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.

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:

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:

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:

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.

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,

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

SSPX Holy Thursday Mass- Credit Latin Mass Photographer

by James Baresel

Despite it being clear for some time that Society of Saint Pius X would consecrate new bishops sooner rather than later, its recent decision has perplexed many. Granting—even if only for the sake of the argument—that sufficiently grave reasons can justify episcopal consecrations in positive opposition to the supreme pontiff, why less than a year into a new pontificate, why under a pope seemingly open to wider use of the Tridentine Mass? Those wishing to do more than hurl deprecations must understanding the Society’s reasoning.

by Serre Verweij

Pope Leo has appointed Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia (68 years old) as the new apostolic nuncio for the USA. He will be replacing Cardinal Christophe Pierre who recently turned 80 and had served in the post since 2016. This change of guard comes at a time that the USA has become embroiled in controversial international conflicts, while the American episcopacy will see a significant turnover that will reshape the church for years, if not decades. After nearly ten years of Pierre, what change in era can we expect under Caccia?

In honor of the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas (his dies natalis, March 7, as observed in the traditional calendar), Os Justi Press has released two major Thomistic publications.

Cardinal Zen on the SSPX Affair: Trust Leo

Friday of the 2nd Week of Lent

Cardinal Joseph Zen

The SSPX Affair

Faced with the SSPX situation, it seems that even traditionalists are divided. This is very understandable — there are two things to consider. A) A schism must be avoided at all costs, because it will cause serious and lasting damage to the Church; but on the other hand, B) one must also respect a serious matter of conscience: "How can anyone be compelled to follow teachings that clearly deny the Holy Tradition of the Church?"

After this the Lord brought to my mind the longing that I had to Him afore. And I saw that nothing letted me but sin. And so I looked, generally, upon us all, and methought: "If sin had not been, we should all have been clean and like to our Lord, as He made us."

The Church and the Cross: Bishop Varden's Words for Pope Leo XIV's Lenten Retreat -- In One Page

We thought it would be convenient to have all texts of the words of Bishop Erik Varden, OCSO, of Trondheim, Norway, for the Pope's Lenten Retreat in one page, for future historical reference.

They all come from the Bishop's own page (in eleven separate installments) and no words have been altered or edited; links have all been kept active.

***

[1.] Entering Lent

22 February 2026

This past Thursday, a Solemn Requiem Mass was celebrated at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in New York City. The Mass was celebrated for the repose of the soul of Alexander Klucik, tragically killed in an accident in 2010 at the age of 19.

Ordo Hebdomadae Maioris & Memoriale Rituum: Useful Books for the Pre-55 Holy Week

Saint Anthony Press, established with the mission of publishing rare or otherwise “lost” Catholic liturgical and devotional books, has reprinted the Ordo Hebdomadae Maioris (Order of Holy Week) containing the Holy Week liturgies and Order of Mass with seasonal Prefaces according to the 1920 typical edition of the Roman Missal (in use until 1955), restoring the ancient and venerable liturgies replaced by the 1956 Ordo Hebdomadae Sanctae Instauratus (and later incorporated into the 1962 Roman Missal).

Incoming Vatican Changes - Francis' Favorite Peña Parra to be removed

Finances and loyalists: Leo's risk

by Nico Spuntone

Il Giornale

February 26, 2026

"In the sacred chambers, the silence of the Curia's spiritual exercises contrasts with the noise of rumors about upcoming appointments. Leo XIV is getting closer and closer to the end of his first year as pope. With the heavy task of concluding a Jubilee begun by his predecessor behind him, the sporty pope intends to start shaping his team. However, his will be a soft revolution because he aims to avoid any signs of a total break with the recent past. In this, he is helped by the natural expiry of some important appointments. The finance sector has become one of the most important for the government of the Holy See, and it is on this front that the Pontiff will pursue one of the most obvious changes. We can anticipate, in fact, that Carmelo Barbagallo, president of the Financial Supervision and Information Authority (ASIF) since 2019, will be leaving. On February 28, he will blow out 70 candles, a fateful milestone for the departure of lay people in power in the Curia. The Pope has not planned an extension for him. The succession “at home” sees Federico Antellini Russo in the lead, who has been director with the function of vice president since the end of 2024.

Those who are blessed with access to Holy Week in the Tridentine Rite, that is, the rite celebrated for a thousand years and more prior to Pius XII's changes in the mid-1950s, may find helpful a resource published by Os Justi Press: The Masses of Holy Week & Tenebrae, which contains the liturgy (in Latin with English translation) for Palm Sunday, the Triduum Masses, and the Office of Tenebrae, including complete Gregorian chants. Summary rubrics are indicated. No page turning is required. The book features many medieval illustrations as well.

This second edition features a new cover and, for the first time, full-color printing throughout, which dramatically enhances the beauty of the illuminations found within. Additionally, some typographical errors discovered in the first printing have been corrected.

The Mother of God and salvation - an article on the Vatican Document on the Blessed Virgin

The Mother of God and salvation

by John Lamont

Faithful Catholics have rightly been outraged by the doctrinal note Mater Populi Fidelis published on November 4, 2025 by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. The document was signed by Cardinal Victor Fernández, the Prefect of the Dicastery, and its publication was ordered by Pope Leo XIV. In his address to the Dicastery on January 29th 2026, Pope Leo praised and endorsed the document, describing it as 'the doctrinal Note Mater Populi fidelis, on certain Marian titles referring to Mary's cooperation in the work of salvation (4 November 2025), which encourages popular Marian devotion, deepening its biblical and theological foundations, while offering precise and important clarifications for Mariology'.

With the coming months set to prove pivotal for the Traditional Latin Mass and the cause of Catholic Tradition within the Church, Missae pro Missa hereby announces a new worldwide spiritual bouquet beginning Feb. 22, Feast of the Chair of St. Peter and First Sunday of Lent, to conclude on June 29, Solemnity of Saints Peter & Paul, which follows the next Consistory of Cardinals called by Pope Leo XIV.

The intention of this latest campaign is straightforward: for the Pope to recognize the full freedom of the TLM.

As with our earlier campaigns, we invite all Catholics to participate in four ways:

1. Request Masses to be said for this intention (e.g., through a parish, religious order, or another group). Or if you're a priest, celebrate Masses for this intention.

2. Offer your own hearings of Mass for this intention.

3. Pray rosaries (or undertake other prayers/sacrifices) for this intention.

4. Share this initiative with others.

Please submit your spiritual offerings via the website form. The worldwide totals will be updated daily and displayed on our home page.

Our goal is to have 10,000 Masses requested and 100,000 rosaries prayed for the above-stated intention throughout these next four months (Feb. 22 - June 29). A Mass intention "for Pope Leo XIV," "for the freedom of the TLM," or for your personal intentions is sufficient--God knows the rest.

We believe the timing of this campaign is providential, falling between two major feasts linked to the Papacy and leading up to the Consistory of Cardinals, during which the liturgy will likely be discussed. Adding importance--and urgency--to the situation is the Society of St. Pius X's announcement of episcopal consecrations for July 1, and talks between the SSPX and the Vatican in the meantime. In short, in the upcoming months the Pope will undoubtedly be faced with the question of the TLM and the place of Tradition within the Church.

Amidst the complexities and uncertainty of the situation, we do not presume to know which specific outcomes will bring about the most good for the Church, for the TLM and Tradition, and ultimately for souls. But we do not need to know. We simply need to trust that God does know the optimal solution, and that He has the power to bring it about--often in His own mysterious way. We just need to ask, and there is no more powerful way to unite our intentions with His than in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

To participate in the spiritual bouquet, please visit: https://www.missaepromissa.com/

False Normality and Its Consequences

By James Baresel

“Catholics come to church with certain expectations not widely held by earlier generations when it comes to participation in the Church’s rituals. That is largely the result of the Liturgical Movement of the 20th century, which precipitated a major overhaul of the public worship that the Church offers to God.”

Communiqué from the General House: the Society’s response to Rome (SSPX) - Consecrations to go ahead

Communiqué regarding the response of the General Council of the Society of Saint Pius X to the proposal of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in Munich

Corrispondenza Romana

February 18, 2026

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, attending the Security Conference held on February 14 at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich, delivered a broad and detailed speech in which he reaffirmed that the United States and Europe belong to a single civilization and must unite their forces to combat common enemies, both internal and external. And yet, for many conservatives and traditionally-oriented Catholics, the United States represents a kind of new "Evil Empire."

If you please, this Lent, place among your intentions a special personal intention of the editor of Rorate Caeli.

Thank you so much for your readership and kindness.