The impressive figure, which Rorate had foreseen years ago, has now become reality: according to the French opinion pollster IFOP, headed by Jerôme Fourquet, 55% of priests aged 25-34, celebrate the Traditional Mass.*
On the Vatican's New Note on Other Religions: A Ratzingerian Reading of Assisi Prevails over the Spirit of Abu Dhabi
Sixty Years of Nostra Aetate:
A Ratzingerian Reading of Assisi Prevails over the Spirit of Abu Dhabi
by Serre Verweij
for Rorate Caeli
Pope Leo's Vatican has released A Journey of Hope, a document celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council's declaration on the Church's relation to non-Christian religions. It is signed by three dicasteral prefects — Cardinal Fernández for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Koch for the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, and Cardinal Koovakad for the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue — as well as by the secretaries of all three dicasteries (Archbishop Matteo, Archbishop Pace, and Msgr. Kankanamalage, respectively).
The Supreme Destiny of Man - by Roberto de Mattei
The Supreme Destiny of Man
By Roberto de Mattei
Corrispondenza Romana
September 23, 2026
From October 7 to 14, 2026, the announced gathering will take place at the Vatican between Pope Leo XIV, the heads of the Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris, and the presidents of the Bishops' Conferences. The event is conceived with the aim of "proceeding, in mutual listening, to a synodal discernment on the steps to be taken to proclaim the Gospel to families today, in the light of Amoris Laetitia and taking into account what is being realized in the local Churches."
The Church of the Nihilists – guest article by Vigilius
Rorate welcomes once again a guest article by Vigilius, a traditional priest in Germany. The Anglophone reader will instantly conjure up the "Feiges" within his own local hierarchy... –PAK
The Church of the Nihilists
Vigilius
Magdeburg Bishop Gerhard Feige, along with his colleagues Bätzing and Marx, is one of those figures in whom the spirit of the German Church is particularly evident. More precisely: the spirit of that ecclesiastical establishment that has been at the helm of power for decades and firmly controls all ecclesiastical or church-related institutions, such as ordinariates, seminaries, faculties, educational institutions, and publications. It is remarkable how closely the psychological characteristics, as well as the activity and linguistic profiles, of the relevant officials—whether full-time or honorary—mirror their ideological outlook. To get a sense of their core beliefs, one need only take a look at any of the various religious magazines, such as Christ in der Gegenwart, Herder-Korrespondenz, Stimmen der Zeit, Publik-Forum, or katholisch.de [these would be like America, National Catholic Reporter, Commonweal, Crux, U.S. Catholic - ed.]; if one is familiar with just one issue of any of these magazines, one is familiar with the entire intellectual cosmos of this well-nourished, hermetically self-contained milieu.
Dr. Kwasniewski's Lectures in Chicago (Sep. 30), Pittsburgh (Oct. 1-2), and Indianapolis (Oct. 4)
I am pleased to announce here at NLM my upcoming Midwest Lecture Tour (taking Midwest in a rather broad sense). Click on the images to see the details.
September 30 • Burr Ridge, Illinois (Chicago area): "Why Divine Woship Needs the Power of Non-Verbal Language"
September 30 • Burr Ridge, Illinois (Chicago area): "Why Divine Woship Needs the Power of Non-Verbal Language"
October 1 • Ambridge, Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh area): "Exploring the Common Riches of the Byzantine Rite and the Roman Rite"
October 2 • Catholic Identity Conference (Pittsburgh)*: "The Traditional Latin Mass: What Truly Unites All the Clains"
October 4 • Carmel, Indiana (Indianapolis area)*: "Not Peacenik and Bambi-Lover, but Mystic of the Mass and Defender of the Eucharist: Discovering the True St. Francis of Assisi" (N.B. This will be the 800th anniversary of the death of the great saint!)
(To register for this event, which includes dinner, go to this link.)
Each event will feature a talk followed by a Q&A and booksigning.
All details are found on the attached posters.
(*CIC and Carmel events require registration; the other two are free & open to the public.)
Each event will feature a talk followed by a Q&A and booksigning.
All details are found on the attached posters.
(*CIC and Carmel events require registration; the other two are free & open to the public.)
Papal Letter to the Bishops of Latin America: The Bishops Must Offer Clear Teaching
Letter of His Holiness to the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean on the occasion of the Third Centenary of the Canonization of Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo (8 September 2026)
Dear brothers in the Episcopate,
In response to the request of the Bishops of Peru and on the occasion of the third centenary of the canonization of Saint Turibius de Mogrovejo, patron saint of the Bishops of Latin America, I warmly greet you in the Lord and I thank you for the service that you render each day. As I address these words to you, my heart is once again filled with gratitude for the privilege of having exercised episcopal ministry in Peru. There I came to know first-hand the faith of a people from whom I received so much, and I came to understand better what it means to be a shepherd. That experience brought me particularly close to Saint Turibius, who also came from afar to a land that he eventually made his own through pastoral charity.
The Church in Crisis — and How We Must Not Save Her: Twelve Issues (Bishop Robert Mutsaerts)
The Church in Crisis — and How We Must Not Save Her
Twelve Issues, Uncomfortable Truths, and a Catholic Way Forward
Bishop Rob Mutsaerts
Auxiliary of 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
September 16, 2026
I have good news and bad news for you. The bad news is that the Catholic Church is in crisis. The good news is that she has been here before. Indeed, anyone with even a passing familiarity with Church history sometimes gets the impression that crisis is one of the few genuinely enduring Catholic traditions. We have had corrupt popes, worldly bishops, heresies, schisms, revolutions, persecutions, and liturgical committees. And yet here we are.
The Catholic Tradition No Longer Concealed by Memories Denied
Grateful for this insightful analysis via Facebook that aligns closely with many of my own experiences and diagnostics. A bishop’s remonstrance to his young priests urging they never allow the young people to see the “old Mass”, for fear they would prefer it to the new, comes to mind. The denial and concealment the enemies of the Faith used for many years is no longer possible with the collective access and common memory provided by the Internet.
A Marian Minimalism in Accordance with Mater Populi Fidelis: The Case of Cardinal Müller
A Marian Minimalism in Accordance with Mater Populi Fidelis:
The Case of Cardinal Müller
By Karen Darantière
for Rorate Caeli
The saddening doctrinal note Mater Populi Fidelis, promulgated a year ago by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by Leo XIV, belittles the greatness of the Blessed Virgin by denying her Coredemption — that is, her participation in the acquisition of the graces of our salvation through the merits of her Compassion — as well as her universal mediation in the dispensation of graces. No one is surprised that Cardinal Fernández denies this traditional doctrine, given the lack of doctrinal credibility and moral authority of the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, despite the holy office he holds. On the other hand, more than a few Catholics will be surprised to learn that Cardinal Müller, who in recent years has acquired a reputation as a defender of the faith for certain praiseworthy positions on other subjects, has made remarks about the Blessed Virgin that are not in keeping with the perennial teaching of the Magisterium. He has clearly declared himself against the doctrine of Mary's Coredemption, and has written ambiguous pages on the dogma of her Perpetual Virginity.
Limitations for Traditional Latin Mass in the Archdiocese of Toronto, Canada
Two local readers sent reports of the recent restrictions set on Latin Mass locations in the Archdiocese of Toronto, Ontario.
One of the readers sent us the following detailed report:
As announced from the pulpit in a prepared statement, in lieu of the homily on the 16th Sunday after Pentecost: Traditionis Custodes is taking effect at Toronto Oratory parishes effective immediately, including the Modern Roman Rite Mass replacing the Sunday Traditional Latin Mass on successive Sundays once a month at each parish.
List of Latin Mass "permissions" under Traditionis Custodes for 2025
Under the cruel regime of gradual annihilation of the Traditional Roman Rite set into motion by Francis' illegitimate motu proprio Traditionis custodes, of 2021, the Dicastery for Divine Worship (DDW) has to give "permission" to some kinds of celebrations, or to extend the "permission".
The DDW has just published the Summarium Decretorum of 2025, and this is the full list of permissions officially granted last year. Here are all the "permissions" granted for celebration according to the 1962 Roman Missal (the Extraordinary Form), extracted from the document and translated:
January 16 — Prot. N. 683/24, Diocese of Kalisz (Poland)
We gladly grant, for a further two years, permission to celebrate according to the Roman Missal promulgated by Saint John XXIII in 1962, in the parish church dedicated to God in honor of Saints Adalbert and Stanislaus, belonging to the Military Ordinariate of Poland, in the city of Kalisz.
January 16 — Prot. N. 10/25, Diocese of Siedlce (Poland)
We gladly grant permission to celebrate according to the Roman Missal promulgated by Saint John XXIII in 1962, in the parish church dedicated to God in honor of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr, in the city of Siedlce.
January 16 — Prot. N. 15/25, Archdiocese of Taipei (Taiwan)
Leo XIV abrogates yet another Francis document
Leo XIV is not afraid to completely abrogate the measures adopted by his predecessor when he deems them unnecessary -- in this case, the reduction of stipends in the Holy See, including to Cardinals, and of pay increases, determined by this previous motu proprio.
Motu Proprio of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV
Vatican, September 1, 2026, the second year of the Pontificate
Assisted Suicide and The Despair of Our Time - by Roberto de Mattei
The Despair of Our Time
By Roberto de Mattei
Corrispondenza Romana
September 9, 2026
In recent days, news has surfaced of the approval in Veneto of a regional law regulating assisted suicide. Veneto is the fourth region to pass such legislation, but the first governed by a center-right administration. The fact therefore carries a political and cultural significance that extends well beyond regional borders: it shows how the principle of absolute self-determination has now penetrated coalitions that, at least nominally, are supposed to be committed to the defense of life, the family, and the natural order.
Rome Pilgrimage for Christ the King: No Mass in St. Peter's this year
The final program of the "Summorum Pontificum" Peregrinatio ad Petri Sedem (Rome) was made public today.
What is noteworthy is that, unlike last year, there will not be a Pontifical Mass at the Vatican Basilica; after the pilgrimage and prayers there, the Saturday Mass will be at Saint Mary Major. Also, both pontifical Masses will be celebrated by Bishop Schneider, and not a cardinal, as in the past years.
Sign of the times?...
Schedule of the Pilgrimage
Ad Petri Sedem
which will take place in Rome from october 23 to 25, 2026
(registration is not necessary to participate in the pilgrimage)
Friday October 23, 2026
Persecution and Censorship of Conservative Priest and Professor in Austrian Catholic College
Heiligenkreuz: Theologians Welcome the Exclusion of Father Waldstein
Kathpress
September 4, 2026
[Note: Kathpress is the official news agency of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference, dominated by extreme liberals, so their characterization of Father Waldstein should be read accordingly.]
Austrian theologians have expressed relief at the suspension of Father Edmund Waldstein from his teaching position at the Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Benedikt XVI in Heiligenkreuz.
New Edition of Cardinal Bacci's "Meditations For Each Day"
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Arouca Press is pleased to announce that they are now accepting pre-orders for their new sewn hardcover edition of Cardinal Bacci's Meditations For Each Day.
Professor Ratzinger Criticizes the Council
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For all those who feel committed to the entire Catholic tradition, the Second Vatican Council is a difficult topic. On the one hand, we know that Vatican II could not have turned anything the Church has always taught upside down. On the other hand, we live in an environment where much seems to have been turned upside down—and we are told that this is precisely the will of the Second Vatican Council, which everyone is expected to acknowledge. And this is not being said by just anyone whose views one could easily dismiss, but by many professors of theology, almost all commentators in the Church media—and most bishops say it as well, or at least signal their tacit approval. Opposition to the “spirit of the Council” and what is passed off as such appears to be the ultimate “anathema” in a Church where one can otherwise say, doubt, or demand almost anything.
On the Legitimacy of the Novus Ordo Missae: A Legitimate Question? (Op-Ed)
By François Savy, for Le Salon Beige
In his article À quand la paix liturgique ? (When will there be liturgical peace?), in the July-August 2025 issue (no. 382) of La Nef, Christophe Geffroy raised a question to which the consecrations recently conferred within the Society of Saint Pius X give particular prominence. In it, he championed the equality in "value and holiness" of the two forms of the Roman rite, and reproached the "priests who refuse any celebration of the new ordo" for contesting this value and holiness "because they judge this liturgy to be 'deficient'." However, it turns out that the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith specifically mentioned the "legitimacy of the Novus Ordo Missae" in the preamble to the procedure allowing clerics of the Society of Saint Pius X to return to full communion after the consecrations.
As far as I can judge, this notion of legitimacy applied to the liturgy is of relatively recent use. We were familiar with the classical notions of validity and liceity. It is Pope John Paul II who seems to have introduced it, through the voice of the Congregation for Divine Worship, with Quattuor abhinc annos (October 3, 1984), establishing as a condition for the faculty of using the indult:
Traditional Masses Celebrated or Attended by Archbishops this past Fortnight
This past fortnight, at least two additional diocesan bishops were involved in Traditional Mass activities.
In the new FSSP mission in San Jacinto church, in Guale, the local archbishop, Abp. Eduardo Castillo Pino, celebrated the Traditional Mass:
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