On Monday, Messa in Latino (MiL) wrote that reliable Vatican sources had informed them that Rupnik would soon be acquitted in his trial. This is the trial which apparently began in October 2025, after the Vatican re-opened an investigation into Rupnik in October 2023.

Even though coverage of the report was limited enough, the Vatican obviously perceived that this represented too much of a PR threat and thus issued a denial some 48-hours later. “The review of the case is still ongoing, and the panel is examining documentation provided by the dioceses involved, the Jesuits, the parties concerned, and from the press,” the Vatican press office stated.

{For full details of said update, see a report by this correspondent}

In allegations which became public in late 2022, Rupnik has been widely accused of committing serial abuse in multiple forms – sexual, spiritual, physical, and psychological. According to testimony from an alleged victim of Rupnik, who is also a former member of his Loyola Community, the priest abused at least 21 of the 40 members present in the community during the 1990s.

Since the case became public in 2022 a further 15 alleged victims have come forward.

The Jesuits have compiled a 150-page dossier of reported instances of abuse that Rupnik is said to have committed from 1985 through 2018, the credibility of which is deemed by the priest’s former superior to be “very high.” After expelling Rupnik in July 2023, the Jesuits have since begun a process of reparations to alleged victims.

Previously, in a separate case Rupnik was automatically excommunicated in 2020 after he was found guilty of absolving in confession a woman with whom he had sexual relations. The penalty was swiftly revoked, leading to much speculation over whether Pope Francis personally intervened to lift the excommunication. The Pontiff has denied any involvement acting on Rupnik’s behalf, on the brief occasion he was asked about the Rupnik case by a journalist. Such was Rupnik’s influence and prestige in the Vatican that he even led the Lenten retreat for the Vatican curia whilst under investigation in 2020 for that crime.

In order to stay up to speed on the entire affair, a timeline has been compiled and is presented below. The images can be opened and downloaded for greater ease.

Timeline of Rupnik’s actions prior to the 2022 revelations

Timeline of Rupnik’s actions after December 2022

Image 1:

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Leo’s return to taking his summer holidays in the papal villa of Castel Gandolfo has been met with widespread joy. Pope Francis’s decision not to use the summer residence, and instead open it up to tourists, left the hilltop town devoid not only of its annual papal visitor but also of the crucial tourist income that accompanied the papal holidays.

For the American Pope, Castel Gandolfo has proved a firm favourite. He has been visiting every week for a dies non and this month is spending just over three weeks of quiet time in the villa. Last year he spent the summer break in Villa Barberini, but this year he is ensconced in the main villa – the traditional summer home of the popes.

The rest of this report, originally published by this correspondent on the Catholic Herald on July 18, is found at this link.

The motu proprio that easily became a defining point in Francis’ papacy was, like many other controversial texts of his reign, issued on a Marian feast – that of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It bore the striking and controversial statement that “the liturgical books promulgated by Saint Paul VI and Saint John Paul II, in conformity with the decrees of Vatican Council II, are the unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite.”

Naturally, the more vocal among the team surrounding Pope Francis supported the document through their actions, and some bishops moved swiftly to cancel celebrations of the old rite in a manner demonstrative of much anticipation. Others were slower to act, but act they did eventually, with Masses still continuing to be regularly and arbitrarily cancelled throughout the Church.

“The clear intent is to condemn the Extraordinary Form to extinction in the long run,” wrote Gerhard Cardinal Müller on July 19, 2021. Müller is no personal lover of the traditional rite, as he attested just this month, but he regularly celebrates it for those desirous of being nourished by it and has repeatedly criticized the restrictions. “Instead of appreciating the smell of the sheep, the shepherd here hits them hard with his crook,” he wrote at the time.

This is a theme reiterated by numerous prelates who have expressed their concerns over the text, and is the the reality for the large numbers of Catholics impacted by the restrictions as they witness their regular Mass summarily curtailed.

As the Society of Saint Pius X wrote at the time: “Everything, or just about everything in Summorum pontificum, is scattered, abandoned, or destroyed.”

Raymond Cardinal Burke – one of the most prominent proponents of the traditional Mass – lamented in July 2021 that the motu proprio was a “severe and revolutionary action” which belied an attempted “ultimate elimination” of the traditional liturgy. Latin Mass attendees were being given the message that “they suffer from an aberration which can be tolerated for a time but must ultimately be eradicated,” commented Burke.

Burke was soon joined by his fellow Dubia cardinal, Walter Brandmüller, who opined that Francis “unleashed a hurricane” with his text. Joseph Cardinal Zen followed suit, saying it hurt the “hearts of many good people.”

Bishop Athanasius Schneider, another internationally recognised name when it comes to defending the traditional Mass, echoed Müller’s depiction of Francis as a shepherd beating his flock. Going further than the cardinal, Schneider argued that the motu prorpio commits “an injustice against all Catholics who adhere to the traditional liturgical form, by accusing them of being divisive and of rejecting the Second Vatican Council.”

He continued:

The traditional Mass is a treasure that belongs to the entire Church, since it has been celebrated and deeply regarded and loved by priests and saints for at least a thousand years. In fact, the traditional form of the Mass was almost identical for centuries before the publication of the Missal of Pope Pius V in 1570. An almost one thousand-year-old valid and highly esteemed liturgical treasure is not the private property of a pope, which he can freely dispose of.

The reactions of these prelates has not wavered in the five years that have since passed. As bishop after bishop has used TC to clamp down on thriving communities in his diocese, the two-class system of which Schneider warned has indeed been put into effect. There remains still in force to this day the order that traditional Masses are not to be publicly advertised in parish newsletters – a situation as farcical as it is draconian.

Such a situation has led to the proliferation of catacomb style Masses, again fulfilling the prediction of many after TC was published. Certainly, the traditional orders exempted from TC have blossomed, as have the SSPX. Young men have flocked to the seminaries in record numbers year upon year, and any hope the Vatican had of stamping out the traditional Mass is certainly now non-existent.

It has been restricted, certainly; censured, curtailed and persecuted – but by no means extinguished.

Pope Francis defended TC throughout his pontificate. When questioned by this correspondent as to the rationale behind it, he replied: “Read the motu proprio; everything is there for you.”

The problem is that – as latter reports have now confirmed what was already widely understood at the time – TC was based on a false premise. The bishops contacted for the Vatican’s now infamous survey did not largely support restricting the Mass, and even warned that to do so would be deleterious for the Church.

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Despite this, TC remains technically and firmly in force. In 2022 Bishop Schneider referenced both Traditionis Custodes and Cdl. Roche’s subsequent responsa ad dubia, describing them as “a gross abuse of the papal office.” He likened the “persecution” of the traditional rite to the the “persecution of the integrity of the Catholic faith during the Arian Crisis in the 4th century.”

“Persecution” is a recurring word when it comes to the continued existence of TC. Cdl. Burke is one such figure who has employed the term often.

But beyond even persecution, there are serious canonical arguments which have been made against the validity of TC which, to date, have not received proper public attention. “The document [TC] itself is problematical from the point of view of canon law and also of the theological reality of the sacred liturgy,” Burke told this correspondent last year.

Canonist Fr. Réginald-Marie Rivoire has published a book-length examination of TC, highlighting issues with its legality, but such concerns have not found their way to the mainstream discussion. Most bishops keen to avoid any problems for themselves have cooperated with the diktats emerging from the Congregation for Divine Worship, while those actually opposed to the traditional liturgy have been all to happy to attack it. Canonical irregularities have seemingly not entered into consideration.

It is due to these major, unresolved questions, along with the obvious, immense harm it has caused within the Church, that many Catholics anticipated Leo would tackle TC early on in his pontificate. As yet, he has not done so, and while many hopeful signs have been given of a more favourable disposition towards the old rite on his part, the motu proprio remains in force.

Five years on from its publication, Traditionis Custodes is still described by many as one of the most painful and unnecessary texts to emerge from the Vatican. If Leo XIV wishes to positively deal with the issue of unity in the Church, then delivering the death knoll to TC would be a ready solution.

On 11 July, the Society sent a “preliminary recourse” to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), marking its formal response to the 2 July Decree from the Dicastery regarding the penalty of automatic excommunication incurred by the six SSPX bishops. News of the appeal was published on the evening of 13 July.

The Society’s recourse was issued in line with canons 1353 and 1734, which outline set guidelines for the timing of submitting a response to a punitive decree. By submitting the appeal, the SSPX has also thus initiated a temporary suspension of the penalties against them, as per canon 1353 which reads: “An appeal or a recourse against judgements of a court or against decrees which impose or declare any penalty has a suspensive effect.”

“By this recourse” the SSPX’s press statement read, “the Society intends to exercise the right which the Church recognises to any person who considers himself harmed by an administrative act to seek its correction, in a spirit of respect for ecclesiastical authority and of faithful attachment to justice, truth and the good of the Church.”

The rest of this report conducted exclusively for the Catholic Herald, is found at this link.

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Dear brother priests,

On the day when the Church ponders her Lord’s pierced Heart, from which gushes forth an inexhaustible fountain of peace and unity for all humanity, I first address to myself and to all of you the words that God spoke to the people of Israel: “Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev 19:2; cf. 1 Pt 1:16). This divine call echoes down the ages. Even today it resonates strongly with every believer and, in a particular way, with us priests. Holiness is neither one option among many nor an abstract ideal, for it involves the very identity of every person who wishes to share in the life of the risen One.

Holiness is sharing in Christ’s mystery

God invites us to share in his own holiness. When he calls us to be holy as he is holy, he indicates that the path we must follow involves being fashioned after his own Heart. And for us, dear brothers, this call is particularly radical. The Lord has promised: “And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jer 3:15). The holiness he asks of us is a trustful abandonment, allowing ourselves to be transformed by the Holy Spirit. Yet it is precisely here that the great paradox of our priestly life emerges. We are called to share in God’s own holiness, but we carry this treasure in earthen vessels (cf. 2 Cor 4:7). We are limited and imperfect, often weak and weary, and at times wounded. How can such a vulnerable human heart respond to such a high calling? The priest lives this tension. Yet at the same time, he must recognize that he finds peace in the open side of the Lord Jesus.

A journey toward union

The union of our heart with Christ’s Heart is not an experience reserved for a select few; rather, it is a sacramental, Eucharistic journey that unfolds each day of our lives. Dear brothers, by our ordination we have been configured to Christ, yet we must always renew within ourselves the gift of grace through our daily celebration of the Eucharist, prayer, meditation on the word of God and humble service to our brothers and sisters. Let us remain united to Christ in everything — in all that we do and in all that happens to us every day. Then the holiness that we have sought in vain through isolated efforts will reveal itself for what it is: a response to the grace that precedes, sustains and transforms us. Indeed, our humanity is not compartmentalized. Prayer, ministry, relationships, weariness, joys and failures — even time or love that apparently seems wasted — all become privileged places where God reveals himself and his infinite love.

The priest who has an upright, simple and pure heart can be contemplative in the midst of action, merciful and faithful in times of trial, and joyful in the gift of himself. The world greatly needs pastors who offer more than simply words or programs; it needs the living witness of a reconciled heart that exudes the sweet fragrance of Christ’s holiness. A priestly life that is steady and configured to Jesus’ Heart is a credible sign of unity, peace and mercy. Thus, in an age marked by division and fear, we must be builders of peace and witnesses of the tenderness of the Good Shepherd who knows how to gather the scattered and heal the wounded. Our zeal is not restlessness, but the overflowing of a love that is “‘ecstasy,’ openness, gift and encounter” (Francis, Encyclical Letter Dilexit Nos, 28).

The Heart of Christ is the heart of the saints

The response to the call to holiness lies not so much in works of asceticism or striving for perfection –– though these are necessary –– but in trusting adherence to the love revealed in Jesus’ pierced Heart. The Apostle John invites us to contemplate the open side of the crucified One (cf. Jn 19:34), in which God definitively shows us what holiness is: not an inaccessibly distant or detached perfection, but a love that gives itself even to the point of being wounded and so can become a source of mercy and life. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is an exemplary image of the surpassing love of God. It is an all-powerful love precisely because it is capable of being vulnerable and of transforming sorrow into grace and suffering into hope.

The Sacred Heart, therefore, is the “place” where holiness is manifested as closeness and tenderness. The priest’s holiness, then, is embodied in humble and courageous nearness, in being all things to all people, and in keeping the gate of the sheepfold open so that many can enter and find pasture and rest (cf. Jn 10:9). For this reason, we are called to a relationship with God that does not distance us from others but brings us closer to everyone — shaping patient and tender hearts, capable of closeness, compassion and listening. Thus, through the union of our imperfect hearts with Jesus’ pierced Heart, our journey toward holiness is fulfilled. It is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us (cf. Gal 2:20). Such holiness cannot be lived in isolation. Cherish your priestly fraternity: seek one another, listen to one another and support one another. The priest who isolates himself slowly fades away; the priest who walks alongside his brothers grows. Saint Augustine reminds us of this when he says: “How shall we avoid finding ourselves in darkness? By loving our brothers. What is the proof that we love our brothers? This: that we do not fracture unity and that we practice charity” (In Epist. Io. ad Parthos II, 3).

Dear priests, renew each day your “Here I am” before Christ’s pierced Heart. Give yourselves entirely to him, so that you may love his people with the same love with which he loves them. And joyfully remember how the saintly Curé of Ars loved to say that “the priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus” (cf. Benedict XVI, Letter Proclaiming a Year for Priests on the 150th Anniversary of the “Dies Natalis” of the Curé of Ars, 569). This love is a pledge and a guarantee that, if we surrender and offer ourselves completely, nothing of us will be lost. I entrust each and every one of you to the Virgin Mary, Mother of Priests. May she, who cherished the mystery of her Son in her heart, also teach us to keep alive and make the Heart of Christ, Savior of the world, beat within us.

12 June 2026, Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

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Leo has made his regular appeals for peace in the world one of the most regular and recurring elements of his pontificate, starting from his first moments emerging onto the Vatican loggia in front of the world.

This was re-iterated in Magnifica Humanitas as Leo decried the “normalization of war” and the manner in which war is becoming a normal part of common parlance and international policy.

{For a full roster of different analyses on the encyclical by this correspondent, interested readers may find them on Pelican+, The Catholic Herald, Ad Vaticanum, The European Conservative.}

“We are witnessing a real paradigm shift in public discourse and in decisions regarding rearmament, with a troubling revival of war as an instrument of international politics, while the very ethical principles that had previously limited its use are being eroded,” he wrote.

But as part of this, Leo took aim at the Church’s teaching regarding a just war:

It is in this context that humanity is slipping into a violent culture of power, where peace no longer appears as a responsibility to be taken on, but as a fragile interval between conflicts.

Today, more than ever, without prejudice to the right to self-defense in the strictest sense, it is important to reaffirm that the “just war” theory, which has all too often been used to justify any kind of war, is now outdated. (182) Humanity possesses far more effective and capable tools for promoting human life and resolving conflicts, such as dialogue, diplomacy and forgiveness. The use of force, violence and weapons reflects a relational poverty that always has disastrous consequences for civilian populations.

Footnote 182 adds further information and a quotation from the catechism regarding just war:

“The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of the possibility of legitimate defense by means of military force, which involves demonstrating that certain ‘rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy’ have been met. Yet it is easy to fall into an overly broad interpretation of this potential right. In this way, some would also wrongly justify even ‘preventive’ attacks or acts of war that can hardly avoid entailing ‘evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated.’”

This footnote appears to clearly be aimed more directly at President Trump’s administration and his joint preventative strikes with Israel against Iran. Leo passionately decried the instigation of fresh hostilities at the time, something which drew the repeated ire of Trump who accused the Pope of defending Iran.

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4 months ago · 12 likes · 4 comments · Michael Haynes

So great was the public tension from the White House that the US bishops weighed in. Indeed it was only just over a month ago that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a number of clarifications over the Just War teaching under the headline “Just War Doctrine.” Bishop James Masa, chairman of the USCCB doctrine committee, noted in mid-Aril that “for over a thousand years, the Catholic Church has taught just war theory and it is that long tradition the Holy Father carefully references in his comments on war.”

The Catholic teaching on the just war is often referred to as a “theory” but the Church’s own texts note it as a “doctrine.”

“As long as the danger of war persists and there is no international authority with the necessary competence and power, governments cannot be denied the right of lawful self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed,” reads the catechism, before proceeding to outline the precise element which must be met in order to constitute a just war:

The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous consideration. the gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy. At one and the same time:

1. the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;

2. all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;

3. there must be serious prospects of success;

4. the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.

These are the traditional elements enumerated in what is called the ‘just war’ doctrine.
The evaluation of these conditions for moral legitimacy belongs to the prudential judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good. (CCC 2309)

The Church’s Just War Doctrine has, as the USCCB noted, been in force for centuries and owes a great part of its makeup to Saints Ambrose, Augustine and Thomas Aquinas (ST II-II, Q40).

Leo’s comments regarding the Just War are by no means a novel development in the Vatican. In doing so he was not breaking fresh ground by any means. Pope Francis argued similarly, as did Cardinal Ratzinger before he became pope.

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