Pope Leo to Priests - Do your job!

At yesterday's General Audience, Pope Leo XIV spoke about the liturgy. He also reminded priests to follow the rubrics. 

We are now over sixty years from Sacrosanctum Concilium and what we thought was the "New Mass," the 1965 Missal, which, as a young boy, we were told was the Mass of Vatican II. We had no idea another new one was on the way. But they did. 

The Pope asks priests to offer Mass properly. Why are they not? Yes, there are too many options in the reformed Mass, too many opportunities for self-expression and an offering of "thanksgiving" (eucharist) rather than an offering of "sacrifice." 

A few years ago, during the suspension of Mass due to the China Virus by our cowardly Cardinal Thomas "No Mass for You" Collins, a priest friend read Sacrosanctum Concilium for the first time - they never read the Documents of Vatican II at St. Augustine's Seminary. What does that tell you about the "spirit" rather than the letter? Yet, when he read it, he was scandalized. He called to tell me, and he immediately realized the result of that document was not the Mass he said that morning. I told him that he was correct, that Mass only lasted four years. He knew that S.C. was referring to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite or traditional Latin Mass. 

But here we are in 2026, and priests here in Cardinal Frank Leo's Archdiocese of Toronto are still not following the Council nor yesterday's words of the Holy Father.

What is it with these men, these priests, who threaten the younger ones who were called under Benedict XVI and now trying to serve the LORD and His people, yet these aging pastors in their sociopathic and psychopathic disorientation continue to berate them back into the 1970's or 1980's? As someone 69 myself, do I have to say we all have to be dead to see this fixed? Get out, retire with your Depends to Presentation House and let the suspended Thomas Rosica take care of you. You are the problem. Your work has been less than stellar and less than the straw of which Aquinas wrote. You are the cause of the abandonment of the faith, and you will be held to account, to say nothing about the Cardinals and their numerous mediocre Auxilliaries. Faithless cowards and effeminates. All of them. 

On the cusp of the Consecrations by the Society of St. Pius X of new bishops, the Pope has decided to speak on liturgy, Mediator Dei and Sacrosanctum Concilium. 

Why, and what message is he sending?

 

GENERAL AUDIENCE

Saint Peter’s Square

Wednesday, 27 May 2026

The Documents of the Second Vatican Council. III. Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium.

The reform of the liturgy: tradition and development

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

In the Encyclical Mediator Dei, the Venerable Pius XII writes that “the Church is without question a living organism, and as an organism, in respect of the sacred liturgy also, she grows, matures, develops, adapts and accommodates herself to temporal needs and circumstances, provided only that the integrity of her doctrine be safeguarded” (no. 59).

In full accordance with this principle, the Second Vatican Council, in the Introduction to the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC), recognizes “particularly cogent reasons for undertaking the reform and promotion of the liturgy” (no. 1). The Council assembly was gathered, in fact, with the desire to “impart an ever increasing vigour to the Christian life of the faithful; to adapt more suitably to the needs of our own times those institutions which are subject to change; to foster whatever can promote union among all who believe in Christ; to strengthen whatever can help to call the whole of mankind into the household of the Church” (ibid.).

At that moment in history, there was a strong sense of the need for a renewal of the ritual forms through which, for centuries, the Church had glorified God and sanctified the Christian people. Thanks to the Liturgical Movement, the conviction had matured—later expressed by Saint John Paul II—that “a very close and organic bond exists between the renewal of the liturgy and the renewal of the whole life of the Church. The Church not only acts but also expresses herself in the liturgy, lives by the liturgy and draws from the liturgy the strength for her life” (Letter Dominicae Cenae, 13).

To encourage the access of the faithful to the richness of the gifts of grace dispensed by the sacred liturgy, the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium thus indicates, with a very effective phrase, the direction to take: “That sound tradition may be retained, and yet the way remain open to legitimate progress” (SC, 23).

Pope Benedict XVI grasped in this declaration of intent the “reform programme” of the Council Fathers, “a balance between the great liturgical tradition of the past and that of the future”, noting that “tradition and progress are often clumsily opposed”, whereas “actually, the two concepts merge: tradition is a living reality, which therefore includes in itself the principle of development, of progress. It is as if to say that the river of tradition also carries its source in itself and flows towards the outlet” (Address to participants in the Congress promoted by the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm on the 50th anniversary of foundation, 6 May 2011).

The Council affirms the legitimacy of this progress, rooted in authentic Tradition, distinguishing within the liturgy “immutable elements, divinely instituted” from “elements subject to change [which] not only may but ought to be changed with the passage of time if they have suffered from the intrusion of anything out of harmony with the inner nature of the liturgy or have become unsuited to it” (SC, 21). Changes of this type have taken place constantly over the centuries in order to enable the faithful to participate fruitfully, through ritual actions, in the Paschal Mystery of Christ, the foundation of the Christian faith. The Church’s worship has thus been “embodied” in the cultural forms of each age and has been able to influence them and even transform them. The liturgy has thus been, for centuries, a driving force for evangelization. Today, this energy must be renewed in continuity with the authentic and living Catholic tradition, that is, in accordance with a dynamic aimed at introducing believers to the fullness of the truth.

It is therefore understandable why the Council Fathers recommended that the revision of the rites, when “the good of the Church genuinely and certainly requires them”, must be carried out taking care that “any new forms adopted should in some way grow organically from forms already existing” (SC, 23). For the good of the entire Church, every reform must always be preceded by careful “theological, historical and pastoral” investigation (ibid.). The Council Magisterium, in this way, thus calls for the avoidance of confusion amongst the faithful, discouraging anyone from adding, removing or altering anything in liturgical matters on their own initiative (cf. SC, 22). The progress evoked in the Conciliar Constitution in no way compromises ecclesial communion: rather, it seeks to confirm and foster it.

I therefore urge all those called to prepare the celebration of the divine mysteries, in particular priests who exercise the ministry of liturgical presidency, to always uphold that respect for the texts and regulations of the liturgy which springs from an inner attitude of openness and trust in God, manifesting humility before His greatness and sincere fidelity to ecclesial communion.

Declaration of Catholic Faith addressed to Pope Leo XIV by the SSPX

Update: I’m pleased to see that Father Z’s comments align closely with my own. The leadership of the Society of St. Pius X shows a great deal of arrogance and pride (Noted on the question of the non-baptized), and Pope Leo XIV should approach the situation with an open heart of charity.

Thoughts about the collision of the Holy See and the SSPX. Wherein Fr. Z rants. | Fr. Z's Blog

Until now, I have not addressed the current matters concerning the Society of St. Pius X. I do not attend Holy Mass at their chapels, though in the past I have and participated in their choir and, in Toronto, served on their New Church Committee under the former Priory priest. I hold great admiration for their work and for the achievements of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. I have always regarded the original excommunications as an unfortunate response, and I welcomed the actions of our late Pope Benedict XVI. I was pleased when Pope Francis granted them faculties, though I believe they made a strategic error by not requesting the appointment of new bishops, as I suspect he would have agreed.

Fast forwarding to the current situation, it seems to me that on both sides, there is an extreme lack of charity and far too much pride. The Society has never changed its arguments, and whilst we can appreciate it, in many ways, they cannot tell the Pope to rewrite the documents of the Second Vatican Council, nor expect him to respond in such a short timeline, if at all. They are arrogant and prideful. On the other hand, Vatican authorities are bellicose and arrogant themselves and think that all is well in spite of the reality staring them in the face. 

Now, we stand at the cusp of the consecration of new bishops, which they need, but without a papal mandate and the inevitable excommunication. I have said to many, when asked, that the solution is not that hard, and it requires charity and faith.

To me, the answer is simple.

"Holy Father, we accept that the Second Vatican Council is a valid Council of the Holy Catholic Church. We have some concerns about specific wording, but more importantly, the interpretation of those wordings and the resultant actions. We accept the licity alidity of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass according to the Roman Missal of 1969 when it is offered in accord with the official rubrics licit and with the correct intention, and we deplore, as do you, the abuses. We hope and pray that in the fullness of time, clarity removes all doubt as to the faith we have all experienced over the last 60 years. We ask you for the good of the Church and the salvation of souls for a mandate to consecrate bishops."

Pope Leo responds:

"My dear Sons, I grant you the mandate to consecrate. I invite you to a commission with all your bishops to engage in a permanent structure for your worldwide apostolate and a continuing dialogue where the clarification you seek is discussed and resolved."

How do you excommunicate this? 

Declaration of Catholic Faith addressed to Pope Leo XIV | FSSPX News

Declaration of Catholic Faith addressed to Pope Leo XIV

 May 14, 2026                     Source: FSSPX News  

Declaration of Catholic Faith addressed to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV by Fr. Davide Pagliarani Superior General of the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X 

Most Holy Father, 

For more than fifty years, the Society of Saint Pius X has endeavoured to set before the Holy See a matter of conscience in the face of the errors that are destroying Catholic faith and morals. Regrettably, all the discussions entered into have remained without result, and none of the concerns expressed have received any truly satisfactory response. 

For more than fifty years, the only solution truly considered by the Holy See has appeared to be that of canonical sanctions. To our great regret, it seems to us that canon law is thus being used, not to confirm in the faith, but to lead away from it. 

In the text that follows, the Society of Saint Pius X is glad to express to You, filially and sincerely, its devotion to the Catholic faith, concealing nothing, either from Your Holiness or from the universal Church. 

The Society places this simple Declaration of Faith in Your hands. It seems to us to correspond to the minimum indispensable to be in communion with the Church, and to truly call ourselves Catholics and, consequently, your sons. 

We have no other desire than that of living and being confirmed in the Roman Catholic Faith. 

“Thus, remaining firmly rooted and established in the true Catholic Faith, strive always to be worthy ministers of the divine Sacrifice and of the Church of God, which is the Body of Christ.

For, as the Apostle says: ‘all that is not of faith is sin’,1 schismatic and outside the unity of the Church.”2 

DECLARATION OF CATHOLIC FAITH 

In the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, divine Wisdom, the Word Incarnate, Who willed one sole religion, Who rendered the Old Covenant definitively null and void, Who founded one sole Church, Who triumphed over Satan, Who conquered the world, Who remains with us until the end of time and Who shall come again to judge the living and the dead. 

He, the perfect Image of the Father, the Son of God made man, was appointed the sole Redeemer and Saviour of the world through the Incarnation and the voluntary offering of the Sacrifice of the Cross. Our Lord satisfied divine justice by shedding His Most Precious Blood, and it is in that Blood that He established the New and Eternal Covenant, abolishing the Old. He is therefore the sole Mediator between God and men and the sole way to come to the Father. Only he who knows Him knows the Father. 

By divine decree, the Most Holy Virgin Mary has been directly and intimately associated with the entire work of Redemption; to deny this association — in the terms received from Tradition — is therefore to alter the very notion of Redemption as willed by divine Providence. 

There is only one Faith and one Church by which we may be saved. Outside the Roman Catholic Church, and without the profession of Faith that she has always taught, there is neither salvation nor remission of sins. 

Consequently, every man must be a member of the Catholic Church in order to save his soul, and there is but one baptism as the means of being incorporated into her. This necessity concerns the whole of humanity without exception and embraces without distinction Christians, Jews, Muslims, pagans, and atheists. 

The mandate received by the Apostles, to preach the Gospel to every man and to convert every man to the Catholic faith, remains binding until the end of time and responds to the most absolute and most pressing necessity in the world. “He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned.”3 Therefore, to renounce the fulfilment of this mandate constitutes the gravest of crimes against humanity. 

The Roman Church alone possesses simultaneously the four marks that characterize the Church founded by Jesus Christ: Unity, Holiness, Catholicity, and Apostolicity. 

Her unity flows essentially from the adherence of all her members to the one true Faith, faithfully preserved, taught, and handed down by the Catholic hierarchy throughout the centuries. 

The denial of even a single truth of faith destroys faith itself and renders radically impossible all communion with the Catholic Church. 

The only possible path to restoring unity among Christians of different confessions consists in the urgent and charitable appeal addressed to non-Catholics to profess the one true Faith within the one true Church.

The Catholic Church can in no way be regarded or treated on an equal footing with a false form of worship or a false church. 

The Roman Pontiff, the Vicar of Christ, is the sole possessor of supreme authority over the whole Church. He alone directly confers on the other members of the Catholic hierarchy jurisdiction over souls. 

“The Holy Ghost was not promised to the successors of Peter that they might make known, by His revelation, a new doctrine, but that, by His assistance, they might inviolably keep and faithfully expound the revelation transmitted by the Apostles, that is, the Deposit of the Faith.”4 

To a unique Faith there corresponds a unique form of worship, the supreme, authentic, and perfect expression of that same Faith. 

The Holy Mass is the perpetuation in time of the Sacrifice of the Cross, offered for many and renewed upon the altar. Although offered in an unbloody manner, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is essentially expiatory and propitiatory. No other form of worship offers perfect adoration. No other form of worship that is not ordered to it is pleasing to God. No other means is sufficient for the sanctification of souls. 

Consequently, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass can in no way be reduced to a mere commemoration, to a spiritual meal, to a sacred assembly celebrated by the people, to the celebration of the Paschal mystery without sacrifice, without satisfaction of divine justice, without expiation of sins, without propitiation, and without the Cross. 

The help afforded to souls by the Sacraments of the Catholic Church is sufficient in every circumstance and in every age to enable the faithful to live in a state of grace. 

The moral law contained in the Decalogue and perfected in the Sermon on the Mount is the only one practicable for obtaining the salvation of souls. Every other moral code — founded, for example, on respect for creation or on the rights of the human person — is radically insufficient to sanctify and save souls. In no way can it replace the one true moral law. 

Following the example of Saint John the Baptist, true charity obliges us to warn sinners and never to renounce the means necessary to save their souls. 

He who eats the Body of Our Lord and drinks His Blood whilst in a state of sin eats and drinks his own condemnation, and no authority can alter this law contained in the teaching of Saint Paul and in Tradition. 

Sins of impurity that are against nature are of such gravity that they always and in every circumstance cry to God for vengeance, and are radically incompatible with every form of authentic Christian love. Such a ‘lifestyle’ can therefore in no way be recognized as a gift from God. A couple practising this vice must be helped to free themselves from it, and can in no way be blessed — formally or informally — by ministers of the Church. 

The submission of institutions and nations, as such, to the authority of Our Lord Jesus Christ flows directly from the Incarnation and the Redemption. Therefore, secularism of institutions and nations constitutes an implicit denial of the divinity and universal kingship of Our Lord. 

Christendom is not a mere historical phenomenon, but the only order willed by God among men. 

It is not for the Church to conform herself to the world, but for the world to be transformed by the Church. 

It is in this Faith and in these principles that we ask to be instructed and confirmed by Him Who has received the charism to do so. With the help of Our Lord, we would rather die than renounce them. It is in this immutable Faith that we desire to live and die, in the hope that it may give way to the direct vision of the immutable eternal Truth. 

Menzingen, 14 May 2026,

on the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord 

Davide Pagliarani

Pope Leo XIV reshapes Holy Week to what it should be - Silere non Possum

The Italian blog, Silere non Possum, has an important announcement. Pope Leo XIV will return to the proper celebration of the Sacred Triduum with a proper morning Chrism Mass and a proper Holy Thursday Mass in the Lateran Basilica of St. John, the actual Cathedral of Rome. Since 2013, we have endured the Begoglian liturgical insult and innovation of ignoring the liturgical norms and dignity and proper worship of God and the sorrow of the Triduum. The narcissistic, attention-seeking sham of foot washing and attendance at prisons and other places, to say nothing of the debasement of the ceremony and the intent, appears to be, thankfully, over.  Laus Deo!

The ritual of Washing of the Feet in the Usus Antiquior is not part of the Mass; it is a ritual that was undertaken at another time of the day. It was a superior washing the feet of inferiors and took place in cathedrals or monasteries, convents or even in a palace with the King washing the feet of his subjects. In the Novus Ordo, the rite was and remains optional. It allowed for the washing of the feet of the laity, but originally women,n which was altered by Bergoglio. Many priests, not wishing to deal with the matter of women, simply option it out. As part of the debatable wisdom of the 1955 Holy Week reform in the Usus Antiquior, it was inserted as an option in the Holy Thursday liturgy, but only for men and could include laity. The traditional manner for the Pope would be to wash the feet of priests, canons, or deacons in the cathedral, thus reflecting Our blessed Lord washing the feet of His apostles, or first bishops, as a sign of service. The idea of washing the feet of prisoners, women, moslems, as an example, as Bergoglio loved to do for attention, was a great thing -- on any other day of the year. Yes, wash the feet of the poor on any other day and not in front of cameras. Such a humble pope he was.

Patience friends. Pope Leo XIV is not Francis II; he is Leo XIV. Resetting takes time.

 
The end of the “Away Trips”: Leo XIV reshapes Holy Week and the Curia’s spiritual exercises - Silere Non Possum

Pope Leo XIV

 

Unlike 2013, I had no chills and did not feel the urge to vomit, which is a good thing because I was dining with friends at a churrasqueira. As the curtains opened, I first said, "Let's see how he's dressed." He vested as a pope should vest. He also did not say, "good evening," nor did he ask that we bless him because we cannot bless him, we have no authority over him, and he blessed us. That says a lot, as does his name. But, an American? For what it's worth, notwithstanding some of his various X reposts, it also appears that he's a registered Republican! 

He also chose a rather interesting name. It recalls strength, doctrinal clarity, as well as Catholic social teaching. 

+ + + 

V. Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Leo. 

R. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius. [Ps 40:3]     

Deus, omnium fidelium pastor et rector, famulum tuum Leo, quem pastorem Ecclesiae tuae praeesse voluisti, propitius respice: da ei, quaesumus, verbo et exemplo, quibus praeest, proficere: ut ad vitam, una cum grege sibi credito, perveniat sempiternam.                                            Per Christum, Dominum nostrum. Amen.           

Pater Noster, Ave Maria.

V. Let us pray for Leo, our Pope.

R. May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies. [Ps 40:3]

Our Father, Hail Mary.

O God, Shepherd and Ruler of all Thy faithful people, look mercifully upon Thy servant Leo, whom Thou hast chosen as shepherd to preside over Thy Church. Grant him, we beseech Thee, that by his word and example, he may edify those over whom he hath charge, so that together with the flock committed to him, he may attain everlasting life.        Through Christ our Lord. Amen.