Sacrosanctum Concilium: A Lawyer Examines the Loopholes

The following essay, a forensic look at SC written by an attorney, appeared in The Latin Mass magazine in 2005 and is republished here with permission of its author, Christopher Ferrara, Esq., of the American Catholic Lawyers Association. His conclusions were subsequently confirmed in Yves Chiron’s biography of Bugnini, where we learn that the latter, who was the chief compiler of SC, openly stated to his collaborators before the Council that he intended to push through a revolutionary agenda by describing it in harmless-sounding generalities. And with the recent publication of the first-ever biography of Michael Davies, Ferrara’s article also serves as a reminder of how much we owe that man. — PAK

For decades, traditionalists have listened to “conservatives” argue that the postconciliar devastation of the Roman Rite has nothing whatsoever to do with language of Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Second Vatican Council’s document on the sacred liturgy. (I shall refer to this document throughout as SC)

Vatican Blocks Continuity of Procedure of Beatification and Canonization of Argentine Bishop -- no new Satanellis

 One of the most shocking forced beatifications of the Francis pontificate was that of Bishop Angelelli, a terrorist-supporting Bishop from Argentina, who died in an automobile accident, but was deemed a martyr. He was so liberal, so cruel against orthodox Catholics, and so against any orthodox causes in his lifetime, that serious Catholics in Argentina mocked him by calling him "Satanelli" during his own lifetime.

Another extreme liberal bishop, Jorge Novak, of Quilmes, was also placed by Francis on a fast track to beatification and canonization. Thankfully, with the new pontificate, the fast tracking is being reexamined, and, in Novak's case, at least one serious impediment has been found: his lax conduct regarding the case of at least one abusive priest under his care.

The announcement of the Vatican derailment of the cause was made public yesterday by the local diocese:

Communiqué on the Cessation of the Canonical Cause for the Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God Father Bishop Jorge Novak SVD, First Bishop of Quilmes (1976–2001)

A Giant Leap: The meaning of Cardinal Eijk’s Pontifical High Mass and the Rebirth of Dutch Catholicism

by Serre Verweij

Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk, the Archbishop of Utrecht in the Netherlands, celebrated on March 15th, 2026, a Pontifical High Mass for the first time. It somehow ended up being a huge event that was talked about internationally and still receives attention weeks later. As a Catholic from the Archdiocese of Utrecht, I was surprised a little (though very pleasantly) that the cardinal decided to do this. It was clearly a new experience for him, yet, when I attended, I could see he truly enjoyed it. This was despite the fact that he had recently received hospital treatment due to significant health problems, and he was still recovering somewhat. It was a positive event for this Dutch shepherd and for the many young Catholics, including converts and young parents with a large numbers of kids, who were present. 

Pope, President of USCCB appeal for Peace

 

Pope Leo XIV spoke today on the urgent need for peace when leaving Castel Gandolfo; declarations made available on Vatican News:

The Pope said he wished simply to say, once again, what he had said in his Urbi et Orbi message on Sunday, "asking all people of goodwill to always search for peace and not violence, to reject war—especially a war which many people have said is unjust, which is continuing to escalate and which is not resolving anything."

A Grave Moment in History - the Words of Pius XII for Peace

 The Lord gave His Church a gentle yet firm pastor during the grave days of the last world war: Pius XII.

In the current grave and sad moment of history, let us recall his words of peace and admonishment.

Our high office We deem it necessary to reiterate this grave statement today, when to Our profound grief We see at times the deformed, the insane, and those suffering from hereditary disease deprived of their lives, as though they were a useless burden to Society; and this procedure is hailed by some as a manifestation of human progress, and as something that is entirely in accordance with the common good. Yet who that is possessed of sound judgment does not recognize that this not only violates the natural and the divine law written in the heart of every man, but that it outrages the noblest instincts of humanity? The blood of these unfortunate victims who are all the dearer to our Redeemer because they are deserving of greater pity, "cries to God from the earth."

Continuity, Rupture, or Both? Vatican II and the SSPX

Continuity, Rupture or Both? Vatican II and the SSPX

Guest article by James Baresel

Twenty years ago, Pope Benedict XVI gave his well-known address on interpreting Vatican II with a “hermeneutic of continuity” rather than a “hermeneutic of rupture.” Welcome as that seemed, details were never explained, distinctions never made, ways that forms of rupture can exist beside forms of continuity ignored.

At the most obvious level, any infallible teachings promulgated by Vatican II must be in continuity with tradition. (No dogmatic definitions infallible in and of themselves were promulgated.) The continuity of non-infallible teachings must be considered probable. Were that the beginning and end of the matter, the Society of Saint Pius X’s condemnation of Vatican II as a break with tradition would constitute a simple refusal to give its teachings due submission.

But there is much more to it.

Emmaus: An Easter Reflection

 by Father Konrad zu Loewenstein

"In that time two of them went, the same day, to a town which
was sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, named Emmaus." (Easter Monday Gospel)

‘Was not our heart burning...’



Our Blessed Lord appears to-day to two of His disciples: Cleophas and another, perhaps his wife Maria who had stood at the foot of the Cross. When they looked back at the encounter later, what motives would they not have found for amazement and the deepest reverence? -their beloved Master Who had suffered and died in a manner so atrocious and cruel, was in truth the Messiah of the Ancient Covenant, the Glory of the Chosen People, indeed God Himself; He had risen from the dead and appeared before them in person in the form of an unknown travelling companion; He had come to their house, celebrated the Holy Eucharist for them, then vanished from their sight.

EX ORIENTE LUX - Dominica Paschæ in Resurrectione Domini - A Meditation of Saint Alphonsus on Paradise

Osanna, Sanctus Deus Sabaoth,
superillustrans claritate tua
felices ignes horum malacoth!

L'anima d'ogne bruto e delle piante

di complession potenziata tira
lo raggio e il moto delle luci sante;

ma vostra vita sanza mezzo spira
la Somma Beninanza, e la innamora
di sé sì che poi sempre la disira.

E quinci puoi argomentare ancora
vostra resurrezion, se tu ripensi
come l'umana carne fessi allora

che li primi parenti intrambo fensi.*

Commedia, Paradiso (c. VII)

A VERY HAPPY AND HOLY EASTER TO ALL OUR READERS! 
Salve, Festa Dies: Hail, O Festive Day!

__________________________________

A MEDITATION ON PARADISE

for the Paschal Festivity

“Behold His wounds when hanging, His Blood when dying, His value when dying, His scars when rising, His head bent down to kiss, His heart opened to love, His arms extended to embrace, His whole body exposed to redeem.”

        

A synthesis of the commentary of Cornelius à Lapide' (1567 - 1637) on the Passion of Our Lord from St. Matthew's Gospel compiled by a priest and friend of Rorate Caeli. (from Chapter XXVII).  

THE CRUXIFIXION

A Sermon for Good Friday

 

by Fr. Richard Cipolla

We just heard the Passion Gospel sung, and on Good Friday it is always the Passion from the gospel according to John. You notice the text was sung not said,  You have all heard of and perhaps some of you have seen the famous Passion Play in Oberammergau in Germany, or perhaps one of the local Passion plays that are part of this time leading to Good Friday and Easter.  These are dramatic attempts to depict the events we celebrate in Holy Week from Palm Sunday to Good Friday. But these plays are not liturgical; they have little to do with what we just heard sung as the Passion Gospel.  

Meditations for Holy Week: Gethsemane - PART 2 " Tarry ye here, and watch with Me"

A synthesis of the commentary of Cornelius à  Lapide' (1567 - 1637) on the Passion of Our Lord from St. Matthew's Gospel compiled by a priest and friend of Rorate Caeli.

GETHSEMANE part 2

A Sign of Continuity with the Pre-Francis Papacy: Pope to Wash Feet of Twelve Priests

 

Since 2012 (that is, the last washing of the feet of the papacy of Benedict XVI), this had not happened: tomorrow, Maundy Thursday, Leo XIV will return to the papal tradition of washing the feet of twelve priests -- which is very adequate, as Christ instituted the washing of the feet on the same day he instituted the priesthood of his twelve Apostles. The ceremony will take place in the Cathedral of Rome, the Lateran Basilica:

SSPX, the Lepers

 

One of the most poignant documents of the Benedict XVI pontificate was his letter justifying himself to the global elites for the lifting of the excommunications of the bishops consecrated for the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) in 1988.

The 2009 letter included this remarkable paragraph:

Meditations for Holy Week: Gethsemane

 A synthesis of the commentary of Cornelius à  Lapide' (1567 - 1637) on the Passion of Our Lord from St. Matthew's Gospel compiled by a priest and friend of Rorate Caeli.

 

 

Gethsemane

La Croix: Will France be the Papal Setting for the End of Restrictions to the Latin Mass?

 

The semi-official daily of the Catholic Church in France, La Croix, published today a long piece developing some points about the papal message to the bishops of France on the Traditional Latin Mass.

Will France, through Cardinal Aveline, be chosen by Pope Leo XIV as the training ground of how he plans to proceed with Traditionis custodes in the rest of the world?

Due to the relevance of the whole piece, we have tried to present it as faithfully as possible below:

Tridentine Mass: Will France Find the Solution to the "Traditional Question" in the Church?

How Pope Leo is Reshuffling the Curia - Part II: the new Sostituto; and Clergy and the Law

by Serre Verweij

It is official. As predicted, Archbishop Rudelli, the relatively conservative nuncio in Colombia, is replacing the scandal-ridden Archbishop Peña Parra as "Sostituto" at the Secretariat of State. Peña Parra has been exiled from the Curia and appointed nuncio to Italy. Rudelli now takes his place as the second most powerful figure in the Secretariat, right under Cardinal Parolin. While he drew some criticism for using boilerplate synodal language during his time in Colombia, Rudelli has otherwise been firmly conservative — his doctoral thesis was on the theology of marriage, and in it he defended both its indissolubility and its openness to life. 

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem: “Today Jesus weeps once more …”

Meditation for Palm Sunday at Gethesmane

Jerusalem, March 29, 2026 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, 
may the Lord give you peace. 

Meditations for Holy Week: 1.The Horrible Atrocity of Judas

Over the next few days in this Holy Week, we would like to offer our Readers a few meditations focussing on the Betrayal of Our Lord Jesus and  His Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. These  are a synthesis  of the commentary of Cornelius à  Lapide' (1567 - 1637) on the Passion of Our Lord from St. Matthew's Gospel and  were compiled by a priest and friend of Rorate Caeli.

Palm Sunday: Israeli Police Prevent Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pizzaballa, and the Custos of the Holy Land from entering the Holy Sepulchre

The news is astounding, and an insult to Catholics worldwide: for the first time in living memory, the Latin Patriarch was prevented from entering the Holy Sepulchre.

 

This morning, the Israeli Police prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Head of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, together with the Custos of the Holy Land, the Most Reverend Fr. Francesco Ielpo, OFM, the official Guardian of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, as they made their way to celebrate the Palm Sunday Mass.

 

 The full press release of the unbelievable incident is from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem itself, in a joint statement with the Custody of the Holy Land:

Christ, "King of Peace": An Urgent Call to Peace on Palm Sunday

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!

Leo XIV

Palm Sunday, 2026

Full text of homily below:

Leo XIV Praises Catholicism as State Religion in Monaco

 

In a brief visit today to the second smallest European state, Monaco (the smallest being the Vatican itself), Pope Leo XIV had many interesting remarks, including the following:

You are among the few countries in the world to have the Catholic faith as a state religion.

How Pope Leo is Reshuffling the Curia: Musical Chairs and Power Games

How Pope Leo is Reshuffling the Curia: Musical Chairs and Power Games

Randazzo named Prefect for Legislative Texts as modernists are sidelined

by Serre Verweij

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Anthony Randazzo, formerly the Bishop of Broken Bay, as the new Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts. He succeeds Archbishop Iannone, who was recently promoted to Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops—a role previously held by Pope Leo himself. Both Pope Leo and Iannone are seasoned canon lawyers with a history of opposing the German "Synodal Path" and resisting progressive attempts to undermine canon law in Rome. Randazzo appears to be a perfect fit for this emerging orthodox team.

Vatican Publishes Document Reaffirming Place of Anglican Patrimony in Catholic Life - Ordinariates

 The heads of the Ordinariates established by Benedict XVI under "Anglicanorum Cœtibus" were recently received by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and a long document of the DDF on the continuing relevance of the Anglican Patrimony for the Catholic Church was published.

The document is the following:

[Cathedral of the Ordinariate for North America, Houston]

Characteristics of the Anglican Heritage as

Lived in the Ordinariates Established Under

the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus

24 March 2026

During the Plenary Meeting of the Bishop Ordinaries of the Personal Ordinariates established under the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus (2009), held at the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith from 1 to 3 March 2026, His Eminence Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect, invited the Bishops to describe the lived experience of the patrimony at the heart of their Ordinariates, as it relates to how they have received and integrated elements that came from the Anglican tradition.

A Very Up-to-Date Consecration: SSPX Opens Telegram Group for Consecrations

In a quite modern (in the good sense) twist, the Society of Saint Pius X has announced the creation of a group using the app "Telegram" in order to keep all those interested in news of the July 1st, 2026, Consecrations in Écône, Switzerland, fully informed.

The official group ("channel") in French, which is the original and administrative language of the SSPX, is described thus by them:

Irony Alert: Trads Follow Vatican II on the Liturgy Better Than the Novus Ordo World Follows It

In the recent much-discussed letter from Cardinal Parolin to the French bishops, conveying the sentiments of Leo XIV, a certain phrase sticks out: “May the Holy Spirit suggest to you concrete solutions that would generously include those sincerely attached to the Vetus Ordo, while respecting the orientations set forth by the Second Vatican Council regarding the Liturgy.”

Well, we might want to take another look at the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, promulgated December 4, 1963. Admitting that there are “wheels within wheels” and that the document’s compiler, Annibale Bugnini, had more than a few tricks up his sleeve, nevertheless, if we were to take the clearest statements and follow them according to the mind of the Council Fathers, here’s what your local liturgical scene would look like.

Pope Sends Message to French Bishops Regarding the Traditional Mass

 

An update to our latest text on the French Bishops' Conference analysis of the Latin Mass matter.

The Pope sent a message, by way of his Secretary of State, Cardinal Parolin which included a paragraph on the matter -- emphasis added below:

Dear Brethren,

The Blessed Virgin Mary at the Annunciation: Model of a Generous Response to God’s Call

By guest writer Mark Rose

 

The Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord stands as the ultimate ontological turning point for the human race. Within the liturgical framework of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, this day is treated with a gravity that acknowledges the sheer magnitude of the miracle being commemorated.¹’² It is not simply a historical memory of a conversation in Nazareth. Rather, it is a ritualized entry into the moment when the eternal Word of God first touched the finite reality of human flesh.³’⁴ For those of us living in a world defined by constant digital noise and internal distraction, this feast provides a necessary architecture for understanding how to listen, how to hear, and ultimately how to heed a divine invitation.⁵

 

Traditional Mass at the Heart of French Bishops’ Conference

[Update: Papal message on the matter]

 

From semi-official French Catholic daily La Croix (excerpt on the Traditional Mass only):

Geopolitics, liturgy, education, and the martyrs of Algeria on the agenda of the bishops' Plenary Assembly in Lourdes

By Céline Hoyeau 

Published March 24, 2026, at 6:50 AM

…

Liturgy on the assembly's agenda

New Biography of Michael Davies Released

 Arouca Press has published the biography of the great Michael Davies, one of the most consequential leaders of the struggle for Tradition and the Traditional Rites of the Church, written by none other than his friend Leo Darroch. It is a must-have for all those interested in the history of our movement and our times.

More information below:

For so many people who were enduring the trauma of the years of drastic change after the Second Vatican Council, Michael Davies' books and lectures were like manna from heaven and uplifted and educated many lay people and clergy. In his research and exposition of the real facts on the liturgy and architecture, he shed a great deal of light on matters that many in high places preferred to keep hidden. This may well be his lasting legacy to the Church, the provision of books and papers that rallied the faithful in a time of unprecedented upheaval that could truly be called one of the dark ages of the Church.

Andrea Grillo and Another Benedictine Monk Reply to the Abbot of Solesmes: Juxtaposition and Forced Assimilation Are Not Unity

The Abbot of Solesmes' strange proposal—to create a hybridized missal that would please exactly no one, except perhaps a few monks in the Fontgombault congregation—has prompted more than a few responses. Here we present a translation of the barbed critique of Andrea Grillo, the mind behind Traditionis custodes, followed by a lucid assessment from a Benedictine monk.

Liturgical unity, not typographical. The One Roman Rite and Fr. Guéranger

by Andrea Grillo

The context in which the Abbot of Solesmes, Fr. Kemlin, frames his reflection—in a letter to Pope Leo dated November 12 of last year (made public only in recent days)—is of some significance. He knows that Solesmes is not a place like any other. It preserves the memory of one of the Fathers of the Liturgical Movement, who, as is rightly stated at the beginning of the letter, stands at the origins of the Liturgical Movement that led to the Liturgical Reform. [This is a repugnant falsehood, as anyone can see who reads Guéranger's Liturgical Institutions. - PAK]

He admits, however, that the monastic congregation of which he is president has experienced a rift between the practice at Solesmes—which uses the rite reformed by Paul VI—and other monasteries, such as Fontgombault, where the Tridentine rite is used instead.

Catholicism and Alcoholism

A guest article by Joseph Bevan.

What is an alcoholic?

Oscar Wilde once said: ‘everything in moderation, including moderation!’ Now, just because I haven’t touched alcohol for 25 years doesn't mean that I am a puritan or a killjoy. In my drinking days I suppose I classed myself as a greedy drinker as the lure of the bottle occupied much of my time, and I was either consuming or planning to consume. I am not against alcohol at all and hope the visitors to my house can rely on being suitably refreshed. I belong to a society called the ‘Pioneers’ and it seems, judging from their annual magazine, that many of their members are Irish Catholic priests! Members of this group make a permanent or temporary promise to the Sacred Heart of Jesus to refrain from all alcoholic beverages so as to atone for the sins of drinkers. The truth is that many sins are alcohol fuelled. The other point made by the Pioneers is that most people who drink alcohol, drink far too much. In order to persevere with permanent or partial abstinence one is encouraged to repeat a daily prayer.

Response to the Abbot of Solesmes concerning insertion of a changed traditional liturgy into the new Missal: we already have an “altered Mass”; it’s called the novus Ordo

The addiction to constant change is a feature and not a bug of the Vatican II mentality, legitimized however subversively by reference to a certain "spirit" operating as a hermeneutic with loose mooring to the documents of said council.

The Church is in need not of change, whether or not for its own sake. We have suffered spiritually under the tyranny of nothing but constant change for over sixty years with concomitant chaos and confusion. The Church has need of stability. Souls are at stake.

The Abbot of Solesmes Sends a Letter to the Pope on the Integration of the Old Rite -- Followed by Interview with the Abbot

 Dom Geoffroy Kemlin, Abbot of Saint Peter of Solesmes, the venerable abbey founded by Dom Prosper Guéranger, and the major site responsible for the renewal of the Traditional Liturgy and the revival of Gregorian Chant before Vatican II, sent a letter to the Pope with a proposal regarding the Traditional Latin Rite. The Abbey adopted the New Rite of Paul VI, but a branch of its daughter-houses, headed by Our Lady of Fontgombault, have kept the Traditional Rite. Dom Kemlin is also the head of the Congregation of Solesmes of the Benedictines, which includes Fontgombault and its daughter-houses.

The contents of the letter are translated by us below, followed by a translation of the full interview granted by Dom Kemlin to the local news radio. (At the end, you will find the original images of the letter in French.)

+ PAX. ABBAYE 

SAINT-PIERRE 

DE SOLESMES

A Letter to Young Priests - From a Fellow Priest

Dear Father,

 

I write to you in Lent, a season not only of penitence but also a season of reflection, reflection certainly on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but also a time of personal reflection on one’s life. For me that reflection this Lent focuses on my priesthood of forty- two years.  The two adjectives that come to mind at this time to describe my priesthood are “difficult” and “glorious”.  To have been ordained a priest in the 1980s and to try to be a priest, as traditionally understood, was quite difficult.  It was a time when I was stripped of much that I love, but that stripping away was necessary to understand the glory of the priesthood that has made me the happy man that I am today.

 

Theological and Canonical Challenges Posed by Appointing Lay Persons to Positions of Governance in the Church — Guest Article

The following article was written for the fourth anniversary of Praedicate Evangelium by the Canon of Shaftesbury, a judicial vicar in a major archdiocese.

The appointment of lay persons, and particularly laywomen, to positions of governance within the Catholic Church traditionally associated with the Sacrament of Holy Orders presents one of the most significant and unresolved theological and canonical tensions of the post-conciliar period. This study examines the classical teaching that the power of governance (potestas regiminis) is intrinsically linked to sacred orders, the canonical framework encoded in the 1983 Code, and the structural rupture introduced by the 2022 Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium of Pope Francis.

Pope Convenes Episcopal Conferences in Rome in October 2026 to Address Urgent Needs of Families

A gathering of the Presidents of all Conferences of Bishops is convened for this next October in Rome, in order to address the urgent needs of families -- made today, on the Feast of Saint Joseph:

Message of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on the occasion of the Tenth Anniversary of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia (19 March 2026)

Leo XIV, the Serene Pope, Brings the Hammer Down on the Chaldeans: A Blueprint for Future Action?

A Decisive intervention in the Chaldean Catholic Church?

by Serre Verweij

Pope Leo has accepted the resignation of both Cardinal Sako and Bishop Emanuel Shaleta on the same day. The former the head of the Chaldean Catholic Church and the latter a bishop of the same rite who is in charge of all Catholics in the Western part of the USA and who has been charged with financial crimes (though he has pled not guilty). He is also accused of having frequented a brothel connected to human trafficking.

Pope Receives Abbot of La Trappe -- Will the Venerable Abbey Close Down?

Days ago, the news came out of another resounding post-Vatican II success: the venerable Abbey of La Trappe (OCSO - Trappists), house of origin of the order to which it gave its name, is to close (probably) in 2028, due to lack of vocations.

 

Cardinal Eijk's Latin Mass

Modest Continuity: Pope Leo XIV Moves to the Apostolic Palace

The name Apostolic "Palace" leads to many mistaken assumptions: one is that the pope lives like a king, which is not the case at all. In the huge bureaucratic apparatus and artistic treasures that occupy the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, the small papal apartment is a modest home.