Are well-meaning Traditional Catholics heading for a hangover?
The same people who previously would have made hour-long videos crucifying Pope Francis for exactly the same, are now seemingly living in some la-la land of denial.
I am concerned.
Let me explain at the hand of some old quotes of, and about, Pope Francis. Trust me. Read these and then I will reveal why I must rely on Pope Francis to explain my current concerns:
ยท "In a brief message on Tuesday, the pope urged Catholic university leaders to back the United Nations climate agenda, calling participants to โbuild bridges,โ and encouraging them in their โsynodal work of discernmentโ in preparation for COP30โฆโ
ยท The pope called for โcomplete commitment to the path that the universal Church has now followed for decades in the wake of the Second Vatican Council.โ
ยท "He further praised efforts to build โbridges of integration between the Americas and the Iberian Peninsula,โ calling on Catholic institutions to pursue โecological, social and environmental justiceโโlanguage that mirrors UN talking pointsโฆโ
ยท โโฆcontinue and strengthen the Churchโs dialogue and cooperation with the Jewish people in the spirit of the Second Vatican Councilโs Declaration Nostra Aetate.โ
ยท โIn a 2023 address, he adopted Bernardin's 'seamless garment' ideology, declaring that opposing abortion necessarily entails opposing capital punishment.โ
ยท โโฆstressed the need for dialogue and bridge building on Monday in an audience with the representatives of other faiths and other Churchesโฆโ
ยท The pope said "I am therefore pleased and grateful for the presence of representatives of other religious traditions, who share the search for God and his will, which is always and only the will of love and life for men and women and for all creaturesโ and "In a world wounded by violence and conflict, each of the communities represented here brings its own contribution of wisdom, compassion and commitment to the good of humanity and the preservation of our common homeโ and continued "Relations between the Catholic Church and Muslims have been marked by a growing commitment to dialogue and fraternity, fostered by esteem for these our brothers and sisters who 'worship God, who is one, living and subsistent, merciful and almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, who has also spoken to humanity' (ibid., 3). This approach, based on mutual respect and freedom of conscience, is a solid foundation for building bridges between our communities..."
ยท โAll of you, brothers, sisters of Rome, of Italy, of the whole world, we want to be a synodal Church.โ
ยท โWe have to know how to listenโnot to judge, not to shut doors as if we hold all the truth and no one else has anything to offer,โ the Pope said. From this posture of humility, he added, will come greater clarity about where the Lord is calling us.โ
ยท And remember this headline: โPope appoints nun as secretary of Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Lifeโ
Now read them again.
Of course, none of these quotes can be attributed to, or were about the previous Pontiff, but actually by and about Pope Leo XIV. Yes, I did tinker slightly with them in as much as I replaced his name with the phrase โthe popeโ etc., but that is not the point. These are real quotes by and about the current pope and, well, it sounds just like the old pope.
See the dilemma? You can hardly tell the difference. If at all.
Not only that, it is pretty unambiguous stuff.
On the other hand, I am currently also having a hard time telling the difference between some Traditional Catholic commentators, and the likes of Michael Lofton (popesplainer extraordinaire) and Mike Lewis (woke leftist archenemy of Traditional Catholicism and publisher of Where Peter Is). I am not going to name the Traditional Catholic commentators since I donโt want to start a war, but the same people who previously would have made hour-long videos crucifying Pope Francis if any of the above could be attributed to him, are now seemingly living in some la-la land of denial.
Every little hope is pinned on some traditional vestments the new pope wore and a few prayers he said in Latin. On what he is โsignallingโ or his latest โveiled message to tradsโ and โif you read it through the lens of traditionโ and โletโs see how he interprets synodalityโ! As the good people at Novus Ordo Watch rightly observed: โFunny how the burden is always on the hearer to โunderstand correctlyโ and never on the speaker to teach without ambiguityโ!
(On the point regarding Pope Leoโs โinterpretation of synodalityโ: synodality isnโt an error because it is currently not favouring traditionalists, it is an error because it is diabolically and diametrically opposed to Catholic teaching! So no, let us not wait and see what Pope Leo means by synodality!)
There is just nothing concrete from the new Pontiff yet. (Yes, I know it has only been two weeks, but if I need to be patient then so do everyone else!) Has he lifted the โbanโ and countered the suppression of the Traditional Latin Mass? No.
Has he corrected his predecessorโs grave, often heretical errors? No. The opposite seems true. At every opportunity, he sings his praises.
Has he been even slightly critical of Vatican II? Of course not.
What he has done though is he has confirmed synodality as the future of the Church, talked a whole lot about โdialogueโ, โbuilding bridgesโ and โecumenismโ and appointed a nun as head of a dicastery. And that is just off the top of my head.
Oh, and as I am writing this, I have just learned that Pope Leo has confirmed a heterodox priest as the new bishop of St. Gallen in Switzerland. According to LifeSiteNews, โPope Leo XIV confirmed the election of heretical Fr. Beat Grรถgli as bishop of St. Gallen. Grรถgli said that โthe women's priesthood will come,โ among other heterodox statements,โ and โGrรถgli has reportedly expressed support for homosexual โblessingsโ as well and claimed that the Church should โadaptโ its teaching on marriage, sexual morality, and contraceptionโ.
Please read that through the lens of Traditionโฆ I am waitingโฆ or tell me what it is signallingโฆ I am waitingโฆ
And now. As if we have not done this ad nauseam before, let us take a quick look at some of the โsentimentsโ expressed in the above statements, and see why they are about as Catholic as the Dalai Lama:
Synodality as a Model for the Church
Traditional Catholic teaching emphatically stresses the hierarchical structure of the Church and papal primacy. For example, the First Vatican Council defined that the Pope, as St. Peterโs successor, possesses โfull and supreme power of jurisdiction over the whole Churchโ
Likewise, Leo XIII affirmed that it is the special charge of the Roman Pontiff โto rule [the Church] with supreme powerโ.
Even Pius XII taught that bishops, while having genuine authority in their dioceses, remain โsubordinate to the lawful authority of the Roman Pontiffโ
In other words, preโVatican II magisterial sources reject any idea that authority in the Church โcomes upโ from the laity; rather, authority is handed down from Christ through Peter. Proposals to invert this order (e.g. democratizing Church government) were condemned as modernist error (e.g. Lamentabili and Pascendi). In the traditional view, synods and councils can assist the Pope, but cannot override his supreme jurisdiction
Dialogue and Cooperation with Other Religions (Islam, Judaism, etc.)
PreโVatican II teaching insisted on the uniqueness of the Catholic faith and warned against religious indifferentism. Pope PiusโฏXI bluntly condemned the notion that โall religions are more or less good and praiseworthy,โ calling it a โfalse opinionโ and warning that those who support it โaltogether abandon the divinely revealed religionโ
In Mortalium Animos (1928) he specifically forbade Catholics from participating in mixed religious gatherings or common prayer, explaining that doing so is based on the error that all faiths lead to God
Even earlier, the Council of Florence (1441) declared that nonโCatholics โ โpagans, Jews, heretics and schismaticsโ โ โcannot become participants in eternal lifeโ unless they enter the Church.
In light of such teaching, traditional sources frowned on any friendly โdialogueโ that implies multiple religions share equal divine approval. The only โunityโ envisaged was the return of all to the one true Church; anything short of that was considered a grave error.
I am also reminded of two other quotes on the subject by two giants of traditionalism.
In a 1978 interview, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre stated:
"At this stage, it is important to state that dialogues are contrary to the doctrines of the Catholic faith. Dialogues presuppose the coming together of two equal and opposing sides; therefore, in no way could (dialogue) have anything to do with the Catholic faith. We believe and accept our faith as the only true faith in the world."
With regards to the Jewish question, Pope Pius X made the following statement during a meeting with Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism, on January 25, 1904. During this audience, Herzl sought the Vatican's support for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, which Pope Pius X declined:
โWe cannot give approval to this movement. We cannot prevent the Jews from going to Jerusalem โ but we could never sanction it. The soil of Jerusalem, if it was not always sacred, has been sanctified by the life of Jesus Christ. As the head of the Church, I cannot tell you anything different. The Jews have not recognized our Lord; therefore, we cannot recognize the Jewish people. And so if you come to Palestine and settle your people there, we will be ready with churches and priests to baptise all of youโ.
โEcological, Social and Environmental Justiceโ Language (UN Agenda)
Preโ1962 magisterium did not frame its teaching in modern UN jargon; when it did address social or natural issues, it did so within the framework of natural law and Catholic social teaching, not secular โsustainable developmentโ slogans. For instance, PiusโฏXI taught that Godโs natural law requires a โright orderโ in using the earthโs goods: โeach thing [created resource] have its proper owner,โ reflecting respect for property rights and stewardship
This is quite different from modern collectivist calls. In Rerum Novarum and Quadragesimo Anno, the Popes emphasized private property (in accordance with natural justice) and the moral duties of individuals, rather than wholesale adoption of any political agenda. The Church forbade ideologies (e.g. Communism) that promised utopia, and likewise would view uncritical alignment with any secular platform as suspect. Thus no preโVatican II source speaks of โecological justiceโ or UN schemes; rather, traditional teaching insists on order under Godโs law (as in Quadragesimo), cautioning the faithful to distinguish Gospel charity from secular programs
โAll Religions Worship the Same Godโ
Traditional Catholic doctrine flatly rejects the idea that false religions equally worship the true God. Pope PiusโฏXI condemned the notion that โall religions are more or less good and praiseworthyโ as inherently erroneous
By implication, โworshipโ that contradicts the one true faith is false worship. The Council of Florence (1441) explicitly taught that those outside the Catholic Church โ whether pagans, Jews, Mohammedans, heretics or schismatics โ โcannot become participants in eternal lifeโ (Cantate Domino)
In Catholic thinking, the one true God of Israel and of the Church is known fully only through Christ; other religions either suppress truth or misunderstand it. The strict Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus doctrine of the preโVatican Church (echoed in Florence and later reiterated by PiusโฏIX) means that mere assent to an โanonymousโ or โdifferentโ God is not salvific. In short, traditional voices warn that attempts to equate or merge the worship of Catholicism with that of nonโChristians deny revealed truth
Seamless Garment: Equating Abortion and Capital Punishment
PreโVatican II teaching actually distinguished sharply between abortion (murder of an innocent) and lawful capital punishment. Abortion was condemned without ambiguity. The Church Fathers and Councils consistently treated abortion as homicide. For example, even the Didache (1st century) forbade procuring abortion. By contrast, Saint Thomas Aquinas taught that the state may legitimately execute criminals: โWherefore it is lawful to kill the sinner who is harming others, according to the prescription of the law and the conditions required for the exercise of punishment.โฆ Therefore they aloneโฆ can lawfully put evildoers to deathโ
This distinction reflects tradition: parents must care for children (Casti Connubii) and deliberately killing an unborn child was seen as especially heinous, whereas killing by due legal process was considered a sombre but permitted act for public justice. Even the Council of Florenceโs pronouncement on salvation (quoted above) implies that grave sins condemn the soul unless mercy intervenes
Traditional sources regard abortion as intrinsic homicide and capital punishment (when justly applied) as a temporal penalty. They would argue that equating them (the โseamless garmentโ) ignores the seriousness of the innocentโs life; it was never the constant teaching to blur this distinction.
Appointing Women to High Offices in Church Governance
Prior to Vatican II, the Churchโs ministries were understood as reserved for men. In Casti Connubii (1930), Pope PiusโฏXI reiterated Scriptureโs teaching on gender roles: โthe husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Churchโ
This biblical principle undergirds Catholic tradition: only men receive Holy Orders and exercise jurisdiction. No pope or council before 1962 ever proposed ordaining women or granting them magisterial authority. On the contrary, St. Paulโs injunctions (e.g. โwomen should be silent in the churchesโฆ they are not allowed to speakโ (1โฏCorโฏ14:34) and โI do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a manโ (1โฏTimโฏ2:12)) were taken as normative. As late as PiusโฏXIโs time, any thought of women as bishops, priests or proper โjudgesโ in Church matters was foreign to theology and discipline. Thus traditionalist sources consistently treat men alone as covenant leaders and pastors; at most, women served in auxiliary roles (e.g. as nuns or educators) but did not hold governance offices.
Replacing Theological Certitude with โListeningโ and Withholding Judgment
The preโVatican Magisterium upheld firm belief in revealed truth, not vagueness. Vatican I (1870) condemned any denial of Godโs knowability: โIf anyone says that the one true Godโฆ cannot be known with certainty by the natural light of human reasonโฆ let him be anathema.โ
Likewise, PiusโฏX cited the Councilโs anathemas to forbid denying the credibility of revelation: โIf anyone says that divine revelation cannot be made credible by external signsโฆ let him be anathema.โ
These declarations imply that Catholics must hold truth with conviction, not suspend judgment indefinitely. In fact, Vatican I defined infallible papal teaching precisely to guarantee doctrinal certitude. Traditional sources (Popes, Fathers, Councils) provide clear moral teaching to guide the faithful; they did not endorse โwaiting to see what people thinkโ or denying any revealed doctrine for the sake of courtesy. In short, the modern call to merely โlistenโ and never judge was at odds with the older emphasis that Catholics must proclaim Godโs truth boldly and judge ideas by it.
All said and done though, I do want to end with this.
I continue daily to pray for Mother Church and Pope Leo XIV and implore you to do the same. I beg you to persevere in hope with me.
In the spirit of my recent undertaking to be more charitable in my criticism I also ask that you please correct me if you feel I am being malicious or in error in my criticism.
Finally, let us proceed on the journey with extreme caution.
Extreme.
Christus vincit!
Christus regnat!
Christus imperat!
Iโve been saying this from day one of Leo: Heโs Francis, Part Deux, with manners. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. My concern is that he will deceive more souls because he is more palatable.
My good man, with respect I don't think your commentary lacked charity or justice before. And the truth is what will set us free, not optimism or being silent when we should speak.
However, with regard to this post, you are correct. Making the wish the father of the thought never ended well.
You chart his allusions to Francis. We have been charting other allusions...
https://www.wmreview.org/p/leo-xiv-popes-ii