Once upon a time, there were three Popes. One was the White Pope, the Pontifex Maximus, the head of the Catholic Church and the Vicar of Christ above all. Then there was the Black Pope, the General of the Jesuits, who had among other things a special vow of obedience to the Pope. Finally, [...]

In yet another editorial effort of recent times, Pope Francis had a conversation with ABC’s Vatican correspondent Javier Martinez Brocal to share his memories with Benedict XVI. The book is called El Sucesor. Mi recuerdos con Benedicto XVI, and the announcement of its publication came a few days before February 11, the day on [...]

Speaking with La Stampa newspaper last January 29, Pope Francis returned to the Conclave that elected him Pope. He recounted some known information, such as the applause for him after his speech about the “outgoing” Church. He defined that applause as “unprecedented” and said, “That speech was my condemnation.” And then he commented: [...]

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was in the past called La Suprema – “The Supreme [Congregation]” — and the pope himself was its prefect. Over time, the Secretariat of State surpassed and eclipsed the CDF. Paul VI made the Secretariat of State the coordination center of the entire Roman Curia.

Then [...]

Over the last week, Pope Francis has enacted three more reform laws, each by papal fiat. In the technical jargon of Church government, these acts are called litterae apostolicae motu proprio datae – Apostolic Letters given of [the Legislator’s] own accord – or motu proprio for short. They add to the collection of over [...]

Argentina’s Juan Domingo Peron thought the people were like the Parliament. In his view, a leader who desired to maintain power had to “adjust” with the people. Peron would float legislative ideas, observe the reactions, and adjust everything accordingly.

It has often been said that Pope Francis is a Peronist.

In any case, Pope [...]

Confusion follows confusion. The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith sent a press release on January 4 to explain Fiducia Supplicans  – the declaration from the curial outfit that used to be the papacy’s stable doctrinal oversight department – which came as an early Christmas surprise and appeared not only to allow [...]

The bang at the end of calendar year 2023 is still reverberating, and will continue to cause commotion well into 2024. I’m talking about the “early Christmas present” from Pope Francis through his chief teaching department and its new-ish prefect, Cardinal Victor Manuel “Tucho” Fernandez.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faiths’ declaration [...]

As early as 2017, the Italian website Campari & De Maistre highlighted the possibility of schism. They noted, however, that the danger of division wasn’t to be found in Germany, despite all the pressure already coming from the German Church. Instead, we were to look for danger coming from Latin America.

Latin [...]

Pope Francis is rushing to establish his legacy. At least, he appears more and more to be in a rush to leave a legacy. A great book in many languages on his life and the historical events that characterized it has already been announced, with a marketing push that is really unprecedented for a [...]