AS REPORTED BY SILERE NON POSSUM…

 

Pope Leo XIV orders an immediate penitential rite in St. Peter’s Basilica following the new profanation

The intervention of Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV, upon learning of the episode and viewing the video published by Silere non possum on its website and social media channels, personally spoke with Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, expressing deep dismay and sorrow. The Holy Father ordered that a penitential and reparatory rite be celebrated as soon as possible, as required by liturgical law, “to restore the holiness of the place and to ask God’s forgiveness for the offense committed.”

The rite could have been held already on Saturday, October 11, 2025, but Cardinal Gambetti chose not to proceed, for reasons that remain unclear. Only after the Pope’s firm intervention, urging that the reparation be performed without further delay, did preparations begin. However, since the Ceremoniale Episcoporum prescribes that the rite be held on a weekday, the Pontiff instructed that it take place at the earliest possible weekday, in accordance with liturgical norms.

The liturgical norm: when a church is profaned

The Ceremoniale Episcoporum, no. 1070, is explicit: “A church is profaned if, to the scandal of the faithful, gravely injurious actions are committed within it, which, in the judgment of the local ordinary, are so serious and contrary to the sanctity of the place that it is no longer lawful to perform worship there until the injury has been repaired by a penitential rite.”

The text explains that a gravely profaned church cannot be used for worship until it has undergone a rite of reconciliation, a solemn act entrusted to the diocesan bishop or, in the case of the Vatican Basilica, to its Archpriest as Vicar of the Pope.

The penitential rite of reparation

The rite of reparation for a profaned church, as described in the Ceremoniale Episcoporum, is among the most solemn forms of public supplication in the Catholic liturgy. When a church has been the site of “gravely injurious actions” — such as offenses against the sacred mysteries, blasphemous gestures, or acts violating human dignity — the place loses its suitability for worship until it is reconciled through a penitential celebration.

The Ceremoniale stipulates that the bishop preside, signifying the participation of the whole local Church in sorrow and reparation. Ordinarily united with the Eucharistic celebration, the rite begins with a penitential procession from a nearby church or fitting place to the profaned church. Upon entering, the bishop sprinkles holy water upon the altar and the walls, a symbol of purification. This is followed by the Liturgy of the Word, with readings recalling conversion and forgiveness, and then the Eucharistic celebration, during which the altar is reconsecrated to the real presence of the Lord.

The rite offers rich pastoral possibilities: it invites the whole diocesan community to unite in repentance, encourages the personal conversion of the faithful through preaching and confession, and helps rebuild ecclesial communion wounded by sin. Thus, the ceremony is not merely a juridical or formal act, but a deep ecclesial gesture of purification, penance, and renewal, through which the community acknowledges its frailty and renews its faith in the mystery of Christ who “makes all things new.”

p.B.S.
Silere non possum