Vatican finances, the balance sheets of the IOR and of the St. Peter's Obligation
There is an intrinsic relationship between the budgets of the Oblates of St. Peter's and the Institute for works of Religion.
Andrea Gagliarducci-July 12, 2024-Reading time: 4minutes
There is a close relationship between the annual declaration of the St. Peter's obolus and the balance sheet of the Istituto delle Opere di Religione, the so-called "Vatican bank". Because the Obolo is destined to the charity of the Pope, but this charity is also expressed in the support of the structure of the Roman Curia, an immense "missionary budget" that has expenses, but not so many incomes, and that must continue to pay salaries. And because the IOR, for some time now, has been making a voluntary contribution of its profits precisely to the Pope, and these profits serve to lighten the budget of the Holy See.
For years the IOR has not had the same benefits as in the past, so that the portion allocated to the Pope has decreased over the years. The same situation applies to the Obolo, whose income has decreased over the years, and which has also had to face this decrease in the IOR's support. So much so that in 2022 it had to double its income with a general divestment of assets.
That is why the two budgets, published last month, are somehow connected. After all, the Vatican finances have always been connected, and everything contributes to helping the Pope's mission.
But let's look at the two budgets in more detail.
The St. Peter's Oblong
Last June 29, the St. Peter's Oblates presented their annual balance sheet. Revenues were 52 million, but expenses amounted to 103.4 million, of which 90 million were for the apostolic mission of the Holy Father. Included in the mission are the expenses of the Curia, which amount to 370.4 million. The Obolo thus contributes 24% to the budget of the Curia.
Only 13 million went to charitable works, to which, however, must be added donations from Pope Francis through other dicasteries of the Holy See totaling 32 million, 8 of which were financed directly through the obolo.
In summary, between the Obolus Fund and the funds of the dicasteries financed in part by the Obolus, the Pope's charity financed 236 projects, for a total of 45 million. However, the balance deserves some observations.
Is this the true use of the St. Peter's Obligation, which is often associated with the Pope's charity? Yes, because the very purpose of the Obligation is to support the mission of the Church, and it was defined in modern terms in 1870, after the Holy See lost the Papal States and had no more income to run the machine.
That said, it is interesting that the budget of the Obolus can also be deducted from the budget of the Curia. Of the 370.4 million of budgeted funds, 38.9% is earmarked for local Churches in difficulty and in specific contexts of evangelization, amounting to 144.2 million.
Funds earmarked for worship and evangelization amount to 48.4 million, or 13.1%.
Dissemination of the message, that is, the entire Vatican communication sector, represents 12.1% of the budget, with a total of 44.8 million.
37 million (10.9% of the budget) was allocated to support the apostolic nunciatures, while 31.9 million (8.6% of the total) went to the service of charity - precisely the money donated by Pope Francis through the dicasteries -, 20.3 million to the organization of ecclesial life, 17.4 million to the historical heritage, 10.2 million to academic institutions, 6.8 million to human development, 4.2 million to Education, Science and Culture and 5.2 million to Life and Family.
Income, as mentioned above, amounted to 52 million euros, 48.4 million of which were donations. Last year there were fewer donations (43.5 million euros), but income, thanks to the sale of real estate, amounted to 107 million euros. Interestingly, there are 3.6 million euros of income from financial returns.
As for donations, 31.2 million came from direct collection by dioceses, 21 million from private donors, 13.9 million from foundations and 1.2 million from religious orders.
The countries that donate the most are the United States (13.6 million), Italy (3.1 million), Brazil (1.9 million), Germany and South Korea (1.3 million), France (1.6 million), Mexico and Ireland (0.9 million), Czech Republic and Spain (0.8 million).
IOR balance sheet
The IOR 13 million to the Holy See, compared to a net profit of 30.6 million euros.
The profits represent a significant improvement over the €29.6 million in 2022. However, it is necessary to compare the figures: they range from the 86.6 million profit declared in 2012 - which quadrupled the previous year's earnings - to 66.9 million in the 2013 report, 69.3 million in the 2014 report, 16.1 million in the 2015 report, 33 million in the 2016 report and 31.9 million in the 2017 report, to 17.5 million in 2018.
The 2019 report, meanwhile, quantifies profits at 38 million, also attributed to the favorable market.
In 2020, the year of the COVID crisis, the profit was slightly lower at 36.4 million.
But in the first post-pandemic year, a 2021 still unaffected by the war in Ukraine, it returned to a negative trend, with a profit of only €18.1 million, and only in 2022 did it return to the €30 million barrier.
The IOR 2023 report speaks of 107 employees and 12,361 customers, but also of an increase in customer deposits: +4% to €5.4 billion. The number of clients continues to fall (they were 12,759 in 2022, even 14,519 in 2021), but this time the number of employees also decreases: they were 117 in 2022, they are 107 in 2023.
Thus, the negative trend of clients continues, which should give us pause for thought, bearing in mind that the screening of accounts deemed not compatible with the IOR's mission ended some time ago.
Now, the IOR is also called upon to participate in the reform of Vatican finances desired by Pope Francis.
Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, president of the Council of Superintendence, highlights in his management letter the numerous accolades the IOR has received for its work in favor of transparency over the past decade, and announces: "The Institute, under the supervision of the Authority for Supervision and Financial Information (ASIF), is therefore ready to play its part in the process of centralizing all Vatican assets, in accordance with the Holy Father's instructions and taking into account the latest regulatory developments.
The IOR team is eager to collaborate with all Vatican dicasteries, with the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA) and to work with the Investment Committee to further develop the ethical principles of FCI (Faith Consistent Investment) in accordance with the Church's social doctrine. It is crucial that the Vatican be seen as a point of reference."
Camille Costa de Beauregard, first Blessed proclaimed with Pope Leo XIV
The French presbyter Camille Costa de Beauregard became the first blessed proclaimed during the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV last Saturday. The Pope mentioned him in Sunday's Regina Caeli. On May 19, the Church celebrates the saints Popes Celestine V and Urban I, and the Swiss St. Maria Bernarda Bütler, who evangelized in South America.
Francisco Otamendi-May 19, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Mass for the beatification of the priest Camille Costa de Beauregard, committed to education and first blessed proclaimed during the pontificate of Leo XIV, was celebrated on Saturday, May 17, in the presence of many faithful from Savoy and other regions of France.
In his homily, the Archbishop of Chambéry, Msgr. Thibault Verny, explained that Camille Costa de Beauregard was not "an alien", but that he "let himself be loved by Jesus in order to, in turn, love with the same charity". More than 4,000 faithful participated in his beatification, among them more than 300 members of his family, including grandnieces and grandnephews, in a ceremony presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio to France, Monsignor Celestino Migliore.
In 1867, at least 135 people lost their lives in a few months in the city because of a cholera epidemic. Faced with this tragedy, the young diocesan priest decided to open an orphanage to take in the children who had been left alone: Le Bocage.
St. Camille: "Great pastoral charity".
After the Mass of initiation of his Petrine Ministry, Pope Leo XIV referred to the Communion of Saints. And he revealed before praying the Regina Caeli and giving the Blessing, that "during the Mass I strongly felt the spiritual presence of Pope Francis, who accompanies us from heaven".
He then added: "In this dimension of communion of saints, I recall that yesterday in Chambéry, France, the priest Camille Costa de Beauregard was beatified, who lived between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, witness of great pastoral charity".
St. Mary Bernarda Bütler: Evangelizer in South America
In addition to other saints and blessed, some Popes, the liturgy celebrates on May 19 the nun saint Maria Bernarda BütlerBorn in 1848 in Switzerland, in a humble peasant family. In 1867 she entered the Franciscan monastery of Mary Help of Christians in Altstätten (Switzerland).
The bishop of Portoviejo (Ecuador) invited them to mission in his diocese, and in 1888 Maria Bernarda and six companions embarked for America. In 1895, in the face of religious persecution in Ecuador, they left for Colombia and settled in Cartagena de Indias. What at first was a filial foundation became the new congregation of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians. She was canonized by Benedict XVI in 2008.
On May 18, 2025 Pope Leo XIV took his first ride in the popemobile, greeting the thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square and the surrounding area.
On May 18, 2025 Pope Leo XIV took his first ride in the popemobile, greeting the thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square and the surrounding area to attend the Mass at the beginning of his pontificate.
After the return in the official car, the Holy Father received the fisherman's ring and the imposition of the pallium, thus inaugurating his ministry at the head of the Church.
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One of the problems that any pope elected to govern the Catholic Church in 2025 would have to face is continuing to address the clergy sexual abuse crisis. What's next?
OSV / Omnes-May 19, 2025-Reading time: 10minutes
- Paulina Guzik and Junno Arocho Esteves (Rome, OSV News)
Continuing to address the sexual abuse crisis in the clergy is a matter that any pope in the Catholic Church should confront. What's next? Cardinal Sean O'Malley, president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, was among the first prelates Pope Leo XIV received in audience on May 14. It is fair to say, therefore, that this crisis seems to be at the top of their list of priorities.
In the first week of Pope Leo XIV's pontificate, the leading expert on the abuse crisis, as well as several abuse survivors and victims, have come out in defense of the newly elected Roman Pontiff. They have done so after two organizations advocating for abuse victims raised concerns about Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost's record on the matter after he was elected pope.
"Very aware" of the issue of child abuse.
Jesuit Father Hans ZollnerPrevost, director of the Institute of Anthropology (IADC) at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, is a leading expert on the abuse crisis. He first met the then Father Prevost when Prevost was serving as the former general, the chief authority of the Order of St. Augustine in Rome. At that time, the future pontiff participated in the inauguration of the Child Protection Center (now IADC), as well as a safeguarding summit in the Gregoriana.
"Along with several other superior generals, he represented the male major superiors. And that in itself was already a sign that he, at that time in 2012, was very aware of the issue of child sexual abuse," Father Zollner told OSV News in a recent interview. He added that Prevost "was willing to learn more, both in terms of protection and in terms of canonical procedures."
Then Bishop of Chiclayo, Robert Francis Prevost (second from left), now Pope Leo XIV, with Fr. Hans Zollner S.J. (center), and now Cardinal Castillo Mattasoglio, in January 2020 at the Catholic University of Lima, Peru (Photo OSV News/Courtesy Father Hans Zollner).
Eight years later, in early 2020, their paths crossed again, when Father Zollner was invited by the Episcopal Conference of Peru to give a workshop on protection. At the time, then Bishop Prevost was the vice president of the Conference.
Pastoral, governance, canon law experience
The Father Zollner told OSV News that he welcomed Pope Leo's election, and valued his experience as a missionary in Peru, as a bishop and as head of the powerful Dicastery for Bishops in the church's central government. These experiences "are vital for what we need now in terms of church leadership, when it comes to transmitting the faith in a challenging environment."
He also noted that, with his expertise in canon law, Pope Leo can bring a balanced approach to the issue of clergy sexual abuse. Because "focusing only on a canonical approach is not enough if you really want the church to move globally." "Especially when it comes to a change of mentality and attitude."
"He had silently supported us, he was always there."
While meeting with several journalists on May 12, during an audience with those who had been covering the papal transition, Pope Leo met with Peruvian journalist Paola Ugaz. She was smiling from ear to ear as the Pope shook her hand. He handed her a stole made of alpaca wool, which he placed briefly on her shoulders, and Peruvian chocolates. The two shared a few words.
"The gifts I gave him I had originally brought for my friend, Cardinal Prevost, who along the way became the Pope," he told OSV News later, with a smile.
Paola Ugaz, Peruvian journalist, presents Pope Leo XIV with a stole made of alpaca wool during the Pope's audience with journalists on May 12, 2025, at the Vatican (CNS photo/Vatican Media).
For Ugaz, this was not just a happy meeting with the new pontiff. Rather, it was a surprising reunion with someone who had been among the few who had supported her during a decades-long persecution. As she and survivors of abuse sought to expose wrongdoing within a controversial movement in her country.
Bishop Prevost "had supported us quietly, not in front of the cameras, since 2018," he said. "He never did it for recognition. He just helped. He was always there."
'A deeply symbolic message'
In 2015, Ugaz, along with survivor and fellow journalist Pedro Salinas, co-wrote a book titled 'Half Monks, Half Soldiers' ('Mitad Monjes, Mitad Soldados'). There they detailed the alleged psychological and sexual abuse, as well as corporal punishment and extreme exercises. Everything that the young members of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a society of apostolic life founded in Peru in 1971, were forced to endure by others in the community, including the leadership.
Since 2018, Ugaz and Salinas have faced a defamation campaign they attributed to Sodalitium, which included lawsuits and the publication of materials aimed at discrediting their work.
Pope Francis: dissolution of the Sodalitium
Given the movement's continued attempts to silence victims, as well as its questionable financial practices in Peru, Pope Francis launched an investigation into the Sodalitium in July 2023. And he sent Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna, assistant secretary of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Spanish Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, also of that department.
The investigation resulted in the expulsion of several high-profile members of the movement, including Archbishop José Antonio Eguren of Piura, as well as its subsequent dissolution by Pope Francis in January 2025, just a few months before his death on April 21.
"Justice came thanks to the Church."
Recalling the moment when the Papa Leo was announced as St. Peter's 267th successor, Ugaz told OSV News that the news "hit me like a ton of bricks."
"It was beautiful," he added. "I don't know if he was looking for it, but for the survivors, it's a deeply symbolic message."
Ugaz said that during his time as head of the Chiclayo diocese, then Bishop Prevost was one of the few bishops in the country who stood by his and Salinas' side, as well as that of the Sodalitium victims, when the group used questionable and unethical methods to silence them.
While "in Peru, the abusers and the powerful usually get away with it," Ugaz said that in his particular case, justice came from outside. "Not because the country suddenly realized that the Sodalitium had abused its members, stolen land from farmers and gone after journalists. Justice came because of the church, not because of the courts."
What we know about the allegations
Not long after the announcement of Pope Leo XIV's election on May 8, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) issued a statement accusing the new pope of failing to act against abuse in two separate cases: one in Chicago, when he served as Augustinian provincial in 2000; the other in Chiclayo in 2022, when he was bishop of the diocese.
In Chicago, the group said, then-Father Prevost allowed Father James Ray, a priest restricted from ministry in 1991 after being accused of molesting minors, "to live at St. John Stone Augustinian Convent, 2000." "Despite its proximity to a Catholic elementary school."
On May 9, Crux reported that a Chicago Augustinian said, "as background, that earlier this year the archdiocese had asked the order for permission for Father James Ray to be interned in that house after he was removed from ministry, because his superior was a licensed counselor acting as supervisor of a security plan imposed on Ray, and therefore Ray would be under a more watchful eye."
Security plan
In her report, Elise Allen wrote: "The Augustinian said that the location of a school two blocks away was not considered a risk at the time, given that there was a security plan in place, and the criteria for not placing accused priests near schools was a product of the 2002 Dallas Charter, which had not yet been issued when the Ray decision was made."
"This decision, they said, was an agreement between the archdiocese and the superior of the convent, but one that Prevost had to formally sign, since it was an Augustinian community house." The Archdiocese of Chicago has yet to respond to the recent allegations stemming from the 2000 incident.
Made decisions
As bishop of Chiclayo, SNAP accused the newly elected Pope of failing to open an investigation and sending "inadequate information to Rome" in the case of abuse of three women. The group alleged that the priest was allowed to continue his ministry despite the accusations.
SNAP said it filed a complaint against then-Cardinal Prevost "under Pope Francis' 2023 decree 'Vos estis lux mundi' on March 25, 2025."
The Chiclayo diocese denied the allegations made by SNAP, saying that then Bishop Prevost met with the victims in April 2022, and subsequently dismissed the accused priest, suspended him from ministry and forwarded the results of the investigation to the Vatican.
Smear campaign
"All the media have tried to discredit the cardinal, claiming that he did nothing, that is a lie. That is a lie. He has listened, he has respected the procedures and this process continues its course," said the bishop of Chiclayo, Monsignor Edinson Farfan, in a press conference in a town where the now Pope Leon was bishop, reported EFE agency on May 10.
Mass at the Cathedral of Santa Maria de Chiclayo in Peru on May 10, 2025, celebrating the election of Pope Leo XIV on May 8 (OSV News photo/Sebastian Castaneda, Reuters).
When asked about the accusations made by SNAP against Pope Leo, Ugaz said that while the victims' stories of abuse are undeniable, the accusations of inaction were part of a smear campaign orchestrated by members of Sodalitium, who wished to discredit the former bishop after he supported the movement's victims.
Accusations: "were part of the campaign"
Father Zollner also suggested that the "accusations against then Bishop Prevost were part of the campaign instigated by members of Sodalitium."
"I have not seen any compelling evidence or documentation that SNAP or (watchdog website) Bishop Accountability or whomever has presented in support of the allegations," Father Zollner told OSV News.
The allegations about the Chiclayo case were picked up on September 8, 2024 by the television news program Cuarto Poder, capturing attention in Peru and abroad.
Request to a program to rectify the situation
"What the program Cuarto Poder claimed, that Cardinal Robert Prevost covered up for the priest, Eleuterio Vasquez Gonzalez, and that he remained silent in the face of complaints, is not true," the diocesan statement said at the time.
"From the moment of receipt of the complaint, and maintaining the right to the presumption of innocence, the Church has proceeded in accordance with its guidelines, both in the preliminary investigation and in the application of the precautionary measures: removal from the parish and prohibition from the public exercise of priestly ministry."
No turning its back on alleged victims
The diocese also asked Cuarto Poder to "rectify" its report, adding, "It is not true that the Catholic Church turned its back on the alleged victims. On the contrary, they were left free to file complaints in the civil courts and were offered the necessary psychological help if they needed it."
Cuarto Poder's investigation focused on the accusations of three women, who alleged that they were touched inappropriately by Father Vásquez when they were children.
The alleged victims issued a statement on September 11, 2024, in which they contradict the diocesan statement. They claim that, in fact, after reporting the story to the then Bishop Prevost on April 5, 2022, until November 2023, when one of them made it public on social networks, "no investigation was carried out, nor were precautionary measures taken for the protection of the faithful, boys and girls...the case was archived," they stated.
In their Sept. 11 statement, the alleged victims posted several images of the accused priest, Father Vasquez, celebrating Mass in public spaces on important occasions such as Easter, despite the restrictions the diocese asserted in its Sept. 10 statement.
In process
However, in its Sept. 10 statement, the Chiclayo diocese said that "the case was sent to the Holy See and archived for lack of evidence. Then, after a public appeal by one of the plaintiffs, the case was reopened, investigated again and is currently underway at the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. It should be added that, although it was publicly stated that there would be more alleged victims, only two of the three who initially complained came to testify."
OSV News has requested confirmation of this, as well as of the Dicastery's response, from its prefect, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez. At the time of going to press, there was no response.
Testimonials
Those who worked with then Bishop Prevost also contradict the allegations. "Roberto (now Papa Leo), when these accusations occurred, knew how to act immediately," Cesar Piscoya, former executive secretary of the pastoral vicariate under then-Bishop Prevost in the Chiclayo diocese, told OSV News May 12.
Piscoya explained that the then bishop addressed the canonical aspects of the complaint, adding, "When there had to be a complaint in a civil context, he also promoted it." Piscoya worked alongside the future Pope Leo XIV in Chiclayo from February 2015 to December 2022.
"Unfortunately, there are naysayers. Unfortunately, there are people with bad intentions," he said. "But when you identify who is writing and who is publishing this, we find out that they are precisely the ones who were accused."
The Peruvian bishops' conference barred a canon lawyer, Father Ricardo Coronado Arrascue, from representing the victims in August 2024. In December of that year, a decree issued by the Dicastery of the Clergy, and seen by OSV News, confirmed that the priest had been secularized (lost the clerical state), for sins against the sixth commandment, causing scandal and forcing "someone to perform or submit to sexual acts."
Same challenges, new pontificate
Father Zollner said that in light of Pope Francis' summit to address clerical sexual abuse in February 2019, in his view, the following is crucial. That Pope Leo XIV "promote awareness of the need to engage and continue to engage in safeguarding measures." Particularly with regard to the three pillars of addressing abuse: compliance, transparency and accountability.
One of the most pressing cases on the table for the new Pope to handle in canonical terms is the case of Slovenian priest-artist Father Marko Rupnik, who was expelled from the Jesuit order in June 2023.
"I hope that, as soon as possible, we will have a verdict. Many of us are looking forward to hearing about that, because it has been a long time, especially for those who have brought the accusations, for there to finally be clarity on this," Father Zollner said.
For any Pope, he added, the issue of abuse is critical, as it becomes "a question of the credibility of our existence and our message".
"The message of Jesus Christ (is) that we have to be there for our brother and sister, and especially for our brother and sister. those who are wounded and are in danger of being wounded," Father Zollner said. "This is the core of Christian existence."
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- Paulina Guzik is international editor of OSV News. See her at X @Guzik_Paulina. Junno Arocho Esteves writes for OSV News from Rome. David Agren contributed to this report from Chiclayo, Peru.
In Illo Uno Unum (In Him who is the One we are One)
They are many men and only one Man; many Christians and only one Christ: "In Illo Uno Unum". He is the sole recipient of the divine blessing.
May 19, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
The motto of the Holy Father's coat of arms Leo XIVIn Illo Uno Unum" (In Him who is the One we are One) may seem to us like a Latin riddle. The motto - as is well known - is taken from St. Augustine's homily on Psalm 127.
This type of expression is frequent in St. Augustine's writings. For a bishop, it is important to choose his motto Episcopal motto and, later, in the case of Leo XIV, to ratify it as his papal motto. He himself has confessed that this motto reflects his way of thinking and living as a Christian and as a bishop.
In an interview with the Vatican media in July 2023, two months before he was created a cardinal, Robert Francis Prevost explained the importance of this motto in his life and ministry. As an Augustinian, he said, unity and communion are central tenets of his vocation. To be in no doubt about this fundamental importance of communion and unity in the Church one need only read and meditate on chapter 17 of the Gospel of St. John.
St. Augustine and Psalm 127
But let us go to the source from which the motto is taken. St. Augustine wrote an extensive exposition on Psalm 127. The saintly bishop of Hippo emphasizes in his exposition the importance of counting on God in the protection of the city and in the construction of the family home. Without God's help, human efforts are in vain. It is a hymn to the family of those who fear the Lord. Everything depends on God's help, even the future of the children. The prosperity of the children is a divine blessing.
But St. Augustine wonders if this blessing of Yahweh is not also fulfilled in those who do not fear the Lord. It is evident that there are families with children in which the Lord is not feared. For this reason, St. Augustine proposes to his faithful a Christian interpretation of the psalm, looking to Christ as the fullness of Revelation. "Let us couple spiritual things to spiritual things," is how the homily begins. To this end, he turns to a theological reality dear to him and constantly preached by him: the unity of the faithful with Christ.
We form one Body with Him, and what is His Body? His Church, as the apostle says, "We are members of his Body" and "ye are the body of Christ and his members". Now there is only one man who is thus blessed with the blessing to which the psalm refers: it is Christ.
Only he fears the Lord who is among the members of this One Man. They are many men and one Man alone; many Christians and one Christ: "In Illo Uno Unum". He is the only recipient of the divine blessing.
The Netflix miniseries "Adolescence" shakes the foundations of a family and opens a disturbing portrait of childhood in the digital age.
Pablo Úrbez-May 19, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Series
Series: Adolescence
AddressPhilip Barantini
DistributionOwen Cooper, Stephen Graham, Faye Marsay
PlatformNetflix
Country: United Kingdom, 2025
Adolescence - NetflixOne morning in an ordinary neighborhood, the police break down the Miller family's door and climb up to 13-year-old Jamie's room to take him to the police station. He is accused of murdering a girl from his school. His parents, incredulous, go to the police station and enter an unknown spiral of lawyers, evidence, videos, photographs, silences and witnesses. The police, for their part, discover a world unknown to them:
Philip Barantinidirector of the feature film Boil (2021) and the Boiling Point (2023), directs this four-episode miniseries, which features Jack Thorne, author of Wonder (2017) y Enola Holmes (2020), and actor Stephen Graham, who plays Jamie's father Eddie. The performance as Jamie by newcomer Owen Cooper, who endows his character with innocence, immaturity and terror, expressing a grim psychological complexity, is surprising.
The miniseries has sparked much public debate, bringing to the forefront issues such as social media addiction, the detriment of social networking and the technologyand the role of parents, teachers and institutions in the digital education of minors. So much so that the UK Government has proposed its compulsory viewing in schools, while other sectors have branded the story as exaggerated and tremendist. It is good that an audiovisual work enriches the conversation in public forums, but we cannot lose sight of the fact that it is a fictional story.
It would be wrong to equate it with a journalistic report. The purpose is to tell a story, and that story entertains, works and shocks the viewer.
Its four chapters oscillate between the perspectives of Jamie, the police officers, a psychologist and the parents, offering a complex mosaic of the phenomenon. The question of why, the difficulty of explaining the motive for the murder, continually arises. As for the technical aspect, the four chapters have been shot entirely in sequence shots, in order to give more realism to the story, and to insert the viewer in a maelstrom in which the action never stops.
Leo XIV asks to bury "prejudices" at the opening Mass of his pontificate
In his homily, Pope Leo XIV, visibly moved, called for unity and peace in the presence of leaders from all over the world and hundreds of thousands of faithful gathered at the Vatican.
On the morning of May 18, in St. Peter's Square, a ceremony of Initial Mass of the Pontificate of Leo XIV. Before 150 official delegations, representatives of other religions and Christian confessions, and some 150,000 faithful, the Pope preached a homily that seems to be the program of his recently inaugurated magisterium: "I would like this to be our first great desire: a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world".
Faced with a time in which "we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, fear of what is different, by an economic paradigm that exploits the earth's resources and marginalizes the poorest", he expressed how the Church wishes to be "a small leaven of unity, communion and fraternity".
First ride in the popemobile
Although the Mass at the beginning of the Petrine ministry began at 10 a.m., an hour earlier, around 9 a.m., Pope Leo made his first tour of the square in the popemobile, reaching the end of Via della Conciliazione. The crowd accompanied him with great enthusiasm and shouts of "Long live the Pope" and "Leone!
He then descended to the tomb of the Apostle Peter, in the heart of the Vatican Basilica, accompanied by the Patriarchs of the Eastern Churches. There he paused for a few minutes in prayer. The faithful followed everything on the screens installed in the square and at various points in the adjacent streets.
Two deacons then took the pallium, the ring and the Gospel, and went in procession to the altar of the celebration, in the atrium located in St. Peter's Square. As the Pope entered the atrium, amidst the applause of those present, the choir sang the "Laudes Regiæ"., a litanic prayer in which the intercession of the canonized Popes, martyrs and saints of various centuries is invoked.
A tapestry depicting the scene of the second miraculous catch of fish hung from the central door of the basilica. The dialogue between the risen Jesus and Peter was also the Gospel passage read at Mass. Next to the altar was placed the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel, which came from the Marian shrine of Genazzano, guarded by the Augustinian Fathers. The Pope is very devoted to this image and went to visit it two days after his election.
Imposition of the pallium and ring
After the rite of blessing and sprinkling of holy water, and the proclamation of the Word of God, a moment of great symbolic value took place: the imposition of the pallium and the presentation of the fisherman's ring. The pontiff was accompanied by three cardinals from three orders and three continents: Mario Zenari, Italian, who gave him the pallium - symbol of the mission of shepherding the Church and of Christ as the Paschal lamb; Fridolin Ambongo, from Congo, who made a petition to the Holy Spirit for the new Pope; and Luis Antonio Tagle, from the Philippines, who gave him the fisherman's ring.
This moment concluded with a prayer to the Holy Spirit, and then Leo XIV blessed the assembly with the Book of the Gospels, while the Greek chanted: "For many years to come! The Pope responded with a touching smile - the same one we saw a week ago when he first appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's as soon as he was elected - and the people present joined in with a round of applause.
The ceremony continued with the rite of "obedience" rendered to the Pope by 12 representatives of the people of God: Cardinals Frank Leo (Canada), Jaime Spengler (Brazil) and John Ribat (Papua New Guinea); the Bishop of Callao (Peru), Luis Alberto Barrera Pacheco; a priest and a deacon; two religious: Oonah O'Shea, an Australian missionary in the Philippines, superior general of the religious of Notre Dame de Sion and president of the International Union of Superiors General; and the superior general of the Jesuits, Venezuelan Arturo Sosa, as president of the male congregations. The laity were represented by a married couple and two young people, all from Peru.
With fear and trepidation
In his homily, Leo XIV began by quoting some famous words of St. Augustine, written in the "Confessions": "You have made us for yourself [Lord], and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. The Pope used these words to express the feelings that have overwhelmed the Church in the last month, "particularly intense" since the death of his predecessor: "The death of the Pope Francis’ has filled our hearts with sadness and, in those difficult hours, we have felt like those crowds that the Gospel describes 'like sheep without a shepherd'".
He then referred to the conclave, where the college of cardinals met "in a spirit of faith" and in which he was voted as the successor of Peter to lead the Church. With great simplicity, he said: "I was elected without any merit and, with fear and trepidation, I come to you as a brother who wants to become a servant of your faith and your joy, walking with you on the path of God's love, who wants us all united in a single family".
Peter's mission: love and unity
Commenting on the readings of the Mass, the Pope broke down the essential characteristics of the pontiff's ministry: "Love and unity: these are the two dimensions of the mission that Jesus entrusted to Peter". And he added: "How can Peter carry out this task? The Gospel tells us that it is possible only because he has experienced in his own life the infinite and unconditional love of God, even in the hour of failure and denial".
"To Peter," he continued, "is entrusted the task of 'loving even more' and of giving his life for the flock. Peter's ministry is marked precisely by this oblative love, because the Church of Rome presides in charity and her true authority is the charity of Christ." Therefore, "it is never a matter of trapping others with submission, with religious propaganda or with the means of power, but it is always and only a matter of loving as Jesus did".
In the presence of various "sister Christian churches," Leo XIV made a strong appeal for unity and communion. He also had a few words for those who seek God and for "all women and men of good will", inviting them to "build a new world where peace reigns". The request for peace was once again met with resounding applause.
"This is," the Pope pointed out, "the missionary spirit that should animate us, without closing ourselves up in our own little group or feeling superior to the world; we are called to offer God's love to all, so that this unity that does not cancel out differences, but values the personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of each people, may be realized."
His preaching ended with the exclamation: "Brothers, sisters, this is the hour of love!" and a quote from "Rerum Novarum", written by the pontiff who inspired the choice of his name: "With my predecessor Leo XIII, today we can ask ourselves: if this charity prevailed in the world, 'would it not seem that every struggle would soon be extinguished wherever it came into force in civil society?'"
Petition for peace
The ceremony proceeded normally. Before the final blessing, Pope Leo XIV again addressed a few words to the assembly. He thanked the "Romans and faithful from so many parts of the world" for their presence, with a special greeting "to the thousands of pilgrims who have come from every continent on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Confraternities". To them he said: "Dear brothers and sisters, I thank you for keeping alive the great heritage of popular piety". And he commented, opening his heart: "During the Mass I strongly felt the spiritual presence of Pope Francis, who accompanies us from Heaven".
There was also a thought for "our brothers and sisters who are suffering because of the wars. In Gaza, children, families and elderly survivors are going hungry. In Myanmar, new hostilities have destroyed innocent lives. The tormented Ukraine awaits at last negotiations for a just and lasting peace."
Before the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Leo XIV entrusted "to Mary the service of the Bishop of Rome, Pastor of the universal Church", and concluded: "Let us implore through her intercession the gift of peace, help and consolation for those who suffer and, for all of us, the grace to be witnesses of the Risen Lord".
Six years since the beatification of Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri
On May 18, 2019, thousands of people attended the beatification of Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri, professor, numerary of Opus Dei and, since 2024, patroness of the Official College of Chemists of Madrid.
On May 18, 2019, thousands of people flocked to the Palacio Vistalegre Arena in Madrid. It was nine in the morning, but joyful smiles and excited voices surrounded that venue in Carabanchel with a single motive: the beatification of Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri.
Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri (Office for the Causes of Saints. Prelature of Opus Dei)
D. in chemistry, professor of industrial master's degree and numerary professor of the Opus DeiGuadalupe stands out, in the words of Pope Francis, for being an example of the "sanctity of normality. 44 years after her death, citizens from Singapore, Mexico, the United States, Nigeria and other countries traveled to Madrid to celebrate the great step in the cause of canonization of this woman.
What was it about Guadalupe that brought so many people together in one place? It is not only that she was the first beatified laywoman belonging to Opus Dei. For José Carlos Martín de la Hoz, diocesan postulator of the cause of canonization of the professor, one of the reasons can be found in the words that Pope Francis said about her. The Pontiff defined her "as the saint of joy, but a joy with content, because she always sought to love God and others, and therein lies the source of the peace she spread around her.
Saint of joy and normality
That smile of Guadalupe is precisely what was seen in all the posters of Vistalegre. Those who attended the event met the face of a woman who shone for her "virtue of patience," the diocesan postulator emphasizes.
Vistalegre was attended by those who at some point were impressed by this "scientific researcher", "laboratory woman" and "patient teacher", a person "gifted with a great understanding for listening and guiding others".
And while there is no doubt that Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri is important for those close to Opus Dei, her life also has something to say to all Catholics. As the postulator of the cause of canonization points out, "we are going through a complex stage in the history of Western civilization, for we are at the end of one stage and the beginning of another. The new culture of globalization that is emerging will be Christian and, therefore, in accordance with the dignity of the human person, if we Christians follow the examples of life and enthusiasm of the saints".
Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri and Opus Dei
These are examples like Guadalupe, whom St. Josemaría Escrivá invited to travel to Mexico to promote the work of Opus Dei and share the faith with those he met. After leading several projects in Spain, the founder of Opus Dei wanted him to work on the other side of the Atlantic. And so he did. In 1950 he traveled to Mexico to open the first residence for university students in the country.
From that moment on and for five years, Guadalupe continued working for the women of Mexico, helping peasant women, young and adult women, not only spiritually, but also professionally and personally.
In 1956, St. Josemaría again asked for her help and, on this occasion, the professor traveled to Rome to assume some tasks of government in Opus Dei. Regarding the collaborative relationship between the founder of the Work and Guadalupe, José Carlos Martín de la Hoz says that "St. Josemaría always treated Guadalupe with particular confidence, since she was one of the first women who followed him after the Spanish Civil War and, as she was a professional and mature woman, he was able to rely on her".
Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri was well aware of her vocation to Opus Dei. Her commitment to her work was united, as the diocesan postulator explains, with "the mandate of charity". For this reason, Martín de la Hoz believes that "she will undoubtedly go down in history as a woman who knew how to be attentive to detail with everyone she met, and that is what Opus Dei is all about: loving God and others in the midst of the world".
In the middle of the world
That knowing how to be in the middle of the world is what those who came to Vistalegre on May 18, 2019 admired. It is also the reason why the Official Association of Chemists of Madrid has named Guadalupe as its official patron saint. A decision that the dean, Iñigo Pérez-Baroja, justifies "for her love of chemistry, for her strong Christian conventions, for her example of the sanctity of normality, for being the first expatriate entrepreneur of social works, for her ability to communicate and disseminate her scientific knowledge".
Therein lies part of the legacy of Guadalupe, who did not want to be a woman of science or a woman of faith. Like St. Therese, she wanted everything: God, the world, contemplation and action....
Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri dedicated herself to loving the world passionately, responding to the invitation of St. Josemaría Escrivá. That is what was celebrated at Vistalegre, joy in normality. It was a celebration of a woman whose words could be uttered by any Christian today: "I want to be faithful, I want to be useful and I want to be a saint" (Letter to St. Josemaría Escrivá, February 1, 1954).
On that May 18, 2019, in Vistalegre, the life of Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri was celebrated, who "with the joy that flowed from her conscience as a daughter of God (...) put her many human and spiritual qualities at the service of others, helping in a special way other women and their families in need of education and development" (Letter Pope Francis to the prelate of Opus Dei for the beatification of Guadalupe).
The Palacio Vistalegre Arena during the beatification of Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri (Flickr / Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei
Miguel Ferrández Barturen (Methos Media): "The media play a key role in the transmission of values".
Interview with Miguel Ferrández Barturen, CEO of Methos Media for the launch of the Summer School together with The Core School, the Audiovisual School of Planeta Formación y Universidades.
Methos Media has launched, together with The Core School, the Escuela Superior de Audiovisuales de Planeta Formación y Universidades (Planeta Training School and Universities) a summer program aimed at those who dream of a career in film and audiovisual production. An activity that adds to the initiatives that Methos Media supports in the cultural and audiovisual field.
Miguel Ferrández Barturen, CEO of Methos Media, spoke with Omnes about this launch, stressing that young creators should not "be afraid to be faithful to the values they have received, and to put their creativity at the service of an art that inspires, questions and builds".
What was the reason for your interest in a course like this? How does this initiative align with Methos Media's goals?
-Interest in the training of future filmmakers is in our mission. "We aspire to promote a new generation of filmmakers committed to the defense of human dignity" and we have been doing so since the beginning with many collaborations with universities.
Do you consider it important to provide a good all-round training to those who will be the audiovisual content creators of the future?
-I think it is essential to have a good comprehensive training for future creators of audiovisual content. We live in a world in constant change, in which cinema and the media play a key role in the construction of collective imaginaries and in the transmission of values. Therefore, technical training is not enough; it is also necessary to educate in critical thinking, social sensitivity, ethics and commitment to truth.
If we aspire to have filmmakers committed to their time and to the society in which they live, we must offer them an education that helps them understand the world in all its complexity and encourages them to narrate it with authenticity.
As Pope Leo XIV said to young people, "Do not be afraid!". This call invites young creators not to be afraid to be faithful to the values they have received, and to put their creativity at the service of an art that inspires, questions and builds.
Why have you opted for the scholarship system and how to access them?
-We have opted for a scholarship system because we firmly believe in democratizing access to quality cultural training. This summer film directing course is designed to identify and train new talents, and we do not want the economic situation of the applicants to be an obstacle. With the scholarships, we guarantee that any young person with vocation and potential can benefit from this opportunity, thus contributing to a solid and diverse generational relay in the world of cinema.
Our goal is not only to train filmmakers, but also to identify profiles with projection and connect them with professional and creative networks. The scholarships allow us to attract the best candidates and facilitate real opportunities within the cultural sector.
To access them, all you have to do is contact us and prove the need. We take into account all the characteristics that are a disadvantage for any candidate when assessing the requests.
At the end of last year, provisions came into force in the United Kingdom that criminalize the peaceful presence and pro-life prayer of people in the vicinity of abortion centers. Bishops and jurists consider the restrictions to be discrimination, criminalizing fundamental freedoms and rights.
Francisco Otamendi-May 18, 2025-Reading time: 4minutes
Two months after she was arrested in Birmingham for "praying in her mind" in front of an abortion center, which performed some 10,000 abortions a year, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce told the Omnes director in February 2023 that "our basic freedoms are being criminalized." "This should be of concern to everyone, whatever their position on the abortion debate," he added.
Indeed, in September 2024, the new UK Labour government announced that legislation to enact so-called "safe access zones" wouldor "buffer zones" outside abortion facilities in England and Wales, would come into effect as of October 31.
The legislation, contained in Section 9 of the Public Order Law from 2023criminalizes a range of activities within a 150-meter perimeter of an abortion facility. These criminalized activities potentially include peaceful presence, prayer, thought, consensual communication and offers of practical support to women in vulnerable situations, should any of these be deemed to influence or interfere with access to the clinic, the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales reported.
Almost immediately, on September 18, Monsignor John Sherrington, senior bishop for life affairs at the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, now appointed Archbishop of Liverpool by Pope Francis, called the legislation "unnecessary and disproportionate," and a "discrimination against people of faith."
These were his words: "As the Conference of Catholic Bishops stated repeatedly during the passage of the Public Order Bill last year, the 'safe access zone' legislation is unnecessary and disproportionate. We condemn all harassment and intimidation against women and maintain that, as accepted in a Home Office review, laws and mechanisms already exist to protect women from such behavior."
Religious freedom, fundamental in a democratic society
"In practice, and despite any other intent, this legislation is discriminatory and disproportionately affects people of faith," added Bishop Sherrington, representing Bishop for Life Issues., y progressively increased the scope of its argumentation.
In his view, "religious freedom is the fundamental freedom of any free and democratic society, essential to the flourishing and realization of the dignity of every human person. Religious freedom includes the right to manifest private beliefs in public through testimonies, prayers and charitable activities, including outside abortion facilities."
"In addition to being unnecessary and disproportionate," he added, "we have deep concerns about the practical effectiveness of this legislation, particularly given the lack of clarity regarding the practice of private prayer and offers of assistance within 'safe access zones.'"
One step back
The British bishop also recalled, among other things, a reflection of Pope Francis on religious freedom. "A healthy pluralism, which truly respects differences and values them as such, does not imply privatizing religions in an attempt to reduce them to the silent obscurity of the individual's conscience or to relegate them to the closed precincts of churches, synagogues or mosques," the Pontiff noted.
"This would, in effect, represent a new form of discrimination and authoritarianism. By legislating and implementing so-called 'safe access zones', the UK government has taken an unnecessary and disproportionate step backwards in protecting religious and civic freedoms in England and Wales", the bishop recalled.
"Unique thinking"
In addition to the clear condemnations of abortionist and antinatalist policies that he has frequently made, Pope Francis denounced single thought and ideological totalitarianism. He did so before the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See on several occasions.
In January 2023, for example, he denounced the "increasing polarization and attempts in various international forums to impose a unique way of thinkingThis prevents dialogue and marginalizes those who think differently".
In the same speech, he pointed to "an ideological totalitarianism, which promotes intolerance towards those who do not adhere to supposed positions of 'progress'" and which employs "more and more resources to impose, especially in relation to the poorest countries, forms of ideological colonization, creating, moreover, a direct link between the granting of economic aid and the acceptance of such ideologies".
Human rights
In this debate and in others concerning restrictions on fundamental rights, the Catholic Church has been unequivocally in favor of international human rights instruments, from the Universal Declaration The 1948 Convention, which is widely recognized, includes "freedom of thought, conscience and religion" (art. 18), in addition to the "right to life, liberty and security of person" (art. 3).
On the other hand, various experts have recalled the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2000), which recognizes "the right to conscientious objection", albeit in accordance with national laws. A legal framework that is also applicable to the assisted suicide bill, whose passage through the British Parliament in November last year was given the green light, as reported by OmnesThe 'Terminally III Adults (End of Life)' program, for people with less than six months to live. The 'Terminally III Adults (End of Life)'.still requires time for processing, and gave rise to a heated debate in the Palace of Westminster.
St. Paschal Bailon, great devotee of the Eucharist, and St. Peter Liu Wenyuan
On May 17, the liturgy celebrates St. Pascual Bailon, an Aragonese Franciscan with great devotion to the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin. The Italian saint Julia Salzano, religious foundress, is also celebrated today. The Chinese father of a family, St. Peter Liu Wenyuan, and the Polish Redemptorist Blessed Ivan Ziatyk, who died in a concentration camp near Russia.
Francisco Otamendi-May 17, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
On May 17, the Church commemorates the Franciscan friar Aragonese St. Pascual Bailon, of the 16th century, characterized by an ardent love for Jesus in the Eucharist and for the Virgin Mary. The saints' calendar also celebrates the Italian saints Julia Salzano and Antonia Mesina (15 years old), St. Paul and St. Paul (15 years old), St. Paul and St. Paul (15 years old). chinese family man St. Peter Liu Wenyuan, and the Polish Redemptorist Blessed Ivan Ziatyk.
The Martyrology Roman describes St. Pascual Bailon as follows: "In Villarreal, in the region of Valencia, in Spain, St. Pascual Bailon, a religious of the Order of Friars Minor, who, always showing himself diligent and benevolent towards all, constantly honored with ardent love the mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist († 1592)".
St. Paschal: few studies, but gifts of advice and wisdom
In fact, St. Paschal Bailon, who was called Paschal because he was born on the eve of Pentecost, was a shepherd as a young man. In 1564 he entered the Order of St. Francis. He wore the Franciscan habit in Elche (Alicante).
He was of humble origins and had little education, and was assigned to the offices of the lay brothers. But he had the gifts of counsel and wisdom, and great devotion to the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin. Pope Leo XIII named him patron of Eucharistic Associations and Congresses. He was beatified in 1618 by Pope Paul V, and canonized in 1690 by Pope Alexander VIII.
St. Peter Liu Wenyuan: pursued and arrested several times
Saint Peter Liu Wenyuan was born in China, of a pagan family, around the year 1790, according to the franciscan directory. Through a friend he learned about Christianity and was baptized. He was soon arrested and condemned, but was released. In 1814 he was arrested again and banished to Mongolia, where he was sold into slavery. He fell ill, and again friends managed to bring him home. He wanted to help his relatives who were persecuted for being Christians, and ended up imprisoned himself. He died in Guizhou (China) in 1834.
The authorFrancisco Otamendi
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Leo XIII, from whom the Pope took his name. Leo XIV, composed a beautiful prayer to the Archangel Michael, which is recommended to be prayed daily.
May 17, 2025-Reading time: < 1minute
In addition to the reasons explained by the Pope, for the choice of his name, I dare to add one more, which is perhaps present in the Holy Father. Leo XIII was Pope from 1878 to 1903.
One of his collaborators told how, on one occasion, while he was praying, he remained completely motionless. His face expressed horror, and at the same time amazement. Half an hour later he wrote the prayer to St. Michael, which some Christians pray at the end of Mass.
This prayer is a petition to the archangel to cast satan into hell. Nothing more to be chosen, Leo XIV has filled us with hope, reminding us that good will overcome evil.
Prayer to St. Michael continues to be very important.
122 years later the newly elected Pope has taken up the baton, also in this fight against evil, proposed by Leo XIII.
May the diffusion of this prayer be greater and greater, in order to obtain help in the fight of every Christian against evil.
This is how the prayer reads:
Archangel Michael, defend us in the struggle; be our protection against the wickedness and wiles of the devil. We imploringly ask God to keep him under his empire; and you, Prince of the heavenly militia, cast into hell, with divine power, Satan and the other evil spirits who go about the world trying to lose souls.
The words of the Blessed Virgin in her Visitation to Elizabeth have inspired the prayer, contemplation and artistic expression of Catholics throughout the centuries. Also among Christians of the Lutheran confession, the words of faith and praise with which Mary addresses God have nourished the spiritual life of many, including Johann Sebastian Bach.
Antonio de la Torre-May 17, 2025-Reading time: 5minutes
One of the few works that Bach composed in Latin is, paradoxically, one of his most famous and valuable: Magnificat BWV 243, composed in his first months as Cantor of St. Thomas in Leipzig (1723) and retouched later (1733) until it reached the form in which it is usually heard today. A work in which the fervent Lutheran Johann Sebastian Bach sets to music the divinely inspired words with which the Virgin Mary sings to God: the Magnificat, which the Catholic Church sings daily at Vespers.
For an important occasion
In Leipzig, tradition demanded that the Magnificat be sung at evening services, in German on ordinary Sundays and in Latin on the most important feast days. That is why Bach chose to set to music the Latin text from Lucas 1, 46-55, according to St. Jerome's Vulgate. The weight of liturgical tradition explains why an inveterate reader of Luther's German bible set a Latin biblical text to music.
On his first Christmas as Cantor in Leipzig, Bach presented a Magnificat in E-flat major, his first major liturgical work in his new post, which was performed on Christmas Day evening 1723 along with his cantata BWV 60. This first Magnificat, intended for the Christmas season, was composed incorporating four short Christmas hymns in German, which were interspersed between the stanzas of the Latin text.
Ten years later, Bach slightly retouched this first Magnificat, giving rise to the work that concerns us in this article. He transposed it to D major, eliminating the Christmas hymns and modernizing the orchestration. Indeed, he replaces the recorders with the then recent flutes, and enriches the woodwind by adding to the two oboes of 1723 two oboes d'amore, an instrument that was beginning to be incorporated into the orchestra at that time and that Bach preferred for some of his most emotional melodies.
This orchestration of the Magnificat is, in any case, truly magnificent, and includes the largest orchestral staff that could be found in Saxony in 1733, so complete that it lacks only two horns to reach the orchestral maximum of the early 18th century. This magnificence leads one to suppose that it was premiered on a great feast, probably in the church of St. Thomas in Leipzig for the Vespers service of the Visitation Day of 1733, which the Lutheran liturgy celebrated on July 2. For the same festive occasion Bach also composed in other years two important cantatas: the very famous BWV 147 (usually heard at almost every wedding) and BWV 10 (simpler, with its text based on Luther's German Magnificat).
The biblical text is presented in eleven musical numbers, followed, as is typical of the Vespers liturgy, by a final doxology. The sequence of numbers shows the composer's predilection for symmetry and rhythmic and timbral variety. This can be seen in the following.
A Lutheran painting of the Virgin Mary
In its first verses (Luke 1, 46-50), the biblical text expresses in its words as a portrait of the Heart of Mary, which Bach will paint with the color and expression of his music. If there are not many images of the Virgin in the austere Lutheran iconography, this is perhaps the most expressive of all.
The first number, like the last and central one, is composed by a large five-voice choir (two sopranos, altos, tenors and basses), accompanied by the splendor of the entire orchestra. It begins and ends this first number as a concert, with a wide and jubilant intervention of the orchestra, which prepares and closes the intervention of the choir. The choir sings the first word Magnificat, with exultant and rhythmic joy, an image of Mary's intense joy when she discovers the fulfillment of the divine promise in Elizabeth's pregnancy.
In the second number, where the musicians are suddenly reduced to the soprano and strings, the joy of the Virgin continues to be sung, but this time as if from the bottom of her humble heart, with an atmosphere full of intimacy and cordiality.
The third number, the first in minor mode, features the melancholy, silky and delicate timbre of the oboe d'amore, which gradually intertwines with the soprano to express the contemplation of Mary's humility. With a delicate, descending melodic line, the word "humilitatem" paints the fundamental feature of Mary's Heart in a way that beautifully evokes the purity and simplicity of the Virgin. When the text indicates that the Humble Virgin will be congratulated by all generations, a tremendous four-voice choir (omnes generationes) bursts forth over a thundering bass line, describing the fervent multitude that throughout the ages has devoutly congratulated the Virgin Mary.
Again by contrast, the fifth number is entrusted to the lowest and most serious possible staff: solo bass accompanied by basso continuo. In a surprising musical minimalism, Maria praises the greatness of the Mighty and Holy God, who draws near to the lowliest to favor them with His Mercy. In fact, the following number sings of the Divine Mercy in an ethereal and nostalgic spirit. Only the alto and tenor duet, with a very delicate accompaniment of violins on muted violins doubled by the flutes. A serene contemplation of the Mercy of the God who has shown his Power, his Goodness and his Wisdom in the Virgin Mother.
God's work
In the following verses of the biblical text (Luke 1:51-55) Mary describes God's action in favor of the humble people of Abraham's descendants. The seventh number is the central one of the whole work, and symmetrically reproduces the same musical template as the first one, but this time to cause an intense earthquake with the whole orchestra. In this catastrophe, diverse expressive figures and dynamic coloraturas in the voices show how the superb ones are dispersed to the four winds. As if this were not enough, the end of this number slows down the tempo to express how the superb mente cordis sui are crushed, as evoked by the forceful blows of the orchestra.
In the next number, a lively aria for tenor and two violins brings down the mighty amid the descending pulls of the violins' melody, then exalts the lowly to the heights with the tenor's rapid ascending coloratura. Calming the mood, but with similar content, comes perhaps the most famous aria of this composition, entrusted to the alto and two flutes. With these humble resources, the ninth number confirms that the hungry (esurientes) will be filled with good things, while in rapid musical descents the rich are sent away empty. The wealth with which God fills the wretched is depicted in the very long melisma that the soloist has to make on the word implevit, the longest of the whole work.
The last verses focus more closely on the kindness with which God has treated his people. Thus in number 10, a trio of two sopranos and alto sings with a peculiar harmony how God has remembrance (recordatus) for his servant Israel, while two oboes in unison intone the melody of the Lutheran Magnificat, as if evoking a choral prelude for organ.
The closing is provided by a four-voice choir with the perfect and fluid Bachian counterpoint on God's promises to Abraham, at whose name the counterpoint stops to underline in unison the name of the patriarch who is our father in faith, and, therefore, from whom the Virgin Mary descends.
The final doxology begins with two invocations sung by the choir and the entire orchestra in unison to the Father and the Son, in musical equality, followed by an invocation of greater dynamism, but similar style, for the Holy Spirit, a resource that shows the precise musical formulation with which Bach usually approaches in his works to the faith in the Holy Trinity. It all culminates with the repetition of the first number, thus closing the symmetrical structure of this monumental composition, but this time singing sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
St. Simon Stock and the Scapular, St. Gemma Galgani, and St. Isidore's Mass.
On May 16, the Church celebrates St. Simon Stock, a Carmelite devotee of the Virgin Mary, to whom, according to tradition, she gave the scapular of Carmel. Also today, since the 14th, the young Italian saint, St. Simon Stock, a Carmelite devotee of the Virgin Mary, is commemorated. Gema Galgani. Yesterday was celebrated St. Isidro Labrador, patron saint of Madrid and farmers.
Francisco Otamendi-May 16, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Among other saints and blessed, the liturgy celebrates the following on May 16 St. Simon StockHe was one of the first priors general of the Carmelite Order, who is known because the Virgin Mary, according to tradition, gave him the scapular of Carmel. It is also commemorated today, since the 14th, to the Passionist (see below) Italian saint Gemma Galgani. And yesterday Madrid celebrated its patron saint, saint Isidore the farmer.
On July 16, 1251, the Virgin Mary said to St. Simon Stock, who was Prior General of the Carmelite Order: "He who dies with it (the scapular) will not suffer eternal fire". Pope Pius XII pointed out: "It is not a matter of little importance, but of the attainment of eternal life in virtue of the promise made, according to tradition, by the Blessed Virgin".
Mary's maternal protection
"There are different traditions about the place where the vision of Our Lady with which the Lord graced St. Simon Stock supposedly took place. Aylesford, or else Cambridge, are usually proposed as privileged spaces with this supernatural apparition of the Virgin," notes the carmelite portal.
It also adds: "Although the historicity of the vision is not credible, the scapular has remained for all Carmelites as a sign of Mary's maternal protection and of their own commitment to follow Jesus Christ as their Mother, perfect models for all his disciples". Other references to the apparition of the Virgin and the scapular can be consulted, for example, here.
St. Gemma Galgani, stigmata on hands and feet
Santa Gema was one of the daughters of the apothecary Enrico Galgani and his wife Aurelia Landi, who died when she was only seven years old, explains the official biography. She was orphaned at the age of 18.
The young woman was characterized by her piety and her love for Christ and the Eucharist. She was one of the first stigmatized women of the 20th century. Three days a week, for at least three years, Gemma showed stigmata on her hands and feet, which then disappeared. She was also famous for her visions of her Guardian Angel.
At the age of 20, Gemma was miraculously cured of severe meningitis. Because of her poor health she was not accepted as a Passionist Sister, but she received the honors of the Order and was especially popular. Gemma probably died of tuberculosis in Lucca in 1903, at the age of 25. She was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1940. Since 1985 a relic of the saint's heart has been venerated in the Shrine of St. Gemma in Madrid.
San Isidro Labrador in Madrid
Madrid celebrated its patron saint, Saint Isidro Labrador, yesterday with a Campaign MassThe celebration was attended by a large number of families. The celebration was presided over by Cardinal José Cobo, Archbishop of Madrid, with his auxiliary bishops. Also concelebrating were Cardinal Baltazar Porras, Archbishop Emeritus of Caracas (Venezuela), and the Archbishop of Ciudad Bolivar (Venezuela), Ulises Gutierrez, among others.
Cardinal Cobo explained that "no branch can bear fruit if it is separated from the vine", and encouraged "to continue building your communities and making them places and houses of hope for all our neighbors".
He also stressed that "we cannot be witnesses of the Gospel if we live divided by ideologies or selfishness". Precisely "San Isidro reminds us that true holiness does not divide, but unites". "Sow hope, sow unity," he said.
Pope Leo XIV, deeply linked to Latin America and devoted to St. Toribio de Mogrovejo, is emerging as a new promoter of evangelization with a spirit of unity and doctrinal clarity. His pontificate, in the year of hope, evokes the mission of the saints who brought the Gospel to the peripheries.
P. Manuel Tamayo-May 16, 2025-Reading time: 3minutes
Those who are writing about Pope Leo XIV, refer to his predecessor Leo XIIIThe Pope himself has endorsed several similarities, which allow us to presage that Leo XIV would be the Pope of unity.
It turns out that this Pope is an American with years of work and experience in Peru, which has allowed him to know well the idiosyncrasies of these Spanish-American lands.
At the beginning of this year, which is the year of hope, I was in Spain promoting the Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo film.
Revitalize your figure
Twelve years ago Pope Benedict XVI said to the Archbishop of Lima, "What are you doing with Santo Toribio? The Holy Father said that Saint Toribio had to be made known because he was the Charles Borromeo of America.
In fact, Santo Toribio brought to the American lands, and especially to the diocese of Lima, the Council of Trent, which was of the Counter-Reformation, to clarify Catholic doctrine from the confusion that had arisen from Luther's reform.
The Latin American touch that Leo XIV has, makes him very skillful to produce in this continent a re-evangelization, like the one that Saint Toribio did in the XVII century, on the back of a mule, With the Gospel, the catechism, translated into Quechua and Aymara, and with the sacraments, the extensive territory he was given, to evangelize and confirm as many people as he could. He was a man who went out to the peripheries to take the Word of God to the farthest corners of the world.
The black legend
Spanish Catholics told me a few months ago, that the time had come for twinning in Latin America, to erase the black legends, which had been woven for years by the enemies of the Church, and that we should rather highlight the evangelization made by the saints who preached in these lands with great sacrifice and giving their lives so that everyone would know the Gospels and could live an authentic Christian life of love for God and others.
We are in similar times. Pope Leo XIV speaks of the challenges we face in the face of Artificial Intelligence and ideologies that have forgotten about Christ and have him as just another leader and not as the Son of God.
Santo Toribio clarified things giving many lights to all the people, to the clergy, to the civil authorities and to the people. His work was impressive.
Pope Leo XIV is a devotee of Saint Toribio, he was Grand Chancellor of the University of Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo in Chiclayo.
The Road to Santo Toribio
Today, those of us who are promoting a feature film of the saint, with "Goya Producciones" are encouraging, with several universities, to design "the way of Santo Toribio" for pilgrimages, something similar to the "Camino de Santiago" in Spain.
There is an urgent need to re-Christianize our continent and the entire world. This father has that mission. We all accompany him with our prayer and an action similar to that of Saint Toribio to reach everyone with the clarity of doctrine.
The Roads of Santiago and of Santo Toribio are roads that lead to God. Saints lead us to God and God wants us to be saints. That is why we need the Sacraments.
Now Leo XIV, and all of us, with the intercession of St. Toribius and Leo XIII, will strongly ask St. Michael the Archangel to "cast out with his Divine power Satan and the evil spirits that are scattered throughout the world for the perdition of souls".
In the year of hope, new times will come, times of light and unity in Peter's boat.
The need to discover the sources, to go to them, to renounce the morbidity of ecclesial politics, to have reliable intermediaries: these are all skills that serve us even for life beyond the religious sphere, especially in times of artificial intelligence.
May 16, 2025-Reading time: 4minutes
I have read three quarters of the book written by Javier Cercas, a Spanish atheist writer, about Pope Francis in general, and about his trip to Mongolia in particular.
A recurring question arises in the numerous interviews he does with people around Francis, and we could formulate it something like this: if the Pope has been chosen to be a spiritual leader, why does he only talk about earthly topics? The doubt is even more pertinent if we know that the whole book is Cercas' attempt to ask about the resurrection of the flesh and life after death, both of which are indeed purely spiritual topics.
The drifts that this question follows throughout the book are various and interesting, but, above all, they allow us to talk about a theme: that Pope Francis made it clear that we have a problem as readers in the times of algorithms and superficial reading.
I remember once, conversing with a priest friend of mine, who was not very attuned to Pope Francis - or to whom he thought was Pope Francis - he reproached aloud precisely this: that the Pope did not speak about the central themes of the Catholic faith, while he devoted himself to speaking about "political" issues, such as migration, care for nature or concern for the poor. This second statement of his sentence we will leave for another time. But that day, dismantling that parallel reality created by some web page was not difficult, since a few hours earlier the Pope had dedicated his tenth consecutive general audience to a catechesis on the Holy Mass, the central mystery of the Christian faith. Logically, this did not appear in the Vatican information blog that my priest friend read, nor in the headlines of the common press that he saw fleetingly on social networks.
If it was already a problem for the truth that we consume only the information we receive from the algorithms of social networks or from some blog with questionable intentions, now this complication has multiplied with artificial intelligence.
A few days ago it was Mother's Day in many countries of the world and I received several times a fake video of Pope Leo XIV reflecting on the maternal task. Just as my priest friend thought that Francis never spoke about spiritual life, others may now think that Leo XIV is a specialist in cheesy congratulations for the world days of every member of the family.
The task of forming ourselves as readers of news is urgent, because the image we form of the world depends on it. And the same goes for religious information: the task of forming ourselves as readers of news about the Pope is urgent, because the image we form of his person and of the Church depends on it, with clear repercussions also in our spiritual life.
Should we ask a common newspaper, with eminently political themes, to report on the Church with a spiritual sense? Obviously not.
Can we ask the media to give us a breakdown of the Pope's meetings with the religious of the country he is visiting? Obviously not.
Can we ask him to summarize each catechesis dedicated to the different sacraments? Neither.
Each medium looks for what interests its readers. Such a media will look for what is political in the Pope's activities and, passed through the filter of its editorial line, transmit it to its readers. That is its job. If we ask for pears from the elm tree, the problem is ours, not that of this or that newspaper.
A perhaps even more delicate terrain is that of Church information sites. For one might think that one solves one's problem as a reader by visiting websites that are specifically devoted to these topics. However, it is not that easy either.
If one has a little familiarity with these media, one will know that there are those that are often called more "conservative" and those of a more "liberal" bent, with the infinite limitations that these terms have in the religious world. And precisely that we can use those labels is part of the problem.
In most cases, information about the Pope is not given there with a spiritual and supernatural vision of the Church, but rather information about the Church, but soaked with an earthly view, as if everything there were a political struggle, as if the objective in the Church were also to eliminate the enemy, even if, logically, they have to disguise their texts with pious ornaments.
Can we ask them to be open to what the Holy Spirit blows, even if it is something that does not align with their thinking, even if it generates fewer clicks, and even if it does not feed their readers, eager for constant confirmation of their own vision of reality? No.
Everyone is free to produce information as they see fit, but we cannot expect a truly religious perspective from all religious media.
This was one of the realities that Francis unmasked, if only because of the times in which he lived: the need to form ourselves as readers of news. The need to discover the sources, to go to them, to renounce the morbidity of ecclesial politics, to have reliable intermediaries: these are all skills that serve us even for life beyond the religious sphere, especially in times of artificial intelligence.
In those conversations with people who were not in tune with Francis - again: with who they thought Francis was - it was not uncommon to come to this question: How much time have you spent reading the Pope's writings firsthand, and how much time have you spent with the news media that want to keep you hooked on the religious soap opera? Very few people went to the real source and, logically, they were fighting in their minds with a stereotype created in some newsroom.
May this not happen to us with Leo XIV. Thank you," the Pope said in his meeting with the media a few days ago, "for all you have done to abandon the stereotypes and commonplaces through which we often read Christian life and the very life of the Church. It was a polite gesture that perhaps, in reality, conceals an elegant request.
Érase Publishing House, reviving fairy tales in the West
The Érase publishing house aims to bring a breath of fresh air to the world of literature, offering quality works with a careful moral and anthropological background.
María Loreto Ríos and Pedro Lara are the founders of Érase publishing house. This project seeks to bring literary quality back to the world of books, through a very careful selection and production of works.
As the founders explain, with their publications they want to "offer a literature that helps to understand reality through fiction". To do so, they look "with a magnifying glass at the moral and anthropological background of each work".
In this interview with Omnes, they talk about the origins of the editorialThe company's catalog and the current situation of literature aimed at children and young people.
Editorial Érase
What was the main motivation for founding this publishing house?
- Loreto]: Our main motivation was to note that the original structure and symbology of fairy tales had been lost in contemporary literature, mainly that aimed at children and young people, with few exceptions. This may not seem to have much relevance, but art and literature leave a lasting and deep impression on the reader. Disrupting the meaning and symbolism of fairy tales and stories can have many effects on society, even if only in a subtle way.
That said, our aim is not to offer pedagogical stories or books whose main purpose is to convey a moralizing message, but works with literary value, but which are in line with the line of fantastic and mythical literature initiated, for example, by authors such as George MacDonald, Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. S. Lewis.
Your catalog focuses on untranslated contemporary authors and works that have not been published for a long time. What criteria do you use to select authors and works? How do you balance literary quality with a focus on freshness and novelty?
- Pedro]: First of all, we pay close attention to the literary quality of the works we wish to publish; in this we are no different from other good narrative publishers. What does differentiate us is that we also look closely at the moral and anthropological background of each work.
The market of children's and young adult literature is today flooded with novels that blur, if not directly eliminate, the reality of good and evil, that disguise vice as virtue and present villains as heroes. In our works, good exists and is in continuous struggle with evil, which is nothing but the absence or deprivation of good (it has no entity of its own), and vice enslaves and destroys all those who practice it.
Closely related to the above are symbols, which have a profound influence on man, nowadays often ignored. There are many stories of magnanimous dragons and friendly wolves, apparently innocent and harmless, but which have devastating effects on the moral imagination of children, subtly undermining their ability to distinguish good from evil. That is why we always try to keep our works in line with the symbolic tradition of the West, which is a guarantee of sanity and moral health.
Finally, we are extremely concerned about the ever-increasing eroticization of young people's literature, promoted through TikTok and sponsored by the publishers who profit from it. From this, of course, we flee like the plague.
As for the balance you mention, we do not seek it, nor do we intend to seek it. We want all the works we publish to be literarily excellent and, at the same time, fresh and new. This quote from Péguy comes to mind: "Homer is new every morning, and there is nothing older than today's newspaper. In other words, freshness and novelty are characteristics of the classics, of the best literature, because it is interwoven with yearnings, aspirations, concerns and perennial and universal human experiences.
Who is the target audience of your publishing house? Who do you want to appeal to with the selection of your catalog?
- Loreto]: Érase Publishing is aimed at children and young adults, but the truth is that we believe that these types of stories can reach many other age groups. We are advocates that adults can also enjoy fairy tales and good fantasy.
Tolkien himself defines "The Lord of the Rings" thus in letter 181: "It is a 'fairy tale,' but a fairy tale written for adults, in accordance with the belief, which I once expressed at length in the essay 'On Fairy Tales,' that they constitute the right audience. For I believe that the fairy tale' has its own way of reflecting 'truth', different from allegory, satire or 'realism', and is, in some sense, more powerful. But, above all, it must succeed as a tale, excite, please and sometimes even move, and, within its own imaginary world, it must be accorded (literary) credibility. To achieve this was my primary objective.
How do you take care of the editorial process to ensure that the works are presented in the best possible way?What value do you place on the work of translators and physical editions of books?
- Loreto]: Regarding the physical editions, first of all we want to highlight the value of the illustrators and the importance of the design being in the hands of an artist and not an artificial intelligence, even if that means making the production of the book more expensive. We have a wonderful illustrator, with a degree in Fine Arts, who is in charge of the illustration and cover design, as well as the interior decorations in the case of "Once Upon a Queen".
In addition to that, we take great care that the materials of the book (paper, cover, binding, etc.) are good. We consider it very important that the book as an object is beautiful and attractive, as well as having quality and durability.
- Pedro]: And with translations we are picky to say the least! Before being editors, we have been translators, that's why we have decided to take personal charge of the translation work. And I must say that it has been a great pleasure to translate books that we love and that we have been reading, rereading and enjoying for years.
You mention the desire to encourage reading from an early age, how do you plan to bring young people closer to reading and to contemporary authors who may not be so popular yet?
- Pedro]: Unfortunately, to achieve that it is not enough to publish good books. In fact, we don't think we are discovering the gunpowder if we say that a large part of what children and young people read today (and also many adults) is literary trash.
We are convinced that, in order to face this painful situation, we must all become aware of the vital and irreplaceable role that good stories play in the education of the young. Good stories are food for the soul; they are like maps and compasses that help us to orient ourselves in life; they help us to reject evil and choose good. If we want our children and students to know the truth, we must tell them the truth. If we want them to love the truth and live by it, we must tell them good stories.
At Érase we want to collaborate with parents, teachers and educators to ensure that the imagination of our children and young people has the nourishment it needs.
What kind of relationship do you seek to establish with your authors? How do you plan to handle the issue of collaboration with emerging writers and their participation in the editorial process?
- Loreto]: With foreign authors it is very complicated to establish a relationship, since all the arrangements are made through literary agencies or the publishing house of origin itself. They are usually authors who already have a more or less consolidated trajectory in their countries.
But we do plan to focus on emerging and Spanish-speaking authors in the future. There is no specific date for this yet. We want to wait until the publishing house has a little more experience, among other things because the process of choosing an already published and finished work and translating it is very different from the work of receiving, selecting and editing an original manuscript.
What is your long-term vision for the publishing house, how do you expect your catalog to evolve in the coming years and what kind of impact do you want to have on the publishing world and on readers?
- [Peter]: Like Rick Blaine in "Casablanca," we don't plan that far in advance. I say that half jokingly, but also half seriously. We are fully aware that Érase is a tiny drop in a vast publishing ocean, a David against an army of Goliaths. That is why, rather than with a vision of what we want to be in the future, we always work with our minds and hearts set on a mission, on what we must be today, every day, in the present.
We have a long list of books that we would love to translate and publish, books that we have been wanting to see published in Spanish for years. But we are taking one step at a time. Each work we publish is like a "paper child", a gift to us and, we hope, to our readers as well. If just one of our books makes a child yearn to be a hero, or a young person regain their sense of wonder at reality, or a family come together again night after night to enjoy a story read aloud, then our work will not have been in vain.
Pope Leo XIV pledges strengthened dialogue with the Jewish people
Among his first messages, Pope Leo XIV has expressed his intention to strengthen the Catholic Church's dialogue with the Jewish people. The Chief Rabbi of Rome will attend the inauguration of the Pontificate on Sunday the 18th.
OSV / Omnes-May 15, 2025-Reading time: 3minutes
- Justin McLellan (Vatican City, CNS)
The new Pope Leo XIV wishes to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with the Jewish people. He has expressed this in a message addressed to Rabbi Noam Marans, director of interreligious affairs of the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
"Trusting in the assistance of the Almighty, I pledge myself to continue and strengthen the Church's dialogue and cooperation with the Jewish people," the Pope affirms. "In the spirit of the Second Vatican Council's declaration 'Nostra Aetate'" he adds. The papal message was posted on the AJC's X account on May 13.
The declaration 'Nostra Aetate' ('In Our Time'), dated 1965, was authored by St. Paul VI. "Nostra Aetate" affirmed the spiritual kinship of the Catholic Church with the Jewish people, and condemned all forms of anti-Semitism.
Israel's "right to exist in peace".
AJC is an advocacy group that "defends Israel's right to exist in peace and security. It confronts anti-Semitism, no matter the source. And it defends the democratic values that unite Jews and our allies," according to its website.
Pope Leo did not explicitly address the war between Israel and Hamas after praying the "Regina Coeli" with pilgrims in St. Peter's Square on May 11. But he did call for an "immediate cease-fire" in the Gaza Strip. "That humanitarian aid be provided to the affected civilian population, and that all hostages be released," he said.
Pope Leo also sent a personal message to Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, chief rabbi of Rome, "informing him of his election as the new pontiff". The statement was published on May 13 on the Facebook page of the Jewish community of Rome.
In its message, the statement said: "Pope Leo XIV undertook to continue and to strengthen the dialogue and the church's cooperation with the Jewish people in the spirit of Vatican II's 'Nostra Aetate' declaration."
Chief Rabbi to attend inauguration of Pontificate
"The Chief Rabbi of Rome, who will be present at the celebration of the inauguration of the Pontificate (May 18), welcomed with satisfaction and gratitude the words addressed to him by the new Pope," the communiqué added.
The Jews have lived in Rome since long before Christ was born. Centuries of interaction between the city's Jewish community and the popes mean that Jewish-Vatican relations have a unique history, much of it sad.
A special exhibition
In 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI visited the synagogue in Rome, the staff of the Jewish Museum of Rome planned a special exhibit illustrating part of that history.
The centerpiece of the exhibition was composed of 14 decorative panels made by Jewish artists to mark the inauguration of the pontificates of various Popes. They were Clement XII, Clement XIII, Clement XIV and Pius VI in the 18th century.
Humiliations
For hundreds of years, the Jewish community was forced to participate in the ceremonies surrounding the enthronement of new Popes. Often in a humiliating manner.
Several groups in the city were assigned to decorate different sections of the Pope's route between the Vatican and the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Pope's cathedral.
The Jewish community was responsible for the stretch of road between the Colosseum and the Arch of Titus, which celebrates the victory of the Roman Empire over the Jews of Jerusalem in the first century.
The Roman victory included the destruction of the Temple, the holiest site in Judaism. The triumphal arch depicts Roman soldiers carrying away the menorah and other Jewish liturgical elements.
It is curious that, in a text for the Easter season, this Sunday's Gospel brings us back to Judas' betrayal of Our Lord. Surely we should focus on the risen life of Christ, not on the betrayal that led to his death. And yet, even in this passage, there is what we might call a "resurrection." For while Judas goes out to betray him, Jesus speaks to us of love. "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.".
And in fact, every act of love, and in particular every act of forgiveness, is like a mini-resurrection. If hatred is a form of murder-a miniature murder, a partial violence while murder is its fullness-forgiveness overcomes evil with love. It rises above it. In a sense, Jesus had already risen when he prayed to his Father on the Cross: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.". His love, his mercy, "rose above" their hatred. With the forgiveness of his heart, he had already entered a new way of life: unconditional love. And, indeed, we see how Jesus was always open to Judas, reaching out to him to the end. Even at the moment of his betrayal in the garden, our Lord calls him "friend" (Mt 26:50). The door to return was open to him until he closed it in despair and hanged himself.
The second reading invites us to look towards the heavenly Jerusalem, our final home if we wish, where God will wipe away all the tears from our eyes, "and there shall be no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, no more pain.". God then declares: "See, I make all things new.". Heaven is the full fruition of love, and what makes new is love. Jesus made the crucifixion "new" by turning it from an act of evil brutality into an expression of sublime love. In the first reading, Paul and Barnabas teach that "one must go through many tribulations to enter the kingdom of God.". But then we see them establish new communities with their respective leaders. Thanks to love, they overcome tribulations and the Church, the kingdom of God on earth awaiting its heavenly fulfillment, moves forward. Through love and forgiveness, resurrection becomes a daily reality in our lives and in the Church.
Catholic scientists: José María Albareda, chemist, pharmacist and priest
On March 27, 1966, José María Albareda, chemist, pharmacist and priest, secretary general of the CSIC and rector of the UNAV, died. This series of short biographies of Catholic scientists is published thanks to the collaboration of the Society of Catholic Scientists of Spain.
Alfonso Carrascosa-May 15, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
José María Albareda (April 15, 1902 - Madrid, March 27, 1966) was the founding secretary general of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), an initiative he developed in collaboration with José Ibáñez-Martín, founding president and with whom he maintained a close friendship. José María was born in Caspe (Zaragoza) on April 15, 1902. He studied Pharmacy at the University of Madrid and Chemical Sciences in Zaragoza, obtaining the corresponding doctorates in Pharmacy and Sciences in 1927 and 1931.
Like Ibáñez Martín, he became a high school professor, after which he received a scholarship from the Junta para la Ampliación de Estudios e Investigaciones Científicas (JAE). During the period 1928-1932, he immersed himself in the new science of soil science, collaborating with leading foreign scientists in Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Upon his return to Spain, Enrique Moles officially proposed him to establish a PhD chair to teach soil science, edaphology, becoming the top expert in Spain at that time. He founded and directed the Soil Science Institute, giving rise to a research school that expanded throughout the country and materialized in the creation of soil science and agrobiology centers. This initiative had a very positive impact on agriculture through the Institutes of Guidance and Technical Assistance, promoted by José María Albareda himself in collaboration with local corporations.
He became a university professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Madrid and was a member of several academies, such as the Royal Academy of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences, the Royal Academy of Pharmacy of Madrid, the Academy of Engineers of Stockholm and the Pontifical Academy of Rome, among others.
In addition, he participated in the National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO, in the Catholic Association of Propagandists (ACDP) and later in the secular Institute Opus Dei, being ordained priest in 1959. He also served as rector of the Estudio General de Navarra, the first modern private university in Spain, and received honorary doctorates from the Catholic University of Louvain and the University of Toulouse. He died in Madrid on February 26, 1966.
This morning, Pope Leo XIV received in private audience the Prelate of Opus Dei, Fernando Ocáriz, who was accompanied by his auxiliary vicar, Bishop Mariano Fazio. The meeting, brief and in an atmosphere of closeness, allowed the Holy Father to express his affection: "The Pope showed his closeness and affection," according to the Pope. reported the Office Opus Dei Press Office.
Pope's interest in Opus Dei Statutes
During the meeting, Pope Leo XIV expressly asked about "the current study of the Statutes of the Prelature," a topic of relevance for the internal government of the institution. "Leo XIV listened with great interest to the explanations given to him," the communiqué states.
A pause for the death of Francis
The process of revising the Statutes was put on hold after the death of Pope Francis, as a sign of institutional respect and to join in the mourning for the deceased pontiff. With this hearing, the dialogue on the possible changes and adaptations required by the motu proprio is resumed. Ad charisma tuendumissued in 2022.
Under the Virgin's mantle
Before leaving, the Pope recalled the Marian invocation celebrated on the day of his election, Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii, the main Marian shrine of the Campania region and one of the most important in Italy, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.
Upon completion, "in a family atmosphere of trust, Leo XIV gave the Prelate and the auxiliary vicar his paternal blessing".concluded the official statement.
The great question for Leo XIV - "Who is Jesus Christ?" - challenges not only the new Pope, but the whole Church, which is called to guard, deepen and transmit this truth through life and witness. Only those who answer this question sincerely begin to live, for Jesus is the living water that quenches the thirst of the human heart.
May 14, 2025-Reading time: 3minutes
Who is Jesus Christ?
"I think that the man who has not answered this question can be sure that he has not yet begun to live," says a spiritual author of the twentieth century.
The apostles at Caesarea Philippi faced this question, and Leo XIV is facing it now. In his first Mass as Pope, that was the question that the Gospel put before the new Bishop of Rome, and with him, the whole Church.
It is the question of all times. The one that beats, consciously or unconsciously, in the heart of every person. The great question that the Catholic Church, with its leader at the forefront, is called to answer not only with words and theory, but with life and witness.
"You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (Mt 16:16). The answer of Peter, the first Pope, to the question of who Jesus is, "expresses in synthesis the patrimony that for two thousand years the Church, through apostolic succession, has guarded, deepened and transmitted," Leo XIV affirmed before the cardinals who elected him to succeed that apostle.
That's where everything is at stake. It is our patrimony. On the answer we give to that question will depend the turning point of our life, as happened in the case of Peter. Now that Cardinal Prevost has received the highest possible mission, he faces the same challenge as always, but with the horizons of this second quarter of a century. It is he who must guide the whole Church so that she may continue to offer what Christ entrusts to her: safeguarding, deepening and transmitting the answer to the question of who Jesus is.
These three verbs give a very clear idea of what the Pope is asking of all of us. CustodianIt means protecting and defending what has been given to us, on a par with what the martyrs, true witnesses of the answer to who Christ is, have done.
DeepenBecause the question about Jesus is inexhaustible, and every Christian is called to face this question without fear, with all the strength of his heart. Otherwise, we have not begun to live.
Finally, transmit. We live in a world that, according to Leo XIVSome see Jesus as someone "who is totally unimportant, at most a curious character, who can arouse astonishment with his unusual way of speaking and acting. Others see him simply as a good man and "so they follow him, at least as far as they can do so without too much risk and inconvenience. But they consider him only a man and, therefore, at the moment of danger, during the Passion, they too abandon him and leave, disillusioned".
Ours is a thirsty world, and this thirst can only be quenched by the Name and the Face of Jesus, as Benedict XVI said 20 years ago. The thirst remains the same, perhaps even more voracious today, and for this reason the mission of transmission becomes more urgent every day.
Although it may not be historically reliable, this anecdote may be illustrative. It is said that the curate of Ars, John Mary Vianney, the future saintly Curé of Ars, was criticized by his brother priests. The reason was that large numbers of people came to him for confession, which affected attendance in neighboring parishes. Vianney is said to have replied: "if you give them water, the sheep come".
Water is Jesus Christ. Therefore, answering the question of who Jesus is is obviously also a necessity of mine, which led me to write a book which has as its title the question that Jesus asks Peter, Leo XIV, and each personWho do you say I am? This book is, more than anything else, an invitation, as I say in the introduction, to discover in the Gospel a treasure that is waiting for our longing to unearth it. Writing was a way for me to do this, and I hope it will help others to find their own way of immersing themselves in it.
That is why the phrase of St. Augustine, the spiritual father of the new Pope, is so famous, because it expresses it in a masterly way: God made us for him, and we are restless until we rest in him. In short, I would say that I wrote this book of necessity. There is nothing that makes a person happier than needing Jesus. Because to need him is already to begin to seek him, and he who seeks him with sincerity always finds him, and he who finds him loves him. And he who loves him and lets himself be loved, finds happiness.
He who truly finds it can say that he has begun to live.
St. Matthias, Apostle, and St. Theodora Guérin, missionary in Indiana
On May 14, the liturgy celebrates St. Matthias, apostle, who was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot to complete the Twelve. In addition, today we commemorate Saints Theodora Guérin, evangelizer in Indiana (United States), and Dominica Mazzarello. Also to Miguel Garicoitz, born in the French Pyrenees, who took care of the priests.
Francisco Otamendi-May 14, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
On May 14, the Church celebrates St. Matthias, who was chosen as an apostle in place of Judas Iscariot to witness the resurrection of the Lord, according to the Acts of the Apostles. The initiative came from San Pedro. It also celebrates St. Theodora Guérin, a missionary in Indiana.
After the Ascension of the Lord, Peter stated to the Eleven that "it is necessary that one of those who accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus lived with us (...), be associated with us as a witness of his resurrection".
They proposed two: Joseph, called Barsaba, nicknamed Justus, and Matthias. They prayed, cast lots, and "it was the turn of Matiasand they associated him with the eleven apostles".According to tradition, he evangelized Ethiopia, where he suffered martyrdom, and his relics were taken to Trier (Germany), of which he is patron.
Evangelist in the United States
The liturgy also includes several saints on this day. Among them, the French saint Theodora Guérinborn in 1798 in Brittany. At the age of 25, she joined the Sisters of Providence and dedicated herself to the education of children, the poor, the sick and the dying. In 1840 she was sent to the United States to establish a convent and found schools in Indiana.
During the hardships of the mission, he always trusted in Divine Providence, strengthened the community, and founded academies, schools and orphanages throughout Indiana. She died on May 14, 1856 at Saint Mary of the Woods. Benedict XVI canonized her in 2006.
Educators, priests and religious
Italian Maria Domenica MazzarelloBosco, very faithful to Don Bosco, and the priest Michael Garicoitzfounder in 1835 of the Congregation of Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and advocate of Bernadette Soubirousthe visionary of Lourdes, are also saints of the day. They have here an excellent description of the dedication of the priest Miguel Garicoitz. He was canonized by Pius XII in 1947.
The Portuguese Blessed Gil de Vaozela or Gil de Santarem(1187), was the son of the governor of Coimbra. He was fond of necromancy and black magic, but struggled to change his life. He embraced religious life in Palencia, joined the Dominicans, was ordained a priest and converted many by preaching. He spent his last years in Santarem (Portugal).
During the Marian month, the Jubilee 2025 is intertwined with popular devotion to the Virgin Mary through pilgrimages, rosaries and a widely lived spirituality. Highlights include the 150th anniversary of the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, near Naples, Italy.
On the road to Jubilee of Hope The month of May stands out as a privileged time for experiencing the spiritual dimension of the Holy Year through the simple but profound signs of Marian piety. Since its origins, the Church has recognized in these expressions of faith an open door to what is essential: the personal encounter with God and the conversion of the heart.
In the bull "Spes non confundit"Pope Francis recalls the singular importance of Marian shrines as places where the faithful can experience the divine presence with particular intensity. In these sacred spaces, many find consolation, peace, encouragement and hope for their lives. It is not by chance, Francis stresses, "that popular piety continues to invoke the Blessed Virgin as Stella maris, a title expressive of the certain hope that, in the stormy events of life, the Mother of God comes to our aid, sustains us and invites us to trust and to continue to hope" (n. 24).
Marian devotion, a living and missionary expression of faith
During this Marian month, the Jubilee 2025 naturally intertwines with popular devotion to the Virgin Mary. In many dioceses and parishes, community moments of Marian prayer are planned: processions, rosaries, youth vigils and local pilgrimages that express the faith of the people.
As the Pope pointed out in the exhortation "Evangelii gaudium" (2013) - and previously in the Aparecida Document (2007) -, popular piety constitutes "a legitimate way of living the faith, a way of feeling part of the Church, and a way of being missionaries" (n. 124). This religiosity, Francis adds, possesses"an actively evangelizing force that cannot be underestimated" (n. 126), since it represents an authentic expression of the spontaneous missionary action of the People of God.
Pompeii: 150 years of devotion
In this jubilee context, the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the painting of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii takes on special relevance. This significant event is commemorated every year in the Neapolitan sanctuary on May 8 (the date on which the construction of the basilica began in 1876) and on the first Sunday of October with the traditional and solemn Supplication.
On the occasion of this anniversary, Pope Francis sent a letter to the Archbishop Prelate of Pompeii Tommaso Caputo stressing that the Rosary, although "a simple tool accessible to all, can support the renewed evangelization to which the Church is called today". For this reason, he stressed the importance of bringing this practice closer to young people, "so that they feel it not as something repetitive and monotonous, but as an act of love that never tires of pouring itself out."
Mary, companion on our path of hope
In an address to shrine rectors in November 2018, Francis recalled that, in most shrines dedicated to Marian piety, "the Virgin Mary opens wide the arms of her maternal love to hear the supplication of each one and grant it."
And as she expressed in Fatima on May 13, 2017, "We have a Mother! Clinging to her as children, let us live from the hope that rests on Jesus." A hope that, as he always reminds us in "Spes non confundit," finds in Mary "its highest witness," not "a futile optimism, but a gift of grace in the realism of life."
The Core School and Methos Media launch Summer School for future audiovisual talents
Methos Media and The Core School, the Escuela Superior de Audiovisuales de Planeta Formación y Universidades are promoting an intensive and practical program aimed at those who dream of a career in film and audiovisual production.
An intensive and practical program aimed at those who dream of a career in film and audiovisual production. This is the offer promoted by the Escuela Superior de Audiovisuales The Core School, together with Methos Media for this summer.
An entry to the professional world
The course, which will be held at The Core School's facilities in Tres Cantos (Madrid), offers cutting-edge training and direct access to the industry.
The course is aimed at young professionals or students and all those interested in immersing themselves in the audiovisual world. In it, participants will have the opportunity to develop a personal project throughout the program, which will allow them to build a professional portfolio that will boost their entry into the industry.
Methos Media Scholarships
The course will be held in modern facilities equipped with state-of-the-art sets, control rooms, recording studios and specialized laboratories, and will include a private transportation service for students.
In the words of Miguel Ferrández Barturen, CEO of Methos Media, "the Summer School is an exceptional opportunity for those who wish to give a boost to their career in the audiovisual world".
The full course is priced at €2,210 (VAT included), with a 25% early registration discount until May 26, 2031, and the Methos Foundation will award 20 scholarships of up to €1,000 for students with financial need. Interested students you can leave your data through this form and will receive all the necessary information.
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The Presence of the Virgin Mary in Contemporary Poetry
Rooted in a tradition of enormous quality, whose origins go back to the Middle Ages, in Spain there are a handful of lay people who write magnificent Marian poetry, apart from pregones, devotional songs or rhetorical exercises of easy rhyme. It is not abundant, but it exists.
Since Gonzalo de Berceo, the singer of the Gloriosa in the 13th century, Marian poetry has endured to the present day. Poets with deep Catholic roots have been able to keep alive this flame of love for the Mother of God, keeping it burning in Spanish literature throughout the centuries, and in the past it was mainly the clergy who expressed their devotion to the Virgin in verse, since culture was in their hands. However, over the years, poets and playwrights from the secular world have created beautiful compositions in which the figure of the Virgin Mary has been the main subject of devotion. Virgin Mary has occupied a central, unique place.
Without going too far back in time, in the 20th century names such as José María Pemán, Dámaso Alonso, Gerardo Diego, the first Rafael Alberti, Ernestina de Champourcín or Miguel Hernández stand out. After the Civil War In the 36, this tradition was continued by an extensive list of poets, among them Luis Rosales, Luis Felipe Vivanco, Leopoldo Panero, Rafael Montesinos, Luis López Anglada, Francisco Garfias, Pablo García Baena, María Elvira Lacaci or Alfonsa de la Torre. The list is extensive and remarkable.
However, although in recent decades Marian poetry continues to be latent, few poets -and even fewer poets- keep it among their preferences, even among those of Catholic conviction. What was once a flow, today has become a stream in which barely a handful of lyrical voices hoist a Marian-inspired poetry. I am not referring here to Christmas poetry, which continues to be written with a festive air and in which Mary appears as part of the "earthly trinity" together with Jesus and Joseph, but to that in which Our Lady stands out and shines with her own light.
A turning point
The year 1930 marks a turning point: there are far fewer quality secular poets born since then who sing of the Virgin Mary. However, if one delves deeper into the Marian literary fact, one discovers extremely interesting voices. Suffice it to mention María Victoria Atencia, Manuel Ballesteros, José Antonio Sáez, José Julio Cabanillas, the brothers Jesús and Daniel Cotta, the brothers Enrique and Jaime García-Máiquez, Carlos Pujol, Mario Míguez (the latter two are now deceased), Luis Alberto de Cuenca, Sonia Losada and Julio Martínez Mesanza; as well as authors who have published the occasional sporadic poem, such as Pablo Moreno, Gabriel Insausti, Julen Carreño, Beatriz Villacañas and Andrés Trapiello. The reasons for this decline are diverse and go beyond the limits of this article; broadly speaking, it can be said that they are the consequence of the secularization of culture which, logically, also reaches the lyric.
Ways of looking
Within the group of authors mentioned above, there are those who consider themselves minstrels of the Virgin, such is the case of Jesus Cotta, classically trained, who represents her by highlighting the variety of qualifiers and tasks that she performs, within the most genuine Christian monotheism: "...".O godmother of the cosmos, captain of the ship / that rescues harlots from the clutches of the pimp / with your limpid army of unborn children, / Notre Dame of the Copts, on the Crescent Moon, / that you show yourself in dreams to veiled girls / and the sun moves in Fatima, you weep blood in Akita, / and the possessed you free with a kiss on the forehead.".
Similarly, Luis Alberto de Cuenca, also classically trained, extols her using unusual and daring appellatives, some inspired by Greek polytheism: "...".White Goddess, Mary, Mother of the cosmic / order, sovereign of the abyss, / sacred and primeval womb, mandorla / from where everything is born, where everything / is reintegrated.". On the other hand, José Julio Cabanillas adopts a more serene and symbolic tone to address her: "Mistress of the vineyards, mistress of the mountains, / mistress of the fog, mistress of the roosters.(...), lady of the star, (...) Mistress of the winds".
For his part, Julio Martínez Mesanza celebrates it with a litany that underlines its purity and simplicity: "girl of the dazzling mountains; / girl of the transparent mountains; / girl of the impossible blues; / girl of the blues that are worth the most; / girl of tiny beginnings; / girl of humility rewarded; / heavy rain that washes away misery; / clean rain that washes away our souls.".
In contrast to these solemn and symbolic approaches, other authors address her from a more everyday and intimate perspective, bordering on confidentiality. This is how José Antonio Sáez puts it: "Good morning, Madam: Thank you for allowing me / to live another day the sun that illuminates us / and gives life to the beings that long for light". Or they associate it with the recitation of the Hail Mary, learned in childhood and repeated at home or at school. This is the case of Andrés Trapiello, who in his long and very beautiful poem Virgin of the Way relives the experience of this prayer that, although its rational side questions its practice, finds in it a refuge that offers protection and calm in the face of the passing of time and the mystery of death.
Other poets, on the other hand, evoke her from scenes in the Gospels or inspired by a painting of the Virgin Mary that moves them. In these poems, she herself often becomes a character reflecting on her acceptance of God's will. This is the case in the poem Annunziata by María Victoria Atencia: "Thy messenger came and spoke to me briefly; / Let me a stillness follow his errand. / Barefoot on the thresholds of dawn thou hast me:/ I will gather up my hair and arrange my room. /Your impatient tenderness peeks through the hillock. I know you in its light. Hurry up. I wait for you". Or in The visitby José Julio Cabanillas, in which the Virgin recalls the moment when the archangel Gabriel visited her: "So was my joy, my amazement and my fear / The visitor said things of great joy.".
What is certain is that, in all these lyrical expressions, Our Lady acquires a preponderant, irreplaceable role. Beyond the petitions and supplications that are present in many of these verses - "we beg you", "pray", "protect us", "intercede", "guide us"-, she is not only recognized as Virgo PotensShe is not only a powerful Virgin, but above all as a mother, clothed with all the prerogatives that her figure entails.
Mother of poets
This maternal reference to the Virgin Mary is usually associated with the spiritual awakening that refers to childhood memories. José Antonio Sáez expresses this clearly: "in you I see my mother"This sentiment is shared by other poets, such as Martínez Mesanza, who calls it "sweet mother"or Luis Alberto de Cuenca, who refers to it as "Mother of God". This perception of Mary often stems from the security conveyed especially by the recitation of the Hail Mary in childhood, as we have already seen, leaving a deep impression on hearts, even in those children who did not yet fully understand to whom they were addressing their prayers.
Although most of these poets do not have a precise theological vision of the role of the Virgin in the history of the Redemption of the human race -poems are not usually the right place to develop it-, the figure of Mary evokes an intense emotional background. This gives rise to verses full of hope, like those of Luis Alberto de Cuenca: "Having said this, and repeating the name of the Virgin / and of her glorious Son, I prepare to enter, / without fear or consolation, into the domains / of perpetual night."or those of Jesús Cotta: "where you are always the last thing I utter when I die".
As the Mexican poet Octavio Paz pointed out, the human being has "thirst for presence".The need for a figure who offers consolation, protection and guidance in the midst of life's uncertainties is deeply felt. This need is clearly manifested in the aforementioned authors, who feel an intense impulse towards Mary. For them, the Virgin is not so much a theological entity (for those who are), but a close and maternal companion who offers support, comfort and relief. This is continually confirmed in their verses, where a constant yearning for a return to a primal and absolute love is expressed.
Thus, Mary becomes the link between the human and the divine, a manifestation of that thirst for presence that seeks to transcend the ephemeral and reach the eternal.
Our Lady of Fatima and the Augustinians in Portugal
The Catholic Church celebrates Our Lady of Fatima on May 13. The Virgin Mary appeared six times to the three little shepherds. With the election of Pope Leo XIV, "son of St. Augustine", we trace here a brief history of the Augustinian Order in Portugal.
Francisco Otamendi-May 13, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Our Lady of Fatima, which is celebrated on May 13, and her Shrine "could well be considered the heart of Portuguese Catholicism," the blog noted. Augustinians. "In 1917, in the midst of a turbulent political environment and in the middle of an inhospitable wasteland, located in the geographical center of the country (Portugal), Mary appeared six times to three shepherd children. They were Lucia and her two cousins, the saint brothers Francisco and Jacinta Marto".
"This religious experience had, in the medium term, the effect of raising and strengthening the morale of Portuguese Catholicism." "Today, there is almost no Portuguese church without the image of Our Lady of Fatima. Nor any diocese, parish or Portuguese movement that does not have programmed activities in this place. The prayers, songs and devotions around Fatima are known and used by all".
Presence, expulsion, return
– Supernatural Order of St. Augustine was present in Portugal from 1244 until the disentailment, when its goods were seized and the religious dispersed. During the World Youth Day (WYD) of 2023 in Lisbon, the Portuguese Augustinians will host the Augustinian Youth Encounterwhich brought together young people from all over the world.
Their patron saint was always the Virgin of Grace, whose convent overlooked the city of Lisbon from one of its hills. For this reason, the Portuguese Augustinians were known as the "Gracianos". As have writtenWe have given the country distinguished figures, such as Blessed Gonzalo de Lagos and Vicente de Santo Antonio (martyred in Japan). Also the mystical writer Tomé de Jesús, Alejo de Meneses, archbishop of Goa (India) and Braga (Portugal), primate of the East Indies," etc.
A 137-year wait
Since 1986, the Augustinians are present in Santa Iria de Azóia, and since 2004 in São Domingos de Rana, forming since 2010 the two current communities. Fr. San Gregorio recounted that since 1834, when they were expelled by order of the Marquis of Pombal, they had to wait until the General Chapter of 1971, about 137 years. Then, the Prior General Theodore Tack, his council and the rest of the Augustinians decided to restore the presence of the Order in Portugal".
Our Lady of Fatima in October in Rome
If the newly elected Pope Leo XIV not otherwise provided, the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima will be in Rome this year. It will be on the occasion of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality, on October 11 and 12, 2025, as reported by Omnes.
Josep-Ignasi Saranyana's memoirs have been published.
Josep-Ignasi Saranyana was especially recognized for his specialization in the history of theology and his work as a member of the International Theological Commission.
The memoirs recently published in Catalan by the Publications Service of the Abbey of Montserrat of the ordinary professor of the history of theology, Josep Ignasi Saranyana (Barcelona 1941), are a source of joy and intellectual and literary satisfaction. Moreover, for all of us who have had the good fortune to work at his side in the Department of Church History and Theology of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarra, many moments of illusions and fulfilled aspirations are added. Truly, every past time was better.
Professor Saranyana's intellectual fecundity could be discovered by simply browsing through his abundant publications; articles, monographs, conferences and congresses, where his interventions were always eagerly awaited, due to their sharpness and sympathy. But there is one facet that I would like to highlight in this brief commentary on his memoirs: the wisdom imparted in his classes, in the direction of undergraduate and doctoral theses, and in the plethora of disciples he has left in many universities, among whom I am honored.
I have well recorded the many conversations I had with Dr. Saranyana in Pamplona, in Madrid, in Seville and, of course, the classes I received in the licentiate and doctorate in Church History and theology during my years of studies in Rome and Pamplona. Logically, he always exercised his patronage delicately because he knew that my thesis director and perpetual teacher would be Juan Belda Plans and also Paulino Castañeda, one in the History of the School of Salamanca and the other in the History of America.
My friendship and dealings with Professor Saranyana have continued throughout my professional life, since the history of theology and the history of the Church have been the object of my study and research up to the present day, and Dr. Saranyana has always been a reference to study his works and collaborate with him in projects and publications at the request of a party or by confluence of interests and always out of friendship.
As a young professor I tried to find some time each week to share views and learn from the then director of the Department of History of Theology and Historical Theology, Josep Ignasi Saranyana, who had replaced the venerable Professor José Orlandis.
I remember the detailed advice on how to write a book review or a book review. On how to teach a subject of cycle I or cycle II in the Faculty of Theology or how to deal first of all with the mail that was arriving to my office in the morning, matters on which I should give my opinion or how to wish Christmas greetings to fellow historians I was getting to know with the offprints of my first articles or book reviews.
From reading these exciting notes and impressions of life, I have been especially interested in the whole period of Dr. Saranyana's incorporation to the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarra in the sixties when it was taking its first steps and it was necessary to learn the fundamental languages for research and dealing with colleagues: French, English and German.
I was especially interested in the biographical profiles and sketches of Alfredo García Suarez, Pedro Rodríguez, José Luis Illanes, Ildefonso Adeva, Amador García Bañón, of whom I had heard or met at the Faculty. Now I am reading the summary of the letter that the Founder of Opus Dei and Grand Chancellor of the University wrote to the faculty of the Faculty of Theology in March 1971, in the midst of the crisis of the phenomenon of contestation in the Church (p. 202). As Dr. Saranyana points out: "he wanted unity and peace in the academic faculty of the Faculty of Theology and demanded fidelity to the pontifical magisterium, which was logical and in accordance with the spirit he had transmitted. Moreover, he promoted authenticity of life and coherence, that is, that we should live what we preach. He wanted us to be pious (theology and piety must go hand in hand), because at that time, as we have already said, the theological world was in turmoil" (pp. 202-203).
It is very interesting the way he uses to acknowledge the profound teaching of Alfredo García Suárez, the first dean of the Faculty, and immediately the imprint of Dr. José Luis Illanes who in 1978 took over the deanship and transmitted serenity and optimism in the environment. Of course, also the unforgettable figure and the theological fecundity of Dr. Pedro Rodriguez (p. 205). Such tributes are logical, to which we should add Professor Saranyana, founder of the journal Anuario de Historia de la Iglesia, well known to historians around the world, because, quite simply, universities are what the great masters who have worked, taught and researched in them are.
Another matter to which we must refer in this brief review is the history of theology itself. When Dr. Saranyana began to study it in the sixties and seventies, he started working in parallel on the history of theology and the history of philosophy and in fact he will be considered in the academic world as a master of both specialties. To prove it, it is enough to read the first university manual on the history of theology signed by Dr. Illanes and Dr. Saranyana, published in the collection "Sapientia fidei" of the BAC in 1993.
Years later, Dr. Saranyana himself will carry out a gigantic work in several volumes on the History of Theology in Latin America, published by Iberoamerica-Vervuet, completed in 2007, and finally, as a book of maturity, let us point out the monumental history of Christian theology (750-2000), published by Eunsa in 2020. Truly, in these three manuals are collected his research, readings and extensive teaching throughout his academic life. We can affirm that the history of theology has in Professor Saranyana a main reference. Particularly interesting is the close relationship between the history of philosophy and theology and, secondly, the speculative load. Finally, let us remember the contribution of Dr. Saranyana to the evangelization of America in the V Centenary of the same, as can be deduced from the Acts of the Symposium that he organized in Pamplona in 1992.
Believe and look to understand. Memoirs of a historian of philosophy and theology.
Author: Josep-Ignasi Saranyana
Editorial: Publications of the Abbey of Montserrat
Who are the Augustinians, the order of Pope Leo XIV?
In Pope Leo XIV's first greeting after being presented as pope on May 8, he described himself as a "son of St. Augustine.". Who are the Augustinians? What is the Order of Pope Leo XIV like?
OSV / Omnes-May 13, 2025-Reading time: 4minutes
- Maria Wiering (OSV News)
After being unveiled on May 8 in St. Peter's Square, the new Pope Leo XIV described himself as a "son of St. Augustine"Who are the Augustinians, the order of Pope Leo XIV?
The first American Pope has spoken in the past with affection about the fifth century convert, bishop and intellectual powerhouse, considered the father of his religious Order, the Order of St. Augustine. Although their Order was founded more than 800 years after Augustine's death, the Augustinians draw on his wisdom and holiness to shape their community.
In the early 13th century, loosely organized communities of hermits living in the Italian region of Tuscany sought the guidance of Pope Innocent IV. This Pontiff was known to be an excellent canonist or scholar of church law. The aim was to help them adopt a common rule of life in order to live more uniformly.
Inspired in part by other new orders
They were inspired, in part, by the recent formation of other new religious orders. Including the Franciscans in 1209 and the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominicans, in 1216. Both were mendicant orders. They depended on begging and labor for their livelihood. Unlike the Benedictines and other long-established monks, they did not swear stability, they were not tied to a single monastery for life.
Pope Innocent advised the Tuscan hermits to organize themselves under the government of St. Augustine, a guide to religious life that the saint had developed around 400. He covered the breadth of religious life, including the purpose and basis of common life. In addition, prayer, moderation and self-denial, safeguarding chastity and fraternal correction, and government and obedience.
Initially written as a letter to a community of religious women in Hippo, the diocese of present-day Algeria that St. Augustine led, the rule reached Europe. It influenced St. Benedict, who founded the Benedictines in Italy in 529.
Mendicant model of religious life
The rule of St. Augustine had also informed the Dominicans, but when the Tuscan hermits adopted the rule, they also took on the name and spiritual paternity of its author. In time, they moved from a hermit lifestyle to the mendicant model expressed by other medieval orders, hence they became known as "friars."
Religious communities of women also joined the Augustinians, and there were saints and saints, such as St. Clare of Montefalco and St. Rita of Cascia. Male Augustinian saints include. St. John of Sahagúnone of the first Spanish Augustinian friars, and St. Nicholas of Tolentinewho was the first Augustinian to be canonized after the "great union" of the order in 1256..
The Order of St. Augustine today
Today, the Order of St. Augustine is an international religious community that includes more than 2,800 members in almost 50 countries. In the United States they are organized into three provinces or geographic areas. Lay men and women also affiliate themselves with the Augustinians and the spirituality of the Order and support its work.
The Augustinians in the United States have a strong reputation in education and founded Villanova University near Philadelphia and Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts. They also operate high schools in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oklahoma, Ontario and Pennsylvania. They also care for several parishes and have missions in Japan and Peru.
They are "active contemplatives".
Who are the Augustinians, was the question. Contemporary Augustinians describe themselves as "active contemplatives," with varied ministries who are "called to restlessness." A nod to the famous description that St. Augustine makes of himself in his influential autobiography, "Confessions": "You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you".
The U.S. Augustinian vocations website describes this restlessness as "a divine gift" that they believe...can direct us to God."
Despite the 800-year history of the Order, and its Italian origins, Pope Leo XIV is the most important first Augustinian to be named Pope.
Brief facts
Born at ChicagoPope Leo attended an Augustinian high school seminary, near Holland, Michigan, and then to Villanova Universitywhere he majored in mathematics, before moving to entering the novitiate agustiHe was ordained in St. Louis in 1977. He professed his first vows in 1978 and his final vows in 1981. He was ordained a priest the following year.
Missionary work in Peru
His ministries as a young priest included missionary work in Peru and seminary formation before becoming provincial of his Order's Chicago-based Midwest province, Our Mother of Good Counsel, and then world leader of his Order, a post he held for two six-year terms.
Augustinians around the world received the news of an Augustinian bishop with joy. The head of the Augustinian Province of the Midwest, Father Provincial Anthony B. Pizzo, said on May 8 that the community celebrated the news of Pope Leo's election and that "it is an honor that he is one of our own, a brother formed in the restless heart of the Augustinian Order."
"Bridge builder."
"We see him as a bridge builder, rooted in the spirit of St. Augustine, walking forward with the whole Church as a companion on the journey," he said.
After identifying himself as an Augustinian at St. Peter's Lodge on May 8, the Pope Leoquoted St. Augustine: "For you I am a bishop, with you I am a Christian."
"In this sense, we can all walk together towards that homeland that God has prepared," he added.
Pope asks journalists to "say 'no' to the war of words and images."
The pontificate's first audience was with the communicators who covered the Conclave. He thanked them for their work, called them "operators of peace" and asked them to "reject the paradigm of war".
This morning the first audience of Pope Leo XIV took place in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican, and he wanted to meet - as his predecessor did - with the press that covered the conclave during these days. The pontiff was received with a loud applause and, with a sense of humor that we are discovering, he commented that the merit is not in receiving the applause at the beginning, but in being able to maintain it until the end.
His words were a tribute to the work of journalists and a call for peace. There was also a reference to the Artificial Intelligence. Once again he used the expression "disarmed and disarming", this time applied to communication. These are themes and ways of speaking that are being repeated and that give us clues as to how this pontificate will be articulated.
Rejecting the war paradigm
Starting from the beatitude in which Jesus says: "blessed are the peacemakers", he commented that building peace is a challenge "that concerns you closely, calling each one to the commitment to seek a different kind of communication, which does not seek consensus at all costs, which does not disguise itself in aggressive words, which does not embrace the model of competition, which never separates the search for truth from the love with which we must humbly seek it".
He assured that "the way we communicate is of vital importance: we must say 'no' to the war of words and images, we must reject the paradigm of war".
A loud applause followed when the Pope expressed "the Church's solidarity with the journalists imprisoned for having sought and told the truth" and called for their release: "The suffering of journalists in prison challenges the conscience of nations and the international community, appealing to all of us to safeguard the precious good of freedom of expression and of the press".
Getting out of the 'tower of Babel'.
Leo XIV thanked the communicators for their work - "thank you, dear friends, for your service to the truth" - especially in recent weeks: "You have been here in Rome to speak of the Church, of her variety and, at the same time, of her unity".
He added that "we live in difficult times to go through and to tell", which demand of everyone "not to give in to mediocrity". "The Church," he continued, "must accept the challenge of time and, in the same way, there can be neither communication nor journalism outside of time and history. As St. Augustine reminds us: 'Let us live well and the times will be good. We are the time'".
Once again he thanked them for "getting out of stereotypes and commonplaces", and commented that "today one of the most important challenges is that of promoting a communication capable of getting us out of the 'tower of Babel' in which we so often find ourselves, of the confusion of languages without love, often ideological or factional".
"Communication," he recalled, "is not only the transmission of information, but the creation of culture, of human and digital environments that become spaces for dialogue and coexistence. A few words about the current technological evolution - from which the choice of the name Leo XIV derives - were not lacking: "I am thinking in particular of artificial intelligence with its immense potential, which demands responsibility and discernment in order to direct the instruments to the good of all, so that we can produce benefits for humanity".
Let's disarm the words
The recently inaugurated pontificate has been greeted with novelty by the media, which these days analyze every aspect of the biography of Robert Prevostevery sentence, comment or action. The Pope was open and welcoming this morning with journalists: "Dear friends, we will learn over time to know each other better".
Echoing the last message of Pope Francis on World Communications Day, he repeated: "What is needed is not a thunderous and muscular communication, but a communication capable of listening, of picking up the voice of the weak who have no voice. Let us disarm words and we will help to disarm the Earth. Disarming communication allows us to share a different vision of the world and to act in a way that is consistent with our human dignity".
He concluded: "You are in the front line to narrate conflicts and hopes for peace, situations of injustice and poverty, and the silent work of so many for a better world. That is why I ask you to consciously and courageously choose the path of communicating peace".
The Pope then came forward to greet the hundreds of journalists present, who saw him off - until the end - with applause.
Saint Domingo de la Calzada and Blessed Álvaro del Portillo
On May 12, the Church celebrates St. Dominic de la Calzada, promoter of the Camino de Santiago, and Blessed Alvaro del Portillo, bishop and first successor of St. Josemaría in Opus Dei, and Blessed Juana of Portugal, among others. Also St. Pancratius and other Roman martyrs, or the Croatian St. Leopold Mandic of Castelnovo.
Francisco Otamendi-May 12, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
On May 12, the liturgy commemorates St. Dominic de la Calzada, a native of Viloria de Rioja (Burgos), a key figure in the expansion and development of the Camino de Santiago. It also commemorates Blessed Alvaro del Portillo, a native of Madrid who spent 40 years with St. Josemaría, founder of Opus Dei, and was his first successor and later bishop.
The saints' calendar today also includes several Roman martyrs, such as Saint Pancrazio and other saints such as Leopold Mandic of Castelnovo, confessor for 40 years in Padua, Cyril, Epiphanius of Salamis, Philip of Agura or German of Constantinople.
Santo Domingo, promoter of the Jacobean Route
Domingo García or Domingo de la Calzada (1019-1109) was born of farmer parents in Viloria de Rioja and died in the town that later acquired his name, Santo Domingo de la Calzada. He tried unsuccessfully to enter the Benedictine monasteries of Valvanera and San Millán de la Cogolla, after which he withdrew to the contemplative life in a forest in the fertile lowlands of the Oja River. There he saw the hardships of the pilgrims, and his constructive concerns were born.
The bishop of Ostia took him on as an assistant, ordained him a priest, and St. Dominic dedicated himself to facilitating the pilgrims' road on their way to Santiago de Compostela. He built a road, promoted a hostel, with a hospital, church and well. The sanctuary would become the cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada in 1106. His faith and enthusiasm infected many people. With the support of King Alfonso VI, he undertook the realization of the works of the Jacobean Route. Miracles were attributed to him.
Blessed Alvaro: fidelity to vocation
Alvaro del Portillo was born in Madrid (Spain) on March 11, 1914, the third of eight children, into a Christian family. He was a doctor of civil engineering and a doctor of philosophy and canon law, a priest and was ordained bishop by St. John Paul II.
His feast day is celebrated on May 12, the date on which he received his First Holy Communion in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Conception in Madrid. He lived his vocation to Opus Dei with full fidelity, through the sanctification of his professional work and the fulfillment of his ordinary duties, and developed a wide apostolic activity.
Blessed Álvaro del Portillo was a consultor to various Dicasteries of the Roman Curia and actively participated in the work of the Vatican Council II. Prior to the conclave in which Pope Leo XIV was elected Pope, the Opus Dei web site recalled some of his words before other conclaves: "Where is PedroWhoever he is: tall or short, fat or thin, of this or that nationality, he is Peter".
"Love the Pope very much."
And more than Blessed AlvaroI know that you commend, persevering unanimously in prayer, the Pope who is to come, faithful to the teachings and example of St. Josemaría in similar circumstances. We want him already," St. Josemaría used to say at the time of the vacancy of the see, referring to the future Supreme Pontiff. Well, we are going to want him too, praying, praying a lot. (Letter, September 29, 1978). "Love the Pope very much with works of faithful service to the Church" (Letter, January 9, 1980).
Fragile children of a vulnerable Godposes a profound reflection on the mode of confession. Confession in the postmodern era faces novel challenges. The culture of efficiency generates anguish in the faithful, who see the sacrament as a rendering of accounts instead of an encounter with divine mercy. True confession implies recognizing one's own fragility, receiving God's love and allowing oneself to be transformed by his grace.
José Fernández Castiella-May 12, 2025-Reading time: 13minutes
What God gives to men for their salvation are not gifts but presents. Certainly, the means of salvation are useful to achieve it. But, over and above its usefulness for what we can achieve is the fact that are present to God. Rather, they are not just a memory, but it is God who is the one who is present in his gifts, which are the sacraments and prayer. It is from that awe and the expectation of an amazing encounter that the Christian should consider the reception of the sacraments: always the same and always different. In this article we will refer to the confession proposing a new way of looking at things. When we relate to objects, or even to animals, we can foresee everything that is going to happen and to control the situation. When the encounter is personal, however, not everything can be anticipated and we must be open to listen to the other and adapt our interactions. If the other is God, openness to surprise is an unavoidable requirement. We cannot go to the sacraments with the expectation that what we already knew will happen, even if we know that the confession of sins will lead to forgiveness. Every encounter with the Creator is ineffable, unique and unrepeatable, even when the penitent, the sins and the confessor are the same.
Revitalization of the confession
John Paul II promoted the recovery of confession by convening a synod and publishing in 1984 the apostolic exhortation Reconciliatio et paenitentiawhere he warned about the loss of the sense of sin and reaffirmed the doctrine of the sacrament of penance. As a result, numerous pastoral initiatives were implemented, such as the extension of confession hours, the recovery of the confessional and catechesis on sin and forgiveness.
Today, although the culture of confession has been revitalized in places where the Polish Pope's proposals were followed, the digital revolution and the accelerated changes in society pose new challenges and opportunities for a deeper understanding of the sacrament. We are living through constant changes that are happening at breakneck speed. In that sense, we can say that we belong to a society that lives accelerated because it must adapt to changes without time to metabolize them.
The postmodern crisis
The pressure of the social and the new has given rise to a new subject. hyperstimulated and, as a consequence, affective illiterate due to their lack of interiority. Although the degree of welfare and the quality of services have increased, it is undeniable that there has been an anthropological crisis, which manifests itself in anxious personalities, deep emotional wounds, loneliness, psychic pathologies and, unfortunately, a suicide rate in young people unknown in other historical periods.
The culture of success has degenerated into a disordered relationship with work and permanent competition with peers. We find a subject emotivist and uprooted.
Consequences for confession
If this cultural situation is taken into account, it is necessary to emphasize the consoling consequence of the sacrament of confession so that it does not become a place of personal frustration. Continuing to stress the need to be concise and concrete in the accusation of faults can have the consequence of deepening the perfectionist voluntarism that characterizes the children of our time.
Goodwill
On the one hand, it is necessary to continue to deepen our understanding of the meaning of sin, as John Paul II warned. Today, we tend to consider freedom without distinguishing between the natural and spontaneous. We think that everything that comes from within us is natural and we do not consider ourselves guilty of bad thoughts or bad intentions. When we perform bad actions, we seek to culprits to whom we attribute the cause of our wrongdoing, or we think that anyone would have acted the same under the circumstances. that took us to be unfair. This is what is colloquially known as goodwill. For example, if I give an aggressive and disproportionate response to a driver who unduly crosses me on the road, I will think that he is to blame for my unfair reaction or that anyone else would have done the same.
Utilitarianism
Moreover, consumerist culture and utilitarian language have transcended the economic and market space and have colonized areas such as education and personal perception. Byung Chul-Han, for example, describes post-modern man as performance subject. Someone subjected to a social pressure of effectiveness and efficiency that leads him to live in front of himself according to the social demands of excellence in results, to the detriment of personal well-being and care for relationships.
From this self-evaluation can be born a conception of the sacrament of confession as a place in which to give an account of the lack of performance, with the expectation of obtaining motivation and strength to continue trying to be socially efficient. Evidently, the distortion that underlies this vision of the perception of personal worth and vocation generates anxious and frustrated Christians who do not feel they are living up to their Christian vocation. This is how Pope Francis' insistence that confession be a place of mercy and not a scaffold of psychic and spiritual torture can be understood.
Consumerism
In addition, consumerist lifestyles extend to the relationship with spiritual means and give rise to the instrumentalization of the sacraments, which are used to solve a problem o fulfill a precept. Sunday Mass is attended as an exchange relationship that eclipses the dimension of the encounter: the precept is fulfilled because of the consequences of gaining eternal life, but there is hardly any participation in the celebration of the mystery of God, listening to his Word, etc. Even the idea of going to Mass "to go to confession and receive communion" is taken for granted.
Something similar to taking advantage of a two for oneeven if the confession is hurried, or during the reading of the Gospel, or even at the consecration. This behavior reveals that, along with the undeniable good intention of the penitent, there is a profound lack of liturgical sense and understanding of the sacrament. One goes to to get something instead of to meet someone.
Narcissism
Another typical distortion regarding the sacraments of our time is the narcissistic attitude in the consideration of sin. The performance subject considers the sin as an error that he should have avoided and recognizes that he did not do it. When he accuses himself of this fault, he may take more account of his imperfection than of the offense against God. In fact, it can happen that he asks forgiveness for errors that do not involve any offense and that he does not take into account sins that are born of a deep wound, because they are not evident in his conduct.
Narcissism moves us to a self-referentiality of which Pope Francis also warns us, in which we fail to distinguish the feeling of guiltwhich is a psychological and personal state, from the consciousness of sin which, starting from the feeling of guilt, refers it to the personal relationship with God and moves from the psychological sphere to the theological dimension of relationship with the Creator. A feature of narcissism is the appearance of asking for forgiveness from oneself. for not having been as it should have been.
Atrophies and hypertrophies
All of these distortions related to the sacrament of confession reveal defects and excesses of the heart of the performance subject who wants to live his Christian life.
The first great defect is the very idea of God. The Christian tends to consider himself as someone who must be up to the task of his condition and, as Calvinists do, attributes to the Creator an expectation of success in professional, family, relational and evangelistic life, on the basis of which he will judge his growth in personal holiness. This mistaken vision of God ends up in a state of spiritual acedia due to hopelessness or in a faint-hearted perfectionist rigidity, which reduces his struggles to what he can control.
The second flaw is the conception of God's grace as an extrinsic aid for to do good that one cannot do with one's own strength. A kind of spiritual vitamin with which to reach higher levels of sanctity. This gives rise to a deep frustration when one realizes that the frequency of sacraments does not improve the results obtained. Then he becomes distressed thinking that his problem is lack of faith, because he does not trust in them with sufficient intensity. Since, evidently, grace is not a substitute for freedom and neither is it what the performance subject In the end, he ends up giving in and trying to synthesize his religious sense and his hopelessness, with incoherent forms of behavior that aggravate the crisis even more. In the end, it translates into a Christianity of form that hides a agnosticism background.
Anguish and fragility of the Christian
The excesses of the performance subject in his relationship with God can be synthesized in one: fear. That is why he goes to confession in an anxious, superficial, reiterative and instrumental way. He is anguished by his sins and wants to wash them away like someone who washes away a stain that reappears. The rite of confession becomes dispensable and he repeats the words as if it were a magic formula to obtain the result he expects. Nor does he seek to open his soul to show it to Christ, but only to say that which afflicts him in the hope of obtaining the result he expects. the magic words of acquittal, for starting over from scratch.
In the face of this fragility, God does not remain indifferent. His love for his children makes him alert and inclines him in their favor. As the helplessness and helplessness of a small child arouses in his parents all the tenderness that moves them to a constant and unconditional care. The question that God asks man is not what you have done but what's wrong with you. This distinction is crucial for understanding confession, because we know what happens to us through the symptoms, which manifest themselves in what we have done. But confession is not an accounting for what we have done wrong, but the search for the what's wrong with me as of what I have done.
From sin to injury
In other words, it is necessary to distinguish (without separating) the sin from the wound to understand that, in confession, God forgives the sins we confess, but kisses the wounds of his children and remains with them. The sins are forgiven but the wounds remain and God in them. Therefore, the expectation of confession is not that one day we will come to avoid them, but that of transforming sin into a place of loving encounter. As a child's illness is the reason why parents bond with him in a more tender, profound and unconditional way, God loves us as a Father who has closer ties with his neediest children.
We must not understand sin as an offense that we can inflict directly on God. There is a gulf between his Being and ours. No matter how great and intense our sins may be, they do not reach damage God's being. The reason why offense exists is that love always expects a response. It is not true that loving is without giving anything in return. Because it is a relationship, it always has the hope of reciprocity. It is true that true love gives itself even if it receives nothing in return, but that does not mean that it does not expect it. This is precisely the vulnerability of the lover: he exposes himself freely to the possibility of being rejected or of not being reciprocated. It is the same logic of the gift: the one who gives it hopes that the other will at least like it or be happy with it. Indifference or rejection of the gift produces offense to the giver. Sin as an offense to God consists in rejecting or not accepting the love he offers us. In giving gifts, God gives himself, as we said at the beginning of this article. In this consists his vulnerability.
The right attitude
Therefore, the right way to go to confession is as one who is about to receive a precious gift from someone who loves him very much. This motivates the confession of sins - after a good examination of conscience, with the opportune distinction in number and kind of mortal sins, etc. - and the opening of the heart to accept the love that God offers. In this way we overcome the vision legalistic of mere accountability and the atrophies and hypertrophies referred to above.
The goodwill has given rise to a typical confusion of our times, which consists in identifying apologizing with asking for forgiveness. These expressions are considered synonymous, when in fact they have opposite meanings. Dis-blame is to acknowledge a harm caused to someone, but to request that it not be imputed to him or her because it occurred for reasons beyond the donor's control. One apologizes when one arrives late for an appointment because of a traffic jam, or a deficient functioning of the transport services, etc. Whoever apologizes is asking for something to which he is entitled: for if he was not at fault, it cannot be imputed to him. It is only fair that it should be granted.
On the contrary, asking for forgiveness arises from the recognition of a fault that is imputable to the agent. The one who asks for forgiveness is begging to be granted something he does not deserve, since he acted unjustly through negligence or malice. So he places himself in a situation of inferiority and appeals to the greatness of heart of the offended party. He will only be able to grant it if he has a love for him. above their faults and accepts with generosity to remit the guilt and cancel the rancor and the desire for revenge, even though the offense may have resulted in irreparable damage. The one who asks for forgiveness humbles himself because he does not claim something that is his due, but a good that he begs for.
The drama of good intentions
The buenist understands that the causes of his bad actions are outside him because, as we have explained before, he confuses the cause with the trigger. This leads him to consider the request for forgiveness as a position of intolerable weakness and the request for apology needs to be filled with arguments, so he does not put the accent on the offense but on the good intention that excuses him. His peace of mind comes more from his own intention not to reoffend than from the love of the one who forgives him. That is why confession manifests and promotes his immature voluntarism, instead of real abandonment to God's mercy.
Kneeling before God, showing our wounds and accusing ourselves of the sins we have committed is deeply consoling because we always find the heart of God ready to forgive and to transform. God does not love us for what we do well but because we are his children and we allow ourselves to be loved. In our struggle to do good things he recognizes our good will and is moved, but he does not need them to love us. He is more concerned that we let ourselves be loved just as we are, without creating an image of ourselves on the basis of what we are supposed to be, we should be.
Be really good
Those who know themselves with sufficient depth and maturity are aware of their precariousness with respect to the desire for fulfillment, aggravated by the infection of sin, which manifests itself in the deviation of the intention and motivations that move them, even when they act well. Thus, he is not surprised to do things apparently good but which, because they are done with bad intentions or for unjust motives, do not make him a better person but a worse one. This distinction between get sth. right y be good is also crucial to understanding the confession.
The reproaches of Jesus to the Pharisees that appear in the Gospel are, for the most part, because they perform good actions, but their heart is not good. The motives are vanity, the exercise of power or contempt for others, even in the fulfillment of their duties or in the exercise of worship. In contemplating their good works they feel worthy of merit and of God's benevolence. Nevertheless, Jesus directs to them the worst invectives and insults: race of vipers, whited sepulchers, woe to you, hypocritical Pharisees, etc.
Undoubtedly, the Christian should strive to do good and to care for the world and for others. However, he should not base his holiness or his closeness to God on this. It is necessary for him to know the deviation of his motivations and intentions when he does bad, indifferent or good things and to realize that this distortion spoils the personal goodness that he intends in his action. There his fragility and the infection of the wound needs the company and a transformation that only God can work.
Beauty after pain
It is precisely in this consideration of his lack of inner beauty that he will find Christ in his Passion as -the most beautiful of men (Ps. 45:3), whose beauty has been eclipsed by sorrow (Is. 53:2). Jesus embodies the merchant of fine pearls who, finding one of great value, sells all he has and buys that pearl (Mt 13:45-47). His sell everything he had is the abasement of the Word of God to his human condition and humiliated to the point of death (Phil 2:5) and the pearl of great value is the heart of the sinner.
The penitent who comes to confession with this vision seeks to feel valued by God made man himself, in spite of the sins that tarnish the pearl that is his heart. He rejoices in the Creator's own unapproachable mercy and despair. He lets God's love be the one to consider him as a man. well in spite of all the evil done. From this grateful amazement will come a natural effort to do things well, but he will not consider the result of his efforts as his worth before God.
The real me
Perfectionism leads us to judge ourselves according to an idealized image of ourselves, generating dissatisfaction. While it is natural to aspire to fulfillment, maturity implies accepting reality with authenticity, as God sees us, who does not demand perfection or efficiency. True maturity does not consist in pretending an unattainable standard, but in presenting ourselves with honesty, understanding that to err and not reach all our goals is not an offense.
The matter of confession is not so much the mistakes as the rupture of the bonds with God or with others. That is to say, the disorder of loves. The unreal self-image makes it impossible for the penitent to meet with God because he himself is absent in this encounter. He does not appear but a false image of himself. There is no encounter there, but only an appearance. That is why there is no consolation either, but anguish.
Examining the conscience
The questions offered as an examination of conscience can serve as crutches for those who are lame. They are a valid aid for those who have no skill or habit in dealing with God, but they are useless or even counterproductive for those who are healthy. To use crutches when one can walk well reduces one's step and impedes a harmonious movement of the body.
In the same way, those who examine their conscience from a list of sins do not reach the motivations and intentions that gave rise to apparently good actions, but which soiled their heart and broke personal bonds.
From a sense of guilt to a consciousness of sin
The sense of guilt must be subjected to examination, which is what discernment consists of, starting from significant personal relationships. That is to say, to pass from the sense of guilt to the consciousness of sin, for the offense to God or to others that can reveal (or not) this feeling of guilt.
The postmodern Christian is affected by affective wounds and internal tensions, subjected to rhythms of work and life that exceed his capacity to adapt and immersed in a culture of competition against his peers. He runs the risk of interpreting his relationship with God in an individualistic and narcissistic way and, as a consequence, of turning to the means of salvation with a mentality and expectations that do not respond to God's mercy.
Pastoral care of a healing confession
There is an urgent need to rethink evangelization without undermining the integrity of dogma and Catholic doctrine, but rather by clarifying aspects of the mystery of God's relationship with mankind that do justice to God's love for mankind: "We have known and believed in the love that God has for us." (1 Jn 4:16). This emergence requires a pastoral ministry that is very centered on Jesus Christ, that gives priority to relationship over exchange, that endows the faithful with a deep liturgical sense and that is based on an anthropology in which the be is before the beand the be before the make. The faithful should not seek something in God, but to someone.
The rite as a splendor of mercy
The same is true when a man proposes to his girlfriend. Information is not enough. It is necessary to express the intensity and importance of the moment in an appropriate landscape, kneeling down, offering a ring, etc. These actions allow to experience intensely and vitally the affective and projective union of these people. The rite of confession, like that of the Mass, is a beautiful gesturalization of the encounter between the penitent and God. Words are taken from encounters between St. Peter and Jesus that marked biographically the life of the first Pope. The penitent, kneeling, hears from the priest that the event of his forgiveness takes place in his own heart. Moreover, the formula of absolution appeals to the Trinity, the Virgin Mary, the saints, etc., and is imparted in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The same name in which we were baptized. All these phrases are not a protocol to be followed, but the symbolic expression of the event of the encounter. It is worthwhile to prepare the confession from these expressive scenes of the Gospel and meditating on the formula of absolution. In this context, the confession of sins is joyful and consoling, because the penitent experiences the forgiveness of offenses and the kiss on his wounds. He leaves comforted, consoled and desirous of living always united to his Lord.
Leo XIV in his first Regina Coeli: "I address the great ones of the world: never again war!"
The Pontiff, in a packed St. Peter's Square, recalled the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and addressed a vigorous plea to world leaders for the achievement of peace.
This morning Pope Leo XIV stepped out for the second time onto the central balcony of St. Peter's façade for the prayer of the Eucharist. Regina Coeli next to a square filled to the brim (and full of flags). We saw him appear with the same shy and touched smile with which he greeted us last Thursday afternoon, after the white smoke, in response to a crowd that welcomed him with enthusiastic shouts of his new name: "I am the new president".Leone!".
Although the day dawned cloudy and somewhat unpleasant, 100,000 people wanted to come to the Vatican and the surrounding streets to accompany the pontiff in his first official liturgical act with the faithful. These are the first days of his new Petrine ministry.
Everything about the new pontiff, every gesture and every word, is a synthesis of his predecessors full of meaning. As one cardinal has pointed out, he is not a photocopy, but a succession. He takes expressions from Francis, has the shy smile and intelligent look of Benedict, quotes with vigor St. John Paul II in addressing young people and St. Paul VI in appealing for the cessation of wars.
A nice coincidence
After greeting those present with "Dear brothers and sisters, good Sunday," in the style of Francis, the Pope began by saying: "I consider it a gift from God that the first Sunday of my service as Bishop of Rome is that of the Good Shepherd. His preaching had a marked Christocentric accent: "On this Sunday the Gospel of John, chapter 10, is always proclaimed at Mass, in which Jesus reveals himself as the true shepherd, who loves and knows his sheep and gives his life for them".
It is the fourth Sunday of Easter, and the Pontiff recalled that "the World Day of Prayer for Vocations has been celebrated for 62 years". He then pointed out that "today Rome is also hosting the Jubilee of musical bands and popular entertainment. I greet all these pilgrims with affection and I thank them because with their music and performances they fill with joy the feast of Christ the Good Shepherd".
It is true that these bands have enlivened the waiting in the Square before the Pope arrived and, among other songs, some of them have launched into the Village People's YMCA, in a surprising tribute to the first American-born successor of Peter.
Good Shepherd and Vocation Day
Once again the words of Leo XIV referred to the divine shepherd: "It is he who guides the Church with his Holy Spirit. Jesus in the Gospel affirms that he knows his sheep and that they listen to his voice and follow him. Indeed, as Pope St. Gregory the Great teaches, people correspond to the love of the one who loves them".
He continued: "Today I have the joy of praying with you and with all God's people for vocations, especially to the priesthood and religious life. The Church needs them so badly!
His thoughts were addressed to young people: "It is important that young people find in our communities a welcome, a listening ear and encouragement in their vocational journey, and that they can count on credible models of generous dedication to God and to their brothers and sisters".
Later, he made a very concrete plea to them, which immediately brought to mind the cry of John Paul II pronounced in the same place on October 16, 1978: "I say to you young people: do not be afraid! Accept the invitation of the Church and of Christ our Lord. May the Virgin Mary, whose life was a complete response to the Lord's call, always accompany us in following Jesus".
Plea for peace
The pastoral experience of Leo XIV was evident when he did not recite, but sang the Regina Coeli with a powerful voice. Then he gave the blessing for the second time and after this gesture the square erupted in applause and shouts of "Long live the Pope!
He then recalled that this week, on the 8th, was the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, "after having caused 60 million victims". With the expression bergoglianaIn the current scenario of a Third World War in pieces, as Pope Francis has so often stated, I too address the great ones of the world, repeating the ever-timely request: Never again war!
In recent days, a recent video of Cardinal Prevost speaking about the situation in Ukraine has been circulating on the Internet. There was no lack of words for this country: "I carry in my heart the suffering of the beloved Ukrainian people. May everything possible be done to bring about an authentic, just and lasting peace as soon as possible. May all prisoners be released and may the children return to their families".
The Holy Land was also present in his speech: "I am deeply saddened by what is happening in the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire must cease immediately, humanitarian aid must be provided to the extremely civilian population and all hostages must be released".
The faithful have been responding to these requests with supportive applause. "I have instead welcomed the announcement of the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and I hope that through the upcoming negotiations a lasting agreement can soon be reached."
The Pope placed these desires for peace in the hands of Our Lady: "But how many other conflicts there are in the world! I entrust this appeal to the Queen of Peace, so that she may be the one to present it to the Lord Jesus to obtain for us the miracle of peace".
Greetings to mothers
The pontiff greeted the various groups of pilgrims present in the square today. His words reflected his command of several languages, and between one greeting and another he raised his gaze in search of eye contact with those who responded with shouts and applause to his mention.
He did not fail to comment on mothers, since "today is celebrated in Italy and in other countries the feast of the mother, and I address an affectionate greeting to all mothers, with a prayer for them, also for those who are already in Heaven. I address an affectionate greeting to all mothers, with a prayer for them, also for those who are already in Heaven. Happy feast to all mothers!".
Hours before reciting the Marian prayer, Leo XIV celebrated Holy Mass in the Vatican Grottoes, at the altar next to the tomb of the Apostle Peter. Concelebrating with him was the Prior General of the Augustinian Order, Father Alejandro Moral Antón. The Pope then paused to pray at the tombs of his predecessors.
With his simplicity and his ability to bring together different sensibilities, the new Pope is winning, day by day, the affection of the city of Rome and the world.
It has only been a few days since the election of the pope Leo XIV, but the 266th successor of Peter has already given a hint of the style of his papacy, from his traditional papal vestments on the day of his election to his first homily in the Sistine Chapel on May 9 and his address to the cardinals on May 10.
We asked George Weigel, American biographer of Polish Pope St. John Paul II, about what the early days of his papacy reveal about Pope Leo XIV, how, as an American missionary, he can influence the world, and about his own hopes for the papacy. Weigel is a leading senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington.
What was your reaction to the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope?
-Since Pope Leo has spent much of his ministerial life in Latin America, I did not instinctively think of him as a "North American Pope," even though he was born in Chicago. I think there has been a tendency to exaggerate this national issue in the early days of the pontificate. It is an interesting development that we now have a U.S.-born pope, but what it really shows is that national origin does not matter in the search for a successor to Peter in the 21st century.
What does the first homily and the appearance at Mass and on the balcony tell us about the kind of papacy that awaits us?
-I thought Pope Leo presented himself very well, showing that he understands the nature of his office. I don't think he is going to be a pope with personal peculiarities.
How can Pope Leo XIV influence the United States? What is needed from the Pope regarding his country?
-What the vital parts of the Church in the U.S. will seek is what they would seek from any pope, regardless of where he was born: support and affirmation of the new evangelization and its efforts to convert a deeply confused culture; an understanding that the living parts of the Church in the U.S. embrace Catholicism in its entirety, not a light Catholicism; and encouragement to continue the Catholic work of building a culture of life and resisting the culture of death.
How can Pope Leo XIV influence the world as an American and as a missionary?
-Pope Leo is a very intelligent man, so he must know that the great crisis of our time lies in the very idea of the human person: are there presuppositions in the human condition, the understanding of which leads to personal happiness and social solidarity, or is it all plastic and malleable, so that we can change who and what we are by acts of will? The best service the new Pope can render to the world is to teach it, or in some cases remind it, of the biblical vision of who we are and where we are to go: we are creations, not accidents; and we are destined for glory with God, who is the ultimate reason for our existence.
What are your hopes for this papacy?
-Clarity in doctrinal and moral teaching, good governance, thoughtful appointments to the episcopacy and the College of CardinalsThe best thing this pope, or any pope, can do is to follow the example of John Paul II and summon people to a courage that transcends partisanship and nationalism. As for world politics, the best thing this pope, or any pope, can do is to follow the example of John Paul II and summon people to a courage that transcends partisanship and narrow nationalism, and calls out aggression and evil for what they are.
The Vatican today unveiled the official coat of arms and motto of Pope Leo XIV, recently elected as the new successor of Peter. The symbolism adopted maintains the elements of his episcopal period and clearly reflects both his membership in the Order of St. Augustine and his vision of the Church: a community united in the love of Christ.
A coat of arms with Augustinian heritage
The pontifical coat of arms is diagonally divided into two sectors. In the upper part, on a blue background, there is a white lily, a traditional symbol of purity and Marian devotion. In the lower part, on a light background, a profoundly Augustinian image stands out: a closed book with a heart pierced by an arrow. This figure alludes directly to the conversion experience of St. Augustine, who described the impact of the Word of God with the phrase: "Vulnerasti cor meum verbo tuo".that is, "You have pierced my heart with your Word".
The choice of this image not only recalls the spirituality of one of the Fathers of the Church, but also highlights the centrality of personal conversion and the transforming power of the Scriptures, which has marked the spiritual life of Pope Leo XIV since his Augustinian youth.
A slogan proclaiming unity
The motto that accompanies the coat of arms is "In Illo uno unum" - "In Him one, one" - taken from a sermon by St. Augustine (Exposition of the Psalm 127). The phrase expresses the conviction that, although we Christians are many, in Christ we are one.
This motto is not new: it was adopted by the then Cardinal Robert Prevost upon his consecration as bishop and reflects a constant orientation of his pastoral life. In an interview with Vatican media in 2023, Prevost explained: "Unity and communion are part of the charism of the Order of St. Augustine and also of my way of acting and thinking. [...] Promoting unity and communion is fundamental".
One shield, one mission
The Pope's coat of arms and motto Leo XIV confirm the coherence between his personal history and the pastoral direction he wishes to give to his pontificate. At a time when the Church insists on the principles of communion, participation and mission - the three keys to the current synodal process - his pontifical emblem is a clear message: fidelity to Augustinian roots and commitment to a Church united in Christ, pierced by his Word.
Pope explains that Leo XIV's name is for the Artificial Intelligence Revolution
In his first official meeting with the College of Cardinals, Pope Leo XIV paid homage to his predecessor and outlined the current challenges facing the Church.
This morning Pope Leo XIV met for the first time officially with the College of Cardinals. The audience began with a joint prayer in Latin, the Pater noster y Ave Maria. During his address, the Holy Father expressed gratitude for the accompaniment of the cardinals in a painful but also grace-filled moment of transition. "The Lord, who has entrusted me with this mission, does not leave me alone with the burden of this responsibility," he assured, stressing the value of ecclesial communion.
In paying homage to his predecessor, Leo XIV evoked the figure of Francis as an example of dedication and simplicity: "The examples of many of my predecessors, like that of Pope Francis himself, with his style of total dedication to service and sober essentiality of life, have well demonstrated this".
The new Pontiff proposed to look at the recent conclave and the death of Francis as a paschal moment, "a stage of the long exodus through which the Lord continues to lead us towards the fullness of life".
Commitment to the Second Vatican Council
At the heart of his speech, Leo XIV reiterated his adherence to the path of ecclesial renewal initiated by the Second Vatican Council, citing the Evangelii gaudium of Francisco as a guide for this stage.
Specifically, he referred to the importance of the primacy of Christ, missionary conversion, collegiality and synodality, and dialogue with the contemporary world.
Explanation of its name
In a significant gesture, he revealed the reason for the pontifical name he chose: "Precisely because I felt called to pursue this path, I thought of taking the name Leo XIV. There are several reasons, but the main one is because Pope Leo XIII, with the historic Encyclical Rerum novarumThe Church has faced the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution and today the Church offers to all its patrimony of social doctrine to respond to another industrial revolution and to the developments of artificial intelligence, which bring new challenges in the defense of human dignity, justice and work".
Pope Leo XIV makes it clear that his pontificate will be attentive to the great technological and social changes taking place in our time, particularly those linked to the global impact of technology.
A wish for the world
To close his message, Leo XIV He recalled words of St. Paul VI that echoed in the hall as a universal appeal: "May a great flame of faith and love pass over the whole world, enlightening all men of good will".
A desire that, he said, must be transformed into prayer and concrete commitment: "May these also be our feelings and, with the Lord's help, may we translate them into prayer and commitment".
Undoubtedly, Cardinal Prevost was in all the pools of Vatican experts to be elected as the new Roman Pontiff, since, as we have just heard in his first message, he had not only been created cardinal by Pope Francis, but also because he had brought him from the humble diocese of Chiclayo in Peru to the Roman Curia, to be Prefect of the dicastery of bishops a short time ago, in January 2023.
It seems as if at the end of his Pontificate, Pope Francis wanted to give us a suitable successor to his missionary and synodal illusions in the whole world, since the long pontificate of Francis has a depth and profundity unknown to the world of today, but very intelligible to the people of God who heard more than twenty centuries ago the words of Jesus on the day of the Ascension: "Go and preach to all nations" (Mt 28:19).
First words
It is very significant that the first words of Pope Leo XIV do not refer to Leo XIII, to whom he seems to give continuity, but to Pope Francis since the last words of the previous Holy Father on the morning of the recent Easter were a vigorous impulse to peace in the world, even if he could not pronounce them himself, but his presence corroborated it.
Indeed, taking his cue from the words of the Gospel of John on Resurrection Sunday, the Holy Father Leo XIV began by recalling the words of Jesus to a frightened, humiliated and discouraged people of God hidden in the Upper Room: "Peace be with you" (I John 20:21). At that moment, the presence and encouragement of the Risen One restored their faith, hope and love and made them the pillars of the new Church, which they will spread with great speed throughout the world and to all strata of society.
Therefore, the new pope's call for us to place our hope in the Risen One, that we continue to live this year retire of hope: "Spes non confundit" (Rom 5:5), but now with his guidance and encouragement.
An Augustinian Pope
It is endearing that the new pontiff reminds us that he is the son of St. Augustine, an Augustinian, and therefore a man in love with God who desires to bring the peace of God to the consciences and relationships among the peoples and cities of the world. Therefore, the new Pope, servant of all, servant of the servants of God, will bring to the magisterium of the Church many words and teachings of St. Augustine, a man of great heart and attentive to the love of God and well versed in the relationship between faith and reason.
It is touching that the Holy Spirit wanted to come again to South America to bring us a new pope, first by electing him as bishop of Chiclayo in Peru (2014), where he brought all his Augustinian missionary spirit and knowledge of the land and its people.
Let us not forget that one of the first religious orders to go on mission to America were the Augustinians and, precisely, the Augustinians. Peter of Gaunt (1480-1572) we owe the first pictorial catechism of America, a copy of which is preserved in the permanent exhibition of the National Library of Spain.
U.S. origins
In addition, the new pontiff was baptized in Chicago (1955), is the son of a mother of Spanish descent, and there he completed his priestly studies (ordained in 1982) and joined the Order of St. Augustine in 1977-1981. Therefore, his academic and spiritual formation took place in an American environment and with a mentality that will logically be present when approaching the problems of the Universal Church. In addition, he holds a doctorate in canon law by the Angelicum of Rome, something fundamental for his government work.
Therefore, many of us thought that the new Pontiff would come from Asia, since it seemed that we had already received the imprint of America, and now we needed fresh air from another continent, but perhaps with the new Pontiff we complete this vision with that of North America.
First words
It is also very important to highlight the theological depth of the speech he delivered, together with the closeness of the Christian people and the moving memory of the recently deceased Roman Pontiff. We will need to meditate on it in the coming days in order to try to follow it faithfully.
On the other hand, being a pope who worked in the Curia, it seems as if the Holy Spirit is speaking to us to finish applying the "Praedicate Evangelium", the document with which Pope Francis addressed the reform of the Curia to give it not only the usual sense of service to the universal Church and the particular Churches, but also to encourage that in all the offices of the Curia and in all the institutions of the Church there be a great apostolic and missionary zeal to bring the Gospel capillary to the last country and the last corner of society.
Praying for the Pope
The serenity and restrained emotion of the new Pontiff are proverbial, because the Church of God needs to live every day, and today more than ever, that unity of the Church that St. Josemaría summed up in a very graphic Latin expression: "Omnes cum Petro ad Iesum per Mariam. That is, "all with the Pope to Jesus through Mary.
Leo XIV's joy and restrained emotion show that he is a man with a great heart and, therefore, all Christians throughout the world will receive the affection of his care as today we have received for the first time from his hands the blessing "urbi et orbi".
Finally, we cannot fail to emphasize that he is a native pope of the United States, although he has been a bishop in Latin America and has worked in the Roman Curia, and this will be noticeable in his way of being and will surely be a source of great joy for the many Catholics in that country who have suffered many attacks in recent years and constant humiliation for his courageous defense of human life and other aspects that the Gospel of Christ urges us to spread in very secularized environments.
Member of the Academy of Ecclesiastical History. Professor of the master's degree in the Causes of Saints of the Dicastery, advisor to the Spanish Episcopal Conference and director of the office of the Causes of Saints of Opus Dei in Spain.
St. Job and St. John of Avila, priest and patron saint of the clergy
On May 10, the Church celebrates the saint Job, a biblical character of great patience and trust in God. Also St. John of Avila, patron of the Spanish secular clergy and doctor of the Church. And Christian martyrs and holy women such as Solangia and Beatriz d'Este.
Francisco Otamendi-May 10, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
The saint Job, the protagonist of the Old Testament book of Job, was a man of admirable patience in the land of Hus. In summarywas a rich man, married, with ten children, servants, land and cattle. He feared God, who tested him with the death of his children, his ruin and the loss of his health. He did not curse God or rebel against him, but accepted him.
Having overcome all trials with patience, the Lord gave him health, ten more children and prosperity, and he died an old man. The book of Job depicts a model of patience and holiness, like the suffering Christ. Job says: "Ýahweh gives, Yahweh takes away, blessed be Yahweh!".
As a curiosity, the young Karol Wojtyla, in the first months of 1940, when the Second World War and the occupation of Poland had just begun, composed the theatrical drama Job, a reflection on human suffering. Almost at the same time, the same publishing house launched last year Jeremiahalso of the young Wojtyla, later a saintly pope.
Apostle, Doctor of the Church
On May 10th, the liturgy also celebrates St. John of AvilaSpanish priest of the 16th century, known as the "apostle of Andalusia" for his evangelizing work in that region. He is considered patron saint of the Spanish clergyPope Benedict XVI proclaimed him Doctor of the Church in 2012. Pope Francis established that the commemoration of St. John of Avila be inscribed in the general Roman calendar on May 10, as a free memorial.
St. John of Avila was born in Almodovar del Campo (Ciudad Real, Spain) in 1499. After studying in Salamanca and Alcalá, he was ordained a priest in 1526. He distributed his goods among the poor and decided to go to the Indies. But the archbishop of Seville managed to keep him in his diocese, where he developed an intense apostolic activity.
He preached tirelessly, wrote 'Audi, filia'.
Unjustly accused of heresy by the Inquisition, St. John of Avila wrote from prison an important part of his spiritual doctrine. He was absolved in 1533. In Granada he converted St. John of God. He founded colleges for the formation of the clergy, later converted into seminaries, and addressed memorials to the Council of Trent on the situation of priests. He preached tirelessly, addressed many souls personally or by letter, and died in Montilla (Cordoba) on May 10, 1569.
His main work is entitled Audi, filiaa systematic and comprehensive treatise on the spiritual life, which has become a classic of spirituality, has written Manuel Belda. The Spanish saint was beatified by Leo XIII on April 6, 1894. Named Patron of the Spanish secular clergy by Pius XII on July 2, 1946, he was canonized by St. Paul VI on May 31, 1970.
Martyrs, Saints Solangia and Beatrice d'Este
The liturgy of May 10 also includes holy martyrs such as Alfio, Filadelfio and Cirino, born in Vaste (Lecce, Italy), imprisoned for being Christians, and tortured to death in Lentini (Sicily), in 253, during the persecution of Emperor Valerian.
Also celebrated today are women like Saint Solangia, a shepherdess from Bourges, Aquitaine (France), who rejected a son of a count on the grounds that she had consecrated herself to God, and he beheaded her (9th century). The people immediately considered her a martyr of chastity.
The Italian Blessed Beatrice d'Este, from Padua (Italy) in 1200, was orphaned at the age of six. At 14, overcoming the opposition of her family, she entered the monastery of Benedictine nuns of Solarola, near Padua. She was an example of austere and virtuous life, and died in 1226.
When the Cardinal Robert PrevostChicago-born, Peru-trained, canon lawyer, missionary and prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, introduced himself as the newly elected pope, many expected him to speak in English. He did not.
Despite his fluency and U.S. citizenship, he chose Italian and Spanish. And instead of referring to Chicago, he acknowledged his parish in Peru. The choice was deliberate. It was not just a linguistic or sentimental question, but symbolic, strategic and spiritually charged.
In that discreet act of omission, Pope Leo XIV (as he is now called) made one thing unmistakably clear: he is not a national trophy. He will not be a papal figurehead of American Catholicism or a spokesman for any partisan ideology. He is a pope formed in the crucible of missionary work, multicultural sensitivity and pastoral service to the periphery.
More than geography: A spiritual identity
Born in the United States and with dual Peruvian nationality, Pope Leo XIV embodies a transnational Catholicism that resists easy classification. He is profoundly American, yet he is not America's pope. He served more than 20 years in Latin America, absorbing its ecclesial rhythms, struggles and social priorities. That formation seems to have shaped the initial tone of his papacy: bridge-building, inclusiveness and global awareness.
In temperament and theology, he seems to echo the spirit of Pope Francis, pastorally compassionate and attuned to the poor and marginalized, while remaining doctrinally sound. On women's ordination, for example, he remains aligned with traditional teachings. On social justice issues, however, it channels the same fire that made Pope Francis a global voice for the voiceless.
This balancing act, pastoral progressivism with doctrinal fidelity, places him in a balanced lane, but one that many believe is well suited to today's complex global Church.
Echoes of 1978: The historical pattern of Rome
The Catholic Church has long understood the moral weight of papal symbolism and how leadership can serve as a counterpoint to global ideologies.
When Cardinal Karol Wojtyła was elected Pope John Paul II in 1978, his papacy was widely interpreted as a response to Soviet communism. This was a Polish pope, elected behind the Iron Curtain, who would become a spiritual force against a regime that denied religious freedom and repressed human dignity. His moral leadership was instrumental in galvanizing movements like Solidarity and emboldening the faithful throughout Eastern Europe.
Similarly, the election of Pope Leo XIV seems designed to address a different kind of threat, not from totalitarian regimes, but from ideological extremism, hyper-populist nationalism and corrosive individualism. Just as Rome once offered a moral response to communism, it now seems to offer a response to the crises plaguing the West, particularly those emanating from American culture.
The name of Leo XIV: a historical clue
The name chosen, Leo, has great historical resonance. Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) is remembered as an intellectual with a social conscience, who published the groundbreaking encyclical "Rerum Novarum"which laid the foundations of Catholic social doctrine. It denounced the excesses of capitalism and rejected the false promises of socialism. It defended labor rights, the dignity of workers and the role of trade unions, while affirming the legitimacy of private property.
In choosing "Leo," the new pope may be signaling a similar path: a papacy that will confront contemporary injustices not through political tribalism, but through Catholic moral clarity. Like Leo XIII, he could aspire to renew the Church's role as a mediator between opposing extremes, advocating for the common good while protecting human dignity.
A message to the American Church
In recent years, factions of American Catholicism have become increasingly emboldened in their criticism of Rome. From vociferous resistance to Pope Francis' encyclicals to bishops publicly contradicting Vatican directives, the U.S. Church, like the German Church, has faced internal fractures. Some clergy have aligned themselves in promoting conspiracy theories and sowing division, such as Archbishop Vigano, the result of which is the weakening of ecclesial unity.
The choice of Pope Leo XIV, therefore, can be considered both an invitation and a corrective. He understands the American landscape, he was born into it. But he is not committed to its ideological extremes. Perhaps his silence in English was not a rejection of his roots, but a resistance to being appropriated? There will be those who think it is a subtle but firm rebuke to those who seek to nationalize the papacy or instrumentalize it for culture war purposes. But only time will tell if this is so.
A global response to political extremism
With the return of Donald Trump to political prominence and the continued spread of hyper-nationalist ideologies around the world, the Church faces a profound moral test. In such a climate, the temptation for religious leaders to align themselves with power, echo popular rhetoric or retreat into doctrinal rigidity is strong.
But Pope Leo XIV seems to offer a different path, a calmer and deeper strength rooted in universality and spiritual responsibility. His papacy is not a reactionary stance, but a reflective one, shaped by lived proximity to poverty, diversity and community.
In this context, he does not appear as an "American Pope," but as a global pastor who happens to be American. And that distinction is critical. It allows him to speak credibly to the United States, while providing a necessary counterbalance to the ideological toxicity exported from his politics, which often has global effects.
Latin America: The beating heart of the Church
It is no coincidence that the new Pope maintains strong ties with Latin America, the largest Catholic base in the world. His time in Peru, where he lived, ministered and learned to see the Church through the prism of indigenous communities and struggling parishes, has left a clear mark.
Latin America, more than any other region, has shaped the last two papacies. By rooting the new Pope in this world, the Church reaffirms its commitment to the global South, not only as a mission field, but as a theological and spiritual powerhouse.
A Pope who can speak to the slums of Lima as well as the boardrooms of Washington is uniquely positioned to build bridges between the diverse voices of the Church. His emphasis on unity and dialogue in his inaugural address indicates a clear intent: to foster communion across geographic, cultural and ideological divides. This was not just a call for diplomacy, but a pastoral invitation to heal the fractures in the Body of Christ.
Not dominance, but responsibility
To those who worry that an American pope is a sign of dominance, consider this: the logic behind his election may have less to do with American influence and more to do with moral responsibility. In today's world, the ideological crisis burns brightest in the United States. From within it emerges a culture of division, isolationism and polarization that threatens not only political institutions, but also religious unity.
By electing a Pope who understands that culture and refuses to reproduce it, the Church may be offering a rare and timely intervention. His election is not about elevation, but confrontation. Not of power, but of service. Not of nationalism, but of mission.
Final thoughts
In the end, Rome has not chosen a celebrity. It has chosen a pastor. And in doing so, it has made a masterful move on the world chessboard.
Leo XIV offers the possibility of a papacy that brings healing where there is pain, clarity where there is confusion and global awareness where political systems fail. If he follows the path of Leo XIII, he could become not just a diplomatic or doctrinal pope, but a pope of renewal.
For a Church that must navigate a stormy world, such a voice may be exactly what it needs.
Leo XIV: "To disappear so that Christ may remain, to become small so that He may be known and glorified".
In his first homily, the new pope unpacked the difficulties of today's world, for which the answer lies in a personal relationship with Christ, a daily journey of conversion and the witness of joyful faith.
This morning at 11 a.m. the Sistine Chapel was once again the magnificent setting where all the cardinals gathered. On this occasion, not to elect the new Pope, but to inaugurate his pontificate with him, with the celebration of Holy Mass. by the Churchpresided over by Leo XIV, until yesterday cardinal Robert Francis Prevost.
The faces of the purpurates look much more relaxed than three days ago, when the Mass for the beginning of the conclave took place in St. Peter's Basilica. Minutes before the ceremony, they chat among themselves in high spirits. They no longer wear the red vestments, which symbolize the blood of the sacrifice and the fire of the Spirit, but the white color of Easter, which announces the resurrection.
Between smiling and trembling
At 11:09 a.m. the Pope enters, dressed in a simple white chasuble and with the same smiling gesture as yesterday, blessing his colleagues of the College of Cardinals. The choir of the Sistine Chapel sings Psalm 46 (47): "Shout to God with joyful voices". The jubilation that dominated the atmosphere in the Plaza in the afternoon is repeated this morning, although more solemn and less enthusiastic.
The voice of the new pontiff is strong, but it still has a trembling quality. In the last few hours, a video of him singing, microphone in hand, José Feliciano's 'Feliz Navidad' when he was bishop in Chiclayo has gone viral on social networks. The Pope swallows saliva and makes efforts not to get carried away by the emotion, while intoning the liturgical songs and prayers.
Timid female presence
Much has been said and written about the absence of women in the Sistine Chapel these days. Perhaps in response to that complaint, the first reading is read by a nun of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, the same order to which Sister Raffaella Petrini, president of the Vatican Governorate, belongs. The second reading is also read by a laywoman.
Yesterday the most experienced Vaticanists recalled that it was during Prevost's time as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, in 2024, that three women became part of the committee that elects the successors of the apostles in the world, and not in a merely consultative or representative capacity, but with full rights.
To calm tempers and reconcile
Leo XIV began his homily in English. Yesterday, when he appeared in St. Peter's Square, he spoke in Italian, with a few words in Spanish. Perhaps on the recommendation of some advisor and to avoid wounding sensitivities at the beginning of his ministry, today he began in his native language.
Hundreds of pages have already been written about the profile of the new pontiff. There is talk of his conciliatory and moderate character, who will try to calm the tempers of both "progressives" and "conservatives". This was also the tone of his first homily as Pope: an appeal to the patrimony of faith, preserved by the Church, and an open look at the world and its wounds. He quoted both Sacred Scripture and the dogmatic constitutions of the Second Vatican Council.
The Gospel of the Mass was chapter 16 of St. Matthew, in which Peter says to Christ: "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God". A confession of faith that, in the Pope's words, is both a gift and a welcome: "Peter, in his response, assumes both: the gift of God and the path to follow in order to allow oneself to be transformed, inseparable dimensions of salvation, entrusted to the Church to proclaim for the good of humanity".
He then referred to his new ministry: "God, in a particular way, in calling me through your vow to succeed the first of the Apostles, entrusts this treasure to me, so that, with his help, I may be his faithful steward for the whole Mystical Body of the Church".
What do people say?
The homily then revolved around Christ's question: "What do people say," Jesus asked, "about the Son of Man? Who do they say that he is? Yesterday the Pope spoke of dialogue, and today he preaches on the conversation between the Church and the world: "It is not a trivial question, on the contrary, it concerns an important aspect of our ministry: the reality in which we live, with its limits and its potentialities, its questionings and its convictions."
He went on to describe "two possible answers to this question, which delineate as many attitudes". In the first place, the response of "a world that considers Jesus a person who is totally unimportant, at most a curious character, who can arouse astonishment with his unusual way of speaking and acting". Secondly, the response of the common people: "For them the Nazarene is not a charlatan, he is an upright man, a courageous man, who speaks well and says right things, like other great prophets in the history of Israel. That is why they follow him, at least as far as they can do so without too much risk and inconvenience".
"The topicality of these two attitudes is striking," he said. "Both embody ideas that we can easily find - perhaps expressed in different language, but identical in substance - in the mouths of many men and women of our time."
Today's world
With a realistic vision, the Pontiff acknowledged that "even today there are many contexts in which the Christian faith is considered an absurdity, something for weak and unintelligent people, contexts in which other securities are preferred, such as technology, money, success, power or pleasure". He referred to the difficulty of witnessing to and proclaiming the Gospel in an environment "where those who believe are ridiculed, hindered and despised, or, at most, supported and pitied".
The conclusion is surprising: "Yet, precisely because of this, these are places where the mission is more urgent, because the lack of faith often brings with it dramas such as the loss of the meaning of life, the forgetfulness of mercy, the violation of the dignity of the person in its most dramatic forms, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that bring no small amount of suffering to our society".
This distancing from God occurs not only outside the Church, but also among many who call themselves Christians: "There is also no lack of contexts in which Jesus, although appreciated as a man, is reduced only to a kind of charismatic leader or superman, and this not only among non-believers, but even among many baptized people, who thus end up living, in this area, a de facto atheism".
The papacy as martyrdom
The picture painted by Leo XIV is not very encouraging. His thoughts then turned to his predecessor to give hope: "This is the world that has been entrusted to us, and in which, as Pope Francis has often taught, we are called to bear witness to joyful faith in Jesus the Savior."
The confession: 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God' is fundamental, "first of all in our personal relationship with Him, in our commitment to a daily journey of conversion. But also, as Church, living together our belonging to the Lord and bringing the Good News to all".
The Pope applied the preaching first of all to himself: "I say this first of all for myself, as the Successor of Peter, as I begin my mission as Bishop of the Church in Rome, called to preside in charity over the universal Church, according to the famous expression of St. Ignatius of Antioch".
The reference to this martyr is not banal: he was devoured in the capital of the empire by the circus fairs. In his letters he spoke of being wheat of GodHis words evoke in a more general sense an unrenounceable commitment for anyone who exercises a ministry of authority in the Church: to disappear so that Christ may remain, to make himself small so that he may be known and glorified, spending himself to the end so that no one may lack the opportunity to know and love him".
The Holy Mass concluded with the singing of the Regina Coeli and of the Oremus pro Pontifice. The Pope left the Sistine Chapel while giving his blessing. The cardinals have sent him off with a congratulatory applause, of support and surely also of relief.
After being elected by the cardinal electors, Leo XIV left the Sistine Chapel to applause and went to the Pauline Chapel to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. Minutes later, he appeared before the thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square.
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It's not a spelling mistake, no; it's just that today I want to call him that: Dad. Because, I don't know about you, but what I have felt, since Pope Francis left us on Easter Monday, has been an enormous sense of orphanhood.
It is not sappiness or sentimentality, it is that the popes, the very etymology of the word says it, are true fathers, spiritual fathers of the Christian community. Apparently, the term comes from the Greek "Pappas" and was used since the first centuries of Christianity to name not only the successor of Peter, but also the rest of the bishops and even the presbyters, just as today we address them with the title of father. It was in the Middle Ages when it began to be used only to address the bishop of Rome.
The death of our father (again with an accent) Francis left us without a guide, without a shepherd, a bit disoriented because we loved him very much and he exercised very well that spiritual paternity of pointing out a way, of leading this common pilgrimage to heaven that is life.
The figure of the pope, like that of fathers, is fundamental for every human being, child or adult. It is a reference figure that marks us as persons and helps us to grow, to mature and, from the memory of his teachings, even to grow old.
Like dads, the pope provides security, supporting us in our day-to-day struggles, continually telling us about Jesus and making us feel that we are not alone, that He always takes care of us, protects us and accompanies us in our pain.
Like parents, the pope teaches us, educates us, points out the good and bad paths for our life. He has experience and preaches by example, that is why he has authority. He is a model of life, someone to imitate.
Like dads, the pope also offers us discipline. And we don't all like that. We don't want limits and, for that reason, like dads, many despise the pope.
Like dads, the pope helps us to relate to others. He makes us feel part of the family of God's children and of the great human family.
Like the Popes, the Pope stimulates us cognitively, encourages us to think, to reflect, to seek the paths of Christian life. With his magisterium he challenges us, he does not allow us to become complacent, but continually shakes us out of our tendency to doze off.
Like dads, the pope provides us with what we need to live, the nourishment of the Word of God without which the Christian life is extinguished.
Like dads, the pope takes care of mother-Church, the most important woman in the life of every human being. She is the one who breastfeeds us with the Eucharist, the one who embraces us with forgiveness and mercy, the one who accompanies us when we are sick or in need....
That is why I have loved all the popes I have known for as long as I can remember; and, for that reason, I already love Leo XIV. No one chooses his or her father, but we are all called, as children, to honor our father and mother. We may like more or less their accents, their tendencies, their ways, but deep down, a good child knows how to recognize, value and love a parent.
There are already sons who will not love Leo XIV, sons who will want to go their own way and who will criticize every decision of their father. Interested children who are not willing to accept meekly and with humility of heart the authority of the pope. Children who will not know how to see that, behind the spiritual paternity of the successor of Peter, there is that of God who has sent him to us, as he sent us one day to our father's and mother's house, to help us.
That's up to them. Today I can only thank God for the father he has given us. I am eager to listen to him, to be fed, to imitate him, to learn from him... If I seem childish to them, I invite them, with Jesus, to become like children in order to understand what this is all about. And, as the little ones say to show off in front of their friends, today I tell them that "my daddy is the best".
Journalist. Graduate in Communication Sciences and Bachelor in Religious Sciences. He works in the Diocesan Delegation of Media in Malaga. His numerous "threads" on Twitter about faith and daily life have a great popularity.
Today's liturgy celebrates Isaiah, one of the most important holy prophets of the Old Testament. His prophecies deal with themes such as God's judgment or the coming of the Messiah. Famous, for example, are the "Songs of the Servant of Yahweh" (Isaiah 52-53), where he described the death of Jesus on the cross.
Francisco Otamendi-May 9, 2025-Reading time: < 1minute
On May 9, the Church commemorates one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament, St. Isaiah. According to the Roman MartyrologyThis day is the "commemoration of St. Isaiah, prophet. Who, in the time of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, was sent to an unfaithful and sinful people to show them the faithful and saving God". Thus was fulfilled the promise made by the Lord to David".
"As the tradition existing among the Jews has handed down, died a martyred man under the reign of Manasseh (7th century B.C.)," concludes the reference. In various parts of the Book of Isaiah the coming of the Messiah deliverer is spoken of, foretelling his birth and his works, his passion and death.
"Like a lamb led to the slaughter."
In the prophecy of Isaiah 53 "we discover the inner world of the Messiah, and more specifically the free atoning will of his self-giving." "Mistreated, he willingly humbled himself and opened not his mouth: as a lamb led to the slaughter, as a sheep before the shearer, he was dumb, and opened not his mouth" (...).
This image of meekness and patience in the midst of suffering, has written Rafael Sanz Carrera, "is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Who, during his trial and crucifixion, did not defend himself, but endured suffering in silence (Matthew 27:12-14, Mark 14:61, Luke 23:9)".
The Suffering Servant
"The passage compares the Suffering Servant to a "lamb led to the slaughter and a sheep before its shearers." It finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who is described as 'the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world' (John 1:29 and 1 Peter 1:18-19)."
Others santos of the day are St. Pachomius of Egypt, the Poor Clare St. Catherine of Bologna, the Vietnamese martyr St. Joseph Do Quang Hien, or the martyred saints of Persia.
The faithful gathered at St. Peter's surrender to the new Pope
On the afternoon of May 8, St. Peter's Square was once again the scene of a historic moment. This is how the election of the new pontiff was experienced from the inside.
At about six minutes past six in the evening of Thursday, May 8, a shout of joy went around St. Peter's Square. The crowd began to applaud, the expectation could be read on their faces, they began to run and rush through the security checkpoints, and cell phones were raised in the direction of the chimney that has been crowning the gable roof of the Sistine Chapel for a few days now. The smoke is finally white. Habemus Papam!
A human mass that, since yesterday with the beginning of the conclave, prowls around, swirls at the entrances to the Plaza. It is a spring afternoon, but the summer heat struggles to make its presence felt. The radiant western sun barely allows to contemplate the white smoke of the smoke.
Who will it be?
It was uncertain whether this conclave would be longer or shorter. There was the desire to reach a consensus soon, but many cardinal electors did not know each other and few ventured to predict when the two-thirds majority, that is, the 89 votes, would be achieved. Following what happened with Benedict and Francis, who were elected with 4 and 5 ballots respectively, 4 scrutinies were enough for the cardinals to agree and give the Church a new Pope.
They wave in the enclosure encircled by the colonnato Bernini flags of all countries. Among others, from the countries of some of the cardinal electors, several of which have topped the polls these days: Philippines, Spain, Chile, Portugal, Congo... Soon the question arises: who will it be? Some Italians question some Mexican priests of Regnum Christi. Some commented that they thought it would be tomorrow. Others reminded them of the importance of prayer.
The faces of those present radiated joy. In a demonstration of Catholicism, one sees young and old, religious and families, people of all races and backgrounds. There is great expectation. People applaud and shout in bursts of enthusiasm, like those who abandon their orphanage and once again have a guide and a father.
At around 6.30 p.m., the Vatican band, escorted by the Swiss Guard, makes its appearance and parades playing the papal hymn. Shouts of "Long live the Pope!", "God is great" and "This is the Pope's youth" are heard. The festive atmosphere increases by the minute. Someone intones the Marian hymn of the Salve Regina.
A Pope close to the people
Natalia and Cristina have traveled from Spain to be at the fumata. They are from the parish of San Pascual Bailon in Valencia. Natalia works in Caritas and Cristina is a volunteer. They were very excited to experience this moment live and their pastor encouraged them to come on behalf of the parish community. "We arrived yesterday. We were at the first smoke and today we have been around the Vatican all day," they say. They assure that they do not have any candidate in mind: "This is unpredictable". And they add: "We have to pray a lot for him, smooth his path with prayer. If the work of a parish priest is already complicated, imagine a pope!
What do you expect from the new pontiff? Natalia answers: "I work in Caritas, so I like a Pope who is very close to the people who need him most, although the spiritual part of the Church is also needed. I would like him to combine the two things". They say they would also like him to follow the legacy of Francis, "but at the same time each one has his own stamp and will contribute different things".
Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum!
Finally, after an hour of waiting, the balcony windows open and Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, protodeacon and therefore in charge of announcing the name of the new pontiff, makes his appearance in the Vatican loggia. There is a solemn silence and we hear the long awaited words, which had last resounded 12 years ago: "Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum... habemus Papam!". His announcement is greeted with an explosion of applause and cheers of "Long live the Pope!". Then we hear for the first time the name: Robert Francis, called Leone XIV, Cardinal Prevost.
The journalists present in the square deploy their dossiers with the list and biography of the eligible cardinals. Soon the information begins to spread. Prevost is American, born in Chicago, Augustinian, not Trump but his countryman, missionary in Peru, Prefect of the Dicastery of Bishops... 69 years old.
The people gathered in the square began to shout: "Leone! Leone!". Father David, who is American, comments that Prevost has been out of the United States for many years and came to Rome a couple of years ago summoned by Francis. "He is not a name for anyone in the United States," he points out categorically.
First words of Leo XIV
Shortly before 7:30 a.m., the new Pope appears on the balcony of the Vatican Basilica. His countenance is smiling, he greets with emotion. His appearance is accompanied by the music of the bands and the acclamations of the faithful: Leone! Long live the Pope! Both the choice of name -Leon XIII was the Pontiff of the Social Doctrine of the Church-as his first words are a declaration of intent: "Peace be with you!" It is the greeting of the risen Jesus and a "desire for peace for the world." And he continues: "This is the peace of the risen Jesus, unarmed and disarming, humble, coming from God, who loves us all."
He addresses a memory full of appreciation to his predecessor, Pope Francis, and comments that he will continue the blessing he gave us on Easter Sunday in that same square, "with a weak but courageous voice". The new Pope, the 267th of the Catholic Church, fills his first speech with words such as dialogue, peace, building bridges, being missionaries, synodality, open arms... that already point out the route that will mark his pontificate.
Then he introduces himself to the faithful: "I am a son of St. Augustine. With you I am a Christian and for you I am a bishop". After addressing a special greeting to the Church of Rome, in fluent Italian, he begins to speak in Spanish to greet his beloved diocese of Chiclayo in Peru. He recalls that today is the day of supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii - whose devotion is widespread in Italy - and together we pray a Hail Mary. Then Pope Leo XIV imparts for the first time the blessing to the city and to the world.
From "We can't believe it!" to "It's Peruvian!"
U.S. and Peruvian flags can be seen in the Plaza. Elina, from California, can hardly believe what has just happened. "Now we really have to make America great again, but in a spiritual sense," suggests this young woman who introduces herself as a practicing Catholic, putting a twist on her president's iconic expression.
Jesús, who comes from Ica, Peru, is radiant with happiness. "He is Peruvian," he emphasizes when speaking of the new Pope, "although now he belongs to everyone, to the whole Church". Margarita, also Peruvian, comments that Prevost unites the two Americas.
The new Papa He bids farewell accompanied by the cardinals, who contemplated the scene from the adjacent balconies. The faithful are also leaving with a good taste on their lips. The comments that could be heard expressed very diverse opinions: "It is going to feel more the pinche Trump," comments a young Latino boy. "First a Jesuit and now an Augustinian," says a nun to her companion in habit. "You are part of a historic thing!", a young Italian boy tells his friend. Today we will go to sleep with the feeling of the task done, the mission accomplished: we have a Pope! We don't know if Leo XIV will sleep a wink. Let us pray for him.
On May 8, 2025, U.S. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the 267th pontiff of the Catholic Church, adopting the name Leo XIV. This election marks a historic milestone as the first Pope born in North America, reflecting the growing geographic diversity within the College of Cardinals.
Origins and Formation
Born September 14, 1955 in Chicago, Illinois. Son of Louis Marius Prevost, of French and Italian descent, and Mildred Martinez, of Spanish descent.
He completed his secondary studies at the minor seminary of the Order of St. Augustine, later obtaining a degree in Mathematics from the Villanova University in 1977. He entered the Order of St. Augustine in 1977, professing his solemn vows in 1981. He was ordained a priest in 1982 by Archbishop Jean Jadot. He continued his formation in Rome, where he obtained a licentiate and a doctorate in Canon Law at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Mission in Peru
In 1985, Prevost began its missionary work in PeruHe served as chancellor of the Territorial Prelature of Chulucanas. Between 1988 and 1998, he directed the Augustinian seminary in Trujillo, taught canon law at the diocesan seminary and served as a judge of the regional ecclesiastical tribunal.
His commitment to the Peruvian community led him to obtain Peruvian citizenship in 2015, consolidating his multicultural identity.
In 2014, Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo and titular bishop of Sufar. He was consecrated bishop in December of that year and, in 2015, he assumed as bishop of Chiclayo. His pastoral and administrative work in Peru earned him recognition within the Church.
Arrival in Rome
In 2023, he was appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a key position in the Roman Curia responsible for the selection and supervision of bishops worldwide. That same year, he was created a cardinal by Pope Francis.
Pope Leo XIV has a profound knowledge of the Roman Curia thanks to his extensive and recent experience as an active member of numerous key dicasteries. He was part of the main sections for Evangelization, the Doctrine of the Faith, the Oriental Churches, the Clergy, and Consecrated Life, as well as the dicasteries for Culture and Education and Legislative Texts.
In addition, he was a member of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, which gives him direct knowledge of the central administration of the Church and the governance of the Papal State. This involvement has allowed him to be directly involved in the decision-making processes and in the implementation of reforms promoted by Pope Francis.
The chosen name
Pope Leo XIII (Pope between 1878 and 1903) is remembered for his Marian devotion and for modernizing the social doctrine of the Church and opening a dialogue with the modern world after the confrontation with modernity of the previous pontificate (Pius IX).
His most outstanding legacy is the encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891), considered the foundation of the Social Doctrine of the Church, in which he addressed labor conditions systematically for the first time, defending workers' rights, fair wages, private property and the role of the State in social justice.
Biographical summary
1977: Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Villanova University.
1982: Master of Divinity degree from the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.
1984: Degree in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome.
1987: Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome.
Ordering
1985-1986: Missionary work in Chulucanas, Peru.
1988-1998: Various roles in Trujillo, Peru, including community prior, training director and teacher.
1999-2001: Provincial of the Augustinian Province in Chicago.
2001-2013: Prior General of the Order of St. Augustine (two terms).
2014-2015: Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru.
2015-2023: Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru.
2023-present: Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops.
2023-present: President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
May 8, 2025: elected Pope and takes the name Leo XIV.
With a firm voice but with some furtive tears on his face. This is how Leo XIV, until now Cardinal Prevost, presented himself to the world. His first words Peace be with you all," said the new Pope in his opening remarks, after the applause of the crowd of faithful in St. Peter's Square, as he stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter's Square.
A first appeal for peace
"Dear brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the Good Shepherd, who gave his life for the flock of God. I would also like this greeting of peace to reach your hearts, to reach your families, to reach all people, wherever they are, to reach all peoples, to reach the whole earth. Peace be with you.
A call to peace with which the new Pope has also taken up the gauntlet of his predecessor, who, in his last appearance in lifeasked for peace.
In this sense, the new pontiff wanted to "continue" with the Easter blessing of Pope Francis, "we keep in our ears that weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis, who blessed Rome. The Pope who blessed Rome and also gave his blessing to the whole world on Easter morning," recalled the Pope, who emphasized God's love and how "God loves everyone, and evil will not prevail. We are all in God's hands".
Courage in the mission
The new Pope has called for fearless apostolic work on the part of Catholics to respond to a darkened world: "Without fear, united, hand in hand with God and with each other, let us go forward. Let us be disciples of Christ. Christ precedes us. The world needs his Light. Humanity needs Him, as the bridge to be reached by God, by His love. Help us also to build bridges, with dialogue, with encounter, uniting us all to be one people".
He who has been, until his election as head of the universal Church, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, thanked his brother "cardinals who have elected me to be the successor of Peter, and to walk together with you as a united Church, always seeking peace, justice, always seeking to work as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, without fear, to proclaim the Gospel and to be missionaries". Nor did he forget his Augustinian spirit, recalling some words of the saint of Hippo when he was proclaimed bishop: "I am a son of St. Augustine, an Augustinian, who said: with you I am a Christian, and for you, a bishop".
Words in Spanish for the Diocese of Chiclayo
The new Pope also wished to give a nod to his "beloved diocese of ChiclayoHe spoke in Spanish and not in Italian to recall "a faithful people who have accompanied their bishop, shared his faith, and given so much, so much, to continue to be the faithful church of Jesus Christ".
The new Pope made clear his intention to continue along the path of synodality, emphasized in the previous pontificate, and placed himself under the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary: "Mary wants to walk with us always, to be close to us, to help us with her intercession and her love. Now I would like to pray together with you. Let us pray together for this new mission, for the whole Church, for peace in the world. Let us ask for this special grace from Mary, our Mother".
The new Pope does not succeed Francis, but Peter; he does not take the reins of the Church from Francis, or from Benedict, but the Church of Christ. He answers to Him.
May 8, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Leo XIV
It is the name that resonates most in the media and in conversations this afternoon. After only 5 votes, and in a conclave that has followed the usual tone of recent years, the American Cardinal Robert Prevost has become the 267th pontiff of the Catholic Church.
Although for many in this world, the Habemus Papam can be understood as the end of weeks of intense speculation, opinions, rumors, facts and falsehoods, for the universal Church it is a new beginning. A new step forward on the path of God's presence on earth.
The new Pope is well aware of the many and varied challenges that lie ahead of him and that the twelve general congregations that preceded the conclave have put on the table: the stabilization of the reform the role of the Curia, the role of the Pope and the Canon LawThe economic crisis of the Holy See, evangelization in a secularized world and the continuing fight against abuses and other behaviors that hurt the People of God.
But the Pope is not alone. It is all the faithful who, with our prayer, through our life of faith, our work carried out for the love of God and our personal commitment (with falls and "comebacks") make the Church day by day together with the successor of Peter. Because the new Pope does not succeed Francis, but Peter; he does not take the reins of the Church from Francis, or from Benedict, but the Church of Christ. Before him she answers.
Once the smoke has gone white and the nerve has run through the bodies of millions of faithful and non-faithful around the world, once we have been able to see the new father of all, with the awareness that God has entrusted him to feed the sheep of a complicated flock, it is time to firmly sing the Creed that lays the foundations of the Church that, as of today, has a new "bridge builder" (pontifex) Leon. Orate pro eo.
Director of Omnes. Degree in Communication, with more than 15 years of experience in Church communication. She has collaborated in media such as COPE or RNE.
After twelve General Congregations with more than 200 interventions, the cardinal electors have mapped out the priorities and crucial challenges that the future of the Church will have to face in the coming years. new Pope, Leo XIV.
An image that has been repeated in many interventions is that of the Pope as "pastor and teacher of humanity. Close to the wounds of the world, with a capacity for dialogue and without fear of tenderness, the Pontiff who is expected is the one who embodies a "Samaritan Church," ready to stop in the middle of the road to heal and accompany. In times of war and polarization, the Successor of Peter must be a spiritual guide, a bridge and a sign of hope.
Church Unity
In addition, the need to make the meetings of the College of Cardinals during the Consistories more meaningful has been highlighted. Beyond being formal instances, it was requested that they be real spaces for consultation, reflection and co-responsibility. Cardinals do not wish to be merely electors, but collaborators in the universal mission of the Church. This change implies a rediscovery of the role of the College of Cardinals in the ecclesial structure.
Internal divisions have also been noted with concern. The cardinals agree that the next Pope must be a guarantor of ecclesial communion, knowing how to integrate different sensibilities and avoiding both authoritarianism and relativism. Communion is not only an ideal, but a daily task that demands listening, patience and courage.
The debate on the power of the Pope has been present in the congregations. Some cardinals reflected on the limits and canonical structure of the Petrine ministry. The next Pope will have to exercise his authority as a service, with evangelical humility, respecting the synodal processes and recognizing the richness of the local Churches. It is a delicate balance between leadership and collegiality.
Economics, synodality and abuses
The economic situation of the Curia continues to receive attention. After the scandals of the past, a renewed push for transparency, austerity and sound economic management is expected from the next Pontiff. The sustainability of the Holy See must be guaranteed without losing sight of its evangelical character: to be at the service of the Gospel and not of power.
For the cardinals, synodality cannot remain a temporary process. The new Pontiff will have the task of promoting the real participation of all the faithful in the discernment and mission of the Church. Synodality is no longer a theological concept but a pastoral urgency.
Among the issues addressed was the need to eradicate the use of sexual abuse in the Church. The cardinals have demanded that this struggle continue with determination and transparency. Thus, the new Pope will have to consolidate prevention protocols, strengthen canonical justice and, above all, accompany victims with compassion and truth. Internal cleanliness remains a necessary condition for external credibility.
Peace and ecology
The cry for peace has been unanimous. In their final declaration, the cardinals called for a permanent cease-fire and negotiations that respect human dignity and the common good. The next Pope is expected to be an active presence on the international scene, as a moral mediator, defender of peoples and tireless promoter of dialogue. In times of war, the word of the Church must be clear, courageous and hopeful.
Concern for the planet is not only scientific, but also theological. The "integral ecology" proposed by Laudato Si' was reaffirmed as one of the great tasks of the future Pope. Care for creation is today a privileged field of evangelization and commitment. The Church must be an ally of those who struggle for a more just and sustainable world.
At 7:13 p.m., 65 minutes after the white smoke, thousands of faithful and pilgrims saw the curtains of the central balcony of the Vatican Basilica open. The Cardinal Protodeacon, Dominique Mamberti, appeared before the crowd and in a solemn voice pronounced the historic words: "Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam..."followed by the name of the new Pontiff: Cardinal Prevostwho has taken the name of Leo XIV.
The square erupted in jubilation. Hundreds of bells rang throughout Rome as flags waved and many faithful embraced excitedly. Amid shouts of "Long live the Pope!" and the singing of the You are Petrusthe new successor of Peter appeared before the world for the first time. Dressed in white and with a serene gesture, he greeted the crowd with an apostolic blessing, thanking his brother cardinals for their confidence and asking for prayers for his mission.
Thus begins a new stage for the Catholic Church, marked by hope and expectation. In the next few hours Pope Leo XIV will address the faithful once again and will formally begin his pontificate with an inaugural Mass in the coming days.
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Lay, married, and Opus Dei: "This is an adventure for me".
