Cardinal Roche: a considerable gap between his claims and the documented facts.
Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship, gave AdVaticanum.com an interview on October 13 containing factual errors, questionable assertions and what critics might describe as gaslighting.
The world’s bishops wanted restrictions on the Latin Mass
Cardinal Roche has “no doubt” that the world's bishops wanted to change Summorum Pontificum and restrict the Traditional Latin Mass, adding that “the bishops were very concerned about the situation.”
Reality check: The majority of bishops responding to the Vatican's 2020 questionnaire stated that changing Summorum Pontificum would cause more harm than good.
Benedict XVI issued ‘Summorum Pontificum’ for the FSSPX
Cardinal Roche claims that Summorum Pontificum was created to accommodate the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX).
Reality check: Benedict XVI was asked by Peter Seewald in 2016 about precisely this interpretation. His reply …

Leo XIV has written from hospital to the Amoris Laetitia conference.
He will read the final document soon and urges the bishops to share “what you have lived and received, and to continue proclaiming the Gospel with families, drawing on the richness of Amoris Laetitia.”
Due to his surgery, the conference's final document will not be published until Leo XIV has worked on it. He will offer his reflections "in due course".
Meanwhile, Leo XIV is recovering as expected. He underwent the blood tests and X-ray scheduled following the surgery and the results confirm a normal normal postoperative course. He underwent respiratory physical therapy and has begun walking around his room. He has resumed a regular diet.
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A Majority of Young Priests in France now Celebrate the Traditional Mass — compared to 2% in the Older Generation
The impressive figure, which Rorate had foreseen years ago, has now become reality: according to the French opinion pollster IFOP, headed by...
The impressive figure, which Rorate had foreseen years ago, has now become reality: according to the French opinion pollster IFOP, headed by Jerôme Fourquet, 55% of priests age 25-34, celebrate the Traditional Mass.
The poll comes on the eve of the papal visit to the Nation.
Of course, the total number of priests in France has decreased substantially since the Council, but even so the percentage is impressive, considering that only 2% of priests 75 or older celebrate the TLM.
(Source: Le Figaro)

"The chalice has become too heavy": a priest breaks down in tears at the moment of consecration: Father Brent Bowman was celebrating Mass on September 14 in Minnesota when he collapsed in tears at the moment of consecrating the Precious Blood. He recounts having then felt, with striking force, the weight of Christ's sacrifice

Leo XIV Appoints Communist Chinese Bishop: "Love the Party!"
Today, the Vatican announced that Leo XIV approved Archbishop Andrea Ding Yang, 44, of Chongqing, China, on 28 July and that he was consecrated a bishop today.
Andrea Ding Yang, born in Chongqing in 1981, was ordained a priest in 2007 after studying at the Beijing state seminary.
He was chosen unilateral by the Chinese state religion on 15 April. ChinaCatholic.cn states that he “was elected bishop-designate” on that date.
Beijing’s Apparatchik
He served as a formator at the National Seminary in Beijing from 2012–14, and was allowed to study at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome in 2014–15 (Opus Dei).
What the biography on Vatican.va omits: Ding was deputy secretary-general of the state-recognized Chinese Bishops' Conference and vice-chairman of Chongqing's state-recognized Church.
He had also been elected to the Standing Committee of the Chinese 'Patriotic Association' in 2022.
Ding was selected as one of the …

New Synodal Report: Laity at All Decision-Making Levels
Today, the Vatican released the final report of Synodal Study Group 6, which deals with relations between bishops, religious and consecrated life, and lay ecclesial associations.
Under a proposal to “establish more synodal structures,” the report calls for “equitable and participatory representation” of consecrated persons and laity “at all decision-making levels” - and: “as full members and not merely as consultants, in diocesan, national, and international commissions, as well as in Vatican dicasteries.”
At the diocesan level “it is necessary to allow for broader participation of consecrated persons in the decision-making processes of the local Church.”
Women Religious in the Selection of Bishops
The report proposes to: “allow women religious to participate in the process of electing bishops responsible for consecrated life at the national and diocesan levels”.
It also proposes their participation in the election of chaplains for …

Vance "Wouldn’t Be Shocked" If Antichrist Walked Among Us
“What I’m trying to focus on is doing as much of God’s work as possible right now. And if that leads to the end times, so be it,” U.S. Vice President JD Vance said - assigning himself a rather grand role in God’s plans - in an interview with evangelical Bryce Crawford, published on August 31.
Vance added: “There are, like, things about the world that make me feel, like, not shocked if the Antichrist was walking among us, but, again, I try not to focus too much on it.”
“The end times may be coming - in fact, they are coming. It’s just a question of whether they’re coming thousands of years down the road or a few months down the road.”
Vance also said some developments involving AI companies made him feel there was “some really, really weird spiritual dark energy.”
Vance Defends Trump’s Mockery of Christ
Later in the same interview, Crawford confronted Vance about an AI-generated image Trump had posted in April depicting himself in …

Belgium’s New Female Ambassador to the Holy See Is Champion
Caroline Vermeulen, Belgium’s new ambassador to the Holy See, presented her credentials to Pope Leo XIV on August 27.
The Belgian diplomat has frequently supported homosexual initiatives during her career.
Born in 1973, Vermeulen has served in Japan, Russia, China and Taiwan, as well as with the European Union. From 2004 to 2011, she served as secretary to Queen Paola of Belgium.
More recently, she was Belgium’s ambassador to Austria, additionally accredited to Slovakia and Slovenia, and permanent representative to the international organizations in Vienna.
During her time in Vienna, Vermeulen became a member of International Gender Champions, a network of diplomats and international officials committed to promoting the gender ideologie.
On her International Gender Champions profile, Vermeulen states: “Diversity, including with respect to gender, in a professional environment improves the quality and results of teamwork.”
In …

Leo XIV Appoints to Vatican Former CIA Analyst - $1.9M CEO of Knights of Columbus
Today, Leo XIV has appointed Patrick Kelly, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, as a member of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life.
Kelly has moved during his career through the U.S. military, congressional intelligence oversight, the State Department.
CIA for Five Years
Kelly worked for the Central Intelligence Agency for five years as an analyst after graduating from Marquette University in 1985.
He subsequently graduated from Marquette Law School, served as a Navy JAG, worked at the Justice Department's Office of Intelligence and Policy Review, and became legislative counsel to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
At the Intelligence Committee, his chief responsibility was the annual Intelligence Authorization Act.
From Washington to Catholic Institutional Leadership
After Kelly's CIA/DOJ/House Intelligence work, he served at the State Department as senior adviser on …

Chinese Underground Church Consecrated 10 Bishops without Papal Mandate
After the 2018 Sino-Vatican agreement “terrible things happen to Catholics” in the Fujian province, an anonymous Chinese bishop who is unaffiliated with the Chinese state church ‘Patriotic Association’, told Anthony Clark for CatholicWorldReport.com on August 23.
The bishop speaks of a “state of emergency”.
As government influence over the bishops increases, “the integrity of the Catholic faith will suffer.” To “assure the survival of China’s Church,” new bishops have been “secretly consecrated.”
The bishop says the faithful question Rome’s genuine concern for their “spiritual well-being” when the Holy See approves government-selected bishops whom they regard as too reliable to the state.
The number is unknown, but he suggested that “at least ten new bishops” were consecrated for the underground community in the Fujian province.
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August 17, Messe célébrée par le cardinal Vesco dans le train du retour, entouré des Assomptionnistes et des pèlerins. Fr. Hao, aa et Fr. Thao, aa

Cardinal Aveline: “Every Religion Legitimately [!] Considers Itself True”
"Every religion legitimately considers itself to possess the truth," Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille and president of the French Bishops' Conference, said in an interview on Avvenire.it on August 5.
Talking about Marseille's religious diversity [where Arabic has long become the dominant language], Cardinal Aveline described the coexistence of Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and Christians as a theological challenge: "We did not invent the plurality of religions, nor the fact that every religion legitimately considers itself to possess the truth."
On the Church's catholicity, Aveline claims: "The Creed we recite every Sunday embodies the Church's vocation to catholicity. If I had been born in China, I would have been Confucian; in Japan, Shinto."
He argued that the Church's catholicity means recognizing "the desire for God in the hearts of women and men of every religion."
Citing the Second Vatican …

Mexico: A Network, Two Cathedrals, and Three Bishops
The IV National Meeting of the homosexual network ‘Red Católica Arcoíris de México’ was held from July 30 to August 2 in the Comarca Lagunera region, northern Mexico.
Under the theme "Brotherhood and Service," the gathering brought together nearly 100 representatives from homosexual groups across Mexico, including Kadima (Chihuahua), Otro Rebaño (Morelia), Betania (Irapuato), La Viña (Hermosillo), Todos Somos Lambda (Saltillo), and other member groups.
The program included a keynote address by the homosexual activist James Martin SJ via Zoom and the election of a new national leadership team.
The region Comarca Lagunera is a metropolitan area that spans two Mexican dioceses, Torreón and Gómez Palacio.
The opening Mass was celebrated on July 31 in the Cathedral of Torreón by the local Bishop Luis Martín Barraza Beltrán, 62, and concelebrated by Bishop Emeritus Raúl Vera López, 81, of Saltillo.
According to Vanguardia.com.mx, Bishop …

Adoption de la loi sur l’aide à mourir - Par 291 voix contre 241 la loi est adoptée. Les catholiques attendent désormais une réaction forte de l’Église de France, à la hauteur de la désolation et des conséquences que cette loi entraînera

Leo XIV Accepts Resignation of Peruvian Bishop – Accused of Homosexual Abuse
Today, Leo XIV accepted the resignation of Italian born Bishop Antonio Santarsiero Rosa, 75, of Huacho, Peru. No successor was appointed.
The resignation follows allegations of homosexual misconduct. In April 2026, InfoVaticana.com had reported that complaints had been submitted to the Apostolic Nunciature in Lima and to the Vatican, accusing Santarsiero of homosexually abusing a former minor seminarian and a priest who had served as his secretary.
As usual, Santarsiero has categorically denied all allegations.
The seminarian claimed Santarsiero subjected him to unwanted sexual contact and used promises of scholarships, employment, and opportunities within the diocese to exercise influence over him.
The former secretary to Santarsiero alleges that the bishop subjected him to unwanted physical contact and psychological manipulation. According to the dossier, the priest also claims Santarsiero attempted to discredit …

Euthanasia Bill Rapporteur Attends Mass, Takes Offense at Anti-Euthanasia Homily
"One does not care for life by giving death," Father François Yambressinga, parish priest of La Madeleine in Châteaudun, said during his July 5 homily, before the French National Assembly's final vote on legalizing euthanasia tomorrow. He urged the faithful to "pray for life" and to "pray for parliamentarians so that they do not do just anything."
Among the congregation was Philippe Vigier, the bill's general rapporteur. He is also the mayor of Châteaudun and a member of the National Assembly for Les Démocrates.
Vigier attended the Mass because it was part of the town's annual Foire aux Laines medieval festival. Civic officials appear in costume. He sat in the front row dressed as the fifteenth-century military commander Jean de Dunois.
Afterward, Vigier told L'Écho Républicain that he felt personally targeted and "deeply hurt" by the homily. "The priest appealed to the congregation while I had no opportunity …

French Bishop: Pro-Euthanasia Lawmakers Cannot Receive Communion
“When a member of parliament identifies as Catholic while supporting legislation that authorizes the taking of life, he objectively places himself in opposition not only to the Church's constant teaching but also to a fundamental principle of human reason,” Bishop Marc Aillet of Bayonne told France-Catholique.fr on July 7.
Members of the French National Assembly are expected to vote on the euthanasia bill on July 15.
Bishop Aillet said euthanasia is “an intrinsically evil act, regardless of the circumstances” and that Catholics engaged in public life cannot ignore this teaching, “If they are aware of this inconsistency, they will no longer be able to receive Holy Communion.”
Responding to the presentation of euthanasia as an “act of humanity,” Bishop Aillet said that a truly fraternal society does not respond to suffering by eliminating the person who suffers.
He added that this message must be proclaimed despite “the …

U.S. and Canadian Jesuits Consolidate Novitiates
A decline in religious vocations has prompted the Jesuits in the United States and Canada to restructure the way they train future members of the pro-homosexual order.
The Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States has announced that it will reduce the number of its novitiates from five to two by 2028. This decision was communicated in a letter dated 9 July and signed by the superiors of the conference's five provinces.
Under the new arrangement, one novitiate will be located in Detroit, Michigan, serving the USA Midwest, USA East and Canada provinces, while the second will remain in Culver City, California, serving the USA West and USA Central and Southern provinces. Each facility is expected to accommodate up to 30 novices.
"Running five novitiates takes an awful lot of high-quality Jesuit personnel," Fr. Joseph Daoust, SJ, superior of the Detroit Jesuit community, told DetroitCatholic.com on July 10. "Each novitiate requires …

US Archbishop Calls Attending FSSPX Masses "Sinful"
Catholics may not knowingly take part in the liturgical celebrations, apostolates, or other activities of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, Archbishop Shawn McKnight of Kansas City, Kansas, wrote in a July 2 statement following the episcopal consecrations.
McKnight noted that the SSPX's ministry "is not legitimate in the life of the Church" and that "the sacraments of Penance and Matrimony administered by them are now invalid."
Participation in the worship of the "schismatic" community fosters separation from the Church's communion, he added: "Such participation is not merely discouraged but is gravely contrary to the unity of the Church and, when undertaken with full knowledge and deliberate consent, is sinful."
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Kardinal Gerhard Müller zu Beichten bei den Priestern der Piusbruderschaft (K-TV, 6. Juli): "Die Beichen sind gültig, aber unerlaubt, denn die Vollmacht, Zünden zu vergeben und zu behalten, ist ja durch das Weihesakrament übertragen. Sie kann nur in der Ausübung durch den Bischof oder den Papst eingeschränkt werden, bis nach dem Kirchenrecht vorgegeben ist." (via @Klaus Elmar Müller)