Eulogy cut short at funeral Mass splits opinions online

A priest’s reaction to the eulogy at a funeral Mass in Ardee, Co. Louth, has been stirring opinions online. 

The eulogy was being read at a funeral Mass on May 13 in the Church of the Nativity of Our Lady, Ardee/Collon Parish, and was interrupted by the priest, who stood up, saying “that’s enough”, that a “boy is feeling sick”, and for the reader to “please go.”

The unnamed Italian priest added, “One day, somebody will have to explain [to] me. When in Ireland, you say ‘short reflection’… what you mean by that.” 

He said that in Italy “‘short’ means short, [but] in Ireland ‘short’ means 50 minutes.” 

It is unclear how long the eulogy was taking, but the video has been circulating online and is dividing opinions on social media, with some people saying the priest’s action was “disrespectful to that family” and “scandalous”.

The Catholic Church does not formally allow eulogies at funeral Masses; however, it is a common practice in many parishes across Ireland. 

A person, commenting on X, said that “As a Traditional Catholic, I’m utterly disgusted,” and that the priest’s action was “cold, un-pastoral, and completely lacking in charity”.

“This is shocking, Irish funerals are sacred spaces for mourning and sharing memories, we don’t put a timer on them,” said another person who added, “cutting someone off during reflection at such a vulnerable moment shows a shocking lack of empathy and pastoral sensitivity.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​”

However, there are people agreeing with the priest. “[The] Priest was correct. A 50-minute eulogy at a funeral Mass is a hostage situation with ‘Thoughts and Prayers’.”

A comment on TikTok reads: “Although many are saying this is rude of the priest… This talk is for the wake or for after the service”.

“Sometimes these eulogies do go on far too much”, another comment reads. “I’ve seen elderly people near fainting at funerals because of these 15 min ‘short’ reflections. No need for it half the time.”

Aseptic and empty: the official spot for the Pope's visit to Madrid dispenses with Christ

The campaign accompanying the preparation of the Pope’s trip to Spain has presented the official spot for the visit of Leo XIV to Spain.

Two and a half minutes of carefully crafted images, impeccable aesthetics, emotive music and a message centered on the gaze, the encounter, human differences and social coexistence. 

All very correct. 

All very sensitive. 

All extraordinarily empty.

The result resembles more a philanthropic campaign for social awareness than an announcement for the visit of the successor of Peter.

How can an official spot for the Pope’s visit become a message so carefully stripped of Christian content?

Much emotion, little faith

The video shows a subway car full of different people who learn to “look at each other” and discover that they share fears, dreams and fatigue. 

The final message invites to “raise the gaze”, “lower the barriers” and “find answers”.

But answers… to what?

The problem is not talking about human fraternity. Christianity has always spoken of it. 

The problem is building a discourse where the supernatural dimension disappears completely and where the man seems to suffice himself through the simple emotional experience of encountering the other.

The result is a message perfectly compatible with any institutional campaign, international NGO, corporate advertisement or social cohesion initiative, even a soft-drink ad could fit.

The man as the man’s answer

Maybe the most revealing phrase of the video comes when the voice-over asks: “And if the person I have in front of me is the answer I need to understand myself?”.

There is condensed all the anthropological and spiritual problem of the announcement.

Because for Christianity, man is not the ultimate answer of man. Christ is.

The neighbor matters precisely because he points to God, because he has been created in the image of God and because the love to the other arises from the love to Christ. 

When that supernatural foundation is eliminated, the fraternity ends up reduced to a horizontal sentimentalism so emotive as incapable of responding to the deep questions of the human soul.

An increasingly secularized ecclesial aesthetic

The video reflects additionally a trend increasingly frequent in contemporary ecclesial communication: the obsession to be inclusive, friendly and universally acceptable even at the cost of emptying the Christian message of its most specifically religious content.

Everything is designed to not bother anyone.

No sin because it could sound harsh. No truth because it could sound exclusive. 

No call to conversion because it could seem demanding. No Christ because it could divide.

Only a generic spirituality of encounter, empathy and shared emotions remains.

Paradoxically, in the attempt to be accessible to all, the message ends up losing precisely what makes the Church unique.

"Looking Up": Cobo's Response to the Outbreak of the Zapatero Case Days Before the Visit of Leo XIV

Cardinal José Cobo insists that the visit of Leo XIV to Spain “does not come to do politics” nor “to take votes away from anyone.” 

And he is surely right in the essential point: the mission of a Pope is not to intervene in electoral campaigns or to align himself with parties. 

The problem is different. 

In today’s Spain it is practically impossible to separate a papal visit from the political climate that envelops everything.

Leo XIV will arrive in our country from June 6 to 12 amid an explosive situation: permanent polarization, institutional wear and tear, constant ideological confrontation, and a government besieged by scandals. 

To pretend that all of this will not inevitably condition the papal trip is asking too much of reality.

The temporal coincidence is especially uncomfortable. Just four days before the Pontiff’s arrival, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero will have to testify before the National Court, investigated for alleged crimes of money laundering, influence peddling, and membership in a criminal organization in the Plus Ultra case.

“Raising one’s gaze”… to look away?

In statements to Europa Press, Cobo was asked whether Zapatero’s indictment could overshadow the Pope’s visit. 

The Archbishop of Madrid replied that “raising one’s gaze” allows us to understand that “political contingency” is not the center of our life.

The phrase sounds good. It even has a certain spiritual appearance. 

The problem is that the “contingency” we are talking about is not a simple parliamentary dispute or a television talk-show spat. 

We are talking about a former president of the government who must appear before the National Court, investigated for extremely serious crimes.

It does not seem especially edifying to suggest that raising one’s gaze consists in ignoring possible cases of corruption of enormous institutional gravity. 

The Church’s social doctrine has never defended the idea that public life should remain outside moral judgment. Quite the contrary.

Political corruption destroys social trust, degrades institutions, and ultimately hits the weakest hardest. It is not a secondary distraction from which citizens should abstract themselves.

The CEE and the language of depoliticization

Cobo’s words quite well reflect the tone that the Spanish Episcopal Conference has been trying to impart to the visit for months: avoid conflicts, lower tensions, normalize relations and present the Pope as a figure above national political and social tensions.

The problem is that the trip’s own agenda makes that complete neutrality impossible. Leo XIV will speak in the Spanish Parliament — something Cobo himself has been involved in, will meet with Pedro Sánchez, and will land in the middle of one of the most tense political atmospheres in recent years.

In addition, the episcopal insistence on concepts such as “encounter,” “dialogue,” or “depolarization” coincides with a strategy of clear institutional détente with the socialist government, even after years of laws deeply contrary to the Christian view on life, family, education, or historical memory.

It is no coincidence that Cobo now emphasizes the “fluid dialogue” with the Executive. The Spanish Episcopal Conference appears determined to avoid any clash with La Moncloa before the Pope’s arrival.

Immigration and the risk of instrumentalization

The migration issue has become one of Europe’s great political debates today. 

And to think that that discourse can be maintained in a kind of purely moral limbo, without political consequences, is increasingly less realistic.

In fact, the archbishop himself recognized the risk of political instrumentalization of the Pope’s messages. 

A risk that is evident in a country where any word spoken from a public platform is immediately turned into partisan ammunition.

A visit that will inevitably have a political reading

No one expects that Leo XIV will come to Spain to support specific party lines. That has never been the role of a Pontiff. 

But it also does not seem reasonable to pretend that a visit of these dimensions can develop in a bubble detached from national reality.

The true challenge will be precisely to avoid that the Pope’s message be absorbed by the political logic that today dominates practically all of Spanish public life.

Because politics does not disappear by repeating that it does not exist. And “raising one’s gaze” should not mean closing one’s eyes.

Pope Leo XIV warns against movements closed in on themselves and calls for communion with the entire Church

Pope Leo XIV received the international leaders of associations of the faithful, ecclesial movements, and new communities this Thursday in the New Synod Hall. 

They had gathered in Rome at the initiative of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life. 

In a speech with strong ecclesiological content, the Pope defended the value of charisms and movements as “an invaluable gift for the Church,” while at the same time warning against self-referential dynamics, personality cults, and tensions with bishops.

The Pontiff especially insisted that no movement can consider itself “the only Church” or live isolated from the rest of the ecclesial body. 

Pope Leo XIV also underlined that authority within communities must never become a form of worldly power and recalled the importance of communion with pastors and with the entire universal Church.

The full message of Pope Leo XIV:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Peace be with you!

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning to all!

It is a pleasure to meet with you this morning, to share a few words, some reflections, but above all to reflect on the importance of the charisms of the Holy Spirit, especially in these days leading up to Pentecost.

I am also pleased to welcome you again this year, at the beginning of your gathering. You are international leaders of various lay realities, and you have been convened by the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life to strengthen communion among you and to reflect together on the theme of governing an ecclesial community.

In every social entity there is a need for suitable persons and structures to guide and coordinate common life. At its root, the term “governing” refers to the action of “holding the helm,” of “piloting a ship.” 

It is therefore a matter of charting a safe course, so that the community becomes a place of growth for the people who belong to it. Likewise, in the Church there are those entrusted with governance.

However, in the Church governance does not arise merely from the need to coordinate the religious needs of its members. 

The Church was instituted by Christ as a perpetual sign of his universal saving will and is the place, willed by God, where all human beings, in every age, can receive the fruits of the Redemption and experience the new life that Christ has given us. 

In this sense, the nature of the Church is sacramental: it certainly has an external and institutional dimension with its structures, and at the same time it is an effective sign of the communion through which we share in the very life of the Trinity.

These distinctive characteristics of the Church are necessarily present also in its governance, which is never merely technical; on the contrary, it has within itself a salvific orientation, that is, it must tend toward the spiritual good of the faithful. 

In fact, Saint Paul includes it among the charisms: “There are miracles,” he writes, “then the gift of healing, of assisting, of governing, of speaking in various languages” (1 Cor 12:28).

With these premises in mind, let us now turn our gaze to associations of the faithful and ecclesial movements. Here governance is generally entrusted to the laity and expresses participation in Christ’s munus regale received in Baptism. 

It is placed at the service of the other faithful and of associative life, and is the result of free choices, which must be understood as the expression of a common discernment: allowing the voice of all to be freely expressed.

If, as we have said, governance is a particular gift of the Holy Spirit, which the members of a community recognize as present in some of their brothers and sisters in the faith, at least three consequences follow. 

The first is that it must be for the good of all (cf. 1 Cor 12:7), that is, to promote the good of the community, of the association and of the entire Church. 

Governance, therefore, never can be used for personal interests or worldly forms of prestige and power. 

The second consequence is that it never can be imposed from above, but must be a gift recognizable in the community and freely accepted; hence the importance of free elections to make it effective. 

The third consequence is that, as with every charism, the governance of an association is also subject to the discernment of the Pastors, who watch over the authenticity and the reasonable exercise of the charisms (cf. Lumen gentium, 12; Iuvenescit Ecclesia, 9 and 17).

There are some characteristics that must always be present in governance: mutual listening, co-responsibility, transparency, fraternal closeness, and communal discernment (cf. Address to the participants in the General Chapter of the Legionaries of Christ, 19 February 2026). 

In addition, I would like to remind you that “good governance, instead of concentrating everything in itself, promotes subsidiarity and responsible participation of all members of the community” (ibid.). These are simple indications, but they must always be kept in mind in the exercise of authority.

Dear friends, your associations and movements have diverse origins and possess a well-defined history, identity and ideals. 

Those who lead them, therefore, assume a delicate task: on the one hand, they are called to guard and value the memory of a living heritage; on the other, they have a “prophetic” role, which involves being attentive to current pastoral urgencies to understand how to respond to new challenges and to the cultural, social and spiritual sensitivities of our time. Only thus, in fact, can one be a Christian, disciple and missionary in today’s society and Church. 

A part of the prophetic task of those who govern is therefore to favor the opening of the association or movement, and of each of its members, to historical situations. 

Belonging, in fact, is authentic and fruitful when it is not exhausted in participation in internal activities of the group, but interprets the signs of the times and projects itself outward, reaching out to all, to the culture of the time and to mission fields still unexplored.

Another element of vital importance is communion. Those who govern are called to have a particular sensitivity for the preservation, growth and consolidation of communion. 

This applies both to the internal life of the association or movement, as well as to communion with other ecclesial realities and with the Church as a whole. Those who exercise a mission of governance in the Church must learn to listen and accept diverse opinions, different cultural and spiritual orientations, and distinct personal temperaments, always striving to preserve, especially in necessary and often difficult decisions, the higher good of communion. 

This requires a witness of gentleness, detachment, and selfless love toward the brothers and sisters and the community, which serves as an example for all. Here I would like to underline the importance of this dimension of communion with the entire Church. Sometimes we find groups that close themselves off and think that their specific reality is the only one or is the Church, but the Church is all of us, it is much more! 

Therefore, our movements must truly seek how to live in communion with the entire Church, at the diocesan level. And for this reason the bishop is a very important reference figure, and if a group says: “No, with that bishop we are not in communion, we want another,” that is not right. We must try to live in communion with the entire Church, both at the diocesan level and at the universal level.

From this perspective we can better understand the meaning of fidelity to the foundational charism, which constitutes an indispensable reference for the governance of an ecclesial reality. Every authentic charism already includes within itself fidelity and openness to the Church. 

To govern faithfully to the foundational charism means, therefore, to find in it the inspiration to open up to the path that the Church goes in the present, not merely limiting oneself to the models, however positive they may be, of the past, but letting oneself be challenged by new realities and challenges, in dialogue with all other components of the ecclesial body.

Dear friends, I thank you for all that you are and all that you do. Associations of the faithful and ecclesial movements are an invaluable gift for the Church. There is great wealth among you, many well-formed people and many good evangelizers; many young people and diverse vocations to the priestly and married life. 

The variety of charisms, gifts and methods of apostolary developed over the years allows you to be present in the fields of culture, art, the social sphere and work, bringing the light of the Gospel everywhere. Take care of and, with the grace of God, grow all these gifts! The Church supports and accompanies you.

I bless you from the heart, invoking for all of you the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. Thanks.

Church of the "bridges": Bad Bunny does not bother; the Valley of the Fallen does

The cardinal archbishop of Madrid, José Cobo, has left the door open to a possible meeting between Pope Leo XIV and singer Bad Bunny during the Pontiff’s visit to Spain from June 6 to 12. 

In statements to Europa Press, Cobo said that “bridges can be built” with the cultural world and assured that there would be no incompatibility between the Pope’s presence in Madrid and the concerts the Puerto Rican artist will give in the capital those same days. 

In addition, he regretted that the possible meeting with Rosalía, recently awarded by the Spanish Episcopal Conference, was not possible due to the artist’s schedule.

Everything moves within the same language: bridges, dialogue, encounter, shared search for values.

And yet, the more that discourse is heard, the more evident another detail becomes: some of the great historical and spiritual symbols of Spanish Catholicism have been completely left out of the visit’s horizon.

A carefully designed visit

The agenda of Leo XIV in Spain is not improvised. On the contrary. 

Everything is properly planned with a very concrete will to project an image of the Church: open, dialoguing, friendly, culturally accessible and carefully kept away from any symbol that could be uncomfortable in the current political and media climate.

It is for this reason that Bad Bunny is presented as an opportunity to “create bridges,” while other places deeply linked to Spanish Catholic identity do not even appear on the travel map.

Meanwhile, some of the great historical and spiritual symbols of Spanish Catholicism have been left completely out of the agenda: neither the Valley of the Fallen, nor Covadonga, nor Cerro de los Ángeles, nor El Pilar, nor Santiago de Compostela or El Rocío.

The discomfort with one’s own symbols

Let us be clear. The problem is not that a Pope can meet with a singer. The Church has always dialogued with artists, rulers, intellectuals and people of all conditions.

The issue is different. 

The issue is why there seems to be today much more ecclesial comfort in approaching the cultural universe of globalized entertainment than in confidently reclaiming the great historical symbols of Spanish Catholicism.

The Valley of the Fallen continues to be treated as a practically toxic space for a large part of the hierarchy. Covadonga, the spiritual cradle of the Reconquista and a symbol of the birth of Christian Spain, does not even appear. 

The Cerro de los Ángeles — national consecration to the Sacred Heart — remains completely outside the official narrative.

It is clear that traditional symbols generate today more ecclesial nervousness than any international reggaeton star.

The Church of the “hug”

Cobo’s own words also reflect a very concrete way of presenting the faith. When speaking about the papal vigil with the young people, the cardinal described it mainly as “an embrace.” 

Not as a call to conversion. Not as a meeting with Christ. Not as a proclamation of the Gospel. But as an affective and human shared experience.

The problem comes when the specifically Christian content begins to disappear behind a vague emotional spirituality. Something similar happens when Cobo defends the award given to Rosalía. 

What is important — he explains — is not that it represents an orthodox Catholic spirituality, but a certain “search” shared for “the great values.”

The problem is not that the Church extends its hand to those who seek, doubt or live far from the faith. Christianity has always gone out to meet concrete man, with his contradictions and wounds.

The question is what happens after that first bridge: whether that approach truly leads to the announcement of Christ and the Gospel or whether everything ends reduced to a vague experience of accompaniment, listening and shared search without a clear proposal of truth, conversion and salvation.

The symbols that no longer seem comfortable

Perhaps the most revealing feature of this visit is not the possibility of a meeting with Bad Bunny. Nor the gestures toward the contemporary cultural world. The Christianity has always dialogued with its time.

What is truly significant is which symbols are considered presentable today and which seem to have become a problem.

Because while the “bridges” toward the outside are constantly insisted upon, it appears that some within the Church feel a growing discomfort toward a large part of their own historical, spiritual and civilizing memory.

And that probably explains much better the identity crisis of Western Catholicism than any mass concert in Madrid.

Mazuelos reflects on the visit of Leo XIV: Canary Islands live between the migratory crisis and secularization

The visit of Leo XIV to the Canary Islands on June 11 will arrive in islands marked by two major crises that, for the local Church, are deeply connected: the growing migratory pressure and the spiritual weariness caused by decades of secularization and consumerism.

Thus explains the Bishop of the Canary Islands, Monsignor José Mazuelos, in an interview given to ACI Prensa in which he offers a diagnosis of the reality of the archipelago. 

Although the migratory issue will occupy a large part of the media attention during the Pontiff’s trip — which will include a visit to the Arguineguín dock and meetings with immigrants and volunteers, the prelate insists that the underlying problem goes much further.

According to Mazuelos, the Canary Islands have been experiencing a profound cultural and spiritual transformation for years, leaving a large part of society caught between contemporary individualism and a growing sense of emptiness.

“The Canary Islands received all of Europe’s secularization at once”

The bishop recalls that the islands went in just a few decades from being a rural society, marked by a deeply rooted popular religiosity, to becoming one of the world’s major international tourist destinations.

“The Canary Islands were a rural population, and suddenly the entire focus of tourists and the secularization of all of Europe arrived,” he explains.

Mazuelos acknowledges that the economic and tourist boom found a large part of the population “ill-prepared” to face the cultural change coming from the European continent.

The consequence, according to his description, was a rapid erosion of traditional Christian life and the family and social structures that for generations had sustained popular faith in the archipelago, resulting in a superficial religiosity, often linked to a “first communion” culture, which was ultimately struck by materialism, consumerism, and contemporary individualism.

“People are tired of materialism”

However, Mazuelos also perceives a change in trend.

After years of accelerated secularization, he maintains that many people are beginning to experience a profound spiritual weariness.

“People are thirsty for God and for the love of God,” he affirms. And he adds: “There are so many wounds caused by this materialism, by this consumerism, and by this individualism.”

The bishop considers that this is precisely where the Church’s great pastoral challenge lies today: to be able to reach out to those who discover the emptiness of a life centered solely on material well-being.

For this reason, he insists on the need for a Church “capable of going to the one who is wounded,” returning to the Gospel image of the prodigal son and the man abandoned on the road to Jericho.

“People are tired of looking at the ground and need to look again at the soul,” summarizes the prelate.

Immigration, globalization and the common good

The other major issue that will mark the visit of Leo XIV will be immigration.

The Canary Islands have become one of the main points of entry for African immigrants into Europe, especially through the so-called Atlantic route. 

Caritas and numerous ecclesiastical institutions have been working for years with unaccompanied minors, newly arrived persons, and families in situations of extreme vulnerability.

Mazuelos insists that the migratory phenomenon cannot be understood without the context of globalization and calls for addressing the problem while avoiding both political demagoguery and simplistic discourses.

“The Church does not defend irregular immigration,” he states explicitly. “The Church would like all migration to be regular.”

At the same time, he underlines that the human drama of those who arrive on Spanish shores after fleeing extreme situations in their countries of origin cannot be ignored either.

The bishop thus defends a position that combines humanitarian welcome, regulation of migratory flows, and protection of the common good.

“A country cannot open its doors and destroy the common good,” he warns. But he adds that Europe cannot respond with indifference to people who risk their lives to reach the continent.

Leo XIV as a sign of hope

Mazuelos is especially hopeful about the arrival of Leo XIV, whom he describes as a serene, prudent man of deep Augustinian spirituality.

The bishop is convinced that the Pope’s visit will not be limited solely to the political debate over immigration, but will have a much deeper dimension.

“It will bring a focus and a light of spirituality,” he assures.

President of the Argentine episcopate under pressure over the liturgical question

The controversy over restrictions on kneeling Communion in Argentina continues to grow and is beginning to reveal increasingly deep tensions within the Church in the country. 

After Archbishop of Mendoza and President of the Argentine Episcopal Conference, Monsignor Marcelo Colombo, publicly denied having received a “Vatican sanction” over liturgical matters, the well-known Argentine blog El Wanderer published an extensive reply in which it accuses the prelate of having carefully avoided responding to the central issue: whether informal corrections from Rome existed or not regarding the restrictions imposed on the faithful who wish to receive Communion kneeling.

The debate is not minor. In recent years, several sectors of Argentine Catholicism have denounced growing difficulties in receiving the Eucharist according to the forms traditionally admitted by the Church, especially in dioceses where some bishops have promoted more restrictive liturgical criteria.

What Wanderer says Colombo never denied

The controversy began after El Wanderer published that officials from the Dicastery for Divine Worship had held private conversations with Colombo and with the Bishop of San Luis, Gabriel Barba, to remind them that no member of the faithful can be deprived of receiving Communion kneeling.

The information provoked a reaction from the president of the Argentine episcopate, who described those publications as “lies” and “fake news”, denying having received sanctions or official communications from the Vatican.

However, in his new response, Wanderer maintains that Colombo responded to something that was never claimed. 

The blog insists that it never spoke of formal canonical sanctions, but of reserved conversations and friendly corrections from Rome.

“The issue is very simple”, the author maintains. “If those conversations never occurred, it would have been enough to deny them clearly”.

The fact that Colombo only denied the existence of formal sanctions, but did not explicitly refute the contacts with the Dicastery, is significant.

The liturgical background of the conflict

The discussion revolves around a question that in many countries has become a symbol of current liturgical tensions: the right of the faithful to receive Communion kneeling.

Although the Argentine Episcopal Conference established years ago that the usual way of receiving the Eucharist in the country is standing, the universal norm of the Church makes clear that no priest or bishop can deny Communion to anyone who chooses to receive it kneeling.

This is expressly established by the instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum, published in 2004 by the Vatican.

Precisely for this reason, various Argentine faithful had denounced in recent years situations of tension, public corrections, and even practical refusals toward those who chose to receive Communion kneeling in certain dioceses.

Much more than a liturgical discussion

The blog also takes the opportunity to make a much broader criticism of the pastoral style and governance of Monsignor Colombo, one of the most influential figures in the current Argentine episcopate.

The author questions in particular the tone used by the Archbishop of Mendoza against those who publicly criticize him and denounces a clericalist attitude toward the laity who express disagreements on ecclesial matters.

It also recalls other controversies involving Colombo in recent years, such his closeness to initiatives linked to the LGBT movement, the promotion of certain musical events in the archdiocese, or the alleged restrictions on the use of Latin in liturgical celebrations.

The growing unease of many faithful

One of the most relevant points of the article appears at the end, when Wanderer indicates the strong critical reaction that Colombo’s declarations provoked among numerous Argentine Catholics on social media.

The blog interprets that unease as a symptom of an increasing disconnection between part of the episcopate and many practicing faithful, especially those more sensitive to liturgy, eucharistic reverence, and the doctrinal identity of the Church.

The controversy thus reflects a reality increasingly visible in various countries: for many Catholics, discussions about how Communion is received are not simple questions of aesthetic sensitivity, but concrete signs of how the Eucharist, liturgical authority, and continuity with the Church’s tradition are understood.

Vatican accelerates the implementation of the Synod with new assemblies until 2028

The General Secretariat of the Synod has published this Wednesday the new guidelines for the implementation phase of the so-called “Synod on Synodality”, a process that will culminate in a major Ecclesial Assembly at the Vatican in October 2028 and that consolidates the continuity of the ecclesial model promoted during the pontificate of Francis.

The document, titled Towards the Assemblies 2027-2028: stages, criteria and instruments for preparation, establishes a broad global itinerary through which dioceses, episcopal conferences and continental bodies will evaluate and deepen the reception of the Synod held between 2021 and 2024. 

The process was initiated by Francis and has been confirmed by Leo XIV, according to the text itself.

Synodality as a permanent structure

The new guidelines make it clear that Rome does not consider the synodal process closed, but rather intends to progressively turn it into a stable principle of functioning within the ordinary life of the Church.

The text repeatedly insists on what it calls “synodal conversion” and presents the future assemblies not as one-off meetings, but as permanent instruments of discernment, evaluation and ecclesial reorganization.

Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod and principal promoter of the process, stated that the objective is for “synodality to increasingly take shape as the ordinary style of ecclesial life”.

In this way, the synod initiated under Francis ceases to appear as an exceptional event and is projected as a structural dynamic destined to have a lasting impact on the organization and governance of the Church.

Successive assemblies in dioceses, countries and continents

The document foresees a long chain of assemblies that will develop until 2028. 

During 2027, diocesan meetings will first be held, followed by national and regional encounters. 

Then continental assemblies will take place, finally culminating in a major Ecclesial Assembly in Rome with the Pope.

Each stage must produce reports, letters and evaluation documents intended to feed the next phase of the process. 

The Vatican insists that it is not simply about repeating previous consultations, but about consolidating a new ecclesial culture based on listening, co-responsibility and the continuous review of structures and pastoral practices.

“Synodal-style liturgy” and new spaces for lay faithful

The document proposes expanding the access of lay faithful - men and women - to ecclesial responsibilities and leadership functions that do not require the sacrament of Holy Orders. 

Also proposes reviewing decision-making processes, strengthening participatory bodies and deepening mechanisms of transparency and accountability.

The language used confirms that the Vatican considers synodality not only as a method of consultation, but as a broader transformation of the internal dynamics of authority and participation within the Church.

Participation of other religions and attention to specific groups

The guidelines also insist that the future assemblies must reflect cultural, generational and social diversity, with special attention to women, young people and people in situations of vulnerability or marginalization.

The text also contemplates the possible participation of representatives from other Christian Churches and even from other religions when deemed appropriate.

At the same time, it promotes a “synodal style” applied to ecumenism, interreligious dialogue and the Church’s public presence in educational, cultural, social and political spheres.

A process that will continue beyond 2028

Although the Ecclesial Assembly scheduled for October 2028 appears formally as the culmination of the process, the document itself makes clear that the real objective is to ensure the continuity of this dynamic beyond that date.

In fact, it explicitly asks that those who participate in the various assemblies be willing to sustain the process in the future and to guarantee its continuity in the ordinary life of the Church.

The text also underlines that the liturgical celebrations must serve to visibly express the model of a “synodal missionary Church” promoted by the Vatican.

With these new guidelines, Rome definitively consolidates the extension of the synodal process initiated by Francis and confirms that synodality will continue to mark a large part of the ecclesial reorganization during the pontificate of Leo XIV.

Liturgy enters the Vatican's diagnosis of the collapse of faith

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández has revealed new details about the upcoming Vatican document dedicated to the crisis in the transmission of the Catholic faith and has confirmed that one of the text’s key focuses will be the role of the liturgy in conversion and in the loss of faith across generations.

The statements made by the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to the Spanish outlet Religión Confidencial add a new element to the information already known about the document: Rome is beginning to explicitly recognize that the crisis in the transmission of the faith cannot be separated from the liturgical and catechetical crisis the Church has been experiencing for decades.

The liturgy enters the diagnosis of the crisis

Fernández explained that the future document will reflect on “the role of the liturgy,” recalling “cases such as the conversion of Saint Augustine and so many others.”

The reference is significant in an ecclesial context marked for years by the debate over the loss of the sense of the sacred, the trivialization of many celebrations, and the difficulties in transmitting to new generations the depth of the Christian mystery.

Although the prefect did not elaborate further on this issue, his words show that the Vatican is beginning to consider more explicitly the relationship between the Church’s liturgical life and its capacity to transmit the faith.

Rome acknowledges the rupture in the transmission of the faith

The document, whose preparation had already been announced days earlier, aims to study the causes of the rupture in the intergenerational transmission of the faith that is affecting numerous Western countries in particular.

According to Fernández, in some places the phenomenon “begins to manifest itself suddenly,” while entire generations of baptized people grow up practically disconnected from sacramental life and from basic knowledge of Catholicism.

The text will include contributions from episcopal conferences, experts, and researchers from various parts of the world and will avoid offering uniform responses for the entire Church.

Kerygma, catechesis and mystagogy

Another new element revealed by Fernández is that the document will emphasize the need to proclaim the Gospel in an “attractive” way, capable of fostering a true encounter with Christ.

The prefect also noted that the text will address the mystagogical dimension of catechesis—that is, a teaching of the faith oriented toward truly introducing people into the Christian mystery rather than merely transmitting theoretical content.

Fernández added that the document will include new reflections on the praeambula fidei, the rational truths that prepare a person to open themselves to faith, as well as on the question of inculturation, which is very present in the magisterium of Saint John Paul II.

The community and the welcome as key elements

The Argentine cardinal also explained that the text will address “the importance of the quality of the community” for transmitting the faith and welcoming those who approach or return to the Church.

With this, the Vatican appears to want to further explore the role played by parishes, communities, and concrete ecclesial structures in an increasingly secularized context.

Although he did not give a specific date, Fernández assured that the document will be published “soon.”

German Bishop Admits Errors of the Synodal Path in Its Relationship with Rome

Bishop Franz Jung of Würzburg has publicly acknowledged that one of the main problems of the German Synodal Way was the lack of coordination and communication with Rome, an admission especially significant in a process that for years has caused strong tensions with the Vatican and fears of doctrinal drift within the Church in Germany.

In an interview given to the Catholic channel K-TV during the Katholikentag held in Würzburg, Jung compared the current Synodal Way with the historic Würzburg Assembly of the 1970s, emphasizing that at that time there was a constant search for communion with the Holy See which, according to his admission, “was lacking” in the recent German synodal process.

“Communication with Rome was lacking”

The bishop especially recalled the figure of Cardinal Julius Döpfner, then president of the German Bishops’ Conference and main promoter of the Würzburg Assembly held between 1971 and 1975 after the Second Vatican Council.

According to Jung, Döpfner acted “very intelligently” because “in every step he took, he again sought coordination with Rome.”

“There we saw that this was also lacking in the Synodal Way: asking again how communication was going with those responsible in Rome. We are not following a special path; we want to take the next steps together with the Church,” the German bishop stated.

A partial recognition, but not a doctrinal correction

However, Jung’s statements do not imply a renunciation of many of the reforms promoted by the Synodal Way.

In fact, during the interview the bishop insisted that several of the debates currently open in Germany have been present in the Church for decades: the question of the viri probati, the role of women, the possibility of lay preaching, or greater lay participation in ecclesial structures.

“Many questions that still occupy us today were already on the table back then,” he said, recalling the Würzburg Assembly.

This reflects a reality that is becoming increasingly evident within the German episcopate: some bishops are beginning to recognize that the “method” of the Synodal Way generated serious tensions with Rome, but without truly abandoning much of the ecclesial reforms that drove the process.

Leo XIV, unity against “nationalisms”

During the interview, Jung also referred to the new pontificate of Leo XIV, highlighting in particular his episcopal motto: In illo uno unum (“In the One who is One, we are one”), taken from St. Augustine. The bishop said he was especially impressed by the Pope’s insistence on unity against “nationalisms” and “self-interests.”

“There is for us a binding center which is Christ,” Jung stated, adding that the Church must work for communion and not for particular paths.

The words of the German bishop appear to reflect a growing concern within some ecclesial sectors in Germany about the risk of isolation and fragmentation that the Synodal Way has generated during the last few years.

Cistercian monastery of Santa María de Huerta has a new abbot

The Cistercian community of the Monastery of Santa María de Huerta has elected Father Francisco Rivera this Wednesday as the new abbot of the historic Soria monastery, ending the 31 years of abbatial governance of Father Isidoro, who has submitted his resignation.

The news was announced by the monastic community itself through a brief note stating that the new abbot was born in Granada on July 28, 1979, entered Huerta in 2007, made his solemn profession in 2013, and was ordained a priest in 2018. Until now, he had served as prior of the monastery.

One of the great Cistercian monasteries of Spain

The Monastery of Santa María de Huerta, located in the province of Soria, was founded in the 12th century and constitutes one of the great historic houses of the Cistercian Order in the Peninsula.

The community was initially founded in 1142 under the impetus of King Alfonso VII and was definitively established in Huerta in 1162, linked to the Cistercian expansion promoted from Clairvaux under the influence of Saint Bernard.

Over the centuries, the monastery became an important spiritual, cultural, and economic center of Castile, accumulating notable influence in the religious and social life of the region.

A monastery marked by the history of Spain

The history of Santa María de Huerta also reflects the great upheavals experienced by religious life in Spain during recent centuries. 

Like so many other monasteries, it was severely affected by the 19th-century disentailment, which forced the expulsion of the monks and left the building virtually abandoned for decades.

Monastic life was not restored until the 20th century, when a new Cistercian community returned and progressively recovered the liturgical and spiritual life of the monastery.

Monastic continuity in times of secularization

The election of Father Francisco Rivera takes place in a complex context for contemplative life in Western Europe, marked by the aging of many communities and the decline of vocations.

Despite this, Santa María de Huerta continues to be one of the most stable monastic communities in the Spanish Cistercian landscape and maintains an intense liturgical life centered on the choral celebration of the Divine Office and the Benedictine spiritual tradition.

A new free app brings the Traditional Mass closer to thousands of young Catholics

The growing attraction that the Traditional Latin Mass continues to exert on many young Catholics keeps producing unexpected initiatives. 

The latest of these is Introíbo, a new mobile application designed to help the faithful follow the traditional liturgy and deepen in the classical spirituality of the Church, which has already been downloaded thousands of times just days after its launch.

The application was created by Holden Cole, a young American convert who, after discovering the traditional liturgy through the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, decided to develop a tool that would facilitate access to the 1962 Missal and other spiritual resources linked to the Church’s traditional liturgical heritage.

The Traditional Mass continues to attract new generations

While for decades a large part of contemporary pastoral practice has tried to make the liturgy “more accessible” or “more relevant” by adapting it to modern cultural codes, many faithful - especially young people - seem to be seeking precisely the opposite: silence, transcendence, mystery, and continuity with the Church’s tradition.

It is also significant that this renewed interest in the traditional liturgy continues to grow especially among young people and converts, even in an ecclesial context where the Traditional Mass remains subject to restrictions in many places.

A “digital missal” for the traditional rite

The application Introíbo brings together in one place the 1962 Roman Missal, the Divine Office, the Latin Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, the traditional calendar, and various classical prayers of Catholic spirituality.

Designed for practical use, the application automatically displays each day the corresponding liturgical feast, its rank, the liturgical season, and traditional penitential observances. 

It also includes the complete texts of the Mass from the 1962 Missal in Latin and English side by side, facilitating the liturgy for those who are beginning to become familiar with the ancient rite.

In addition, it incorporates an examination of conscience, spiritual practices drawn from the saints, and small pedagogical resources to learn ecclesiastical Latin through the liturgical prayers themselves. Currently, the application is available only in Latin-English.

A convert behind the project

Holden Cole, the creator of the application, entered the Catholic Church just three years ago. He initially began attending the Novus Ordo, but later discovered the Traditional Mass through the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter in Florida.

“I fell completely in love with the Latin Mass,” Cole explains to Advaticanum. “It is what has most deepened my Catholic faith.”

The young developer states that he created the application out of pure practical necessity, seeking a tool that would help him better understand the traditional liturgy and the Latin used in it.

Thousands of downloads without advertising or funding

Despite having no promotional campaigns or institutional backing, the application reached about 3,500 downloads during its first week of operation.

One of the most striking aspects of the project is that the application is offered completely free, without advertising, without user tracking, and with fully offline functionality.

Cole also states that the project continues to be in development and that he hopes to incorporate new features in the future.

Enoch Burke officially sacked after appeals panel upholds school’s decision

Enoch Burke has officially lost his job at Wilson’s Hospital School after an appeals panel upheld a decision to sack him.

It is understood that the school’s board of management met on Wednesday after a disciplinary appeals panel issued an opinion upholding his dismissal.

In the meeting, the board confirmed its decision to terminate Burke’s employment.

The former history and German teacher has been engaged in a legal dispute with the Co Westmeath school since 2022.

He was suspended following incidents arising from a request from the school’s then-principal to address a student by a new name and pronoun, and later dismissed from his position.

Burke has repeatedly argued the direction was unconstitutional and went against his right to express his religious beliefs.

In January 2023, the teacher was dismissed from his position following a disciplinary process.

Since then, three disciplinary appeals panels (DAPs) were formed to handle the case and review his dismissal.

Burke has also repeatedly been jailed after being found to have violated court orders instructing him not to trespass at the school.

The Burke family claim he has spent over 700 days in prison.

Tulsa deacon pleads guilty to stealing $1.4 million from parish

A 70-year-old deacon in Tulsa pleaded guilty last week to bank fraud and unlawful monetary transactions, after stealing nearly $1.5 million while working at a local Catholic parish.

Deacon John Sommer, the former business manager and parish manager of Christ the King Parish, accepted a plea deal with federal prosecutors on May 13.

Sommer acknowledged that from March to October 2025, he stole more than $1.4 million, through more than 70 unauthorized ACH transfers from Christ the King to his own accounts.

“I used the funds to advance what I believed to be certain potential romantic interests online and also fund what I believed to be investment opportunities in purported cryptocurrency-based ventures,” he said in the plea agreement.

“To conceal my embezzlement efforts, I made sure to keep all unauthorized ACH transfers under the $30,000 approval limit. I also altered the Church’s accounting records to make it appear as if transfers were made to legitimate vendors, including to the Church’s third-party payroll and retirement service providers.”

Sommer faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million or twice the loss caused by his actions. A sentencing hearing is expected in the case in the coming months.

In a press release this week, the Diocese of Tulsa said leaders at Christ the King discovered “a significant financial inconsistency” in parish accounts last October and immediately investigated the matter.

A forensic audit then uncovered the unauthorized transfers, which were passed on to law enforcement, the diocese said.

Sommer was removed from his position at the parish and placed on a leave of ministry as a deacon when the missing funds were discovered last October.

In its press release, the diocese said the embezzlement “did not impact capital campaigns, parish endowments, or investment accounts.”

“Additionally, $1M of the unauthorized transfers were recovered through insurance, and a plan is in place for the parish to recover the remaining funds.”

As part of Sommer’s plea agreement, the deacon is responsible for reimbursing the $1 million paid by the insurance company, and for paying the remaining $466,916.75 in restitution to the diocese.

The Diocese of Tulsa did not have a comment in response to questions from The Pillar about whether any policy changes are being implemented to help prevent the possibility of similar theft in the future.

But retired IRS investigator Robert Warren told The Pillar that the case “highlights the need to institute robust internal controls.”

Warren, who is a forensic accountant and associate professor of accounting at Radford University, noted that Sommer was authorized to initiate ACH transactions up to $30,000 per day without any outside approval.

“Deacon Sommer was a trusted, high-level employee with almost carte blanche authority over the finances,” he said. “However, the parish should have separated the authorization, accounting, and custody functions of the accounting system.”

“Deacon Sommer’s authorization should have been for a much lower amount, perhaps $5,000 per day or week,” Warren said.

In addition, he said, Sommer should not have been the person responsible for handling the accounting of his own transactions.

“[A]nother person outside of Deacon Sommer’s control should have verified receipt of the goods or services supposedly received before payment,” he continued.

The situation at Christ the King is far from unique, Warren said, as many parishes across the country lack the necessary internal controls to prevent theft.

“This case is just one of a steady drumbeat of parish fraud cases,” Warren commented.

“Until parishes get serious about internal controls, these frauds will keep occurring.”

He added that he does see some “glimmers of hope.”

“First, the Church is not sweeping embezzlement cases under the rug. If they find evidence of fraud, they are ‘following the money’ right to the door of law enforcement,” he said.

“Second, parishes carry insurance against employee thefts, so parishes are being reimbursed for at least some of the loss.”

U.S. bishops get 2027 ‘ad limina’ schedule

American bishops have been scheduled to meet next year with Pope Leo XIV, in the first of the ad limina visits to Rome for U.S. bishops during Leo’s pontificate.

In a May 19 letter, Msgr. Michael Fuller, general secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, told U.S. bishops that while the Vatican had previously indicated quinquennial meetings would not be possible next year, a full schedule of meetings for the bishops of the country’s 196 dioceses has been recently granted.

“On behalf of [USCCB president] Archbishop [Paul] Coakley, I wish to inform you that we have received a schedule for ad limina Apostolorum visits beginning in March 2027,” Fuller wrote to the bishops Thursday, noting that conference officials were “initially informed that no ad limina visits were likely for next year.”

“The Prefecture of the Papal Household also noted that these dates might be subject to change in account of any possible Apostolic journeys of the Holy Father,” the general secretary noted, but said he, “wanted to share this information with you so that you may plan accordingly.”

In accord with canon law, all bishops are required to complete a pilgrimage to Rome every five years, at which they are “to venerate the tombs of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul,” hence the name ad limina Apostolorum — at the threshold of the apostles.

But while a spiritual pilgrimage is at the heart of the quinquennial ad limina visits, the trips are most often noted for the bishops’ meetings with the heads of the Roman curial dicasteries and with the pope, at which they are required to present comprehensive reports on the state of their dioceses, which usually span several hundred pages.

In his letter, Fuller explained that he wanted to give bishops as much advance notice as possible, after the Vatican had previously indicated that the bishops would not be making their ad limina visits next year.

Because of the large number of American dioceses and bishops, U.S. bishops make their ad limina visits by USCCB regional groups, of which there are 15.

The schedule as released to the bishops Tuesday is set to begin with Region I in the first week of March 2027, including the dioceses of New England, followed by Region II (New York) a the end of the month and proceeding in order until Region XV (the Eastern Catholic Eparchies of the U.S.) at the end of September.

The last slate of American ad limina visits took place across the winter months of 2019-2020. 

While the visits are in principle meant to take place every five years, the timeline is often expanded, because of the challenge of scheduling visits for bishops around the world, amid the other obligations of the pope and of Vatican officials. 

While U.S. bishops would have reached the five-year mark, and thus be due for a visit last year, the death of Pope Francis and the subsequent conclave significantly altered the ad limina schedule.

The meetings between the U.S. bishops and the first American born pope will be require significant preparation from U.S. chancery officials, some of whom will have less than a year to produce a comprehensive review of the pastoral, sacramental, financial, demographic, and evangelizing state of their dioceses, complete with data and statistical analysis of various elements in diocesan life.

In addition, the visits will be the first occasion for U.S. dioceses to present to Pope Leo the results, and U.S. bishops to relay their impressions, of the global synodal process inaugurated under Pope Francis.

The meetings will also follow U.S. midterm Congressional elections in November, and come after a series of notable points of disagreement between the Holy See and the White House on issues including military interventions in Venezuela and Iran, as well as the Trump administration’s campaign of mass detention and deportation of illegal migrants last year.

Roman Rota rejects a nullity complaint filed by the canon Rafael Vez and endorses a criminal court whose judges were not formally appointed by episcopal decree

The Court of the Roman Rota has rejected a complaint of nullity against a canonical criminal sentence, filed by the lawyer of the canon Rafael Vez Palomino and to which Religion Digital has had access, in which the absence of a formal decree of the then bishop of Cádiz, Rafael Zornoza, was denounced, constituting the court and appointing the judges in charge of prosecuting the case.

The events took place in the diocese of Cádiz and Ceuta, where the then bishop, Rafael Zornoza did not issue any formal decree of appointment of the judges who made up the criminal court in charge of prosecuting the case. In addition, he elected judges who were from another diocese, but without appointment by decree. Precisely this absence of express constitution of the court by the ordinary diocesan constituted the core of the challenge raised before the Roman Rota.

The foundation of nullity invoked by defense

The defense invoked the canon that insanibly declares the sentence handed down by a judge without power to judge.

The nullity complaint was based mainly on canon 1620 of the Code of Canon Law, which considers insanibly void the sentence rendered “by an absolutely incompetent judge” or “by those who lack the power to judge in the court in which the sentence was given”.

According to the thesis held in the appeal, criminal judicial authority cannot be presumed or implicitly derived from subsequent proceedings, but requires a concrete and formal act of appointment by the ordinary.

Judges outside the diocese

In addition, some members of the court were not priests of the diocese or habitually exercised judicial functions in it.

Therefore, the controversy acquired a special relevance, since the judges who made up the criminal court were not priests belonging to the diocese where the process was developed or ordinarily exercised ecclesiastical judicial functions in it.

Precisely for this reason, the defense argued that it was even more essential the existence of an express episcopal decree, which unequivocally accredited the valid constitution of the court and the effective attribution of criminal judicial authority to its members.

The situation became even more unique during the processing of the case, when one of the priests acting as judge (Theodore León) - without also stating decree of episcopal appointment as a member of the court - was appointed bishop and removed from the procedure. The priest who subsequently became the court in place of his would not have been appointed by formal decree of the ordinary.

For the defense of Rafael Vez, this succession of substitutions and actions without express designation evidenced the absence of a valid legal constitution of the criminal court “ad normam iuris”.

The contradiction denounced by the defense: Bishop Zornoza did issue a formal decree to appoint the Promoter of Justice

One of the most striking arguments of the appeal focused on the fact that the bishop himself did expressly issue a formal decree of appointment of the Promoter of Justice that intervened in the criminal case.

He was also a priest outside the diocese in which the process was carried out, but whose designation was documented by the corresponding express episcopal act in the form of a decree of appointment.

The defense stressed precisely this apparent contradiction: while the Ordinary considered it necessary to formalize by decree the appointment of the Promoter of Justice, there is, however, no equivalent act with respect to the judges in charge of prosecuting and rendering a sentence in the criminal case.

The thesis of the Court of the Rota: The will of the Bishop would be sufficient to validly confer judicial power, without the need for a decree of appointment

Despite this, the Rota considers sufficient the tacit or implicit acceptance of the bishop, deduced from the development of the process and the continued action of the court, to understand validly conferred the judicial power necessary to know the case.

The decree argues, in essence, that the will of the ordinary can be inferred from his institutional behavior and from the continuity of the procedure, even if he does not record documentary a specific decree of appointment of the judges.

In this way, the rotating court prioritizes the principle of the preservation of procedural acts and the stability of judicial proceedings against a strictly formal interpretation of the canonical requirements on the constitution of the court.

A doctrine taken from the matrimonial sphere: La Rota transfers to the criminal process criteria previously used in causes of marriage nullity.

To substantiate this broad interpretation of judicial authority, the judges of the Roman Rota rely on a previous judgment regarding a marriage nullity process.

In that decision, which has nothing to do with criminal proceedings, the rotating court had considered a procedure valid, despite certain irregularities in the action of the ecclesiastical court, understanding that the intervention and continued acceptance of the competent authority were sufficient to heal or supply non-essential formal defects.

From that doctrine, the Rota now transfers to the criminal field the criterion that the will of the bishop can also be manifested in a tacit or implicit way through the tolerance and continuity of judicial proceedings, even without express decree of appointment of judges.

A hard blow to canonical procedural formalism: Canonists warn of the doctrinal impact of resolution

The resolution implies accepting a particularly dangerous principle in the field of canonical criminal law, since it considerably limits the practical scope of structural nullities based on defects in the constitution of the judicial body.

Canonists consulted by Religion Digital recall that the rules of the canon law relating to the constitution of the courts necessarily presuppose a formal act of appointment or appointment of judges, since only in this way can the judicial authority “ad norm iuris” be validly conferred.

Hence, these rules implicitly include the classic legal principle nullus iudex sine constitutione : there can be no legitimately an ecclesiastical judge without prior legal constitution by the competent authority. Until today, in order for a priest to exercise the office of judge in an ecclesiastical tribunal, his appointment by decree of the bishop was habitual.

However, the resolution of the Rota points to a jurisprudential line favorable to broadly interpret the “Episcopi volunteers” above the traditional rigidities of canonical procedural law, allowing to save criminal proceedings and avoiding their complete annulment by organizational or formal defects.

“The resolution is a serious blow to those who defend a particularly strict interpretation of the procedural rules, considered of public order and whose violation was ordinarily substantiating the nullity of actions,” the canonists point out.

“The decision may open up an important doctrinal debate on the minimum guarantees necessary for the development of proceedings before ecclesiastical courts.”

Vance ‘looking forward to reading’ Pope Leo’s AI encyclical

Vice President JD Vance said May 19 during a press briefing at the White House that he is “looking forward to reading” Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” addressing artificial intelligence.

“I think when the pope issues an encyclical on artificial intelligence, it’s going to have some influence,” Vance said in response to a question on the topic, adding, “I, of course, don’t know how much influence. I don’t know exactly what it’s going to say, but I think when the leader of the world’s largest Christian denomination speaks on an issue like that, it’s certainly going to have some influence.” 

The title of the encyclical is Latin for “Magnificent Humanity,” and it will address artificial intelligence and human dignity, the Vatican has announced. It will be published May 25. 

Vance: “I think that it’s going to be a very, very important document.”

Vance said he is sure the encyclical will “contain a lot of insights, some of which I’ll probably agree with, some of which I may not, but I think that it’s going to be a very, very important document.”

In response to a related question on whether the government should create a new mandatory review process for new AI models, Vance argued that President Donald Trump “wants us to be pro-innovation” on AI. 

“He wants us to win the AI race against all other countries in the world,” Vance said. “He recognizes that AI is going to be an important tool, not just for our economy, but for our military, and so he wants to ensure that we are winning that particular race. We also want to make sure that we’re protecting people, we’re protecting people’s data, we’re protecting people’s privacy.”

But Vance also acknowledged the technology “does have some downsides.” 

“We’re trying to balance that safety against innovation, and we think that we’ve got the right balance here in the Trump administration, but something we’re going to have to keep on working on, because that’s just the nature of these technologies, is they certainly change,” he said.

Pope Leo has consistently expressed interest in the issue of artificial intelligence and the dignity of work since the first days of his pontificate, telling the College of Cardinals shortly after his election in May 2025 that he took his papal name partly in honor of Pope Leo XIII, whose landmark encyclical “Rerum Novarum” has shaped the Church’s social teaching for more than a century.

Controversial art show canceled at NY archdiocese venue finds home at Jesuit parish

When Jesuit artist Nicholas Leeper first contacted the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture about a possible exhibition, he imagined it as a culminating moment before the next stage of his formation. 

Over the previous two years, Leeper's paintings — colorful works blending Byzantine iconography with the visual language of pop art and advertising — had appeared in group exhibitions across the United States and abroad, including in Europe, the United Kingdom and Peru. But he had never gathered the work together in a solo exhibition.

"I thought it would be good to do like a show, a solo show, to kind of show all of this work in one place," Leeper told National Catholic Reporter.

The Sheen Center, founded by the New York Archdiocese in 2015 as a venue for dialogue between faith and contemporary culture, seemed like a fitting location. Leeper said he reached out in December after noticing that the gallery calendar for spring appeared open.

After several rounds of discussion, Leeper said, the center agreed to host the exhibition in May.

About two weeks before the opening, however, the exhibition was abruptly canceled. "They emailed me saying they got some phone calls, emails expressing concern about the work," Leeper said. "And then they called me and said it's canceled."

The exhibition, titled "Twilight of the Idols," takes its name from Friedrich Nietzsche's 1889 critique of Christianity and modern morality. Leeper's paintings place familiar forms of commercial advertising inside the structure of Byzantine icons.

In one of the central works, "Madonna and Child (Tomatokos)," Mary appears as a smiling 1950s housewife from a Campbell's soup advertisement, holding a can of tomato soup instead of the infant Jesus. The picture "The Visitation" reimagines Mary and Elizabeth as figures in a midcentury cigarette advertisement, leaning toward one another in conversation and recognition.

"Madonna del Parto (Once Upon a Time ... in Bethlehem)" portrays a pregnant Mary through the image of Sharon Tate, suspended between expectancy and uncertainty. While in "Santa Abraham (The Three Strangers)" Abraham is depicted as a Santa Claus figure from a vintage Coca-Cola advertisement.

The work is intentionally provocative, but Leeper describes the project less as an attack on religious imagery than as an invitation to reconsider it.

"For us Jesuits, it's finding God in all things," he said. "How can we really see God working through all art forms, not just the ones we like?"

Leeper said he was never told who objected to the exhibition or what specific concerns had been raised. Surprisingly, one of Leeper's works remains displayed in the rectory of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York.

The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture did not respond to NCR's request for comments.

Leeper described the cancellation as disappointing and "certainly a shock," particularly given the Sheen Center's role as a cultural institution connected to the New York Archdiocese. Yet the setback proved brief.

Within a day, the exhibition had found another home. At lunch in the Downtown New York Jesuit residence where he lives, Leeper informed Jesuit Fr. Kenneth Boller, pastor of the Church of St. Francis Xavier, about the cancellation.

"We were in the Jesuit dining room, and he said he had just gotten the bad news. And I said, 'How many pictures do you have? How much space does it need?' We looked around the dining room. I said, 'The Mary Chapel will do very well.' That's it," Boller said. 

The exhibition ultimately opened May 9 in the Mary Chapel at St. Francis Xavier Church in partnership with Xavier High School, where Leeper teaches art, Scripture and ethics.

"I appreciate his work and the perspective he has on it to present our own Catholic belief that the Holy Family and the various saints were ordinary human beings touched by the divine," Boller said. "And so using the pop art medium to depict it is a way to get you to rethink what you see."

To explain the tradition Leeper's work draws upon, Boller pointed to older forms of sacred art.

"There's a wonderful exhibit on Raphael in the Metropolitan Museum of Art now," he said. "Raphael has wonderful pictures of Mary, Jesus, John the Baptist, etc., all through the image of Renaissance art, the style of clothing, the manner in which they hold themselves, the surroundings are from the perspective of his time and place, beautifully done. But that's not how Mary looked."

He also referenced images of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which depict Mary as an Indigenous woman appearing to Juan Diego in 16th-century Mexico. "The point of it is that Our Lady relates to the Indigenous people as well as everybody else," Boller said.

Leeper's work, he argued, operates similarly, but through the imagery of modern consumer culture.

"What Nick does is a different medium, but it's the same idea," Boller said. "He uses the medium of pop art, the '50s and '60s commercialism, to say, 'What would an ordinary person do?' "

Jack Raslowsky, president of Xavier High School, said he was disappointed by the cancellation at the Sheen Center. "I think it's a missed opportunity on the part of Sheen," Raslowsky said to NCR. "I would always hope there's dialogue and conversation before decisions are made, and that was lacking here."

Like Boller, Raslowsky viewed the exhibition as an invitation to reconsider familiar religious images. "How many works of art of the Blessed Mother look the same, right?" he asked. "Reality is not that simple. Life isn't that simple. The Blessed Mother's not that simple. God's not that simple."

The exhibition's move to St. Francis Xavier also placed it within institutions with long Jesuit traditions emphasizing dialogue, intellectual inquiry and engagement with culture. Xavier Church in New York is internationally known for being a welcoming Catholic hub at the forefront of social justice issues, such as the environment, the fight against racism, and LGBTQ+ inclusion, especially during the AIDS epidemic. Leeper connected his project to broader questions about aesthetics, faith and identity within contemporary Catholicism.

"Right now, there's this kind of return to this older Catholic aesthetic, which is great and fine," he said. "But I think we can't be so close-fisted about our style preferences, our aesthetic. What we should be close-fisted about is our ethic, that we care about the good, the true, the beautiful, not aesthetically, not just in looks, but in meaning."

For Leeper, the title "Twilight of the Idols" also reflects what he sees as a danger of turning particular artistic styles into absolutes.

"Sometimes we think like Jesus must look like this and that, he must be a white guy, he must be half naked on a cross," he said. "That is an aesthetic, but that's not the only way to depict him."

"When we look at those things and think that's the only way our church should look, or when we go to our parish and we find something we don't like in the liturgy, and we think that's the only way, like, this can't be, 'We need it to look the way I want it to look,' we're kind of becoming idolaters in a certain sense," he added. "We're worshiping the thing rather than God."

Leeper said some viewers initially skeptical of the work became more receptive after discussing it. Among the most enthusiastic responses, he said, came from his students.

For Raslowsky, the educational value of the exhibition lies in its ability to unsettle assumptions.

"I think good art helps us break free of those limits," he said. "And then hopefully helps us enter into relationship with that God who loves us beyond all understanding in new ways."

"There are no limits to that love," he added. "There are no limits to that forgiveness. There are no limits to God's hopes, dreams and desires for us."

The controversy surrounding "Twilight of the Idols" arrives at a moment when Catholic aesthetics have gained renewed visibility among younger generations, especially online, while debates over tradition, liturgy and artistic expression continue within the church.

Leeper said he hopes the exhibition can contribute to those conversations rather than deepen divisions.

"With the polarization and the silos, that's really because we don't talk to each other," he said. "And I feel like art is something to talk about. Art brings us together to have that conversation."