THANK YOU POPE LEO FOR PLACING CONVERSION TO CHRIST AS THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH’S CHARITABLE OUTREACH TO THE POOR, NOT JUST FOR THOSE WHO DO THE OUTREACH BUT FOR THOSE WHO RECEIVE IT!

Great commentary from Silere non possum:

December 5, 2025, Vatican City

Leo XIV: "We are not our possessions and our things, but rather God's beloved children."

Vatican City - On the eve of the Concert with the Poor, scheduled for tomorrow afternoon in the Paul VI Hall, Pope Leo XIV met with the event's organizers and featured artists, offering a thoughtful reflection that goes far beyond the realm of music. The Pontiff placed the event—now in its sixth year—at the heart of the preparation for Holy Christmas, when the Church contemplates the mystery of a God who becomes poor, close, and concrete.

The concert, promoted by the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, will bring together three thousand people, including the homeless, migrants, prisoners with special permits, and men and women experiencing serious social hardship. They will be the guests of honor: in the front rows, in front of a Paul VI Hall that can accommodate up to eight thousand people, while Michael Bublé, artistic director Msgr. Marco Frisina, the Nova Opera Orchestra, and the Choir of the Diocese of Rome will take turns performing on stage.

This morning, however, the Pope wanted to bring everything back to the center: not a charity event, not a Christmas show, but a gesture born of the Gospel. Once again, Leo XIV takes by the hand a Church that, in recent years, has often ended up perceiving itself as a simple "charity association," and leads it once again before Christ Jesus. It is there that the Pope points to the Lord and reminds us that everything we do—however useful and praiseworthy—losses substance if it does not lead first to the conversion of our own hearts, and then to that of others.

"The Concert with the Poor, then, is not just a performance by talented artists or a simple musical festival, however beautiful it may be, nor even a moment of solidarity to ease our consciences in the face of society's injustices. I would like us, by participating in this event, to remember the words of the Lord: "Whatever you did for one of the least of these my brothers, you did for me." It is so! If we truly love those who are hungry and thirsty, the naked, the sick, the stranger, the imprisoned, we are loving the Lord. 

This is the Gospel: "We are not on the horizon of charity, but of Revelation: contact with those without power and greatness is an immediate path to encounter with the Lord of history. In the poor, He still has something to say to us." It reminds us that the dignity of men and women is not measured by their possessions: we are not our possessions and our belongings, but rather children beloved by God; and this same love must be the measure of our actions towards our neighbor. "For this reason, in our Concert, the most fragile brothers and sisters occupy the first place," said the Pope.

God is love that draws near.

Leo XIV spoke from the theological root of the initiative. Christmas, he recalled, is not an atmosphere, but the moment in which "God himself pursues the lost sheep," as Benedict XVI wrote in Deus caritas est. The Pope reiterated this vision: the Son who becomes a child and entrusts himself to human parents is the icon of divine love, the sign that our dignity does not depend on our possessions. "God is charity, he is love," he reiterated, emphasizing that only love fully fulfills humanity. It is through this lens that the profound meaning of the concert should be understood. 

Not Charity, but Revelation

Leo XIV was explicit: "We are not within the horizon of charity." The Pope cited his exhortation Dilexi te to illustrate his point: contact with the powerless is an immediate path to encountering the Lord. In the poor, he said, "He still has something to say to us." These words reverse the perspective: it is not the poor who need the event, but we who need them to understand the Gospel. This is why the front rows of the Paul VI Hall will be reserved for them. It is a gesture both symbolic and real, an evangelical reversal that demonstrates that the Church recognizes the face of Jesus in the most vulnerable.

Music as a Path to Beauty

The Pope then focused on the value of music in Christian life. Not a simple liturgical ornament, but an instrument that elevates the soul and introduces us to the mystery. He quoted Saint Augustine: "Sing artfully, O brothers." Care, commitment, harmony: values ​​that Christian tradition has always recognized in music. With a smile, Leo XIV added: "Please sing well tomorrow!" But behind the joke was a precise vision: music is a form of love, a via pulchritudinis capable of leading to God, because beauty is a gift offered to all, rooted in common human dignity.

The Pope's thanks

Leo XIV thanked each and every one of those who make the concert possible: the Cardinal Vicar of Rome, Msgr. Marco Frisina, his diocese of Rome, the Nova Opera Orchestra and Foundation, Michael Bublé, and all the artists, as well as the partners supporting the event. He then entrusted everyone to the protection of Mary Immaculate, "the door of Advent and woman of hope," and to Saint Cecilia, patron saint of musicians.

A tradition that becomes a Church style

Leo's words this morning show that, for him, the Concert with the Poor is not an event to be honored simply because it is part of a tradition begun by his predecessors. The Pope lives this with conviction, and clarifies that we must place the dignity of the most vulnerable at the center, understand the Church's service as an authentic space for encounter, recognize beauty as a universal language, and affirm that God can be found precisely where the logic of the world turns a blind eye.

s.R.F.

Silere non possum

DOES POPE LEO WANT TO CLERICALIZE THE LAITY TO DO DIACONAL MINISTRY NOT NECESSARILY TIED TO HOLY ORDERS?

When I was in major seminary in the late ‘70’s, the heterodox were overjoyed at the decline of priestly vocations as this meant laity would be called to fill-in the gap, especially the female laity. (At that time, the heterodox only thought of two genders, but that is different today, they have drunk the Kool-aide of the LGBTQ+++ ideologies, a game-changer to be sure)!

I can remember studying the Dutch Church in the 70’s who were advocating electing from parishes, qualified lay men and women, preferably women, to lead the Eucharistic assembly in consecrating the Holy Meal, a convivial affair. 

In this view, with the lack of priestly vocations, anyone could do what any priest does. Of course in the 70’s and 80’s we saw the laizization of the clergy and the clericalizing of the laity. 

There are some orthodox who believe the Church doesn’t need the permanent diaconate resuscitated in the late 70’s by certain dioceses throughout the world but not all dioceses even to this day. In the TLM, a priest can function liturgically at a Solemn High Mass, as the deacon or subdeacon wearing the vesture of either. If this were extended to the Mass of Pope Paul VI, there would be no need for permanent deacons. 

The heterodox would like to suppress the permanent or “vocational” diaconate and give to lay men and women, mostly women, though, the roles that ordained deacons do that aren’t linked to ordination. 

Of course, we know that the primary role of deacons is to assist in the Church’s charitable ministries for the materially poor. But ordination isn’t needed for this and religious orders, especially those of women, have historically carried out this ministry without the need for ordination. 

Since Vatican II, we know it is permissible for a lay person to baptize an individual in the case of necessity and where no priest or deacon is available. 

In many South American countries, lay men and women, mostly women, are permitted to be extraordinary ministers of baptism in those communities that do not have priests or deacons for which these lay activists are grateful! Another reason to rejoice in the lack of priestly vocations—let the lay people, especially women, do it. 

The same is true of witnessing marriages, in the Latin Rite, a lay person, preferably a woman, can witness marriages in the absence of a priest or deacon especially in remote areas where no priest or deacon is available.  (This is not allowed in the Eastern Rites or Eastern Orthodoxy, as the validation of the Marriage requires the priestly Nuptial blessing)! But the Latin Rite has fudged on this requirement with a post-Vatican II emphasis that the Sacrament of Holy Matrinony is performed by the couple, the priest, deacon or lay person, preferably a women, only witnesses what the couple performs sacramentally. 

Thus, now that many know that ordination of females as deacons is definitively out of the question, there may be a push for a kind of “lay” deacons to do diaconate ministry but as laymen, but preferable for lay women, to do it. 

I could see laymen, but preferably, lay women, installed officially into the ministries of lector, acolyte and catechist and given canonical permission to baptize and witness marriages as well as all the other things that ordained deacons do, except giving formal blessings.

But, but, but, and correct me if I am wrong, I believe abbesses in monasteries were allowed to offer priestly blessings and some of these abbesses put on the “Episcopal glove” to do so. In fact, in the movie, The Sound of Music, the abbess, where Maria was, gave a priestly blessing to the monastic nuns at the end of Vespers, putting on the Episcopal glove!

Will we see “lay” deacons under Pope Leo? I ask; you answer! 

And while we’re at it, could a lay man, but preferably a lay woman, be giving permission to read the Gospel at Mass and preach the homily? Is ordination as a deacon or priest required for the reading of the Gospel at Mass or other Sacramental Liturgy? Certainly, though, lay men, but preferably lay women, could be given permission to preach homilies, correct?

YES MONSIGNOR ARCHBISHOP GANSWEIN!!!! YOU KNOW WHAT POPE LEO SHOULD DO!!!! OF COURSE THE GOOD ARCHBISHOP MONSIGNOR’S WAY FORWARD IS THE WAY OF JOY, THE TRUE WAY!

We know that Pope Francis in his declining years allowed himself to be manipulated by the heterodox who have a disdain for true Catholicism and prefer worldly ideologies! Just think Fr. James Martin, Cardinal Fernandez and the so-called liturgist, Andrea Grillo. Grillo, a consultant to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and a professor at the Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant’Anselmo in Rome, is a prominent figure in liturgical circles and a known manipulator of Pope Francis in the pope’s declining years in terms of Traditionis Custodis.

Monsignor Gänswein: "Benedict XVI is a Theologian of Joy"

The former secretary of Benedict XVI advocates for his beatification and a return to his policy on the Traditional Latin Mass. He believes that the German pope's "wise regulation" was the right path, which should be continued "without interference, without restrictions," also to ease internal conflicts within the Church.

4/12/25 8:14 PM

(InfoCatólica) Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Vatican nuncio to the Baltic and former private secretary to Pope Benedict XVI, has publicly expressed his desire for a beatification process to be opened for the German pontiff. In an interview with the Catholic channel K-TV, which will air this Sunday, Gänswein stated: "I very much hope that such a process will be opened."

A “Theologian of Joy”

According to information released by the Catholic News Agency (KNA), the archbishop emphasized in their conversation the central role of “joy” in Joseph Ratzinger’s theology. For Benedict XVI, faith had always been the source and measure of joy. “If faith does not lead to joy, something is not quite right in the life of faith. Ratzinger, Benedict XVI, is a theologian of joy,” Gänswein explained.

The former private secretary of the Pope Emeritus also stressed the importance of continuity in faith: “We must not diminish the substance; rather, we must allow ourselves to be formed by the Lord, by the faith of the Church.”

In addition to beatification, Gänswein believes that the late pontiff could be elevated to the status of Doctor of the Church, thus recognizing his exceptional theological contribution.

Return to Benedict's "Wise Regulation" on the Traditional Latin Mass

Regarding the so-called "Old Mass" or Extraordinary Form, the archbishop advocated a return to the line established by Benedict XVI. He believes that the German pope's "wise regulation" was the right path, which should be continued "without interference, without restrictions," also to ease internal conflicts within the Church.

This position contrasts with the measures adopted by Pope Francis through his apostolic letter Traditionis Custodes, which introduced stricter norms for the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass. 

The papal document established the Ordinary Form of the Mass, which emerged after the Second Vatican Council, as the "sole expression" of the Roman Rite, causing considerable distress to Benedict XVI and many others.

Current Restrictions and Hopes for Change

Since the publication of Traditionis Custodes, the Tridentine Mass can only be celebrated with the permission of the local bishop, who also decides on the place, time, and which priests may officiate. Gänswein expressed his hope that these tensions and divisions within the Church can be overcome by returning to the approach of Benedict XVI.

The archbishop stated that he can only hope that Pope Leo X will continue to pacify this thorny issue in this way, seeking a solution that allows both forms of the Roman Rite to coexist without generating further conflict.

The full interview, titled “Exclusive with Archbishop Gänswein – Between Benedict and the Baltic (2),” will air this Sunday at 8:15 p.m. on K-TV and will also be available on YouTube.

POPE LEO CONTINUES TO CORRECT THE WRONGFUL MANIPULATIONS OF POPE FRANCIS: WE HAVE A CANONIST POPE!

 

This is copied from Silere non possum based in Rome:

04/12/2025

• Vatican City
• Vatican City

Pope Leo XIV unmasks Campisi’s manoeuvres: donations commission axed

Vatican City – If anyone still had doubts that Leo XIV has no intention of allowing himself to be used, they can now lay them completely to rest. The signing of this act in fact brings to completion the appointment of 27 September 2025: the date is anything but casual. Made public today, it is a chirograph dated 29 September 2025, entitled “Vinculum unitatis et caritatis”. With this act – of crucial importance for understanding the internal dynamics of the Secretariat of State in the Francis years – Leo XIV has suppressed the Commissio de donationibus pro Sancta Sede, established “by Pope Francis” only a few months ago, and has placed in the hands of the Council for the Economy and the Secretariat for the Economy the overall redesign of the Holy See’s fundraising system.

The decision is striking because it brings to light, without any fear, the ploy put in place by Roberto Campisi while Pope Francis was confined to a hospital bed.

From Pope Francis to Leo XIV, via the economic bodies

The Commissio de donationibus pro Sancta Sede was a permanent commission tasked with promoting offerings for the Apostolic See, Peter’s Pence and the other institutional channels of contribution, also coordinating funds linked to can. 1271 of the Code of Canon Law. Alongside the Pope, two key actors of this new architecture emerged: the Council for the Economy, to which Praedicate Evangelium entrusts oversight of the administrative and financial structures and activities of the Holy See, and the Secretariat for the Economy, now called to manage the transition phase after the extinction of the Commission and to follow, with a working group, the outstanding issues. On the patrimonial front, the chirograph identified the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA) as the body charged with winding up the Commission and assigning its assets to the Holy See.

Suppression of the Commissio and annulment of Statute and acts

With a blunt act, Leo XIV intervenes with clarity and orders the immediate suppression of the Commissio de donationibus pro Sancta Sede, established by Francis’ chirograph of 11 February 2025, drafted when the Pope was in hospital but backdated to shortly before his admission.

In concrete terms, Leo XIV provides for:

the suppression of the Commission as from the promulgation of the new chirograph, that is, from today;
the abrogation of the Statute approved by Pope Francis “ad experimentum for three years”, with a particularly clear provision: together with the Statute, “the acts adopted up to now and any regulations issued by the Commission shall no longer have any canonical or legal force”;
the immediate expiry of the mandates of all members;
the transfer to the Holy See of all assets registered in the name of the Commission, with APSA tasked with carrying out the liquidation in accordance with the regulations in force.

In effect, this amounts to a legal and operational reset of a body created less than a year ago, equipped with a detailed Statute, an initial endowment (300,000 euros contributed “pro quota” by APSA and the Governorate) and a defined mission: to encourage donations, to raise funds for projects of the Curia and the Governorate, to coordinate the other fundraising instruments, reporting directly to the Pope. The new chirograph opens by acknowledging that the issue of donations and fundraising is an “important aspect” of the vinculum unitatis et caritatis between the particular Churchesand the Apostolic See, “especially from the point of view of the effective exercise of the Petrine ministry.”

Leo XIV explains that the Council for the Economy has studied the issue anew, consulting experts, and has formulated recommendations “aimed at reshaping the current institutional structure” responsible for handling donations. The Pope states that he approves these recommendations and, on the basis of them, proceeds to suppress the Commission and to launch a new phase.

The act is fundamental because the Pope shifts the centre of gravity from the model of an autonomous commission, desired by Roberto Campisi to place his friends, and endowed with its own Statute, to a model that brings the coordination of fundraising back into the ordinary circuit of the central economic bodies (Council for the Economy, Secretariat for the Economy, APSA).

To set things straight…

To understand who, in these first months of the pontificate, is trying to manoeuvre Leo XIV, it is enough – not exhaustive, but enough – to look at those whom Campisi insisted on having in this Commission at all costs: himself, as President; Msgr Flavio Pace, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, Member; Sister Alessandra Smerilli, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Member; Sister Silvana Piro, Under-Secretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, Member; Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi, Deputy Secretary General of the Governorate of the Vatican City State, Member. 

In particular, Sister Alessandra Smerilli, a religious who boasts of having economic expertise but in reality does not possess the competence she suggests, has in recent months been trying to go around the Pope to obtain what she wants. As Silere non possum has explained, as soon as Leo was elected, numerous people began coming in and out of the Apostolic Palace, starting to “warn the Pope about others”, thereby seeking to appear as “friends” and “trusted” figures. Unfortunately, however, as often happens – and psychology confirms this – such people use the tactic of ascribing to others intentions that in reality are their own and, precisely through that behaviour, try in turn to circumvent the Pope. Leo listens, engages in dialogue, but has no intention of letting himself be used.

The transition phase: working groups and future structure

The chirograph leaves no operational vacuum. Leo XIV orders two steps which will nonetheless involve costs and time, confirming how certain choices made by people whom Francis wanted at all costs, but who were in fact acting for purposes very different from the good of the Church, are now producing repercussions on the entire system.

Management of outstanding matters: the Secretariat for the Economy, together with a working group appointed by it, is responsible for resolving “the issues that might remain pending as a result of the extinction of the Commissio”, keeping the Council for the Economy informed of all the actions taken.
Design of the new model: a working group will be set up to draw up proposals on “the overall question of fundraising for the Holy See” and to define an appropriate structure. The names of its members will be proposed by the Council for the Economy and submitted to the Pope through the Secretariat of State.

It must be underlined that the final provisions of the document “signed” by Francis – “The Commission, within three months of the publication of this Chirograph, shall issue a specific Implementing Regulation” – never even saw the light of day.

fr.M.F.
Silere non possum

COME ON POPE LEO AND CARDINAL FERNANDEZ AND THE WILDLY POPULAR SYNODAL WAY (NOT!) JUST SAY IT CLEARLY. LET YOUR YES MEAN YES AND YOUR NO MEAN NO! AND JUST SAY IT: NO TO FEMALE ORDINATION ON ANY OF ITS LEVELS TO INCLUDE DEACONS! NO! NO! NO!

 The heterodox in the Church would tell us that those who love the TLM are the greatest threat to Vatican II and Church unity, but they turn a blind eye to the far greater threat which includes far more people in the Church than traditionalists, those who promote heterodoxy and are in schism. But that is the way of the heterodox, to beat into submission to heterodoxy anyone who is orthodox!

First I saw that Pope Leo had met with Cardinal Fernandez and Cardinal Grech this morning but I am not sure if it was before this news article from Vatican News was posted or after. The article says nothing about Pope Leo and his thoughts on this ambiguous article on female “deacons.” Only the pope can stop the madness of the heterodox in the Church who want the beat the orthodox into submission!

Papal Audiences, 04.12.2025 This morning, the Holy Father received in audience: - His Eminence Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith; - His Eminence Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the General Secretariat of the Synod;

And then I saw this waffling news story from Vatican News:

How do you read it?

Petrocchi Commission SAYS NO! to female diaconate, though judgment not definitive

A report presenting the results of the Commission’s work has been released. It rules out admitting women to the diaconate understood as a degree of the sacrament of Holy Orders, but says that it is not currently possible “to formulate a definitive judgment, as in the case of priestly ordination.” 

By Vatican News

“The status quaestionis of historical research and theological investigation, as well as their mutual implications, rules out the possibility of moving in the direction of admitting women to the diaconate understood as a degree of the sacrament of Holy Orders. In light of Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and the Church’s Magisterium, this assessment is strongly maintained, although it does not at present allow for a definitive judgment to be formulated, as is the case with priestly ordination.”

The above is the conclusion reached by the second commission chaired by Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi, Archbishop emeritus of L’Aquila, Italy, which — at the request of Pope Francis — had examined the possibility of proceeding with the ordination of women as deacons and concluded its work in February. This is explained in the seven-page report the Cardinal sent to Pope Leo XIV on 18 September and which is now being made public at the Pope’s request.

During its first working session (2021), the Commission determined that “the Church has, at different times, in different places, and in various forms, recognized the title of deacon/deaconess with reference to women, though attributing to it no univocal meaning.” In 2021 the theological discussion unanimously concluded that “a systematic study of the diaconate, within the framework of the theology of the sacrament of Holy Orders, raises questions about the compatibility of the diaconal ordination of women with Catholic doctrine on ordained ministry.” The Commission also unanimously expressed support for the establishment of new ministries that “could contribute to synergy between men and women.”

In the second working session (July 2022), the Commission approved (with seven votes in favor and one against) the statement quoted in full at the beginning of this article, which rules out the possibility of proceeding toward the admission of women to the diaconate as a degree of Holy Orders, but without issuing “a definitive judgment” at this time.

At the last working session (February 2025), after the Synod had allowed anyone who wished to submit contributions, the Commission examined all the material received. “Although many interventions were submitted, the persons or groups who sent their writings numbered only twenty-two and represented few countries. Consequently, although the material is abundant and in some cases skillfully argued, it cannot be considered the voice of the Synod, much less of the People of God as a whole.”

READ ALSO

08/04/2020

Pope institutes new commission to study women deacons

The report summarizes arguments for and against. (On the heterodox side!) Supporters argue that the Catholic and Orthodox tradition of reserving diaconal ordination (as well as priestly and episcopal ordination) to men alone seems to contradict “the equal condition of male and female as the image of God,” “the equal dignity of both genders, based on this biblical reference”; the profession of faith that “there is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, for you are all ‘one’ in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28); and social developments “which promote equal access for both genders to all institutional and operative functions.”

On the opposing side, (the orthodox side!) the following thesis was advanced: “The masculinity of Christ, and therefore the masculinity of those who receive Holy Orders, is not accidental but is an integral part of sacramental identity, preserving the divine order of salvation in Christ. To alter this reality would not be a simple adjustment of ministry but a rupture of the nuptial meaning of salvation.” This paragraph was put to a vote and received five votes in favor of confirming it in this form, while the other five members voted to remove it.

By nine votes to one, the Commission expressed the hope that “women’s access to ministries instituted for the service of the community might be expanded (…) thus ensuring adequate ecclesial recognition of the diakonia of the baptized, particularly of women. Such recognition will be a prophetic sign especially where women still suffer situations of gender discrimination.”

In his conclusion, Cardinal Petrocchi highlights the existence of “an intense dialectic” between two theological orientations (one heterodox and the other orthodox).The first maintains that the ordination of a deacon is for ministry and not for priesthood: “this factor would open the way toward the ordination of women deacons.” The second, by contrast, insists “on the unity of the sacrament of Holy Orders, together with the nuptial meaning of the three degrees that constitute it, and rejects the hypothesis of a female diaconate; it also notes that if the admission of women to the first degree of Holy Orders were approved, exclusion from the others would become inexplicable.”

For this reason, according to the Cardinal, it is essential, for continued study, to undertake “a rigorous and wide-ranging critical examination focused on the diaconate in itself—that is, on its sacramental identity and its ecclesial mission—clarifying certain structural and pastoral aspects that are currently not fully defined.” Indeed, there are entire continents in which the diaconal ministry is “almost nonexistent” and others where it is active with functions often “coinciding with roles proper to lay ministries or to altar servers in the liturgy.” (In other words, the heterodox, as they usually do, will beat the orthodox into submission with heterodoxy!)

Report translated from the Italian original.