Pope Leo reaffirms male priesthood rooted in apostolic succession

The Catholic Hersld

Pope Leo XIV has reiterated that the priesthood is reserved to men and is rooted in apostolic succession.

Addressing pilgrims in St Peter’s Square on March 25, the Pope said the Church “is founded on the Apostles, whom Christ appointed as the living pillars of His mystical Body”, adding that it “possesses a hierarchical structure that works in the service of the unity, mission and sanctification of all her members”. His remarks formed part of an ongoing catechetical series on the Second Vatican Council’s dogmatic constitution Lumen gentium.

Drawing directly on the text, Leo emphasised that the apostolic ministry “is permanently founded on the Apostles” and continues through their successors, who are entrusted to “sanctify, guide and instruct the Church”. He stressed that this structure “is not a human construct, functional to the internal organisation of the Church as a social body, but a divine institution”.

The Pope also underlined the Council’s teaching on the distinction between the ministerial priesthood and the common priesthood of the faithful, quoting Lumen gentium: they “differ in essence and not only in degree”, though they are “nonetheless interrelated”. The ministry conferred through Holy Orders, he said, is given to those endowed with sacra potestas for service within the People of God.

The Pope also focused on the character of those who exercise that ministry, praying that the Church may have ministers “who are ardent with evangelical charity, dedicated to the good of all the baptised, and courageous missionaries in every part of the world”.

Leo also pointed to the Council’s deliberate presentation of hierarchy within the wider mystery of the Church. The discussion in Lumen gentiumfollows its treatment of the Church as the People of God, a sequence which, he suggested, shows that hierarchy is not an addition but integral to the Church’s nature. Citing the conciliar text, he noted that the Apostles were “the first budding-forth of the New Israel, and at the same time the beginning of the sacred hierarchy”.

The Pope further highlighted the collegial dimension of apostolic ministry, recalling that the task entrusted to pastors “is a true service”, described in Scripture as diakonia. He reinforced this by quoting Paul VI, who said the hierarchy is “born of the charity of Christ, to fulfil, spread and ensure the intact and fruitful transmission of the wealth of faith”.

Near the end, the Pope asked for prayers for religious vocations: “Let us pray to the Lord that he may send to his Church ministers who are ardent with evangelical charity, dedicated to the good of all the baptised, and courageous missionaries in every part of the world.”

“Father, forgive them.”

 N.B. A lay woman LARPS in Rome as the “Archbishop of Canterbury” and every door opens. Rewarded for rejecting the Faith. Those who preserve it? They get shown the door. On a good day …

Source: @FSSPXSR

« Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. » (Lk 23:34)  

Abbé Jaime Mercant Simó, a doctor of philosophy and law, and a teacher in several renowned Catholic academic institutions, reacted as follows to the current farce of the official welcome by the Holy See, in Rome, of the Anglican “archbishop” Sarah Mullally, who is even to be received by Pope Leo XIV this Monday, April 27:  

“Here is Sarah Mullally, the pseudo-archbishop of Canterbury, giving a sacrilegious blessing in the Vatican’s Clementine Chapel, the place closest to the tomb of Saint Peter. Apparently, these ‘dynamics’ of false ecumenism pose no problem; it’s the SSPX that’s the problem...”

N.B. Here she is pretending to give a blessing while a Catholic (?) bishop is pretending to be blessed. Is it all dress-up for these people?

A one-step solution to the ‘liturgy wars’

By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Mar 26, 2026

When is the last time you were at Mass—in an ordinary parish, not a monastery or retreat center—for a regularly scheduled parish Mass, not connected with any special event—and noticed that the congregation was predominantly male? I don’t think it had ever happened to me before last night.

Whenever I see another seminar devoted to “Women in the Church,” I cannot resist making the prosaic observation that the discussion is unlikely to break any new ground. Open the door to a typical American Catholic church, and what do you see? Women in the church. Attend a meeting of the altar guild, the religious-education teachers, the parish secretaries, the extraordinary ministers. Time and again the women outnumber the men.

But not at this church, where we attended Mass for the feast of the Annunciation because we are traveling. There were more men and boys than women and girls; if you counted the altar boys it wasn’t close.

Moreover these were mostly young men. It’s no longer unusual for me to be one of the older people in a congregation. But last night, if I’d brought along all my children, I think even they would have raised the average age of the congregation a bit.

One more thing: The music at this Mass was beautiful, supplied by an excellent choir. But when the congregation joined in the singing, the sound was robust and—even more remarkable—on pitch. How could this be happening, since we all know that Catholics Can’t Sing?

You already know the answer, don’t you? This was a parish devoted exclusively to the Traditional Latin Mass. The pews were packed, the liturgy was beautiful, the congregation was attentive and reverent. The contrast with many “ordinary” parishes was stark.

This week the American journalist Diane Montagna reproduced an interview with the Dutch Cardinal Willem Eijk, who described his experience celebrating a Pontifical Mass in the traditional form for th first time:

The church was filled with people praying devoutly. Most were young, and there were also many families. There was widespread recourse to the sacrament of penance and reconciliation (confession). The Tridentine Rite is very solemn and offers many moments of silence, thereby providing ample opportunity for personal prayer. The priest celebrates the Eucharist, not as is often claimed ‘with his back to the people’, but facing the altar and thus Christ. This helps those present to consciously turn towards Christ as well.

Shouldn’t that description fit every celebration of the Eucharistic liturgy? But let’s be honest: too often, it does not. The atmosphere of reverence and devotion that Cardinal Eijk describes can be a revelation to an ordinary Catholic—or even to a Prince of the Church. It is, sadly but truly, extraordinary.

This week Pope Leo urged the French bishops to be “particularly attentive” to the faithful who are attached to the traditional liturgy, remarking that the suppression of their growing communities could cause “a painful wound within the Church regarding the celebration of the Mass.” The Pontiff called for “concrete solutions” to the traditionalists’ concerns. Even Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, who in previous years has shown no sympathy for traditionalists, told the Catholic Herald that “it will be necessary to find the formula… that can meet legitimate needs.”

Pope Leo has apparently recognized two inescapable facts. First, the traditionalist movement within the Church is large, vigorous, and growing; it is not going to go away. Second, the continuation of the “liturgy wars” within the Church is divisive and destructive. The veteran Vatican journalist Sandro Magister believes it “clearly evident” that the Pope “already has a path and goal of pacification in mind.”

What could that path be? Simple: Revive Summorum Pontificum or, what is much the same thing, retract Traditionis Custodes. The solution proposed by Pope Benedict XVI may not have been perfect, but it was workable. It allowed for a sort of détente, a suspension of the “liturgy wars.” The traditionalist movement was flourishing, growing organically bringing new converts and previously inactive Catholics to an active practice of the faith. Many active Catholics, including among the clergy, experienced the ancient liturgy for the first time, and brought some of its spirit of reverence the back to their own parishes, beginning the process of “mutual enrichment” that Pope Benedict had sought. The results of that papal initiative might have been even richer, if diocesan bishops had actively supported the Pope’s message.

More: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/one-step-solution-to-liturgy-wars/

The Wrong Problem

 N.B. Tierney gets it. Someone is finally listening.

KEVIN TIERNEY

MAR 23, 2026

Solesmes Monastery

When discussing issues within Catholicism today, it is helpful to remember that while problems may have a theological element, there is more to the Church than just her theology. Many of her problems are similar to problems found in any large and venerable institution. One of these problems is the failure to fall in love with the problem.

The concept of falling in love with a problem is a mentality that focuses on understanding the problem inside and out, before even thinking about a solution. While solving a problem can bring great fame and prestige, the desire to solve a problem can lead you to often propose a bad solution. To truly solve a problem, you must first understand every facet of it that you can: what the problem is, why it exists, how it developed, and where solutions might lie.

A recent letter by the Abbot of Solesmes, Dom Geoffroy Kemlin, showcases this mentality. In this letter (reproduced in English by Rorate Caeli,alongside an interview), Dom Kemlin advocates a rather creative liturgical reform: taking the Ordinary of the Traditional Latin Mass and inserting it into the Novus Ordo, while keeping the modern Propers, Lectionary and Calendar. He does so with both a solution and aspiration in mind: to bring about true liturgical unity, and to clear up misconceptions about traditionalists who “instrumentalize the Mass and use it as an identity banner.” (He himself is not sure this exists, just that it is said.) I find this a classic case of falling in love with a solution, rather than the problem.

I would argue that the problem is not that traditionalists “instrumentalize the Mass” and “use it as an identity banner.” Not only is this something he is not sure of, we now know the Bishops made clear to Francis that this was not a serious problem. Even when implementing the decree, Bishops often made clear that the problem they were trying to correct was not prevalent in their dioceses. (How this makes sense I leave up to the reader.) The real problem is one his interviewer hints at, and which the Abbot’s plan clearly contradicts, despite his protest: Traditionis custodes.

While the decree mentions unity, the energy of the decree was behind an eventual ban of the Latin Mass. Without that ban, not only could there be no unity, Francis believed we were betraying the Council. You can argue over whether or not that’s true all you want, and it might make for an interesting theological debate. That debate turns into a problem when you look reality square in the face: The Traditional Latin Mass is not going to be banned, no matter what a Church decree says. We are roughly five years removed from the Pope’s decree, and most of the energy in furthering its mandate died with its author. The problem is we have the full force of Church law currently oriented towards something that few want, and even among those few defenders, they cannot articulate a way to achieve it beyond hoping to wait out a group of people who have proven surprisingly resilient at waiting out Church authorities over the past six decades.

Another way this fails to understand the problem is that it fails to take into account how this is a problem for those impacted. For a monk, the Abbot is remarkably online, buried deep in a dispute that takes place among a very exclusive group: liturgy nerds online or clerics in periodicals. If you are reading this and nod in agreement, it is good to remember that we are not the median traditionalist. The median individual impacted by this dispute has no strong opinions on Vatican II, even if they are in an SSPX chapel. The median Catholic in the Novus Ordo is generally happy with their Mass, even if they want some externals changed. (Better music, chant, incense, for the person in the pews to shut up so you can pray, etc.) This dispute is a problem because it has fundamentally disrupted the lives of faithful Catholics. Flourishing Latin Mass communities were shuttered and dispersed. Parishes that celebrated both side by side are now divided, and in many instances, their future as a Novus Ordo community is now in doubt. To the extent your average Catholic hears about how the liturgical disputes impact people, it is in regards to people no longer being able to attend something the Church admits is holy and lawful, and not being able to make sense of it beyond “someone in Rome thinks this is a good idea, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

I think this is where discussion needs to center on: the Church has introduced something incredibly disruptive, and it has created a toxic environment. This could possibly be justified if there was some larger goal that would be obtained, but that goal is unattainable. We haven’t even gotten to the theological issues from such a change, which even the Abbot admits would require careful implementation and explanation. Before you can even get to that, you have to ask: who is this solution for?

Source:  https://x.com/catholicsmark/status/2036794194883207330?s=46&t=IydJ-X8H6c0NM044nYKQ0w

Death knell for Traditionis custodes: “ Cardinal Eijk Celebrates First Traditional High Mass, Calls It ‘Unforgettable’l

 

In new interview, the Primate of the Netherlands explains his decision to learn the TLM and says he looks forward to celebrating it again.

DIANE MONTAGNA

MAR 25, 2026

ROME, 25 March 2026 — Dutch Cardinal Willem Eijk has described celebrating his first Pontifical High Mass in the traditional Roman rite as an “impressive and unforgettable experience.”

In an interview published today on the Italian blog Messa in Latino, the 72-year-old Metropolitan Archbishop of Utrecht and Primate of the Netherlands explained why he decided to learn the vetus ordo, said he has received considerable positive feedback after doing so, and noted that his first Pontifical High Mass brought together both regular attendees of the Traditional Latin Mass, including large numbers of young people and families, as well as Catholics more accustomed to the Novus Ordo.

More: https://x.com/paulinusoftrier/status/2036792131080114644?s=46&t=IydJ-X8H6c0NM044nYKQ0w

Save Holy Family Church, Detroit

 Historically Italian. Slated for closure.

More photos: https://historicdetroit.org/galleries/holy-family-roman-catholic-church-photos

Parish web site: https://www.hfdet.org/

BREAKING: Leo returns fire: response to Cardinal Marx directive for priests to bless sin

N.B. Now just watch Martin spin this so hard he makes himself dizzy … But the pressing question remains: why a special document that picks out certain people based on their sexual aberration among the many who are blessed at every Mass?

JUST IN: Pope Leo XIV responds to Cardinal Marx —

Says Vatican does not approve blessing of same sex couples.

Adds a blessing can be given to “all people” like at the end of Mass.

Leo states—— 

“First of all, I believe it is very important to understand that the unity or division of the Church should not revolve around sexual issues. We tend to think that when the Church speaks of morality, the only moral issue is a sexual one. In reality, I believe there are much larger and more important issues—such as justice, equality, the freedom of men and women, and religious freedom—that should take priority over that particular issue. 

“The Holy See has already spoken with the German bishops. 

“The Holy See has made it clear that we do not agree with the formal blessing of couples—in this case, same-sex couples, as you requested—or of couples in irregular situations, beyond what Pope Francis has specifically permitted by saying that all people should receive the blessing. 

“When a priest gives the blessing at the end of Mass, when the Pope gives the blessing at the end of a great celebration like the one we had today, there are blessings for all people. 

“Francis’s famous expression, ‘everyone, everyone, everyone,’ expresses the Church’s conviction that everyone is welcomed, everyone is invited, everyone is invited to follow Jesus, and everyone is invited to seek conversion in their own lives. 

“To go beyond this today, I believe, could cause more disunity than unity, and that we should seek to build our unity on Jesus Christ and on what Jesus Christ teaches. This is my answer to the question.”

@MLJHaynes on Twitter/X.