In my last blog, I asked the question; now that the conclave was out of the way, what could be next on the horizon for Pope Leo XIV. I think it time to answer some of these hypothetical and likely possibilities.
As I have been introspecting and going through many posts, comments, videos, etc. it is likely that although Pope Leo XIV may be someone in the same vein as Popes John Paul II or Benedict XVI; an educated and seasoned theologian, a canon lawyer, and a prayerful and devout Pope; The fact that he doesn’t come across as a radical liberal, or an out-and-out politician, a progressive, or a modernist like Pope Francis, certainly helps his case. Sure, there are worrying aspects, such as his choice of the papal title of Pope Leo XIV, based sheerly on the ‘social justice’ tag of Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum. There is the nagging doubt cast by the support of the ‘bridge-building’ liberals of Fr. James Martin, Cardinal Wuerl, Cardinal Dolan, and Austen Ivereigh. There is also his antipathy towards POTUS and the subject of immigration, and so on. Perhaps the below aspects will help us paint a better sketch of the man in the days to come.
“He (Pope Leo XIV) must very carefully appoint bishops, because bishops should really be men of God, of Catholic faith. To this he should pay much attention.”
During the Synod on the family in 2015 for example, it was reported by Henry Sire in his book ‘The Dictator Pope’ that
“The composition of the committee that would draft the final report of the synod confirmed…that at least seven of the ten drafters appointed by Pope Francis were men of known “progressive” views.”
Similarly, Pope Francis, while appointing his personnel made a lot of leg room for his ‘associates’. His Argentinian acquaintance, the ‘eminent’ Cardinal Victor ‘Tucho’ Fernandez (from ‘heal me with your mouth’ infamy), as also for Bishop Gustavo Oscar Zanchetta, who was a known homosexual, whom ‘The Pillar’ had this to say about:
Zanchetta meeting Pope Francis (CEDOC/PERFIL)
“scrutiny is now likely to fall on…Pope Francis, who promoted Zanchetta to bishop in one of his first acts as pope, and who created a job for Zanchetta in the Vatican after the bishop (Zanchetta) resigned from his diocese under a cloud of suspicion.”
Later reports of Zanchetta’s abuse, were swept under the carpet by Francis, until such time that they could no longer by side stepped, thus becoming an embarrassment to Francis, allowing Zanchetta to finally resign again under the guise of ‘health’ issues. Cardinal ‘Tucho’ Fernandez, the author of Fiducia Supplicans, meanwhile continues in his stint as Prefect of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of Faith.
The point here is, that the profiling of appointments by Pope Leo XIV by all and sundry will now be guaranteed thanks to the likely misdeeds of the Francis papacy. And that will be a good thing. It is important that the person & the office of the Pope are not viewed by Catholics with the same ultramontane* defensiveness and lack of candour/courage that was previously on display during the Francis pontificate. All eyes will be on the personnel that will be appointed in future by Pope Leo XIV and this will provide the first likely hint to the policy(ies) of Pope Leo XIV.
Doctrinal & Liturgical correction
A lot will also depend on how Pope Leo XIV perceives doctrines that were meddled with during the Francis Pontificate. Will he choose to turn a blind eye to them in the name of synodality? or, will he choose to confront the errors? This will also define his papacy; because if he steps out to make changes, correct, or eliminate the changes introduced by Francis, it is guaranteed to ruffle feathers. For example, any changes to Fiducia Supplicans will be closely watched by the German and American left leaning Bishops and the rest of the woke secular press. And I don’t think changes to Fiducia Supplicans, especially those that may even be suspected to go against the cancellations of the infernal ‘blessings’, will go well with any of these allies, making it a highly precarious move for Pope Leo XIV. My guess is that he will not venture anywhere close to Fiducia Supplicans or Amoris Laetitia, other than the passing eulogy of his predecessor and the mention of the ‘bridges’ that the two landmark encyclicals built.
“First: to confirm, to strengthen all the faithful in faith as Jesus gave it to Peter and to him [Leo] also in this case, in view of the evident confusion in which the Church has sunk in doctrinal, moral, it is really urgent to strengthen and to confirm in faith.
Expanding on the doctrinal aspect of the Church crisis, Schneider divided this into three further points which, he said, needed addressing: To concretely [deal with] three topics which are mostly confused in the life of the Church:
Truth about the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation, and that other religions are not means of grace or ways of salvation. Must be stated with a crystal-clear affirmation.
The divine order of human sexuality must be addressed in a highly clear formula. The main topics which concern this theme, which in our day are evidently causing so much confusion in the Church, are regarding the intrinsic immorality and evilness of homosexual acts and lifestyle and then divorce. This must be stressed. And the indissolubility of marriage.
To make a solemn or definitive clarification regarding the sacrament of ordination, establishing that the sacrament of orders – since it is in one sacrament in three grades of episcopacy, preliterate and diaconate – are by divinely established right reserved to the faithful of male sex.
As for liturgy, Schneider expanded on his previous condemnation of Pope Francis’ restriction of the traditional Mass as contained in Traditionis Custodes, calling for the document to be rescinded: Regarding worship, the pope should abrogate Traditionis Custodes completely: It is really a humiliation, a persecution of a part of the faithful and also a rejection of the entire tradition of the liturgy of the Church. So this must be healed. He must restore the complete liberty of use of the liturgy of all ages.” said Schneider.
It is likely that Pope Leo XIV might sweeten the deal to the conservatives by opening up Benedict XVI’s Summorum Pontificum all over again through an updated Motu Proprio rescinding completely, or temporarily allowing privileges through minor tweaks to Francis’ Traditionis Custodes. I intuit that this may be done more sooner than later, and conversely, if ignored in entirety, it may provide corroboration of the progressive synodal focus by Pope Leo XIV.
Revoking the cancellations of priests and bishops
One of the most important ways that Pope Leo XIV can win hearts, especially in the Traditional Catholic space is by restoring priests and Bishops who were mercilessly ‘cancelled’ by Pope Francis and his tyrannical approach to all who truthfully corrected or rebuked him in the interest of Church teachings and Tradition. The likes of Archbishop Vigano, Bishop Joseph Strickland and Fr. Joseph Altman come to immediate mind.
from left to right, Abp Vigano, Bp Strickland, Fr. Altman
However, there are more such priests and Bishops who were unjustly silenced by Francis, and it will be THE most important way to ‘listen’ and ‘build bridges’ for the new Pope. In this context, I would like readers to also refer the open letter to Pope Leo XIV by Gene Thomas Gomulka.
However, there is an important caveat. Doing so (restoration of the cancelled priests/bishops), could mean having to provide an explanation to the world about why there is an undertaking in correcting the actions of his predecessor, and that will not be easy to detail. Of course they (the new appointments of team Leo XIV) could get it past people to mention their endless drawl of ‘mercy’ as the reason for restoring these priests and Bishops. But it all depends on just who holds the key (Or strings. Or leash – whichever metaphoric pejorative one chooses to use under the circumstance). If the liberals are in control, as I suspect they are, you won’t see Pope Leo XIV going anywhere close to this trainwreck of a situation. And if he does, we will know that there is a change in the plans of providence.
Action on abusive clergy, and the German ‘lavender’ Bishops
The likes of Fr. Marko Rupnik and other abusive clergy have been running amok during the pontificate of ‘big brother’ Francis. More importantly, the German Bishops, time and again, have made their impassioned and unbridled clamour for homosexuality to be regularized, which ultimately resulted in the blessings through Cardinal ‘Tucho’ Fernandez’s Fiducia Supplicans. If Pope Leo XIV is to be taken credibly, as most conservatives would like us to believe, it is imperative that he investigates and weeds out abusive priests like Rupnik. It is also a known secret that there is a deep-seated homosexual mafia that rules the roost in the Vatican. How Prevost/Pope Leo XIV attempts to address this will be highly indicative of his stance. Then again, these are issues, which if meddled with, a Pope could find himself opting for resignation, as was the case with Pope Benedict XVI; such is the strength of the gay mafia within the church. With a conservative estimate of 50 to 60%homosexual priests(active or practicing), this is an uphill make-or-break battle, and THEmost difficult challenge, if Leo XIV does decide to take it on himself. The actions taken or not taken by him will speak for itself of the priorities of the man.
Pride monthposturing
The coming month is one usually dedicated by the nuisance mob (LGBT) to parading themselves in the name of ‘Pride’. An important indicator of Pope Leo’s XIV ability to ‘walk the talk’, or just plain ‘talk’ (at the very least), will be the message he sends the ‘SodomiaSupplicans’ brigade. If he is wishy-washy, using the standard Vatican II–Bergoglian lectionary (pastoral, listening, accompany, who-am-I to-judge, dignity, synodal, etc.), it can be rest-assured that the legacy of Bergoglio lives on. Even if the speech is ambiguous, unclear, or containing the general hem–and–haw grandiloquence – that is, speaking a lot but saying very little, we can rest assured that liberal power brokers such as Cardinals Dolan, McElroy, Cupich and the rest of the USCCB cabal have Pope Leo XIV exactly where they want him.
Beatifications and Canonizations
Beatifications and Canonizations are usually the favourite go-to for recently elected Pontiffs. Between 2013 to 2014, after being elected as Pope, Francis approved eleven canonizations, two of which were of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII, both luminaries of the post conciliar order of Vatican II (Pope John XXIII considered as post conciliar, since Vatican II was his initiative).
The canonization process of the ever-popular Blessed Carlo Acutis should therefore be completed soon, even by next month. It is also very likely that canonizations and beatifications pertaining to names such as Bishop Fulton Sheen. Similarly, the case of the ‘All or Nothing’, ‘Servant of God’, Sister Clare Crockett, who has been an inspiration to the younger generation, along with Blessed Carlo Acutis is likely to be considered.
From left to right, Acutis, Abp. Sheen, Sr. Crockett
But (and oh, what a big ‘but’ it is); The biggest surprise could be the initiation of the beatification process of ‘the Pope from Buenos Aires’ – Pope Francis. The Pope of the poor, of the peripheries, of refugees and immigrants, of social justice, of listening, of who-am-I-to-judge, and of synodality (leave aside the likelihood that the average Catholic has no idea what ‘synodality’ is, or means). If Pope Leo XIV pays this tribute to Francis, we can be assured of a pontificate that will only provide lip service or temporary relief to the rupture initiated during & after Vatican II, and the wounds further inflicted by the Francis pontificate.
Pontifical Academy of Science statements
An area of personal interest is, what or how Pope Leo XIV will address the Pontifical Academy of Science. This is bound to happen. It always does; Without fail, it will. It happened with Pope John Paul II, with Pope Benedict XVI, and with Pope Francis. All the Popes have had to pay homage to, as Ad Magnam Modernistarum Franciae, Pierre Teilhard De Chardin prophesized, the theory that all theories and all hypothesis, must bow before: evolution.
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences has been infiltrated with naturalists and modernists of every stripe; who are committed to evolution without a fault. It seems that every time a new Pope is elected, it is customary for him to head over to Casina Pio IV in the heart of the Vatican Gardens, and rattle of lengthy tributes in praise of the god of the naturalist: evolution. When one sees this kind of control exerted over the most powerful organization or man in the world, i.e. the Vatican and the Pope, one wonders who exactly is in control of things. It is one thing to have the Pope pay a guest visit to a meeting or two, shake hands with some of the distinguished scientists gathered, and head back for his scheduled angelus, with the meeting done and over with. It is quite another thing altogether to see pontiff after pontiff wax eloquent in favour of a ‘theory’ that defies common sense and the laws of natural science as well. It was understandable if this lamentable soliloquy was being articulated by ordinary men; instead these are the doings of men who are considered to be stewards of the keys of heaven; Based on the trend that we have seen since Pope John Paul II, it is easy to anticipate and conclude the general views that are likely to be shared by Pope Leo XIV. The last time that Pope Francis graced the Pontifical Academy of Science in 2014, his statements made headlines, as was expected to, as follows:
“When we read about Creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so,”
The implication here was that a ‘creative’ act by God, by simply speaking things into existence, was out of the question. There is a vast difference between ‘God’ who is intimately and lovingly connected to the universe He created out of nothing, and between a ‘magician’ who performs stage tricks to amuse an audience. Putting the two on an equal platform is insulting, vacuous, and pedestrian for a statement coming from the Vicar of Christ on the nature of God. This comparison to a ‘magician’ by Pope Francis should have raised eyebrows from faithful Catholics at the very least. But such is the icy cold grip of ultramontanism* on the faithful hyperpapalist.
I wonder if Pope Leo XIV would like to take this one step further by asking a similar question as Pope Francis, but, by swapping the subject of creation for the resurrection:
“When we read (about) the account of the resurrection of Jesus, we risk imagining that God was a magician, complete with an all powerful magic wand. But that was not so.”
If you were offended, then I have to ask: Well, why not? Miracles are not allowed in ‘science’. Hence, why should the miracle of the resurrection be any different from the miracle of creation? I had tried to articulate this perspective to Bishop Martinelli of AVOSA (Vicariate of Southern Arabia) in my letter to him, but to no avail.
Bishop Paolo Martinelli of the Vicariate of Southern Arabia (AVOSA)
The formality of meeting with the Pontifical Academy of Science is very likely to be supported by Pope Leo XIV as well. The question however is, to what extent and in what manner will such a support to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences be extended? Thus far, the farthest that the post conciliar popes before Leo XIV have gone, was for Pope John Paul II to coronate evolution as “more than a hypothesis”. Will Leo maintain this narrative? Or is there likely to be a more distinct and more resounding enthroning of the evolutionary theory? Will Leo XIV veer more towards that oft repeated ‘thought terminating cliché‘: “God could have used evolution”, something that Bishop Martinelli of AVOSA told us, and Francis was perhaps saying in as many words? Or given that Pope Leo XIV has a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics, will that help his perspective in understanding fundamental cause and effect? Prevost also was formed by Augustinian theology. As Pope Leo XIV, will this help him in his understanding & appreciation of Thomistic and Augustinian theology in context with the subject of special Creation? Highly unlikely, given the hold that the current paradigm (of naturalism) has on the populace and on academicians. Orthodox views on the subject of creation, will be tantamount to a miracle, and last I checked, Francis, didn’t believe in a God of miracles, since this could mean that “we run the risk of imagining God was a magician”.
Through my experience in discussing evolution with Catholics and Christians alike, it seems that God has allowed a dense fog of confusion, in the form of the evolutionary fairy tale, to descend on people; And perhaps it is not yet the time of providence for this fog to be lifted. Or just maybe, Pope Leo XIV could pull the proverbial rabbit out of his mitre and herald the lifting of the fog by God’s immense mercy and grace. We shall find out soon enough.
May Our Lady of Fatima continue to pray for the Church and our Pope. May Saint Augustine, Saint Peter and the past papal Leos in heaven intercede for our current vicar, and may Archangel Michael pray and defend our Pope from all the wickedness and snares of the malignant enemy.
Ave Maria
Reference: *Dr. Peter Kwasniewski describes Ultramontanism as an exaggerated or “hypertrophic” adherence to the Pope and his policies, often seen as a deviation from a balanced understanding of papal authority within the Catholic Church, further viewed as an overemphasis on papal authority, where everything the Pope says is taken as a definitive judgment and everything he does is viewed as a praiseworthy example (refer to books such as ‘Ultramontanism and Tradition: The Role of Papal Authority in the Catholic Faith’ and ‘The Road from Hyperpapalism to Catholicism: Rethinking the Papacy in a Time of Ecclesial Disintegration’ (Volumes I & II) by the eminent Dr. Peter Kwasniewski).
