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[Catholic Caucus] The Church ‘Cannot Declare War’ on Latin Mass Devotees, Cardinal Robert Sarah Says The cardinal praised Pope Benedict’s 2007 decision to allow the faithful greater access to the Latin Mass but called Pope Francis’ 2021 decision to restrict it neither ‘sensible’ nor ‘respectful.’“We, as a Church, cannot declare war on those who devoutly attend Mass simply because they prefer one form over another; this is a shortsighted and entirely ideological stance and, therefore, neither pastoral nor Christian,” Cardinal Robert Sarah said on Aug. 27. “It is harmful and destructive to the Church.”Cardinal Sarah, the former prefect of the...

[Catholic Caucus] EXCLUSIVE: ‘I hate to see them pained’: Cardinal Radcliffe on traditional CatholicsEXCLUSIVE: Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe speaks to AdVaticanum about Britain’s Catholic revival, the appeal of the faith to young people, synodality, growing Dominican vocations and his sympathy for Catholics attached to the Traditional Latin MassThe first English Dominican cardinal since the convert Cardinal Philip Howard in the 17th century, and the first Englishman ever to serve as Master of the Order of Preachers, Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe is a symbol of Catholicism’s resurgence in the United Kingdom after centuries of persecution. Like St John Henry Newman before him, he...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Sarah condemns Latin Mass restrictions: ‘Destructive to the Church’ Cardinal Sarah said that the Church ‘cannot wage war’ on Catholics who prefer the Latin Mass, calling it ‘a short-sighted and entirely ideological attitude, therefore not pastoral and not Christian.’ Cardinal Robert Sarah said that restricting the Traditional Latin Mass was “neither wise nor respectful” and that war against traditional Catholics is “destructive to the Church.”In a recent interview with Italian newspaper Il Giornale, Cardinal Sarah addressed Pope Francis’ restrictions on the Latin Mass through his motu proprio Traditiones Custodes and the “war” on traditional Catholics.He was asked...

Vatican Double Standard: Communists IN, Traditionalists OUTWhy does the Vatican tolerate Communist China’s state-appointed Catholic bishops while cracking down on the SSPX and the Traditional Latin Mass? Michael Matt examines the growing double standard and the disturbing ramifications for faithful Catholics. Why is the Vatican eager to tolerate bishops appointed by Communist China without a papal mandate while taking increasingly severe action against Traditional Catholic bishops of the SSPX?Michael Matt examines this contradiction alongside a series of developments affecting Traditional Catholics: reported restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass in Seattle and Pittsburgh, new pressure against the TLM in England, and...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Schneider defends consecrations and rejects Vatican charge of schism Bishop Athanasius Schneider has offered one of his strongest defences of the SSPX following its episcopal consecrations. In a statement published by veteran Catholic journalist Diane Montagna, he argues that disobedience to the Pope does not necessarily constitute schism and calls on the Holy See to acknowledge “objective ambiguities” in Vatican II and the New MassBishop Athanasius Schneider has offered a forceful defence of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) following its recent episcopal consecrations by arguing that disobedience to the Pope does not in itself constitute...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo calls on priests to ‘respect’ the post-Vatican II liturgies in new letter In a recent letter publicly released today, Pope Leo XIV said that anyone involved in preparing liturgies, especially priests, must show “respect” for the liturgical rites of the Second Vatican Council.The letter, addressed to Cardinal Arthur Roche, the head of the Vatican’s liturgy office and dated June 29, is the latest in a series of strong signals Pope Leo has sent indicating he does not plan to reverse Pope Francis’ restrictions on the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass.“In order to promote the dignified celebration of...

[Catholic Caucus] Leo XIV Backs Liturgical Program after 'Traditionis Custodes' Leo XIV has sent a message to Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship. The occasion is a meeting at Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon devoted to liturgical formation. Dated June 29, the brief message was published today in the Vatican bulletin. The text appears to reinforce Cardinal Roche’s recent statement that Leo XIV does not intend to abolish Traditionis Custodes. Leo XIV calls for respect for “the rites promulgated by Pope Saint Paul VI and Pope Saint John Paul II.” He adds that this respect must...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Schneider: ‘Nothing more dangerous for religion’ than liturgical ‘interference’The Church's 'apostolic rule' is that 'antiquity was retained, novelty was rejected,' according to Bishop Schneider.Bishop Athanasius Schneider warned in a sermon this weekend that “nothing is more dangerous for a religion” than “interference with the liturgy.”The auxiliary bishop of Astana, Kazakhstan, defended the importance of upholding the Church’s sacred tradition, including its traditional liturgy, during a visit to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest in Limerick, Ireland.He emphasized that it is a perpetual precept of the Catholic Church to remain faithful to its tradition, both “doctrinally...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo approved Cardinal Roche’s document supporting Latin Mass restrictions: report A Spanish outlet reported that Pope Leo requested a document affirming Pope Francis’ claim that the Novus Ordo is ‘the sole expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite.’Pope Leo XIV supports the Latin Mass-suppressing document Traditionis Custodes and specifically requested Cardinal Arthur Roche’s document on the liturgy backing Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) restrictions, according to a Spanish publication.La Razón reported Sunday that it has been “able to confirm” Cardinal Roche distributed this year’s consistory document on the liturgy “at the request of Leo XIV and,...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo will not overturn Francis’ Latin Mass restrictions: Cardinal RocheThe Vatican’s liturgy head said Pope Leo XIV will maintain the provisions of ‘Traditionis Custodes’ and will not return to the broader Latin Mass permissions established by Pope Benedict XVI. Cardinal Arthur Roche said in a new interview that Pope Leo will not restore freedoms for the Traditional Latin Mass extended under Pope Benedict XVI.On July 29, British Catholic weekly The Tablet published an interview with Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, who stated that Pope Leo XIV will maintain...

[Catholic Caucus] Divine Worship Prefect Roche: “Leo will not change Traditionis or go back to Summorum.” From his interview to British Catholic periodical “The Tablet,” the words of Cardinal Roche are peremptory: “But no, Pope Leo is not going to change Traditionis Custodes, and he’s not going back to Summorum Pontificum.”Meaning, the Traditional Latin Mass will remain in the Egypt of Captivity (Traditionis) and never return to the Promised Land of Liberty (Summorum).Excerpt below (behind the paywall, but provided by our occasional contributor Matthew Hazell on X):Cardinal Roche is 76. He is therefore past the age of retirement.(Interview)

Condemnation of SSPX consecrations uses the reasoning of the PhariseesLike the Pharisees, SSPX critics painstakingly uphold procedural law at the expense of the law’s underlying purpose, the salvation of souls.The condemnation of the SSPX consecrations is a Pharisaical error. This point might be inflammatory, but I want to make clear that I think most practicing Catholics who condemn the consecrations love Christ and totally desire to uphold the faith. I am not saying that they, as people, are like the Pharisees, only that their position unwittingly endorses the kind of reasoning used by the Pharisees. One of the clearest recurring...

Why many traditional Catholics believe the SSPX is answering Our Lady’s callOur Lady in Fatima, Akita, La Salette, and Good Success foretold the confusion, division, and moral collapse now visible in the Vatican's standoff with the SSPX.In moments of confusion and division within the Church, many faithful Catholics turn to the messages Our Lady has given over the centuries.These private revelations – approved ones like Fatima, Akita, La Salette, and Good Success – are not articles of faith, but they have offered comfort and warning to generations facing crisis. Today, as tensions between the Vatican and the Society of Saint...

Leo XIV is continuing Pope Francis’ war against traditional CatholicsPope Francis’s 2021 motu proprio ‘Traditionis Custodes’ marked the opening shot in a campaign against Catholic tradition that has only intensified under Pope Leo XIV.Catholics of goodwill see it. The machinations have been well-documented. Popes Francis and Leo have each steered the holy Barque of Peter into a war footing; a war in which the Vatican is the aggressor.It is not a war “against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places” (Ephesians 6). Nor is it a...

The SSPX Appeals to Rome: Will Pope Leo XIV Practice the Synodality He Preaches?The Society of St. Pius X has formally appealed Rome's excommunication decree, setting up one of the most consequential canonical disputes in decades. Attorney Robert Morrison examines why this legal challenge places Pope Leo XIV's own teachings on ecumenism, religious liberty, and synodality under unprecedented scrutiny—and why the Vatican's response may shape the future of the traditional Catholic movement.On July 13, 2026, the General House of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) announced that it had submitted a preliminary recourse to the Dicastery of the Doctrine...

TRIBUNE. The Failure of Leo XIVThere was a time when excommunication could bring an emperor to his knees or cause an entire nation to apostatize. But excommunication is no longer what it once was, and that is the work of the very Church that today wields it against the FSSPX. History knows these diminished echoes, those tragedies that repeat themselves as farces, as Marx described when he identified Napoleon III as a ridiculous imitation of his uncle. Nor is Leo XIV Gregory VII. But if farce is already a fairly appropriate term to describe this case, with Tucho Fernández, carrying...

[Catholic Caucus] SSPX Superior General Responds to Pope's AppealIn response to the appeal sent by letter by His Holiness to him, Fr. Pagliarani, Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), sent the following message:Letter from the Superior General in Response to His Holiness Pope Leo XIVThe Superior GeneralTo His HolinessPope Leo XIVEcône, 30 June 2026 Most Holy Father,Thank you very much for the letter that Your Holiness so kindly addressed to me.I have been deeply touched by Your paternal solicitude.For a long time, I had hoped to have the opportunity of meeting You in person, in order...

[Catholic Caucus] The Fallout from Archbishop Vigano’s Message to Pope LeoArchbishop Vigano’s letter to Pope Leo was a straightforward list of questions for the new Pope to answer regarding actions by Pope Francis and the direction of the Catholic Church.The letter to Leo XIV from Monsignor Carlo Maria Viganò [here] has the merit of confronting the Pope with inescapable questions. And since it comes not from a fanatical ideologue but from a faithful servant of the Church, it fully warrants being taken seriously by anyone questioning what has become of a Church that still calls itself Catholic but, in essence,...

[Catholic Caucus] For the Record - Dom Jeremias Schröder, Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation: "The Traditional Latin Mass Can No Longer Be Pushed Out Entirely."This major interview was published in German by the official news website of the German Bishops, Katholisch.de, last week. It has essential content for Traditional Catholics, and we post the translation here for the record of current events. Abbot Primate: The Old Mass Can No Longer Be Pushed Out Entirely "I am very curious to see how Pope Leo will approach the problem" Ludwig Ring-Eifel, for KNAApril 30, 2026Amid the dying of monasteries and the...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinals Reject Hope in Leo XIV on Roman RiteSeveral anonymous cardinals and curial officials told the Substack.com account The Pillar on April 17 that they do not expect any resolution to the question of the Mass in the Roman rite in the near future.Some Catholics had hoped the next extraordinary consistory of cardinals on June 26–27 would address the liturgical issue. Instead, Leo XIV chose to focus on Francis' document Evangelii Gaudium.One Vatican official said that Leo XIV was not very familiar with traditional communities or even the traditional liturgy, and that his primary concern was not liturgy...