A Reaction to Kwasniewski's Appearance on Pints with Aquinas

As many of our readers will know, I appeared recently on the Pints with Aquinas podcast, hosted by Matt Fradd. The interview has over 100K views. The impact seems to be international, as well: a German website called Certamen wrote up a succinct commentary that is translated below. -PAK 

Another Traditional Monastery in France -- the Monks of Le Barroux take charge of the Trappist monastery of Bellefontaine

 

After trying for many years to save their monastery of Our Lady of  Bellefontaine (Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire region of France), the monks of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists), a reduced community of aged religious men, decided to pass on their installations to the Abbey of Saint Mary Magdalen of Le Barroux. The move was announced by the local diocese, the diocese of Angers. 

Traditional Latin Mass annihilated in the Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee (Update: and a humiliating homily)(Update: The International Una Voce Federation responds to the insulting Half-Truths)

The cruelty taking place under Leo XIV is becoming loud and deafening. Rome does nothing.

Tragic.

 

And not even one alternative venue was offered in a diocese of 14,000 square miles occupying all of East Tennessee. The current bishop was named by Francis last year. 

Document below:

Repentance, Forbearance, Acceptance: Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost:

The paralytic healed by Jesus (James Tissot)

Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost: Repentance, Forbearance, Acceptance

The following homily was given today at a traditional parish.

“I was glad when they said unto me, We will go into the house of the Lord.” (Ps. 122:1.)

Both the Introit and the Gradual for this Mass echo the pilgrim’s joy, the joy of entering into the house of the Lord. In the Epistle, St Paul tells us that in Christ we are given all the graces to be joyful.

The Gospel is quite practical; presenting a three-step process to attain joy, namely, repentance, “… thy sins are forgiven thee,” forbearance, “Rise, take up thy bed,” and acceptance, “… walk into thy house.”

Dilexi Te -- Leo XIV's first Exhortation

by Roberto de Mattei

October 12, 2025

Leo XIV's first apostolic exhortation, Dilexi te ("I have loved you"), signed on October 4, 2025, and published on October 9, deserves our attention more than some of the pope's interviews, which are sometimes given excessive media coverage. We are faced not with a few words, but with a comprehensive document comprising 121 paragraphs, divided into five chapters plus an introduction. As has been noted, it is not a social encyclical, but an apostolic exhortation. An encyclical is a doctrinal document, while an apostolic exhortation is a pastoral document, which does not define principles, but exhorts us to behave in a certain way.

COLUMBUS IS OURS -- Let us rejoice!

A Happy Columbus Day for All our Readers! 

¡Feliz Día de la Hispanidad!

 

Monastery of Sant Jeroni de la Murtra, near Barcelona,
where the Catholic Monarchs welcomed Columbus back from the Indies in 1493

Now that four centuries have sped since a Ligurian first, under God's guidance, touched shores unknown beyond the Atlantic, the whole world is eager to celebrate the memory of the event, and glorify its author. Nor could a worthier reason be found where through zeal should be kindled. For the exploit is in itself the highest and grandest which any age has ever seen accomplished by man; and he who achieved it, for the greatness of his mind and heart, can be compared to but few in the history of humanity.

Pope Leo XIV’s view of “Synodality” in Letter: The Bishop is the Guardian, and the College of Bishops, with the Pope at its Head

 In a letter to a conference of the Camaldolese congregation on “Synodality” and the position of the hierarchy, Pope Leo XIV makes his position on “Synodality” as clear as possible:

Cardinal Müller -- Interview on Leo XIV's first months in office: The Latin Mass "issue cannot be resolved through authoritarianism."

Cardinal Ludwig Müller, former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, granted an interview to Italian daily Il Giornale, published on October 6.

Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, you are Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. How do you assess these first months of Pope Leo's pontificate?

"Many Aves pierce the sky," October 7th 1571 - Lepanto

 

"Victory shall come from on high" 

 "The Battle of Lepanto"

 by Veronese

Holy Rosary: Leo XIV celebrates Vespers ad orientem in Domus Australia

 

It was the first "ad orientem" Office celebration by Leo XIV as pope, and it took place during his visit to Domus Australia (the pilgrim house established by the bishops of Australia in Rome) yesterday. (Edited: The first Mass ad orientem was a mass of Paul VI celebrated for the Carabinieri on July 15, 2025.)

The notes below are by a friend:

A True Evidence of Unity: Leo XIV receives Cardinal Cipriani Thorne -- and the first abrogation of a Francis document

No bishop was as hated by Francis, since his time as Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio, as the conservative Archbishop of Lima, Peru, Cardinal Cipriani Thorne (now emeritus). Since Benedict XVI's meeting for Latin American bishops in Aparecida, Brazil (2007), Bergoglio identified Cipriani as the enemy to be isolated. 

Francis met Cipriani after his election, but then proceeded to remake Lima as a bastion of "progressive" Catholicism in Latin America.

For the Feast of St. Francis: Lenin's "mea culpa" "We would need ten Saint Francis'."

 

 Lenin's Real Legacy  

65 Franciscan Martyrs under Communism*

I came across this rather old article and thought it merited a translation for the Feast of St. Francis in celebration of the universal wonder this great saint enjoys among the most unlikely characters, as he was the complete opposite of their atheistic ideologies.  Some of our readers no doubt already know about Lenin’s ‘mea colpa’ but I did not and would like to share it with others who know nothing of these historical statements from the man and mastermind behind Soviet Communism.   F.R. 

 *******

 Paolo Vicentin

«Avvenire»

12th  July 2007

Best Videos of the Week (1st Saturday of October)

Starting this week, Rorate will gather the most significant videos of the past week, in case you missed some of the Catholic news.

Our choices for this week:

1. The words of Leo XIV to the media on the Durbin award:

The Fire of Faith - Our Lady of Clear Creek video

May this new video by Clear Creek Abbey (Oklahoma) inspire you and yours to deepen your interest in monastic life:

A Letter from a Priest of Jesus Christ to the Faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte: "A house built on the sand of deceit cannot endure the buffeting winds of truth."

A faithful priest who must remain anonymous has sent this letter to the faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, who are attached to the Traditional Latin Mass.

He requested us to have it published here as well.

Dear TLM Faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte,

You may not know me, but I am well-acquainted with your diocese and the challenges you face, as I regularly speak with your priests and many among your community. I am a priest in good standing, and though I would prefer to sign this letter openly, the current climate in the Church, though hopefully fading, requires me to remain anonymous for prudence’s sake.

The Cupich-Durbin Affair: Papal Interviews need to End

Cardinal Cupich -- the undeserving prelate unfortunately placed by Francis at the helm of one of America's greatest dioceses (and birthplace of the current Roman Pontiff), Chicago -- in his customary divisive and brusque style, tried to give a Catholic award to one of the most pro-abortion voices in the United States Congress, Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois. At least 10 bishops opposed this move.

Yesterday, a reporter put Leo XIV on the spot regarding this. The question was poorly phrased and the answer was serene, but as confusing as can be: