Silire non possum’s commentary on Pope Leo’s new motu proprio with its text HERE.
My comment first: This shows that Pope Leo, a canon lawyer, wants to make sure any decision made by the Supreme Pontiff is carefully in tune with Canon Law and if Canon Law must be adjusted, that must be done prior to any actual on-the-ground changes.
It is a wonderful and marvelous thing that Pope Leo feels free to correct the canonical errors of Pope Francis or his modus operandi. Thanks be to God from Whom all blessings flow!
"Remedial" Motu Proprio: Leo XIV exposes the irregularity in the Petrini nomination and officially denies the Press Office
Vatican City - This morning, the Holy See made public a motu proprio signed by Leo XIV on November 19, 2025, by which the new Pontiff amends the Fundamental Law of the Vatican City State of May 13, 2023, directly affecting the composition of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State. The provision published today repeals Article 8, No. 1, and replaces it with a text that allows the presidency of members appointed by the Pope who are not necessarily cardinals.
Technically, this is a legislative adjustment; essentially, it confirms what Silere non possum had been denouncing since last January: the appointment of Sister Raffaella Petrini as President of the Governorate was not compatible with current law. Today, it emerges that Francis's amendment, announced by the Press Office on February 25 while the Argentine pontiff was entering and leaving the Gemelli Hospital, did not exist.
Petrini's Appointment on February 15: An Act Incompatible with Current Law
On February 15, 2025, a month after Bergoglio announced the appointment live on television at Che Tempo che fa, it was announced that Francis had appointed Sister Raffaella Petrini as President of the Pontifical Commission and the Governorate. However, Article 8 of the Fundamental Law stipulated that the President be a cardinal. Appointing a nun was legally unthinkable.
Silere non possum, in total solitude, documented that this was a violation of the rule of law, yet another institutional breach by a monarch acting like a despot. There was general silence, especially from the newspaper vendors employed at Santa Marta, the same ones Bergoglio received to sign books, secure exclusive interviews, and perform other media courtesies. The Secretariat of State reacted hastily, crafting a February 25 statement in an attempt to "cover up" the act. That statement—it can now be said without hesitation—was false.
The February 25 statement: an announcement without legal text
On February 25, 2025, the Press Office declared that Francis had amended the Fundamental Law of 2023 and Law no. CCLXXIV of 2018 and appointed Msgr. Emilio Nappa and Attorney Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi as General Secretaries of the Governorate, granting Sister Raffaella Petrini—designated as the new President—the power to distribute responsibilities.
The February 25 statement was clear in its language, but lacked the essential: the law. The Press Office, in fact, spoke of a legislative change that was never promulgated, never published in the Cortile San Damaso, never published in L’Osservatore Romano, never included in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis. Silere non possum said it that very day: without publication, the law does not exist.
No one else wanted to address the issue so as not to disturb the powerful of the day. Moreover, what happened in the last few hours is indicative. Some para-Vatican figures—like Franca Giansoldati, who, poor thing, suffers from cystitis because of those who highlight her lack of professional accuracy—during the previous pontificate climbed up to the third floor of the Fabbrica di San Pietro to praise Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, producing articles tailored to his needs. Today, however, those same environments have suddenly become uncomfortable, and those who once praised them are now distancing themselves, as if nothing had happened. It is the fate of journalism that bows to the powerful of the day: when the powerful changes, the dog turns around and bites you. Let's at least hope that Giansoldati gets better soon and finds greater professional clarity.
Today's motu proprio: Leo XIV forced to correct an irregularity
The motu proprio signed by Leo XIV on November 19, and published only today, addresses Article 8.
The previous text read: "1. The Pontifical Commission is composed of Cardinals, including the President, and other members, appointed by the Supreme Pontiff for a five-year term.
2. In the absence or impediment of the President, the Pontifical Commission is presided over by the oldest Cardinal Member." Today, paragraph one has been replaced: "The Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State is composed of Cardinals and other members, including the President, appointed by the Supreme Pontiff for a five-year term."
This sentence alone solves the problem: the previous law did not allow a President who was not a cardinal.
If the law needs to be changed today, it means that until now the appointment was legally irregular. And here the political-ecclesiastical crux emerges: in recent months, Leo XIV has been forced to intervene several times because the regulatory inconsistencies left behind are numerous. Some are made public, others are discreetly corrected to avoid further media upheaval. The new Pontiff's sober style is one that journalists criticize only because it offers them no opportunities for profit and visibility. We will return to this in the coming hours.
The official confirmation of the complaint: the law did not exist
People close to the dying Pope had already told Silere non possum that neither the signature nor the law existed. This detail sheds a disturbing light on Francis's entire pontificate, characterized by motu proprio signed and then hidden, and by informal accesses to Santa Marta capable of having anything approved without any checks.
It is in this context that Stefano De Santis finds himself involved not only in compiling dossiers on priests and bishops on behalf of the Pope, but also in circulating documents for signature that would allow the Gendarmerie and the Promoter of Justice to act without limits.
The same pattern was repeated with Renato Tarantelli, who brought documents for Bergoglio's signature, and the Pope, without reading them, signed them. From one day to the next, assignments were cancelled, administrative structures were restructured, bank transfers and suitcases of cash were sent out. Structural disorder reigned at Santa Marta, fueled by improvisation, opacity, and the lack of real oversight. Today, with the motu proprio of Leo XIV, the confirmation becomes public. On February 25, the Holy See Press Office declared a false statement in an official document. This is a very serious matter: not a material error, but an attempt to present a nonexistent law as valid to justify a despotic act by the Pontiff.
The Rubble to Pick Up
Leo XIV, a canonist and a man of judgment and discernment, finds himself inheriting an institutional system that in recent years has operated according to anything but legalistic logic. And those protesting today against the return to normalcy—carefully prepared texts, thoughtful words, sober meetings, moments of prayer, limited media exposure, and the absence of theatrical communication—are precisely those who benefited from the previous climate of opacity: an environment in which corruption, manipulation, and pressure managed to sway the Pope, to the point of jeopardizing the very structure of the Holy See and the Catholic Church, which were repeatedly affected by the Pope's impromptu decisions and public statements.
The motu proprio is not merely a legislative intervention: it represents one of the major steps in the cleanup work begun by Leo XIV. And the fact that the Pope signed it "out of necessity," solely to correct an inherited error, is also evident from the choice not to repeal paragraph 2.
Leo XIV was perfectly clear about the distinction between ordained ministry, baptism, and religious life; he knew the hierarchical structure of the Church, respected it, and had no intention of overturning it.
Leo XIV began to put the pieces together. But the picture that emerged—between false communiqués, failed acts, and press coverage—is that of a government that has chosen arbitrariness over transparency. And Prevost is aware that if this is the system that accompanied Bergoglio, it's time to change it. As soon as possible.
d.E.P.
Silence is not possible
1 comment:
MT Suit will go wild that his Golden Calf is being corrected!
Post a Comment