THE ITALIAN BLOG, SILERI NON POSSUM DOESN’T LIKE THOSE WHO LEAD VATICAN NEWS

Vatican News on X this morning (formerly known at Twitter) stated that there was white smoke this morning and we have a new pope!

This is Silieri non Possum’s headline for this gaff. Push the title for their English post:

Vatican News Blunder: If Mediocrity Were a Virtue, They’d Be Canonised by Now

Money byte:

At 11:51 a.m., the black smoke was officially announced. But at 11:59 a.m., the Vatican News X account suddenly posted: “11:59 White smoke.” For a few minutes, the world held its breath. Too bad it was all fake. What had been mistaken for a new white smoke was simply the tail end of the dissolving black smoke. A serious error, especially given the sensitivity of the moment and the global attention focused on the Sistine Chapel chimney. But more than a mere technical glitch, the episode casts a (black) light on the chronic improvisation of Vatican communications. The team led by Andrea Tornielli once again proves itself utterly inadequate—not only in managing the flow of information, but also in grasping the basic workings of ecclesial dynamics and curial rituals. And this was not the only misstep. Already last night, the frantic anticipation for the 7 p.m. smoke confused the international press, while in reality, as scheduled (but not communicated), the cardinals were attending a meditation by Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, which lasted longer than expected. Only afterwards was the first vote held. But no one—not even the Director of the Press Office, Matteo Bruni—thought to inform journalists that the evening would unfold quite differently from the subsequent days.

The communication management of this Conclave has become a faithful reflection of a system that, for years, has abandoned competence in favour of uncritical loyalty. In a recent address, Antonio Spadaro—one of the most omnipresent faces of the outgoing pontificate—proudly declared that Pope Francis had fought against meritocracy. Nothing could be truer: Spadaro and Tornielli are its embodiment. Were meritocracy truly in charge of the Vatican, they might today be tending a vegetable garden—not overseeing the communication of a Conclave. The problem is not just incompetence: it is the systemic promotion of mediocrity, the normalisation of approximation, the institutionalisation of slapdash work. This is nothing new, but the 2025 Conclave is making it glaringly evident—minute by minute, smoke after smoke. And as we wait for genuine white smoke to finally emerge from the chimney, we are left with the lingering suspicion that the real smoke, these past years, has been in the eyes of those who chose to believe that evangelical simplicity was equivalent to amateurism.

E.C.
Silere non possum

MY CLARIVOYANCE ABOUT OUR NEW POPE BEING ANNOUNCED ON MAY 8TH, 2025 IS GROWING STRONGER AND STRONGER!

In the 1962 Roman Calendar, May 8th is the Feast of the Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel. Might the new pope today take the name Pope Michael? Has there been a Pope Michael?

May 8th is also the Feast Day of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii! Has a pope ever taken a female’s saint’s name, Pope Maria? 

St. Pope John Paul II had a special devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii:

Most notable of all is the "Supplication to the Queen of Victories" which, begun at Pompeii on October 1883, is recited all over the world on May 8, and on the first Sunday in October.".

On October 21, 1979, John Paul II went on pilgrimage to Pompeii and gazed out from the very balcony from which Bartolo Longo (in an intuition of faith on May 5, 1901) had "seen gazing out" the white figure of the representative of Christ to bless the people calling for universal Peace."

Here is part of the Supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii:

Bless, O Mary, at this moment, our Holy Father. To the ancient splendors of your crown, to the triumphs of your Rosary, whence you are called the Queen of Victories, add this one also, O Mother: grant the triumph of religion and peace to human society.

MY CLAIRVOYANCE TELLS ME THAT WE WILL HAVE A NEW POPE TODAY, THURSDAY MAY 8TH!

There is only one scenario where We will know who the new pope is even before any announcements!

Dominique Cardinal Mamberti is the cardinal who will announce “Habemus Papam” prior to giving us the new pope’s given name and chosen papal name. If Cardinal Mamberti doesn’t come out and some other cardinal does, we will know before any announcements that he’s the new pope!

2013 AND 2025 CONCLAVES

Interestingly enough, Cardinal Re who was the celebrant for the pre-Conclave Mass at St. Peter’s (he is 93 I think) was the Dean of the Cardinals for the Conclave in 2013 which elected Cardinal Bergoglio. 

Cardinal Parolin, now the Dean of Cardinals led the Conclave in 2025 (yesterday).

At the 2013 Conclave there were many more cardinals who wore lace surplices than at the 2025 Conclave, although lace was certainly to be found on cardinals, some quite young. 

Please note the ornate stole and lace surplice that Re wore in 2013 compared to what Cardinal Parolin wore yesterday in 2025.

HERE YOU GO…

 

THIS HAS TO BE A SIGN FROM GOD ABOUT WHO WILL BE THE NEXT POPE, NO?

I work out Monday through Friday at 5 AM at Planet Fitness. There is a man there, maybe in his late 50’s or early 60’s who reminds me of someone but I can’t ever figure out who that someone is.

Well, this morning, I figured it out. He looks just like Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, not in clerical garb, but in gym shorts and a t-shirt. 

Surely this is a sign from God to the universal Church that Cardinal Pizzaballa will be elected the new pope.

Unlike Pope Francis, Cardinal Pizzaballa is a Franciscan who has been in the Holy Land for over 30 years. He is now the Patriarch of Jerusalem and has the name Peter in his first name.

But as a Franciscan, wouldn’t it be cool if Cardinal Pizzaballa took the name Pope Francis I, but not the Franciscan Francis, but the Jesuit Francis, Saint Francis Xavier! 

You know, that there is a very famous Peter who once lived in Jerusalem and moved to Rome. Anyone know who that is?

And certainly Pope Francis was never seen in gym shorts or chasuble, dalmatic and alb like these:

WHAT IF A NON-CARDINAL IS ELECTED POPE, WHO WOULD IT BE?

Church law says that any man, even a layman, could be elected pope. In the case of a layman, once he accepts, he would be ordained a deacon, then a priest and then a bishop and then would become the pope and the Bishop of Rome.

I doubt that a layman would be named pope. But it is quite possible that any see that has had a cardinal, but because Pope Francis snubbed that region and did not name a cardinal,  a bishop who is not a Cardinal could be elected pope from one of those sees.

Could he be from Los Angeles?

From Baltimore?

From Philadelphia?

From Milan?

From Venice?

From Paris? 

From Ukraine?

Who could become pope who is not a Cardinal?

TO WEAR THE MOZZETTA OR NOT TO WEAR THE MOZZETTA, THAT IS THE QUESTION AND THE ANSWER WILL SAY A LOT, I MEAN A LOT!!!!

 When Pope Francis, in the most humble and visible way possible, broke the tradition of wearing the papal Mozzetta when His Holiness greeted the throngs of pilgrims for the first time in Saint Peter’s Square, most  did not appreciate the humbleness of this act of simplicity and a stripped down papacy, from a Mercedes to a tiny two cylinder Fiat. 

Now we know.

What the pope wears when we see him for the first time will tell us much too. UGH!

From the room of tears, we see that there is a Mozzetta for the new pope to wear, if His Humbleness chooses to wear it. Will he? That is the question!

ENTER CARDINAL MAMBERTI WHO LOOKED MORE PAPAL THAN POPE FRANCIS AT THE 9TH MASS OF MOURNING THIS PAST SUNDAY, WITH LACE ALB AND ORNATE MITER, CUFF LINKS AND FRENCH CUFFS AND ALL

Ed Condon at the Pillar writes about a dark-horse candidate for the papacy, Cardinal Mamberti. When I saw him celebrating the last Mass of mourning for Pope Francis on Sunday, I thought he looked very popish but not in the Pope Francis tradition, thanks be to God. 

Condon also says that those who have been top runners seem to have their rising dismissed by setting. 

Read Condon’s take on Mamberti and those who are losing favor by pressing the Pillar title below. 

ANALYSIS

Enter Cardinal Mamberti?

An 11th hour candidate is emerging amid a divided field

MAY 6, 2025 • 

ED. CONDON

MY ONLY CARDINAL BUDDY TOLD ME THAT THE CARDINALS DON’T KNOW EACH OTHER BECAUSE POPE FRANCIS DIDN’T FACILITATE MEETINGS OF THE CARDINALS FOR THEM TO GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER!

 Cardinal Joseph Coutts, the retired bishop of Karachi, Pakistan, speaks to reporters outside the Vatican May 5, 2025. (CNS/Pablo Esparza)

This photo of Joseph Cardinal Coutts of Pakistan and yours truly was taken last fall after a dinner with the good Cardinal at the rectory of Saint Gregory the Great in Bluffton, South Carolina. I asked him about the upcoming conclave, given Pope Francis’ advanced age and many serious health problems. He was soon to turn 80 and wouldn’t be in the conclave once he turned 80.

Evidently, His Eminence is in the Conclave still 79 but not for long!

But he said, the cardinals don’t know each other because of Pope Francis. 

IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET A POPE FRANCIS BENEDICT?

Are there any papal candidates amongst the College of Cardinals that combine the best of both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis?

By this I mean a candidate that has intellectual and academic chops like Benedict which Francis did not have.

By this I mean a candidate that has doctrinal and moral clarity in the presentation of the Deposit of Faith, like Benedict which Francis did not.

By this I mean a man of manly elegance, embracing the trappings of the papacy, along with its majestic monarchical beauty, like Benedict which Francis did not?

By this I mean a candidate who also has the common touch, speaks some street language easy to understand and loves prison ministry and smelling like filth which Francis did but Benedict did not.

Is this too much to ask? Is there a Pope Francis Benedict out there????? Time will tell.

FINALLY, MY KIND OF ALTAR!!!!

 

But thank God, they placed a faux altar in front of it to allow for Mass facing the entrance doors, so that the Mass is closer to the people:

I LIKE HIM, I LIKE HIM, ILIKE HIM!

 

Crux says he is a papabile!

In part, this is what John Allen writes:

Benedict XVI, called Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith back to Rome to serve as the number two official at the Congregation for Divine Worship.

Over the next four years, Ranjith became something of a bête noire for liturgical progressives. He criticized communion in the hand, saying it was not envisioned by the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and became widespread only after its “illegitimate introduction” in some countries. When Benedict authorized wider celebration of the old Latin Mass in 2007, Ranjith openly blasted bishops who didn’t move quickly to implement it, accusing them of “disobedience … and even rebellion against the pope.”

Four years later he was moved out of Rome again, this time to become the Archbishop of Colombo…

…He certainly didn’t waste time. Four months after arriving, Ranjith issued new liturgical rules for Colombo requiring that communion be received on the tongue and in a kneeling position, forbidding laity from preaching, and barring priests from bringing customs from other religions into Catholic worship.

In the years since, Ranjith has profiled as a staunch conservative on doctrinal matters and sexual morality, while also embracing the peace-and-justice elements of Catholic social teaching.

“Love for the liturgy and love for the poor, two true and proper treasures of the Church, one might say, have been the compass of my life,” he said. Ranjith once added that although he’s not an “adherent,” he shares some of the values of the “no-global” movement protesting neo-liberal models of economic globalization. In 2015 he hosted Pope Francis on a successful trip to Sri Lanka, which came against the backdrop of a deep economic crisis and political instability.

READ THE REST AT CRUX HERE

A WHALE OF A DEATH

When I woke up early Sunday morning there was news of a whale beaching itself here on Hilton Head Island. Then it was stated that the location was across the street from me, about a five minute walk. So I walked over to the beach at about 6:45 AM Sunday to see this poor five year old whale beached and dying. It was not dead yet. Occasionally there were labored sounding gasps for breath. It was very sad to see such a huge and beautiful animal dying in such a way.

Later in the day a team from Florida came and euthanized the whale. I wasn’t there but I can only imagine how much medication had to be pumped into such a large mammal. 

They will dig a very deep hole next to this whale and bury it at this location. The professionals are also trying to determine why the whale beached itself. It did so because it knew it was dying. 

NOT MUCH IS SAID ABOUT HIM, MAYBE BECAUSE HE IS CONFUSED WITH CARDINAL ERDO, BUT HE SEEMS TO BE A REAT CANDIDATE FOR POPE

 

If he is elected, maybe he will become a doctor of the Church, because, well, he is a doctor! And maybe he will take the name Pope John Paul Benedict I?

Press title for this man who is a doctor, had a Protestant father and became a bishop in the most liberal post-Vatican II Church everrrr!

CARDINAL WILLEM JACOBUS EIJK

METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOP OF UTRECHT, NETHERLANDS

CONCLAVE WEEK!

 

NO MATTER WHO DEFENDS SYNODALITY, I REMAIN SCRATCHING MY HEAD IN BEWILDERMENT AS DO MOST OF THE CARDINALS EXCEPT, AND WAIT FOR IT, TWO JESUIT CARDINALS

Tasteless as is synodality:

This NcR report tells us about two Jesuit cardinals who are defending synodality in he face of other cardinals, perhaps the majority, like the majority of Catholics, who don’t understand it, don’t like it and want it to stop.

These two Jesuit cardinals don’t help their case either. It is just more double talk that lies about what is actually happening while saying it isn’t. It’s very Donald Trump, who is also included in this article. And, yes, I agree with what a member of the European Parliament said about our president, duly elected by our American democratic process, since I don’t suffer from “democracy derangement syndrome.” 

Press the title for the NcR article:

Conclave roundup: Cardinals' debate over future of Catholic Church grows louder

A GREAT CATHOLIC FILM NOIR MUST SEE

 It is worth watching. Filmed in 1950, it highlights some of the rigidity of the Church at that time that leads to an elderly non pastoral priest’s murder! Of course there is a good, flexible pastoral priest providing a contrast. 

Acting and production are very good and film noirish:

I THINK WE ALL SAW IT, LIKE EVERYONE SAW JOE BIDEN’S REALITY, SOME OF US SAID IT ABOUT POPE FRANCIS, BUT THE MAJORITY PRAISED THE SHOWS OF HUMILITY….

 Who am I to judge a pope’s humility and desire to dumb down the patrimony of the papal office? 

But, but, but, I think most of us and some of us said it, that there was nothing humble about Pope Francis’ paying his own bill after elected pope, carrying his own bags, abandonment of papal trappings and residence. It was for show. It was vain. It was self-promotion. It was all about how much better he was than Pope Benedict XVI and his circus and much better than any other pope, especially the small Fiat he used, sometimes a Ford Focus, like my Italian mom had. 

Early on, on one of his papal trips, I saw Pope Francis crank down the window of the car he was in and used exaggerated arm motions doing so to point out that his small car did not have electric windows, but rather a devise to mechanically roll it down by arm! Now that’s humble, no?

It was conspicuous humility which is not humility but born of pride and settling scores. 

How many saw through all of this but never said a word or denied seeing or feeling it, like Joe Biden’s White House? 

It use to be an irony to ask the question “Is the pope Catholic?” During the papacy of Pope Francis it was earnestly asked and with great anxiety. 

This is how artificial intelligence describes “faux humility”:

Faux humility, also known as false humility, is a deceptive form of pride where someone outwardly presents themselves as humble while secretly holding onto pride or a sense of self-importance. It's a tactic used to gain attention or subtly brag, often through self-deprecating comments or deflecting praise, according to Psychology Today. 

Fr. Raymond J. De Souza hits the nail on the head in a recent commentary. This is what he writes about this photo:

The four cardinals who announced the death of Pope Francis were dressed in suits, appearing as an assemblage of inadequately liveried undertakers!" 

Press the title for his full article: May we have a truly humble next pope who embraces the trappings of the papacy and restores the office even though it might not be his cup of tea. That’s true humility!

Interregnum: Restoration of the Petrine Office

Fr. Raymond J. de Souza

SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2025

IT APPEARS THE CARDINALS ARE TALKING ABOUT THE HERMENEUTIC OF CONTINUITY OF POPE BENEDICT XVI! I PROPOSE HIS CHRISTMAS ELOCUTION TO THE ROMAN CURIA BE CIRCULATED AMONG ALL THE CARDINALS IN PREPARATION FOR THE HOLY SMOKE OF THE CONCLAVE!

PREPARING FOR HOLY SMOKE AND AN ORTHODOX POPE!

Silere non possum reports the following (with my excellent commentary in red):

 Vatican City - This morning, in the New Chamber of the Synod, the eighth preparatory General Congregation of the College of Cardinals took place, in view of the next conclave. 

- Ecclesial communication was also discussed, highlighting the need to make the transmission of the Gospel effective and coherent at all levels: from parish ministry to the Roman Curia. Other important topics addressed during the morning include:

- The duty of testimony and unity, in the light of the words of the Gospel: "With this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love each other". (Of course Pope Francis papacy caused quite a bit of disunity, also called, division, schismatic countries, like Germany, and overall anger and rage in many laity. God willing the next pope will bring inner unity and thus healing to the Church after Pope Francis’ papacy).

- The centrality of the liturgy in the life of the Church. (Hopefully, the good cardinals discussed how Pope Benedict XVI strived to do this, especially with Summorum Pontificum and the influence of Traditional and Modern Forms of Mass on each other).

- The importance of canon law as a guarantee of justice and ecclesial order. (This certainly implies that Pope Francis did not respect canon law and justice and ecclesial order was based upon his whim. He called those who follow Canon Law, like Cardinal Burke) doctors of the law which is a mocking and derogatory comment about canon law lawyers and those who want clarity in doctrine, morals and Canon Law).

- The relationship between synodality and collegiality, and their implications for the mission and presence of the laity in the Church. (Pope Francis has diminished the role of local bishop and the college of bishops as collaborators with the Pope in the three fold mission of the Magisterium (pope and bishops together) to teach, govern and sanctify the Church. Incorporating laity into the mix-mash of inane synodality as practiced and promoted by Pope Francis has corrupted the teaching authority of the college of bishops). 

-A hermeneutic of the continuity between the pontificates of John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis. (And I hope they are reading Pope Benedict’s Christmas elocution to the Roman Curia about the proper interpretation of Vatican II in continuity with what preceded the Council. The hermeneutic of continuity, completely neglected or destroyed by Pope Francis, especially canceling the papacies of John Paul II and Benedict XVI, must, I repeat, must be recovered by the next pope).

- The role of the Eucharist as the source and culmination of the missionary action of the Church. (Not sure what this means, and would like to see a recovery of Pope Benedict XVI Eucharistic theology, style and ethos).

This morning, moreover, the firefighters of the Vatican City State installed the chimney on the roof of the Sistine. Inside the Chapel, the preparatory work continues for May 7, the day on which the purples will enter the Conclave.

Silere non possum

AND, YES, PLEASE MAKE THE CARDINALS REREAD AND STUDY POPE BENEDICT’S CHRISTMAS GREETINGS ON THE PROPER INTERPRETATION OF VATICAN II AT ITS 40TH ANNIVERSARY AT THE TIME WHICH YOU CAN READ

HERE!

AMERICAN CARDINAL ROBERT PROVOST THE NEXT POPE?

 

Cardinal Provost is being seen as a serious contender as the next pope!

NcR reporting (please note what I highlight in RED:

On another front, the idea of an American pope is gaining traction with Cardinal Robert Prevost emerging as a serious frontrunner, NCR's Christopher White and Rhina Guidos reported. Born in Chicago but shaped by decades of service in Latin America and Europe, the 69-year-old Augustinian friar now heads the Vatican office that oversees bishop appointments worldwide.

Read this next: The first American pope? This cardinal has the best chance of making history in this conclave

His blend of pastoral fieldwork and curial experience has drawn attention, particularly as Cardinal Pietro Parolin’s candidacy falters, according to multiple Italian news outlets today, May 1. 

The Corriere della Sera also reported Prevost has been seen on April 30 entering conservative U.S. Cardinal Burke's apartment in Rome to take part in "a top-secret summit."  

BOMBSHELL 💣 REPORTING FROM THE NATIONAL cATHOLIC REPORTER!

 

Wow! All I can say is WOW!

Press title for NcR reporting!

Conclave roundup: Conservative cardinals attack Pope Francis' legacy in US and Italian media

SILIRIUM NON POSSUM HAS REVEALED THAT CARDINAL PELL’S SECRET LETTER TO THE CARDINALS IN 2022 IS AGAIN BEING CIRCULATED AT THE CARDINALS’ PRE-CONCLAVE DISCUSSIONS!

THIS IS COPIED FROM A GOOGLE SEARCH AND ITS ARTIFICIAL INTELLENGENCE SUMMARY OF CARDINAL PELL’S LETTER OF 2022:

 AI Overview

Learn more

Cardinal George Pell wrote a secret memo, released under the pseudonym "Demos," that heavily criticized Pope Francis's pontificate. The memo, published in 2022, labeled Francis's papacy a "catastrophe" and accused him of various failings, including inaction on issues like the Chinese Communist Party's influence and the German Church's questioning of traditional doctrines. The memo also called for a new pope to restore doctrinal clarity, respect for the law, and adherence to the apostolic tradition. 

Here's a more detailed look:

Content of the Memo:

• Strong Criticism:

  The memo was highly critical of Pope Francis's leadership, calling his papacy a "catastrophe". 
• Accusations:

  It accused Francis of failing to stand up to the Chinese Communist Party, failing to adequately support Ukraine, and failing to address the German Church's deviations from traditional doctrines. 
• Desired Qualities of the Next Pope:

  The memo outlined what the author saw as the necessary qualities for the next pope, including restoring normality, doctrinal clarity, respect for the law, and adherence to apostolic tradition. 
• Emphasis on Tradition:

  The memo strongly emphasized the importance of fidelity to the teachings of Christ and Catholic practices, advocating for a return to tradition and against adapting to the world. 

Background:

• Cardinal Pell's Role:

  Cardinal Pell was a prominent figure in the Vatican, serving as the Secretary of the Economy from 2014 to 2019. 
• Anonymous Release:

  The memo was released anonymously, initially under the pseudonym "Demos," which translates to "the people". 
• Sandro Magister's Involvement:

  Italian journalist Sandro Magister, who published the memo on his blog, later revealed that Pell was the author. 
• Pell's Permission for Disclosure:

  Magister claimed that Pell had given him permission to reveal his authorship after Pell's death.