On 18 August 2026, Pope Leo XIV appointed twelve new consultors to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Leo XIV fills the Vatican's social-policy apparatus with mostly anti-Catholic figures. 1. Peter G. Kirchschläger, 49, Social ethicist, University of Lucerne, Switzerland In December 2018, he said that the Catholic Church has an unresolved human-rights problem regarding the impossibility of women's ordination to the priesthood. He even claimed that the state "may not look away" but has an obligation to press the Church on it. When presented with the argument that women dissatisfied with Catholic teaching can leave, he answered: “That would be protecting the perpetrator.” 2. Kathryn A. Koch, 45, Wall Street Finance Kathryn Koch spent 20 years at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, became a Goldman partner and ran its approximately $300 billion public-equity business. In 2015, Koch was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Since 2024, Koch has …Magis
Italian priest Lino Zatelli, 75, killed himself on August 12. He had been parish priest of San Carlo Borromeo in Trento for a quarter of a century. He was found dead inside the rectory of his parish after he didn’t show up to celebrate the Eucharist. Corriere del Trentino reported the death as a voluntary act. Two months earlier he had learned that he would have to leave San Carlo in November for another pastoral assignment. Zatelli publicly said he had not asked to leave. Sad detail: During his Easter homily, Don Zatelli preached about Judas's suicide. He discussed Judas as someone overwhelmed by despair who could no longer see beyond the obstacle before him, but emphasized Christ's forgiveness and imagined Jesus ultimately embracing Judas in heaven. Eucharists Beyond Rubrics A 2019 interview called him the “eternal bad boy of the Trentino Church.” A November 2020 profile describes Zatelli as working in a kind of laboratory parish. His Eucharists went beyond formulas and interpreted …Magis
Today, Leo XIV accepted the resignation of Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann, 66, of Speyer, Germany, due to health reasons. He had led the Diocese of Speyer since March 2008. Bishop Wiesemann said that "the burden of the extensive responsibility has taken a serious physical and psychological toll on me." Depression and Health Bishop Wiesemann had previously suffered from depression. In 2021, he withdrew from his duties for about seven months for health reasons, including inpatient treatment. He later publicly identified the illness as depression. In May 2026, he spoke about his experience at the Katholikentag in Würzburg during an event on depression and mental health. He attributed his depression to prolonged pressures including the demands of episcopal office, financial and structural problems in the diocese and, above all, the Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis. Pro-Homosexual Bishop Bishop Wiesemann was among the German bishops supporting changes in the Church's approach to homosexuality …Magis
On July 20, at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, the 88th Annual Meeting of the Catholic Biblical Association (CBA) elected Amy-Jill Levine, 70, as president for 2026–2027. She is the first Jewish president in the CBA’s history. Founded in 1936, the CBA is an independent association with longstanding institutional ties to the U.S. bishops. Its constitution says it pursues biblical scholarship “in conformity with the teaching of the magisterium of the Catholic Church.” Levine is a New Testament scholar and is a longtime member of the CBA. In spring 2019, she became the first Jewish scholar to teach New Testament at Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute. She has also had three audiences with Pope Francis. In a sermon at Washington National Cathedral on March 7, 2021, Levine said: “I’m a Jew. I don’t worship Jesus as Lord and Savior.” "Lectionary Revision Is Only A Start" In an interview published by The Christian Century in June 2023, Levine describes parts of the Gospel of John as …Magis
It is illogical to be considered a scholar regarding the New Testament while denying the Word and the Truth contained therein within the context of Catholic theology and doctrine. But it is both illogical and heretical to make the appointment in the first place. From the excommunicating- happy Vatican, the sound of crickets.
The Vatican’s Dicastery for Education has responded to a Catholic mother involved in a parents’ campaign against a new sexual-education framework for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Hamburg, reports LaNuovaBq.it on August 18. Hamburg is led by Archbishop Stefan Heße. The response was sent to Varinia Arauco, a Peruvian-born mother involved with the ‘Parents’ Network for Child Protection and Prevention’. Arauco and other parents have appealed to Church authorities in Germany and Rome over the Archdiocese of Hamburg’s framework “Male, Female, Diverse: Framework for Sexual Education at Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Hamburg.” The framework was published in 2025 and is intended to be implemented in the archdiocese’s 15 Catholic school locations from the 2026/27 school year. It explicitly supports the “acceptance of diversity with regard to sexual orientations and gender identity” The parents also submitted a petition to Pope Leo XIV through the Apostolic Nuncio in Germany and …Magis
Amy-Jill Levine was elected the first Jewish president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America on July 20, 2026. In February 2020, Levine stated: “So I'm not a Christian, I'm not a Messianic Jew, I do not worship Jesus as Lord and Savior, and for me the New Testament is not sacred scripture.” Discussing the Gospels, she continued: “I will argue, that not all the comments the gospel writers attribute to Jesus were spoken by him. I think they added some things.” She added: “My bias or my agenda is in part to help Christians stop making Jewish practice and belief look bad in order to make Jesus look good.”
1. Jüdin Präsidentin der Catholic Biblical Association Amy-Jill Levine, 1. jüdische Präsidentin der Catholic Biblical Association (USA): "I'm not a Christian. I'm not a Messianic Jew. I do not worship Jesus as Lord and Savior and for me the New Testament is not a Sacred Sripture. I will argue, I hope convincingly or at least I'm convinced that not all the comments the gospel writers attribute to Jesus were spken by him. I think they added some things." „Ich bin keine Christin. Ich bin keine messianische Jüdin. Ich verehre Jesus nicht als Herrn und Erlöser und für mich ist das Neue Testament keine Heilige Schrift. Ich werde darlegen – hoffentlich überzeugend, oder zumindest bin ich selbst davon überzeugt –, dass nicht alle Äußerungen, die die Evangelisten Jesus zuschreiben, tatsächlich von ihm gesprochen wurden. Ich glaube, sie haben einiges hinzugefügt" Amy-Jill Levine wurde am 20. Juli 2026 zur 1. jüdische Präsidentin der Catholic Biblical Association der USA gewählt: National Catholic …Magis
Leo XIV’s Peru Visit Prepared By Pachamama Offering: On 13–14 August, “Entrelazando Voces por la Dignidad,” a regional gathering of social organizations and Indigenous communities, took place in Cusco, Peru. Spanish-language outlets, including Vatican News, linked it to preparations for Pope Leo XIV’s November visit. Bishop Lizardo Estrada Herrera, auxiliary bishop of Cusco and CELAM secretary-general, inaugurated the gathering; Bishop Miguel Ángel Cadenas of Iquitos also attended. InfoVaticana video shows the event opening with an Andean offering to Pachamama/Mother Earth. Participants received coca leaves, performed guided breathing, blew three times on the leaves, and placed them with food offerings in bowls on the ground. Bishop Estrada is shown adding coca leaves to the offering. Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, Vatican official overseeing the dissolution of the community Sodalitium, also took part, placing coca leaves in the offering.
Un comisario pontificio y un obispo depositan coca en un «pago a la tierra»: Jordi Bertomeu oferente a la Pachamama
A depiction of Our Lady by Romanian artist Teodora Axente has sparked controversy in Siena, Italy. The Virgin on this year's Palio banner os androgynous and departs from any Marian iconography. The Municipality of Siena commissioned Axente to create the Drappellone, the painted silk banner awarded to the winning contrada, one of Siena's historic districts, in the city's centuries-old Palio horse race. Axente was appointed by the city government on the proposal of Mayor Nicoletta Fabio. The banner was unveiled on August 10. It places the Virgin above Siena and its contrade, protecting the Golden Rose associated with Pope Pius II, and commemorates the 500th anniversary of the 1526 Battle of Camollia. Axente called the figure her personal vision of the Madonna and said the figures in the work were “more androgynous” and therefore “universal characters.” On August 13, the Archdiocese of Siena published a statement by Father Enrico Grassini, rector of the Collegio dei Correttori. He rejected …Magis
Italian Diocese Expands Women’s Roles in Church Administration. Worse than Germany: The Italian Diocese of Trapani, is increasingly appointing laypeople - including women - to formal Curia and diocesan roles as the number of priests declines. The diocese now has fewer than 100 diocesan priests and is bringing in priests from Madagascar, Tanzania, and religious institutes to fill parish vacancies. Among the most significant appointments, lawyer Susanna Catalano has been named the diocese’s second vice-chancellor. Four lay Catholics will receive the instituted ministry of catechist, including two women, Francesca Messina and Caterina Vesco.
Trapani, mancano i preti ma crescono i laici in Curia: Fragnelli cerca sacerdoti all’estero e nomina la seconda vicecancelliera
During a secret Vatican consultation in 2016, six voters didn't simply doubt the Medjugorje apparitions but reportedly concluded that the devil was behind the phenomenon, Italian journalist David Murgia reported August 17 on IlSegnoDiGiona.com. Six participants in the confidential consultation of the Vatican's then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith concluded that Medjugorje could not be explained without the “original, direct and foundational intervention” of the Evil One. Three of the six were reportedly cardinals. In Murgia's account, they considered Medjugorje not a “Mariophany” - an appearance of Mary - but a “Satanophany.” Their proposed judgment was constat de praeternaturalitate maligna: essentially, a finding of malign preternatural origin. The six were part of a larger group of 33 Church figures who submitted opinions on Medjugorje in 2016. According to Murgia, 21 rejected a supernatural origin, nine favored it, and three remained undecided. The six who attributed the …Magis
NVMMVS: S·P·Q·R — SEDE VACANTE MDCCCXXIII zazzle.com/ProVaticanus Pars I. Singula Auctionis Sors numero: MCCCXXXIII Pretium effectum: LX EUR (Prope LXX USD) Nota: Pretia mercedem emptoris non comprehendunt. Indices plures: Ostende sortes similes in Archivo Numismatum. Invenias sortes similes in auctionibus futuris apud NumisBids.com. Pars II. Descriptio Numismatis Descriptio sortis: Status Pontificius: Sede Vacante MDCCCXXIII. Numisma æreum a Conservatoribus Almæ Urbis Romæ emissum. Inscriptio adversa: S · P · Q · R (In area media) Inscriptio aversa: SEDE / VACANTE / MDCCCXXIII (In area tribus versibus) Notæ numismaticæ: Opus anonymum. Boccia LXXXIII. Bartolotti pag. CCXLII. Patrignani CXIV. Admodum rara. Mensuræ: g. XII,LXXV. Diam. mm. XXX,XLIX. Æs. Gradus: Bene Conservatum / Prope Splendidum. Pretium initiale: LX EUR. Pars III. Auctoritas Quæ Cudit Hoc numisma emissum est a Conservatoribus Almæ Urbis Romæ, qui una cum Senatore Urbis magistratum civicum Romanum constituebant. Interregno …Magis
The Mass in the traditional Roman rite plays “no separate or prominent role” in the Archdiocese of Cologne, "conservative" Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki told Die-Tagespost.de on the occasion of his 70th birthday on August 17. “I see myself entirely at home in the tradition and teaching of the Second Vatican Council,” Cardinal Woelki said. The liturgical reform was “one of the essential reforms” of Vatican II. The cardinal expressed gratitude to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), which celebrates the Roman liturgy at designated locations in the archdiocese. “I see this as an enrichment, because there have always been different rites in the Church,” he explained. His but: “The Novus Ordo Missae has a beauty and dignity that is in no way inferior to the Tridentine rite.” For Cardinal Woelki, the ars celebrandi is decisive. Liturgical abuses are not confined to the Novus Ordo, Cardinal Woelki believes. If Mass were merely "rattled off in ten to twelve minutes" - something that …Magis
If any part of the NO has dignity and beauty matching the TLM it is only because that part that is beautiful is a remnant part of the Old Rite that was spared from the butcher’s (Bugnini’s) knife.
US Sisters and the Macarena Retirement Tour: The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) held its 70th anniversary gathering in Orlando, Florida, from 11 to 14 August. They posted a video on Facebook showing elderly women in civilian clothes dancing the Macarena (1995). The fitting headline: "When Catholic sisters get together, watch out for the dance parties! ". Macarena was popular when the sisters were in their 50s. The LCWR represents the leaders of many women's religious congregations in the United States.
Dance party of "nuns": The LCWR 70th Anniversary Gathering was held August 11–14, 2026, in Orlando, Florida. The event brought together Catholic women and men religious from the United States, Canada, Latin America and other parts of the Americas for prayer, worship, talks, discussion and community events.
And you wonder why vocations to the nunnery have collapsed. People who have a religious vocation take their lives seriously and look for serious opportunities
2. Historical Context and "Dance Manias" Catholic history records instances where mass dancing was interpreted through the lens of spiritual affliction or divine punishment. [1, 2] St. Vitus’ Dance (Chorea): In the Middle Ages, outbreaks of compulsive, uncontrollable dancing (now understood as a neurological or psychological phenomenon) swept through Europe. [1, 2, 3, 4] Spiritual Intercession: Victims were sent to shrines of St. Vitus, a Christian martyr, to pray for deliverance and healing from what many at the time feared was a demonic curse or affliction. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] 3. Ritual Dancing and Entry Points Catholic moral theology warns against practices that willingly open a person up to the influence of evil spirits. Trance Induction: Repetitive, frenzied, or rhythmic dancing used in occult or neo-pagan rituals is designed to lower conscious defenses and alter the state of mind. [1, 2, 3] The Danger of Invitation: Exorcists warn that participating in dances meant to invoke …Magis
Dans cette version du Denzinger en latin on trouve la lettre du pape Honorius au patriarche Serge de Constantinople dans laquelle il confesse la foi monothelete avec le nous de majesté ce qui lui a a valu l'anathème du 3eme Concile de Constantinople, du 2eme Concile Nicée et du 4eme Concile de Constantinople. "Unde unam voluntatem fatemur...." Dz 487 Unde et unam voluntatem fatemur Domini nostri Iesu Christi, quia profecto a divinitate assumpta est nostra natura, non culpa; illa profecto, quae ante peccatum creata est, non quae post praevaricationem vitiata. Christus enim ... sine peccato conceptus de Spiritu Sancto etiam absque peccato est partus de sancta et immaculata Virgine Dei genitrice, nullum experiens contagium vitiatae naturae... On trouve aussi la lettre de Saint Leon II Regi regum à l'empereur Constantinople dans le pape confirme l'anathème contre le pape Honorius Dz 563 Pariterque anathematizamus novi erroris inventores, id est Theodorum Pharanitanum episcopum, Cyrum …Magis
The Archdiocese of Olomouc, Czech Republic, has cancelled a homosexual “pilgrimage” scheduled for September 19, in Olomouc. Olomouc Archbishop Josef Nuzík, 60, was expected to preside at the Eucharist, giving the event direct institutional backing. The program also included a presentation by priest Cyril Havel on Building a Bridge, a book by American Jesuit James Martin; a video greeting from Martin; testimony from parents of alleged transgender-children; and a discussion of different Christian approaches to homosexual pastoral care. Organizers claimed a “wave of negative and hostile reactions” online, although they did not identify who was responsible or where these reactions were posted. Claiming they could no longer guarantee participants a safe environment, organizers cancelled the event on August 14. The event, Pouť na půli cesty (“Pilgrimage Halfway”), was to be the second pilgrimage for homosexuals, their relatives and other participants. It was organized by pastoral ministries …Magis
Te militariter incedere videre volo #SRE #ΧΡ #SPQR#Conclavezazzle.com/…ere_videre_volo_wood_photo_tile-25659…zazzle.com/store/provaticanus Te militariter incedere videre volo. [Praeludium] Et per totum conclave it, Dum incedis, incede. Et per totum conclave it, Dum incedis, incede. Et per totum conclave it, Dum incedis, incede. Et per totum conclave it, Dum incedis, incede. [Versus] Te incedere videre volo, Sicut Legio Quinta Macedonica in media solis osculati deserto, Labarum candelabris caelestificatum circa Aquilam Sancti Ioannis Verbum super capita electa divinantem, Aut sicut Byzantini diebus festis Trapezuntem, Te incedere videre volo, Sicut funditores Baliares, Qui e spinis suis contorte iaciunt, Ad sonum Signaculorum Legionariorum. [Refrenum] Et per totum conclave it, Dum incedis, incede. Et per totum conclave it, Dum incedis, incede. Et per totum conclave it, Dum incedis, incede. Et per totum conclave it, Dum incedis, incede. [Pons] Et Radio Vaticana transmittit Cantum …Magis
Lourdes Bans FSSPX Masses: On August 13, Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes, France, issued a statement concerning the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX) pilgrimage to Lourdes. He cited the episcopal consecrations at Écône on July 1 and the subsequent decree of the Holy See. The FSSPX is no longer authorized to celebrate Mass or other sacraments inside the Lourdes Sanctuary, nor to organize public prayers there. Individual pilgrims remain free to pray privately. Bishop Micas wrote that he was aware the decision would cause “pain” and “perhaps incomprehension.” The FSSPX had held organized public worship at Lourdes for many years, including Masses, confessions, processions and public prayers within the Sanctuary.