Santa Marta is too expensive: Pope Leo returns to the Apostolic Palace

The first steps taken by Pope Leo XIV at the helm of the Church are largely satisfying the expectations of the cardinals who elected him. The eminent prelates were looking for a good shepherd, but even more so they trusted that the new pontiff would be able to restore balance to a form of government that, under Pope Francis, had taken on authoritarian tendencies and destabilized the clergy and the faithful with numerous acts considered overly bold.

Leone has first of all reestablished—with kindness but firmness—the dignity proper to the Supreme Pontiff with small but significant gestures. The new Pope willingly accepts the kissing of his hand as a sign of respect and reverence, but woe betide anyone who asks him for a selfie, a symbol of the pop decadence to which Bergoglio had become so accustomed. Even his outward appearance has returned to that befitting the successor of Peter, with more appropriate and formal attire: the Pope wears the choral vestments (rocchetto and red mozzetta over the cassock) on formal occasions and wears the Fisherman's Ring he received last Sunday on a daily basis.

Furthermore, since the evening of his election, Leone has not slept in Santa Marta, preferring to stay temporarily in the house where he lived as cardinal in the Palazzo Sant'Uffizio.

The Pope broke the seals of the papal apartment on the third floor of the Apostolic Palace, viewing the rooms where all his predecessors lived from 1870 to 2013 and where he intends to settle as soon as the necessary renovation work has been carried out.

During his twelve years in Santa Marta, Francis caused several problems of public order and security, but also economic problems. The famous “fifty square meters” where Bergoglio stayed in the hotel intended for cardinals in conclave gradually became numerous rooms until they occupied the entire second floor. A kitchen, a reception room, a private chapel, and several rooms for his closest collaborators have been set up in recent years, making the spaces in Santa Marta used by the pontiff much larger than the historic papal apartment.

All this has involved a great deal of work and, above all, maintenance, not to mention the doubling of security, which must be guaranteed at the Apostolic Palace, making it necessary to hire new gendarmerie officers and enlist numerous additional Swiss guards compared to the past. The costs of the operation, which are anything but modest, have risen over the years, reaching the hyperbolic figure of almost two hundred thousand euros per month for the management of Santa Marta during the last period of Francis' reign.

Leone has therefore decided to carry out his function with dignity and wisdom: he will live where the popes have always stayed, and Santa Marta will return to its ordinary use.

(Translated from Il Tempo)

Pope Leo XIV's message to the Bishops of France on the 100th Anniversary of the Canonizations of Sts. Therese of Lisieux, John Vianney, and John Eudes

MESSAGE OF POPE LEO XIV

TO THE CONFERENCE OF BISHOPS OF FRANCE

I am happy to be able to address you for the first time, pastors of the Church of France, and through you, all your faithful, as this month of May 2025 marks the one hundredth anniversary of the canonization of three Saints whom, by the grace of God, your country has given to the universal Church: Saint John Eudes (1601-1680), Saint John Mary Vianney (1786-1859) and Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (1873-1897). In raising them to the glory of the altars, my predecessor Pius XI wanted to present them to the People of God as teachers to listen to, models to imitate, and powerful supporters to pray to and invoke. The scale of the challenges facing the Church in France a century later, and the continuing relevance of these three holy figures in meeting them, lead me to invite you to give special prominence to this anniversary.

An Apostolic Church or a "Synodality" Church?

Caminante Wanderer

Argentina, May 29. 2025

Saint Charles Borromeo and one of the Diocesan Synods he presided in Milan

One of the most pressing and certainly most complex issues that Pope Leo will have to resolve is that of the famous synodality. He is a canonist and a man of government and he knows, therefore, that continuing along the path of a synodal church that Francis had irresponsibly opened would lead to a catastrophe. For those of us who are laymen in theology and canon law, I recommend this article ["The Pope and the Prefectress"] published in Infovaticana. And I summarize the issue: the ius regendi, or the power to govern, is given by the sacrament of Holy Orders. That is to say, only those who have received that sacrament can perform valid acts of government within the Church. Consequently, neither laymen nor nuns can govern. And it is not a question of fashion; it is a profoundly theological question that was strongly reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council.

Rorate Exclusive: The Anti-Traditional and Anti-Liturgical Pastoral Letter to be Sent by the Bishop of Charlotte on Liturgical Norms in His Diocese

 Rorate was able to obtain the letter written by the Bishop of Charlotte, North Carolina, Michael Martin OFM Conv, who last week decreed the almost extinction of the Traditional Latin Mass in his diocese. This letter is supposed to be made public sometime in the future, and it was being kept secret (since it was written while Francis was still pope, Francis is referenced in the document -- it also leads to believe that the decision to extinguish the Traditonal Mass in the diocese was taken while Francis was still pope). We are making it known to you now.

The letter, which is dedicated to a completely anti-liturgical and anti-traditional overhaul also of the Mass of Paul VI (the Novus Ordo Missae), is transcribed in its entirety below. The micromanagement of all aspects of the new mass in order to make it as anti-traditional as possible is quite astonishing. Some aspects of this have already been implemented at places where the bishop says mass (for instance, he forbids Communion from being distributed at the rail when he celebrates mass in churches that normally do that.)

***

“Go In Peace, Glorifying the Lord By Your Life”

A Pastoral Letter on the Celebration of the Liturgy

in the Diocese of Charlotte

My brother priests,

Since my appointment as the bishop of the Church of Charlotte, I have had the privilege of visiting many of our parish churches, schools, and communities. I am edified by the liturgical fervor of the majority of people that I have encountered throughout the diocese. The heart of the ritual and sacramental life of the Church is to draw us into the saving work of Jesus. The liturgy and our sacramental life always send us out to fulfill the saving work of Jesus, building his kingdom that is manifest in the Pentecost moment and the birth of the Church. For this reason, we hear at the end of the Mass as two of the options for the dismissal, “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life,” and, “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord” (Roman Missal, “The Order of Mass,” n. 144) The dynamism of the liturgy compels us to live the saving work of Christ out in the world. As we all seek to live as sons and daughters of God, we must take every opportunity to reflect upon the life of the Church within the walls of our church buildings and outside the walls.

A Warning to Traditional Catholics in the Wake of TLM Closures

Dear faithful,

It has unfortunately come to my attention over the years that an unscrupulous individual “ambulance chaser” type with a canon law degree has been approaching unsuspecting traditional Catholics with promises of aiding in canonical redress with their bishops after their local TLM has been canceled.

For the Record: The Anti-Liturgical Bishop of Charlotte's Talking Points to Defend His Monstrous Anti-Traditional Actions

This was sent to us yesterday, and also first posted online by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf: the talking points shared by the Bishop of Charlotte, Bp. Martin, to explain to the faithful his monstrous anti-traditional actions.

They are so grotesque, and so absurd for any bishop, that it pains us to believe they are real -- but they indeed are. (Inside diocesan sources have confirmed receiving this 4-page document from the chancery.) So we leave them here for the record of current events, hoping that this monstrous overreach may convince Rome to act before it's too late.

(Click on images for larger view.)

New Pope, New Look at the Vatican Website

"Pax Christiana": Leo XIV Knows that Peace in the World needs Restoring Peace in the Church first

Laurent Dandrieu

Valeurs Actuelles

May 25, 2025

Leo XIV blessing the Romans yesterday from the
loggia of his Cathedral, the Lateran Basilica

Peace: this was the leitmotif of Leo XIV's first public appearance, shortly after he was elected 266th successor of Peter, on May 8. "Peace be with you all! were his first words. 

"[C]ommunion is built primarily 'on our knees,' through prayer and constant commitment to conversion." - LEO XIV

The biblical text, however, tells us something else, beyond the rich and interesting human dynamics of the event.

 

Traditionis Custodes Persecution continues under Leo XIV - Traditional Masses Removed from Parish Churches in the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte is a vast diocese in one of the fastest growing regions in America: 5.5 million people and over half a million Catholics. For all these, one chapel in an isolated area in an unnamed building on a country highway.

They really think we're idiots.

The dishonorable bishop's letter (dated from today, Friday, May 23) below [Updated with picture and information of the chapel offered by the dishonorable bishop to the pariahs of the diocese.]

LEO XIV: The Upcoming Challenges for the New Pope

 by Serre Verweij

for Rorate Cæli

We have a new Pope elected during a Jubilee year. He instantly faces many crucial tasks and dilemmas. This might seem obvious for any new Pope, but in 2013 Pope Francis primarily had to deal with curial reform, he did not have to deal with countless open questions, and even open wounds, left by his predecessors. Pope Leo XIV will have to deal with foreign policy debacles, a multiyear synod, and national churches that are in open rebellion against the faith.

Cardinal Goh: Leo XIV will put clarity back into Doctrine -- and enough with persecution of those who prefer the Traditional Mass

 From an interview granted by Cardinal Goh, Archbishop of Singapore, to Bussola Quotidiana:

Your Eminence, do you think you cardinals elected the right man?

From Father "X", on the Feast of St. Rita of Cascia OSA

St. Rita, OSA, with her patron Saints: Augustine, Nicholas of Tolentino OSA, John the Baptist

Leo XIV: Peace in the World and Unity in the Church -- by Roberto de Mattei

Corrispondenza Romana

May 21, 2025

Two words recur frequently in Pope Leo XIV's speeches from the very beginning of his pontificate: “peace” and “unity.” Peace is what the Pontiff invokes in the face of an international scenario that in the Regina Caeli of May 12 he described as "dramatic." Unity is what the Church needs in order to face a fragmented world, as he explained in his May 18 enthronement speech.  

Attack on Chartres: FULL TEXT of the Letter of Bishops of France in Consultation with the Dicastery for Divine Worship (Cardinal Roche) on Traditional Pilgrimages

For some reason, some have reduced to the rank of a simple "rumor" our previous post transcribing the comment by the French Association "Paix Liturgique" on the attack by Abp. Jordy, Archbishop of Tours and assigned by the French Conference of Bishops (CEF) to deal with Traditional Catholics.

Naturally, we would not have posted such a grave matter based on a simple rumor. No, the letter on general norms on all Traditional Catholic pilgrimages in France does exist, and our translation of it is transcribed below. It was a letter based on correspondence sent by Abp. Jordy and other anti-Traditional French bishops to the Dicastery for Divine Worship, headed by Cardinal Roche, and its intent is obviously to create all kinds of embarrassment to the organizers of the Paris-Chartres Pilgrimage and all other pilgrimages in France. It is shameful and, unfortunately, it is not a "rumor".

***

Paris, Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Dear brother bishops,

The Bishops of France and Cardinal Roche Still at War Against the Traditional Pilgrimages of France -- What Will Leo XIV do?

 

Sometimes, decisions can wait. At other times, they have to be made fast.

In April and early May, making use of the interregnum for their nefarious ends, the anti-traditional bishops of France negotiated with Cardinal Roche, Prefect of Divine Worship, in order to make as hard as possible the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass and sacraments in the Paris-Chartres Pilgrimage -- and all other pilgrimages in France. [Update: Full text of the Letter of the French Bishops here.]

Leo XIV was not involved in these decisions. What will he do now? What will Roche do now?

From Paix Liturgique:

Cardinal Roche's Dicastery for Divine Worship and Cardinal Aveline's Conference of French Bishops wish that the traditional pilgrimages flourishing in France be brought into the liturgical order of Paul VI.

Leo XIV: Synodality with Ecumenism

Leo XIV, today, in Audience to Representatives of other Christian Communities and Other Religions:

"Aware, moreover, that synodality and ecumenism are closely related, I wish to assure my intention to continue Pope Francis' commitment to promoting the synodal character of the Catholic Church and developing new and concrete forms for an ever more intense synodality in the ecumenical field.

Leo XIV Inauguration Mass - Full Text of the Sermon: "Peter must shepherd the flock without ever yielding to the temptation to be an autocrat."

Leo XIV

Mass for the Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry of the Supreme Pontiff

Saint Peter's Square, May 18, 2025

Dear Brother Cardinals, Brother Bishops and Priests, Distinguished Authorities and Members of the Diplomatic Corps, and those who traveled here for the Jubilee of Confraternities, Brothers and Sisters:

I greet all of you with a heart full of gratitude at the beginning of the ministry that has been entrusted to me. Saint Augustine wrote: “Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you” (Confessions, I: 1,1).

Personal Reflections on the Election of Pope Leo XIV - by Fr. Richard Cipolla

 for Rorate Cæli

May 16, 2025

Within hours after the election of Pope Leo XIV,  Cardinal Burke sent the new Pope a heartfelt message of congratulations:

Leo XIV: The Church Must Always Speak the Truth, "resorting whenever necessary to blunt language that may initially create misunderstanding"

 The central message of the new pope in his address to the Diplomatic Corps today:

Leo P.P. XIV - Official Portrait

(Click for larger view and/or for printing)

Prayer for the Pope:
[Partial indulgence granted: Enchiridion indulgentiarum, IV ed. (al. conc., 25, 1°)]

“Let’s sing with the Pope”: New Initiative from the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music (PIMS) - Videos for Learning Basic Chant

 From the PIMS Instagram account:

“Let’s sing with the Pope” is a new initiative from the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music (PIMS), which is launching a series of short educational video tutorials on social media to help the People of God sing along with the Holy Father during the upcoming major liturgical celebrations.

It aims to make the rich heritage of Gregorian chant accessible to all—a universal musical and spiritual language for celebrations such as papal Masses and to promote active and conscious participation in the liturgy.

FR. Robert Mehlhart OP, Rector of the Institute, presents simple, singable chants that are easy to learn, encouraging active and meaningful participation.

The Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music currently has 153 students from 44 countries; 10 of them will sing in the guide choir at the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate.

Video below, from their YouTube page:

5-Day Silent Ignatian Men's and Women's Retreats in Ohio, July 2025 - Register Today

Una Voce Federation President: Message on Leo XIV ("A Pope of the Anglosphere")

A Pope of the Anglosphere

Joseph Shaw

President, Una Voce Federation (FIUV)

During the reign of Pope Francis, a lot of attention was, rightly, given to his Argentinian background, and the Argentinian assumptions and habits of minds that he may have carried. I am grateful to our Argentinian friends who helped us to understand what was going on, during a rather confusing time. Now we have a Pope from the English-speaking world – even if he has spent a great deal of time in Peru – and I feel that I can more easily understand him.

Cardinal Müller to the Associated Press on the Latin Mass and the new Pope: "According to his character, I think he is able to speak with people and to find a very good solution that is good for everybody."

A good portion of the interview granted by Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller in Rome to Nicole Winfield, of the Associated Press, was dedicated to the central question of the Traditional Latin Mass -- central because Francis chose to make it so by creating division in a matter that Benedict XVI had settled peacefully. It would honestly be a muted matter now if Francis had just left it alone.

Main excerpts:

They went into last week’s conclave vastly outnumbered and smarting after being sidelined by Pope Francis for 12 years. And yet conservatives and traditionalist Catholics are cautiously optimistic over the historic election of Pope Leo XIV, hopeful that he will return doctrinal rigor to the papacy, even as progressives sense he will continue Francis’ reformist agenda.

Better destruction than devotion: Indiana Novus Ordo parish kicks out Latin Mass community, gets closed by bishop several years later

An Indiana parish that ran to the National Catholic Reporter to stir up animosity against the Latin Mass community found out this week it will be closed due to lack of vitality.

St. Joseph's Church, Hammond, IN

On Sunday, the parish officially announced it would be closing sometime in 2026, following a series of discussions with other churches in the area over how to address demographic changes and a declining number of priests.

Yet things could have gone so differently.

Leo XIV on Liturgy: "We have great need to recover the sense of mystery that remains alive in your [Eastern] liturgies."

Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in Rome for Jubilee Pilgrims from the Eparchy of Mukachevo (May 12, 2025)

***

 

In his audience with Eastern Catholics in Rome for the Jubilee:

I would also like to mention Pope Leo XIII, the first Pope to devote a specific document to the dignity of your Churches, inspired above all by the fact that, in his words, “the work of human redemption began in the East” (cf. Apostolic Letter Orientalium Dignitas, 30 November 1894).

PINNED: Leo XIV: the Man, the Priest, and the Bishop - Who is He? An Assessment, by RORATE CÆLI

[PINNED MAY 11 POST, newer posts below]

Who Is He?

by Serre Verweij

for Rorate Cæli

May 10, 2025

Robert Francis Prevost has become Pope Leo XIV. Before May 8, 2025, most people did not know the name Prevost, but now he is the chief shepherd of over a billion Catholics. Both orthodox Catholics and modernists have been celebrating, while there have been naysayers on both sides, too. This reflects the fact Prevost was touted as a ‘compromise candidate’ and pushed by strong prelates on both sides. Both the orthodox and the modernists seem to think, or hope, that the new Pope actually leans more in their direction, with orthodox faithful especially being optimistic after his more traditional choice of papal attire and his orthodox first papal mass. So, to put it crudely, the real question is: who got played? 

To fully understand our new Pope it could help to look into his past statements, actions, and general career, starting with his recent rise in Rome. 

The meteoric rise

Testimonies on Father and Bishop Prevost - from Illinois and Peru

From Illinois, the following note from a priest: 

The former Fr. Prevost was an assistant pastor at St. Jude in New Lenox for a time, not far from where we serve.  It is an Augustinian parish.  

The strong and firm consensus about him in this area is that he is smart, quiet, and kind.

***

The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) in North America has annual missions to northern Peru, especially in the city of Piura. There, they are warmly welcomed by an American priest, Father Joe (Joseph Uhen), of the Santísimo Sacramento Parish.

Fatima and Pope Leo XIV

by Fr. Jay Finelli

Today is the 108th Anniversary of the First Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima. Let us examine the prophetic link between Fatima, Pope Leo XIII, and Pope Leo XIV.

FRIENDS OF CAMPOS: Help the only Diocesan Structure in the World Exclusively Dedicated to the Traditional Mass

Friends of CAMPOS, BRAZIL: EASTERTIDE

Aldo Maria Valli: "Time to Return to a Normal Pope."

 Aldo Maria Valli, the former Vaticanist for Italian state broadcaster RAI (and very critical of the last pontificate, as every sensible Catholic), concluded his article today with these words:

"Before and After the Conclave" - by Archbishop Héctor Agüer

Before and After the Conclave

Archbishop Héctor Agüer

Emeritus of La Plata, Argentina

Buenos Aires, May 12, 2025

Before the Conclave

Our Long Collective Nightmare is Over

Earlier today, another sign that, no matter what happens, at least a sense of Catholic normalcy is returning to the Vatican.

Video: Leo XIV takes possession of papal apartments in Apostolic Palace - move in 7 weeks

Video below, provided by Italian news agency ANSA:

A RORATE Editorial Note: Kinship

A Pontificate to Continue the Legacy of Christ

On the same day that the Church in Rome buried Pope Francis I had the privilege of offering a funeral Mass and burial for a woman who, almost 40 years ago, was among those who requested of Cardinal Hickey, then Archbishop of Washington, a southern Maryland venue at which to offer the Latin Mass. That location turned out to be my parish of Saint Francis de Sales and I was the priest who took up that task in 2010 as a new pastor there.

The writer with the late Catherine Quinn who, almost forty years ago, was instrumental in restoring the traditional Latin Mass in the Archdiocese of Washington.

Leo XIV: the hope of the Church and the world

 

Dear Readers,  for your consideration, I offer this translation of an Italian  article that  reflects my present thoughts and sentiments regarding the election of Pope Leo XIV, despite initially being worried when I heard his name.  

Paolo Deotto

Il Nuovo Arengario

10th May 2025

Allow me today to speak only of the Pope.

In the coming days we will also return to our customary news, which is, unfortunately, mostly news of a world lost, in the hands of the reckless (in the best of cases) and the wicked (more often than not), where the few who are still lucid and honest are insulted and attacked.

A world that needs to rediscover reason and peace - true peace.

And from whom can this true peace come if not from Christ?

Can we once again look to Rome as a guide and a beacon of light?

I hope so with all my heart. Twelve years of the Bergoglian disaster have filled us with suspicion.  Nor could it be any other way.

Leo XIV to the Lady of Good Counsel

In the guestbook at Genazzano, the city of the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel, which he visited today, Pope Leo XIV wrote the following:  

“Still in the first days of the pontificate, I felt the duty and a deep longing to approach Genazzano, the shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel, who, throughout my life, has accompanied me with her maternal presence, with her wisdom, and the example of her love for her son who is always the center of my faith. Way, truth and life. 

"Thank you Mother, for your help - accompany me in this new mission”  

Leo PP XIV 

May 10, 2025

Francis Witnesses the Traditional Mass in Saint Mary Major

 The Jubilee Pilgrimage of the Institute of Christ the King had a celebratory Traditional Mass in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major this week.

In the video below (tip: Una Voce Sevilla, Spain), that lighted spot in the background is the recently opened tomb of Francis, which was put in the place of magnificent early 17th-century baroque  wall ands doorway, decorated with the most beautiful stone, destroyed and demolished to accomodate the enormous humility of the humble pontiff.