits to be close to those on the peripheries, the overwhelming hallmark of his Pontificate. I think specifically of his visit to Regina Coeli Prison on Holy Thursday. I was moved beyond words.

I think too, of how in the last few days of his life he prayed at the tomb of St. Pius X on two occasions. There could not have been two more different Popes. I think too of Pope Francis spending time on Holy Saturday, praying in silence in front of the tomb of St. Peter. It is almost as if he knew, that his time of earth was short, and was speaking to one who holds the keys of Heaven. It probably wasn’t prudent for him to ride on the popemobile on Easter Sunday, perhaps he knew it might be the last time, as it turned out to be, and he wanted to show the faithful that he is a shepherd that did not abandon his flock. For this too he should be praised.

He was a complex figure, one that is impossible to characterise into clean clear boxes. He did much good, but he had his faults and his flaws, and there is much to criticise about how he governed the Church. Today is not the day for that. There will be plenty of time to pour over it all in the days, weeks and months ahead. Most importantly now is we Catholics pray for the repose of his soul. We should also pray that the Holy Spirit illuminates the hearts and minds of the Cardinal electors, that they may choose from amongst their ranks a holy, wise and courageous man to lead the Church of God.

The legacy of Pope Francis will be complicated, and will take time to crystallise. This conclave may well be a referendum on his papacy by the very men that he chose to elect his successor.

This is all I want to say for now on a day of profound sadness for us all.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul rest in peace.

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The Pope will impart his Apostolic Blessing from the window of his private suite on the 10th floor of the Gemelli on Sunday at around noon, which will be the first time he will appear in public since he was admitted to hospital on February 14th, before then returning to the Vatican in the afternoon.

The Holy Father has received world leading medical care at the Gemelli. In certain other countries with similarly developed health care systems, and this is not an overstatement, he most probably would have died. The Italians have a reputation for aggressive life preserving measures irrespective whether you are a pauper or a pope, and as I said in a previous post, most places would have been very reluctant to perform an emergency bronchoscopy on an 88 year-old with bilateral pneumonia on the background of bronchiectasis, let alone three. This is a testament to the healthcare system in Italy, and particularly that of the Gemelli. As Dr. Luigi Carbone, the Pope’s personal physician and head of the Health department of the Vatican City State, stated at the press conference, “we doctors had a problem to solve, and we solved it.” Yes, they did, with the help of Almighty God.

At the press conference Dr. Carbone also stated that alterations and modifications have been made to the Pope’s residence in Casa Santa Marta to accommodate the new needs of the Holy Father. The Pope will be discharged on antibiotics, which at his age may well be a life-long prophylactic therapy, in addition to having at home outpatient respiratory and musculoskeletal physiotherapy, and will need complete rest for at least two months. He has been advised against receiving large groups and children.

One wonders how much work the Holy Father was actually able to do in hospital, and how much he will be able to do going forward. I very much doubt, for instance, that he will receive King Charles III of the United Kingdom next month, and I doubt that he will travel to İznik for the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. That isn’t a big deal, the Pope wasn’t there the first time round.

The Holy Father was close to death at least twice during this admission, and I look forward to hearing his spiritual reflections on this experience. Admitted with acute respiratory failure, developed multi-pathogen bilateral pneumonia, required a blood transfusion, multiple bronchoscopies, the Holy Father has had a very rough month and a bit. Undoubtedly this experience will have a huge impact on the remainder of his Pontificate. Today, however, is not the time to discuss these things. It is a day to praise God for his goodness.

Just a quick word on what Tucho Fernández said yesterday, namely that the Pope "needs to relearn how to speak." I have no idea what was in his mind when he used that turn of phrase, which gives the impression that over the course of his ministry he has never visited the sick in hospital to administer the sacraments. The Pope has not had a stroke. He does not need to relearn how to speak. His voice is weak as a result of a prolonged hospital stay, bilateral pneumonia, and mechanical ventilation. As Professor Alfieri said at today’s press conference, with pneumonia “especially in the elderly, it will take time for your voice to return to normal."

Before concluding I just want to add my praise for the professional work of Massimiliano Strappetti, the Pope’s personal nurse at the Vatican who acted quickly when the Holy Father first went to respiratory failure that led to this admission. By all accounts he is an extraordinary person who has taken great care of the Holy Father for the last couple of years, especially since the Pope was no longer able to celebrate Mass.

Let us thank God for having mercy on his servant Francis, for giving him the great gift of suffering, and let us continue to pray for the Pope’s good health and his recovery.

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This is all very good news. Doctors are remaining cautious on his prognosis, however, given the couple episodes of respiratory failure he suffered earlier in the week. All his blood markers are stable, and the Holy Father is maintaining his blood oxygen levels with a combination of high flow oxygen during the day, and BiBAP at night.

The Pope is apparently working, which given what he sounded like on Thursday, I find hard to believe, but this is another positive sign. However, given his age, numerous co-morbidities, and his prolonged stay in hospital, the Pope is likely to face a long road to recovery.

Here is today’s statement from the Holy See Press Office in full:

The Holy Father's clinical condition over the last few days has remained stable and, consequently, shows a good response to the therapies.

There is therefore a gradual, mild improvement.

The Holy Father has been without a fever at all times. Breathing gas exchange has improved; results from blood chemistry and blood count examinations are stable.

In order to monitor these initial improvements also in the coming days, the doctors prudently maintain that the prognosis is still guarded.

This morning, after receiving Holy Communion, the Holy Father prayed in the chapel of the private apartment, while in the afternoon he alternated between rest and work activities.

As planned, the Pope, after receiving high-flow oxygenation with nasal cannulas during the day, will switch to non-invasive mechanical ventilation during the night.

The Pope will follow the spiritual exercises, which begin tomorrow, in spiritual communion with the Roman Curia. The text of the Pope's Angelus will be distributed as done so already on recent Sundays.

Tomorrow, the medical update may not be published, given the stability of his clinical condition, but the Press Office will still provide information to journalists.

This evening the thirteen of the nightly rosaries for the health of Pope Francis has held in St. Peter’s Square, tonight led by Michael F. Czerny SJ, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, with the some of the Roman Curia and most of the other Cardinals resident in Rome in attendance.

Let us all please continue to pray for the Pope, whose condition is critical, during this very trying time for him.

Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Francisco. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.

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These were the first words we have heard Pope Francis utter since he was hospitalised on February 14. He speaks in Spanish, his voice is very weak, his breathing labour, and you can hear the high-flow oxygen in the background. The Pope clearly wanting to share his gratitude for the rosaries being prayer in St. Peter’s Square, and all over the world for his intentions.

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I admit I got really emotional hearing the voice of the Holy Father, and I commend him for publishing it. However it does raise some questions, namely how exactly is the Pope supposed to be working in this condition. I will just leave it at that.

On the medical side of things, officially the Pope is in a stable condition, and nothing has changed, for better or worse, over the last three days, and as such doctors will no longer be issuing daily updates. The next scheduled medical update will be on Saturday.

Here is today’s statement from the Holy See Press Office in full:

The Holy Father's clinical condition has remained stable compared to previous days.

He has not experienced any episodes of respiratory insufficiency today. The Pope has continued both respiratory and motor physiotherapy with beneficial effects. Hemodynamic parameters and blood test results remain stable.

He did not run a fever. However, the prognosis remains reserved.

Given the stability of his clinical condition, the next medical bulletin will be issued on Saturday.

Today, the Holy Father engaged in some work activities in both the morning and afternoon, alternating them with periods of rest and prayer. Before lunch, he received Holy Communion.

This evening the eleventh of the nightly rosaries for the health of Pope Francis has held in St. Peter’s Square, tonight led by Ángel Cardinal Fernández Artime, S.D.B. Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, with the some of the Roman Curia and most of the other Cardinals resident in Rome in attendance.

Let us all please continue to pray for the Pope, whose condition is critical, during this very trying time for him.

Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Francisco. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.

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This is how Pope Francis chose to mediate on death in his sermon for Ash Wednesday, delivered by Angelo Cardinal De Donatis, Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary.

The latest on Pope Francis’ health is that he is stable, sitting in a chair, and is back at work. He hasn’t had any further respiratory setbacks. This morning he had a phone call with the Catholic Parish in Gaza. He continues with physiotherapy and the high-flow oxygen by day/BiBAP by night.

His bilateral pneumonia is following the normal course of the condition responding to treatment treatment. The Pope, we are told, also remains in a good mood. So things are looking more positive then they did three days ago.

Despite the absence of acute respiratory failure over the last two days, the medicla team are rightly being cautious and want to see more data before stating that the Pope is no longer in a critical condition.

Here is today’s statement from the Holy See Press Office in full:

“The Holy Father remained stable today as well, without any episodes of respiratory insufficiency.

As planned, he utilized supplemental, high-flow oxygenation, and non-invasive mechanical ventilation will be resumed tonight.

The Holy Father increased his respiratory and active motor physiotherapy. He spent the day in his armchair.

Given the complexity of the clinical situation, the prognosis remains guarded.

This morning, in the private apartment located on the 10th floor, the Holy Father participated in the rite of the blessing of the Sacred Ashes, which were imposed on him by the celebrant. He then received Holy Communion.

Afterwards, he engaged in several work activities. During the morning, he also called Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of the Holy Family Church in Gaza.

In the afternoon, he alternated between rest and work."

This evening the tenth of the nightly rosaries for the health of Pope Francis has held in St. Peter’s Square, tonight led by Marcello Cardinal Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, with the some of the Roman Curia and most of the other Cardinals resident in Rome in attendance.

Let us all please continue to pray for the Pope, whose condition is critical, during this very trying time for him.

Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Francisco. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.

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The Holy Father is alternating between high flow oxygen during the day, and non-invasive mechanical ventilation, most probably BiBap, at night. Perhaps he should have been on BiPAP on admission. Perhaps he should have been on BiBAP prior in Casa Santa Marta. Receiving BiBAP only at night is pretty standard care, that millions of people who suffer with conditions like obstructive sleep apnoea have daily.

During the day, the Pope spent his time resting and at prayer, which is certainly going to help his recovery. In hindsight he probably shouldn’t have have spent so much time earlier in this admission at ‘work’, though the fact that he isn’t spending some part of his day at work now may be an indicator of his true condition.

The Pope’s clinical situation is still very complex, and the next milestone as far as the doctors are concerned will be the chest CT either tomorrow or Thursday to see the progression of the bilateral pneumonia.

Tomorrow we enter the Holy Season of Lent, with are Holy Father ailing, lets us offer our fasting and abstinence for his intentions.

Here is today’s statement from the Holy See Press Office in full:

The clinical condition of the Holy Father today has remained stable.

He has not experienced episodes of respiratory failure or bronchospasm.

He has remained without a fever, always alert, cooperative with therapies, and oriented.

This morning he transitioned to high-flow oxygen therapy and underwent respiratory physiotherapy.

As scheduled, tonight he will resume non-invasive mechanical ventilation until tomorrow morning.

During the day, he alternated between spending time in prayer and at rest, and this morning he received Holy Communion.

This evening the ninth of the nightly rosaries for the health of Pope Francis has held in St. Peter’s Square, tonight led by Arthur Cardinal Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, with the some of the Roman Curia and most of the other Cardinals resident in Rome in attendance.

Let us all please continue to pray for the Pope, whose condition is critical, during this very trying time for him.

Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Francisco. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.

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This is now the third serious downturn the Pope has suffered since he was admitted to hospital 18 days ago with bronchitis. At this point, and with the limited information that we have, if the Holy Father survives this admission it will be miracle. Miracles do happen.

Respiratory failure occurs when the lungs cannot adequately provide oxygen to the body leading to what is termed hypoexmia, very low levels of oxygen in the blood. A second type of respiratory occurs when this is coupled with the inability of the lungs to remove carbon dioxide from the body. We don’t know which of the two the Pope suffered today.

Thus far in this admission the Holy Father has undergone three bronchoscopies, which are very invasive medical procedures to try to clear mucus in the lungs of a patient who isn’t able to clear the mucus themselves. The Holy Father is very sick and 88 years old. Now I don’t want to alarm anyone reading this, but in my professional opinion I don’t really know if this is appropriate thing to do given the Pope’s clinical scenario. At the moment it does seem that the doctors are putting the Holy Father through significant pain and suffering for a procedure that is unlikely to do anything other than postpone death.

This may be the wishes of the Holy Father though, who may want doctors to try absolutely everything. The Italian medical culture, for lack of a better phrase, does seem to employ a more aggressive treatment regimen in order to try to achieve cure in the elderly and dying than most other countries by far.

Additionally, the Vatican said that the Pope was alert throughout bronchoscopies, which to me doesn’t make any sense, unless the doctors feel that he is too weak for sedation, i.e there is a serious risk of death if they were to sedate him for the procedure. I don’t know, and perhaps it is imprudent to speculate.

The Pope is back on non-invasive mechanical ventilation, most probably on a BiPAP machine. The big fear is what happens if the Pope develops further, more frequent, respiratory crises. Is the plan to step up the care further with invasive mechanical ventilation and admission to an intensive care unit, or is it palliation? We really don’t know, but these are some of the things that the Pope must have already discussed with the doctors treating him.

In other, more good news, which wasn’t mentioned in the Vatican’s press release, the Holy Father’s blood markers are still stable. No leukocytosis (high white blood cell count), so unlikely to develop aspiration pneumonia at this point from the vomit he inhaled last Friday.

I apologise for being the bearer of bad news, but the Pope's clinical condition is very complex, and we need to pray for him.

Here is today’s statement from the Holy See Press Office in full:

“Today, the Holy Father suffered two episodes of acute respiratory failure, caused by a significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm.

Two bronchoscopies were therefore performed, with the need to remove large secretions.

In the afternoon, non-invasive mechanical ventilation was resumed. The Holy Father remained alert, oriented and cooperative at all times.

The prognosis remains guarded.”

This evening the eight of the nightly rosaries for the health of Pope Francis has held in St. Peter’s Square, tonight led by Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost, Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, with the some of the Roman Curia and most of the other Cardinals resident in Rome in attendance.

Let us all please continue to pray for the Pope, whose condition is critical, during this very trying time for him.

Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Francisco. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.

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The risk of deterioration due to a potential aspiration pneumonia means that he remains in critical condition.

Outside of oxygen therapy and chest physio, we don’t really know what treatment the Pope is on, and whether or not he still receiving antibiotics for bilateral pneumonia. We should get a clearer picture on this later this week, if the Pope continues to remain stable. Let us pray that he does.

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Here is today’s statement from the Holy See Press Office in full:

"Today, too, the Holy Father's clinical condition has remained stable. The Pope has not required non-invasive mechanical ventilation, but only supplemental high-flow oxygenation. He does not have a fever.

Given the complexity of the clinical picture, the prognosis remains guarded.

This morning, the Holy Father participated in Holy Mass, together with those who have been caring for him during these days of hospitalization. Afterward, he alternated rest with prayer."

Earlier in the day the Vatican released the text for today’s Angelus where the Holy Father thanks God for this moment of suffering, and the blessing of frailty, which has enabled him to share the “condition of so many sick and suffering people.” The Pope also thanked the faithful for their prayers, which he says have “carried and supported him.”

“Sisters and brothers, I am still sending you these thoughts from the hospital, where as you know I have been for several days, accompanied by doctors and healthcare professionals, whom I thank for the attention with which they are taking care of me. I feel in my heart the “blessing” that is hidden within frailty, because it is precisely in these moments that we learn even more to trust in the Lord; at the same time, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to share in body and spirit the condition of so many sick and suffering people.

I would like to thank you for the prayers, which rise up to the Lord from the hearts of so many faithful from many parts of the world: I feel all your affection and closeness and, at this particular time, I feel as if I am “carried” and supported by all God’s people. Thank you all!”

In the afternoon Pope Francis was visited by the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and the Substitute, Msgr. Edgar Pena Parra.

This evening the seventh of the nightly rosaries for the health of Pope Francis has held in St. Peter’s Square, tonight led by Konrad Cardinal Krajewski, Papal Almoner,, with the some of the Roman Curia and most of the other Cardinals resident in Rome in attendance.

Let us all please continue to pray for the Pope, whose condition is critical, during this very trying time for him.

Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Francisco. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.

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On another positive note, the Holy Father continues to not have a fever, and his white cell count has gone back to normal, which bodes well for his pneumonia. Doctors will still be wary of the Holy Father developing aspiration pneumonia, so the next 24 hours will be significant.

The Holy Father is back undergoing chest physio, and has not had any further violent coughing fits. He is however still in critical condition.

Here is today’s statement from the Holy See Press Office in full:

The Holy Father's clinical condition remains stable.

He is alternating between non-invasive mechanical ventilation and long periods of supplemental high-flow oxygenation, maintaining a good response to gas exchange.

The Holy Father does not have a fever and shows no leukocytosis [high white blood cell count].

His haemodynamic parameters have always remained stable; he has continued eat on his own and has regularly undergone respiratory physiotherapy, in which he cooperates actively. He has not experienced any further episodes of bronchospasm.

The Holy Father remains alert and oriented. He received the Eucharist on Saturday afternoon, then devoted himself to prayer.

The prognosis remains guarded.

This evening rosary for the health of Pope Francis has held in St. Peter’s Basilica, due to inclement weather, and was led by Claudio Cardinal Gugerotti, Prefect of Dicastery for the Eastern Churches and former Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, with the entire Roman Curia and most of the other Cardinals resident in Rome in attendance.

Let us all please continue to pray for the Pope, whose condition remains critical, during this very trying time for him.

Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Francisco. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.

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My hospital sources are telling me that today was a hard day, adding that this episode happened at about 2 pm. The Pope wet into an “isolated episode of bronchospasm”, what can be termed a coughing fit, which caused the episode of vomiting, which unfortunately got into the Pope’s lungs. They are also telling me that Pope Francis is conscious and in good spirits, but they say that the next 24 to 48 hours will now be significant.

The most important thing is that the mechanical ventilation is non-invasive, akin to what is used to treat sleep apnoea, and is working in maintaining the Pope’s blood oxygen levels. The big concern is aspiration pneumonia, and is why the next two days will be crucial.

Here is today’s statement from the Holy See Press Office in full:

The Holy Father, this afternoon, after a morning spent alternating between respiratory physiotherapy and prayer in the chapel, experienced an isolated episode of bronchospasm. This caused an episode of vomiting, which led to him inhaling some and a sudden worsening of his respiratory condition.

The Holy Father was promptly subjected to bronchial aspiration (to clear his airways) and was put on non-invasive mechanical ventilation, which improved his oxygen levels.

He has remained alert and aware at all times, cooperating with therapeutic treatments.

The prognosis, therefore, remains guarded.

In the morning, he received Holy Communion.

This evening the fifth of nightly rosaries for the health of Pope Francis has held in St. Peter’s Square, tonight led by Tucho Cardinal Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, close friend and protégé of Pope Francis, with the entire Roman Curia and most of the other Cardinals resident in Rome in attendance.

Let us all please continue to pray for the Pope, whose condition is critical, during this very trying time for him.

Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Francisco. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.

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