January 15^th, 2026

Feast of Our Lady of Prompt Succor

To my dear Brothers in the Vineyard of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

Grace and peace to you in this holy Season of the Nativity of Our Lord.

With pastoral concern and fraternal affection, I write to you at a moment of genuine trial for the Church, to recall to your hearts the true nature of that obedience which must ever animate the soul of the priest. You are called, above all, to obedience to Christ Himself, in imitation of His perfect obedience to the Father, who “humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even death on a Cross.” Such obedience is never without cost; yet it is always fruitful, both in this life and in the life to come. Therefore, do not shrink from the Cross that obedience may place upon your shoulders.

At the recent Consistory of Cardinals in Rome, Arthur, Cardinal Roche, distributed a short text on the liturgy to those assembled, which is critical of the Traditional Mass. Readers can see my analysis of the arguments employed there on the FIUV website here [reposted to Rorate Caeli below]. In this Bulletin I want to take a step back to consider its wider implications.

As I note in my analysis, this text does not respond to the criticisms that have been made of the official justification of Traditionis custodes, but simply reiterates this justification, at greater length. The argument is that liturgical pluralism undermines the unity of the Church. Critics have pointed out that the Church has always fostered a plurality of Rites and Usages, with Vatican II itself supporting this policy. Cardinal Roche’s text does nothing to address this. Is there a good kind of pluralism to be distinguished from a bad kind? Is there a difference between a pluralism of Rites (as in Eastern and Western) and pluralism within the Western Rite? Is there a difference between the pluralism represented by the Ordinariate or the (reformed) Ambrosian Rite of Milan, and the pluralism of Ordinary and Extraordinary Form, that we need to understand? There might be arguments along these lines, but no the defender of Traditionis custodes has made a serious attempt to set them out. They have just repeated the original claim, that pluralism is a problem, and in this text Cardinal Roche does so all over again.

What are we to make of this?

During the recent consistory, the meeting of cardinals in Rome, Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship, handed out a two-sided piece of paper containing some reflections on the liturgy to those present: this has been made available by Diane Montagna here. The liturgy had been among the four topics originally proposed for discussion at the meeting, but the cardinals decided to focus on just two, leaving the liturgy out. Cardinal Roche’s document was accordingly handed out without being formally discussed.

  Via Messa in Latino; the Roche report against the Mass at the end, made available by Diane Montagna:

Nico Spuntoni for Il Giornale

January 13, 2026

Almost a week has passed since the extraordinary Consistory, and curiosity remains about what the Pope and the cardinals said behind closed doors in the new Synod hall.

 

As Il Giornale had anticipated on December 16, the four topics brought to the twenty working tables were a re-reading of the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, the Synod and synodality, an in-depth study of the Apostolic Constitution Predicate Evangelium, and the liturgy. However, only the first two were the focus of the Consistory's work. This was because during the first session, the cardinals were asked to make a choice dictated by the limited time available.

Unlike his predecessor, who distanced himself from the Roman Curia, the pope has decided to convene all of his cardinals each year to reflect on the strategic direction of the Church.

Leo XIV launched a velvet revolution at the Vatican this week. He casuallysummoned his 245 cardinals for two short days of work on Wednesday and Thursday, which could be the matrix for a new vision of the governance of the Catholic Church. Officially, four issues were on the agenda for this consistory: evangelization, the synod, the Roman Curia, and the liturgy. The pope had even recommended that the men in red prepare carefully, as he was awaiting the opinion of the Church Senate before making any decisions.

by Serre Verweij

for Rorate Caeli

Pope Leo has just held his first extraordinary consistory with the College of Cardinals. The pope gave the cardinals a chance to perform one of their two key tasks, that is, to advise the Pope in governing the universal Church, even before he appointed any of his own cardinals. The meeting came to be viewed as more important when it was announced that it would deal with liturgy, with synodality, with Pope Francis’ controversial curial reforms and the late pope’s first important document Evangelii Gaudium.

 

From his address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See:

Today, the meaning of words is ever more fluid, and the concepts they represent are increasingly ambiguous. Language is no longer the preferred means by which human beings come to know and encounter one another. Moreover, in the contortions of semantic ambiguity, language is becoming more and more a weapon with which to deceive, or to strike and offend opponents. We need words once again to express distinct and clear realities unequivocally. Only in this way can authentic dialogue resume without misunderstandings. This should happen in our homes and public spaces, in politics, in the media and on social media.  It should likewise occur in the context of international relations and multilateralism, so that the latter can regain the strength needed for undertaking its role of encounter and mediation.  This is indeed necessary for preventing conflicts, and for ensuring that no one is tempted to prevail over others with the mindset of force, whether verbal, physical or military.

We should also note the paradox that this weakening of language is often invoked in the name of freedom of expression itself.  However, on closer inspection, the opposite is true, for freedom of speech and expression is guaranteed precisely by the certainty of language and the fact that every term is anchored in the truth.  It is painful to see how, especially in the West, the space for genuine freedom of expression is rapidly shrinking.  At the same time, a new Orwellian-style language is developing which, in an attempt to be increasingly inclusive, ends up excluding those who do not conform to the ideologies that are fueling it.

Unfortunately, this leads to other consequences that end up restricting fundamental human rights, starting with freedom of conscience.  In this regard, conscientious objection allows individuals to refuse legal or professional obligations that conflict with moral, ethical or religious principles deeply rooted in their personal lives.  This may be the refusal of military service in the name of non-violence, or the refusal on the part of doctors and healthcare professionals to engage in practices such as abortion or euthanasia.  Conscientious objection is not rebellion, but an act of fidelity to oneself.  At this moment in history, freedom of conscience seems increasingly to be questioned by States, even those that claim to be based on democracy and human rights.  This freedom, however, establishes a balance between the collective interest and individual dignity.  It also emphasizes that a truly free society does not impose uniformity but protects the diversity of consciences, preventing authoritarian tendencies and promoting an ethical dialogue that enriches the social fabric.

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The full address is available below:

Right before Christmas, two tragic events burst through the quietness of early New England winter: the attack at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, which left two deceased young students; and the murder of a celebrated MIT professor in his own home in Brookline, Massachusetts. We pray for their souls, and for consolation of those left behind.

Dear Brothers,

I am very pleased to welcome all of you. Thank you for your presence! May the Holy Spirit, whom we have invoked, guide us during these two days of reflection and dialogue.

I consider it highly significant that we have gathered in Consistory on the day after the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, and I would like to introduce our work by proposing something drawn precisely from this mystery.

 Also today, Leo XIV started a new catechesis series on... Vatican II. The Council that will never go away, apparently.

On the consistory, Nico Spuntoni of La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana has the report:

Today and tomorrow, the Sacred College will hold a meeting, which was requested during the pre-conclave congregations. The main topics will be the Synod, synodality, and liturgy, but Bergoglio's method of working groups will remain unchanged.

For the Epiphany: Homage to T.S. Eliot

 by Fr. Richard Cipolla

The stars have always been important to me. My name is Melchior and  I am a king of a small country, but I have always been interested in the stars. I believe the stars are not just objects in the sky.  They are part of the mystery of the universe and tell us things> I have studied the stars for most of my life, and so have my two friends, who are also kings of small countries near mine.  So when I saw this star, this particular star that shone brighter than any other star I have ever seen, I knew that it meant something great, something very important. It announced the birth of someone very special, a king that was much more than I was a king, a king whose power was greater than any other king.  

 By Paix Liturgique (Christian Marquant)

Nicola Spuntoni, in an article published in Il Giornale on December 16, reveals that the Pope, who has convened an extraordinary consistory for January 7 and 8, will be sending the cardinals a letter before Christmas outlining the three-point agenda for this consistory: their participation in the governance of the Church, synodality, and the liturgical question.

 Letter from a faithful Catholic laywoman in Rome to a dear priest, regarding the Doctrinal Note Mater Populi Fidelis

 

Rome, December 6, 2025

 

Dear Father, 

 

I share in your sorrow over the recent offenses against Our Lady. You have told me, now is the time to perform acts of faith: I believe that You can do all, O Queen of Heaven and Earth, seated at the right hand of the Son, above all the angels and saints, Mediatrix of All Graces, Coredemptrix, Immaculata full of grace, Mother of God! And above all, you have told me, now is the time to multiply acts of love. Loving is the most perfect way to make reparation (and if Our Lady was able to make reparation, with and under Christ, through Her Compassion on Calvary, it is precisely because, from all eternity, the Most Holy Trinity had placed all its love in Her: no creature, even all the holy creatures combined, will ever be loved by God as the Most Holy Virgin is loved, nor will they ever be able to love as She loves). To love Our Lady more means to love Our Lord Jesus Christ more, the Mother and the Son being united and conform in all things; to love Her Immaculate Heart more means to love the Sacred Heart of Jesus more, the two hearts being but one heart; and to love the Cross more means to love the Son and the Mother more, and through them, the Father, and us sinners too, for it was by embracing the Cross that Christ and the Virgin Mary, the formerthrough an external and internal sacrifice, the latter through a whollyinternal sacrifice, loved the Father perfectly, loved one another perfectly, and loved us perfectly, accomplishing our redemption together.

Pope Leo XIV

Midnight Mass

 

For millennia, across the earth, peoples have gazed up at the sky, giving names to the silent stars, and seeing images therein. In their imaginative yearning, they tried to read the future in the heavens, seeking on high for a truth that was absent below amidst their homes. Yet, as if grasping in the dark, they remained lost, confounded by their own oracles. On this night, however, “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined” (Is 9:2).

 The Christmas Address to the Curia is often used by popes to express important opinions on the Church. This is the new pope’s first.

Your Eminences,
Venerable brothers in the Episcopate and the priesthood,
Dear brothers and sisters,

The light of Christmas comes to meet us, inviting us to rediscover the newness that, from the humble grotto of Bethlehem, runs throughout human history.

 

The Papa Stronsay Calendar 2026 is now available on the website of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer.

It really is beautiful, and filled with spiritual prayers and advices.