Cardinal Gerhard Müller has called the Society of St. Pius X’s planned consecration of four bishops without papal mandate a schismatic act, while stressing that the dispute turns on authority, not the Traditional Latin Mass, which he affirmed remains valid.
In an interview with EWTN News In Depth, the former prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith said episcopal ordinations carried out “without the pope are absolutely impossible, against the will of God,” marking those who carry them out as “not Catholic or anti-Catholic.” That judgment, he stressed, rests on “objective criteria,” not “subjective judgments.”
Without a papal mandate the consecrations would be valid but illicit, carrying an automatic “latae sententiae” excommunication.
Müller likened the society to the Donatists, the schism St. Augustine fought in North Africa.
“They should learn from the way of the Donatists,” he said, adding that St. Pius X, the society’s patron, “will pray against these people who abuse his name.” Pope Leo XIV, he noted, is himself an Augustinian.
The German prelate, a longtime professor of dogmatic theology, called devotion to traditional liturgy and the rejection of papal authority “two absolutely different questions,” and faulted bishops who forbid the TLM as “authoritarian.”
Asked what faithful drawn to SSPX Masses should do if a schism follows, Müller said they “shouldn’t go, and cannot participate in the Masses of schismatic priests and bishops.”
The Vatican’s current doctrine chief, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, warned on May 13 that the consecrations would be “a schismatic act.”
The SSPX rejects the charge, holding that such consecrations do not by themselves break communion; on June 24 it sent Pope Leo and the College of Cardinals a “Declaration of Catholic Faith.”
Superior General Father Davide Pagliarani has cited a “state of necessity,” noting only two aging SSPX bishops remain to ordain its priests.
Müller also discussed the June 26–27 consistory, which he said he expected to take up atheism and artificial intelligence, and renewed his criticism of “synodality,” which he said had been “abused” to push ideas against Church teaching on the priesthood and marriage.
The five-day gathering is hosted by the GIVEN Institute – a nonprofit organization dedicated to activating the gifts of Catholic young adult women for the Church and the world through faith formation and leadership.
The forum, taking place June 24-28, features keynotes, leadership training, mentorship, adoration, prayer, and Mass.
The GIVEN Institute features keynotes, leadership training, mentorship, adoration, prayer, and Mass in Washington, D.C. June 24-26, 2026. | Credit: Tessa Gervasini/EWTN News
“We hope women will take away an understanding, on a much deeper level, that they are a gift. They are a beloved daughter of God,” executive director of GIVEN, Jennifer Cole-Schaefer, told EWTN News.
Women have “been given gifts that are specific to them, and God has a plan to use those gifts,” she said. “Itʼs all about receiving this idea that we are a gift, realizing what our gifts are, and responding in a way that only we can respond with our particular gifts.”
The forum welcomes Catholic women, ages 21-35, who have been accepted into the institute’s leadership program, as well as mentors, volunteers, exhibitors, and sponsors.
Acceptance into the program includes participation in GIVEN’s forum, followed by a year of accompaniment with a trained mentor. Participants cultivate a personalized “action plan” designed to serve the Church and their community.
The “formation starts well before we get to the forum, but the forum is a really pivotal in-person experience,” Cole-Schaefer said.
“Itʼs after the forum that the real work begins – when women start to actualize their action plans, and they donʼt do that alone. They do that through mentoring,” she said.
“So we have a whole army of women with some life experience whoʼve stepped forward and been trained as mentors to walk with our young women as they discern all the steps,” Cole-Schaefer said.
Cole-Schaefer said she hopes that after the forum, women walk “away inspired and ready to change the world in whatever way God is calling them to.”
2026 forum kicks off
This yearʼs forum welcomes a variety of presentations and keynotes, including talks from Sr. Bethany Madonna, SV, a Sister of Life, and Dr. Mary Healy, a professor of scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit and the editor of the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture.
The event is also featuring numerous panels on finding one’s vocation and mission. Panelists include GIVEN alumni who attest to the formation they received through the forum.
President and COO of EWTN News, Montse Alvarado, will speak on June 27 about how young women respond with their gifts. GIVEN will also bestow Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, SV with its Fiat Award, which honors women whose lives embody the response of Our Lady through faithful leadership, service, and love.
Sr. Mary Madeline Todd, OP presented the keynote address on June 26. The Dominican Sister of the Congregation of St. Cecilia told attendees that God reveals “you are the gift” and “you are the love.”
Todd told her listeners that contemporary culture tells women they were made for “comfort,” “convenience,” or “control,” but, she emphasized, “you and I were made for communion.”
“Every gift weʼve been given is to call others into the relationship with the Lord they were made for. Itʼs to realize our relationship with the Lord, to grow in it, to let that love that fills us up” so we can then “pour it out onto the world,” she said.
“My sisters, whatever gift he gives you, receive it. Whatever struggle you face, do not get discouraged. Heʼs working in it,” she said.
“Your story is a way heʼs bringing beauty into the world. But know that no matter what comes and goes with your gifts, the gift is him. His friendship, his presence, his love, is the gift heʼll never take away,” Todd said.
“Inspired by the lantern ceremonies held each year in Hiroshima, the campaign invites communities around the world to organize local commemorative events using traditional lanterns as symbols of remembrance, peace, hope, and nuclear disarmament,” the Lanterns for Peace June 15 announcement read.
The lantern ceremonies will mark the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima on Aug. 6 and Nagasaki on Aug. 9 in 1945.
“In an increasingly fragile world, where the nuclear threat has once again become a tangible reality, this commemoration is not only a moment of mourning, but a genuine call to conscience,” the statement continued.
The lanterns represent remembrance for lives lost, “hope for reconciliation and peace,” and “a collective commitment to abolish nuclear weapons,” according to the statement.
Lanterns for Peace is working with local groups to honor the anniversaries.
“Each participating city or community is encouraged to adapt the ceremony to its own local context while remaining united through shared symbols, messages, and commitments,” according to a booklet the group issued.
The booklet contains more details about the event along with instructions on how to build a lantern.
Each event includes a lantern floating ceremony, where safe and permitted, a moment of silence or prayer, and the reading of survivors’ testimonies.
The parable of the prodigal son has been depicted many times in art. Recently, the choir Harpa Dei, made up of three siblings, released a Gregorian chant video that tells this story of “the Father’s mercy and his great longing for lost children to return home.”
“Over the past few weeks, we have been working on a project that sets many of the words spoken by Jesus himself during his public ministry to Gregorian chant,” siblings Nikolai, Lucía, and Mirjana Gerstner told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, on June 24.
“These are very ancient chants that have evolved since the early centuries within the context of the liturgy, both in Holy Mass and in the breviary,” they said.
Why the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Latin?
While they sing in other languages as well, the siblings said that “our focus and home as Roman Catholics is Gregorian chant. One of its fundamental characteristics is that its texts are exclusively in Latin.”
After highlighting that Latin serves “for the worship of God and, therefore, easily lifts us from the profane to the transcendent,” Harpa Dei said it hopes this chant will help “the faithful rediscover the beauty of Gregorian chant and the value of a sacred language as great treasures of the Church.”
The Gerstner siblings also noted that “the words of Jesus, who is the Word made flesh, possess great power and efficacy. They offer comfort, guidance, and strength; they invite conversion and reveal the Father to us just as he truly is.”
They said Gregorian chant makes it possible to “penetrate the soul deeply and gently, and to become imprinted upon the memory and the heart.”
The Prodigal Son video
They also said they hope to help “the ‘prodigal’ sons and daughters of this world realize that God, our Heavenly Father, is waiting for them, and that his great desire is for them to return to him, to their true home.”
The siblings said they filmed the video in the Danube Valley and at Lake Constance in southern Germany. “Throughout the filming process, we could clearly recognize God’s guidance in finding the right locations and managing all the logistics,” they said.
Since 2011, following a peace initiative, the siblings have felt called to evangelize through sacred music. Their mission has taken them to many countries around the world, such as Mexico, Israel, Germany, Russia, Ecuador, Lithuania, and the United States, among others.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Bishop Iyad Akram Twal, auxiliary bishop of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said Christians face an increasingly precarious situation in the Middle East.
War, economic instability, and continued emigration are placing increasing pressure on the Christian presence in the region, driving a significant decline in communities across the Holy Land and neighboring countries, Twal said in an interview that aired June 25 with Veronica Dudo of EWTN News Nightly.
Reflecting on Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa’s June 22 visit to Gaza alongside Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, Twal said the trip was a powerful sign of Christian unity and solidarity with those suffering amid the ongoing conflict.
“It is very important because it shows that Catholics and Orthodox are working together for peace and justice,” Twal said. “It is very important for our people in Gaza to see that we are united together. We care for them, we follow them, and we are close to them.”
The cardinal’s presence, he said, reassured local Christians that Church leaders remain committed to accompanying them through the hardships of war. “It is our duty to be close always to our people in the parishes, in the church in Gaza,” he added.
The bishop emphasized that the Middle East cannot be viewed as a single reality. Conditions vary greatly among countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories, each facing its own unique challenges. Yet one concern unites them all: the steady decline of the Christian population.
“Generally speaking, Christianity in the Middle East is shrinking, and our numbers are decreasing,” Twal said. He attributed the decline to “the instability of the political situation, of wars, of conflicts.”
He noted that Christians in the Palestinian territories number about 4,000, while the Catholic parish in Gaza has dwindled to roughly 700 members. Conflict and political instability continue to drive many families to leave in search of safety and opportunity elsewhere, Twal said.
Despite these hardships, he stressed that the Catholic Church’s presence remains vital. Through its parishes, schools, hospitals, and charitable ministries, the Church provides stability and hope for vulnerable communities, serving both Christians and Muslims.
Asked whether peace is possible in the region, Twal responded emphatically: “Of course, peace is possible because we believe in it and we work for it.”
He added that peace requires daily commitment and practical action. “Peace is not only a principle that we just think about or believe in. Peace is a daily work. It is our responsibility, even with small gestures and activities,” he said.
The bishop pointed to the Church’s educational, medical, and humanitarian efforts as concrete ways it promotes peace and serves local communities. “Through our schools, our parishes, our hospitals, the services we offer to everyone, Christians and Muslims, we are building peace,” he said.
Twal also praised Pope Leo XIV for his continued calls for prayer and solidarity with those suffering throughout the region, noting that “the Holy Father is always asking to pray for us and encouraging people to be close to us.”
Calling on Christians worldwide to support the Church in the Holy Land, Bishop Twal encouraged pilgrims to visit.
“Come and visit us,” he said. “Coming to us, visiting us, it’s a sign of solidarity and support and knowing better. So stay close, either by knowing our situation or by coming and visiting us.”
Pope Leo XIV has sent 100,000 euros (about $114,000) in humanitarian aid to Venezuela following two devastating earthquakes that hit the country on June 24.
The Holy Father sent the funds in order to express his closeness to the Venezuelan people through a donation made via the papal almoner, the pope’s charitable office, according to Vatican News.
The financial aid has been sent to Church leaders in the country, and the amount was agreed upon after consultations with the apostolic nuncio to Venezuela, Archbishop Alberto Ortega Martín, and the archbishop of Caracas, Archbishop Raúl Biord Castillo.
The earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck Venezuela after 6:00 p.m. local time, with particular intensity in La Guaira and Caracas, where, according to Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, “there are several complicated areas,” in which a number of buildings have collapsed.
Although it is still too early to determine the full extent of the tragedy, the provisional toll stands at at least 164 dead and nearly 1,000 injured. Rescue teams continue working around the clock to locate and save people trapped under the rubble.
The Catholic Church mobilized from the very first moments after the devastating quakes. The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need has launched initiatives to support those affected.
For its part, Caritas Internationalis has allocated 100,000 euros for emergency relief, in coordination with Caritas Venezuela, which has a network of nearly 30,000 volunteers deployed throughout the country.
Archbishop Biord of Caracas lamented the “serious structural damage” suffered by numerous parishes, as well as damage recorded in the cathedral and in 12 other churches.
He noted, however, that the number of victims could have been significantly higher had it not been a holiday. “Thank God it was a holiday. If it had been a working day, with schools, offices, and businesses open, the number of victims would have been much higher,” he said.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, EWTN News’ Spanish-language sister service. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
As the Catholic Church in India prepares for nationwide prayers on Sunday, June 28, to voice its concerns over legislation affecting Church ministries, the federal government has issuedtougher rules under the country’s existing law on foreign donations.
“This is totally unnecessary,” Father Mathew Koyickal, deputy secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), told EWTN News June 26.
Koyickal was summing up the Church’s concerns, which were laid out at a June 24 news conference at the CBCI Centre in New Delhi, after the government imposed harsher rules to enforce the existing provisions of the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act).
The new rules, issued on June 22, require action groups and charities that receive foreign funds to specify their activities by category and geographical area, disclose their social media accounts, websites, and publications, and pay a separate fee for each category and area in which they operate. Political content is barred, and the rules impose high penalties for each infringement.
Describing the rules as “alarming,” Koyickal said: “We feel at this moment, it was unnecessary because already there is a new amendment bill happening, and we have already shared our concern with regard to the proposed amendment.”
Koyickal declined to comment when EWTN News asked whether the government’s move was a “tit-for-tat” response to the pressure the Church has placed on the government through its June 28 nationwide call for prayers and protests.
“The proposed legislation (FCRA amendment) has generated concerns regarding its potential impact on the charitable, educational, healthcare, and social ministries undertaken by Churches and Christian institutions throughout the country,” said Cardinal Anthony Poola, CBCI president and Archbishop of Hyderabad, in his June 17 appeal.
Recalling the Church’s longstanding commitment to serving the poor, marginalized, and vulnerable sections of society, Poola emphasized that these ministries are a concrete expression of the Gospel values of love, justice, and compassion and “invited the faithful to unite in prayer for the nation, for public authorities, and for the continued freedom of the Church to carry out its mission of service.”
“A draconian law has been already proposed. So, we have been trying to appeal to the government. We hope that the government will come up with a law that could help the NGOs to work for the development of our country,” Koyickal told the news conference.
Though the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government had announced the harsher amendment to the FCRA and planned to pass it in Parliament on April 1, vociferous opposition inside Parliament and public opposition, including from Catholic Church leadership, forced the government to delay the bill to the monsoon session in July.
The new rules also drew opposition from outside the Church. KC Venugopal, general secretary of the opposition Congress party, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 25 urging their immediate withdrawal, saying they were “designed not to regulate, but to strangle” the country’s nongovernmental organizations.
The FCRA rules have been changed nine times since the BJP came to power in 2014. The government’s FCRA Online dashboard shows that fewer than 15,000 of about 52,000 FCRA accounts are active.
The 37,000 FCRA licenses that have been canceled or not renewed include those of church charities and Christian social action groups, along with those of secular advocacy networks, including international organizations such as Amnesty International, Bread for the World, Compassion International, and Greenpeace.
‘Total restriction of all sorts’
“These norms amount to emasculating the work of the Church,” said John Dayal, a Catholic journalist who was among the first to publicize the new FCRA rules.
“The fresh curbs,” Dayal said, “amounts to total restriction of all sorts and silences the right to speak out on issues of truth and justice.”
Church charities that receive foreign donations, Dayal said, will be “reduced to silent spectators in India: forced to pray behind closed walls, run schools and hospitals with their mouth shut to intervene or speak out on social concerns.”
The Michigan government this week released its sixth report of diocesan abuse allegations in the state, revealing abuse claims against more than three dozen priests and one deacon in the Diocese of Saginaw.
The state attorney general’s report is the second-to-last of a total of seven investigations into clergy and Church abuse in Michigan. Prior to the Saginaw investigation, Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office released a report in December 2025 regarding the Diocese of Grand Rapids.
On June 25, the state published its investigation into the Saginaw Diocese, revealing what it said were allegations against “37 priests and one deacon.” The allegations date as far back as the 1950s.
Thirty of the alleged abusers are “known or presumed to be dead,” while of the eight living priests, “none is in active ministry,” according to the report.
The majority of incidents involve alleged abuse of underage minors, though four priests were the subject of allegations involving adults, according to the report.
The attorney general’s investigation was launched in part to examine whether criminal charges could be filed against any of the accused. In its press release announcing the report, the attorney general’s office indicated that it had not filed any criminal charges against priests from the Saginaw Diocese.
Nessel said in a press release the investigation was “only possible because of the bravery of so many, from young children to the elderly, coming forward over decades to share their suffering.”
”Accountability comes in many forms, and by publishing these accounts we hope to foster acknowledgment for these survivors and safer communities today,” she said.
In a June 25 letter, Saginaw Bishop Robert Gruss acknowledged the release of the report and affirmed that the diocese had “fully cooperated” with the government in its investigation.
“As Bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw, I want to express my deepest sorrows to those who have been victims of abuse by members of the clergy,” the prelate said. “Please accept my sincere apology for the pain and suffering you have experienced by those who were entrusted with your care.”
The bishop noted that the “vast majority” of abuse allegations in the diocese were “very old,” with most occurring decades ago, in the 1970s and 1980s.
“Itʼs clear that the Catholic Church in the United States has made significant progress over the last 20-plus years in putting safeguards in place to protect children, young people, and vulnerable adults,” he said.
“Clearly, we are a different Church today because of those who have and continue to courageously share their stories, so that the sins and crimes which damaged the Body of Christ could be addressed,” he wrote.
Following the Saginaw report, the state government is expected to release one more investigation regarding allegations in the Archdiocese of Detroit. Nessel in the press release said the Detroit investigation would be released “later this year.”
Pope Leo XIV met privately with members of the Synod on Synodality’s continental bodies at the Vatican on June 25, as they concluded a recent conference to reflect on the synod’s implementation ahead of the ecclesial assembly in October 2028.
Held on the eve of the two-day extraordinary consistory of cardinals, which began at the Vatican on June 26, the pontiff’s meeting with the synod members concluded a three-day gathering to discuss the document “Towards the Assemblies 2027-2028: Stages, Criteria and Tools for Preparation,” published by the synod in May.
The final session of the extraordinary consistory of cardinals will feature a discussion on the document and implementing the synod before 2028.
The synod meeting included discussions regarding synod teams at the diocesan and national levels, current progress and challenges in implementing synodality, and the synod’s final document, published in 2025 under Pope Francis.
Synod Secretary General Cardinal Mario Grech said in a press release that, “The meeting with the Holy Father was for all the participants a powerful sign of support and encouragement as they continue their work for the Churchʼs synodal conversion.”
The synod’s implementation path before the ecclesial assembly in 2028 will proceed through four stages: “Recollecting” in the first half of 2027; “Interpreting” in the second half of 2027; “Orienting” in the first four months of 2028; and “Celebrating” in October 2028.
In May, the synod featured the testimonies of two men in civil marriages with other men. It formed part of the synod’s Executive Summary of the Final Report of Study Group 9, which analyzed the experience and pastoral care of LGBTQ+ Catholics.
Pope Leo XIV opened his second extraordinary consistory of cardinals on June 26 by defending his decision to conduct the gathering in a synodal format, acknowledging that the approach is unusual, but insisting that the Lord is leading the Church along this path so that she can “grow in communion.”
Addressing 178 cardinals in the Paul VI Hall on the first of two days of discussions, Leo encouraged them to “engage wholeheartedly” in a synodal, working group structure, adding that he was “well aware that, for many of us, this is not the usual way of conducting a consistory.”
Yet, he said this form is now part of “the journey along which the Lord is leading us,” encouraging the cardinals to participate actively while assuring them that they can still make “personal contributions” and send him “any confidential observations or reflections.”
“Enter into this ecclesial exercise with confidence,” he said, adding that synodality is learned “by practising it” and that “we learn together to grow in communion.”
The pope’s comments came after some cardinals had expressed apprehensions about the consistory using a “synodal” round-table format for a second time — a structure they felt was “very controlled” when used at the first consistory last January, and left them with a sense that key decisions and framing had been set in advance.
Efforts made to address those concerns at this meeting include the introduction of a “free dialogue” session at the end of the meeting and a dedicated email address where cardinals can write directly to the pope to share their advice and concerns.
In his opening address, Pope Leo summarized the four themes the cardinals are to discuss. First, they were invited to contemplate the world “through the eyes of faith,” listening and walking with others amid contemporary challenges. Secondly, they were asked to reflect on a “civilization of love” in a time of conflict, oppression and division, drawing on his social encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, which explores human dignity and the common good. Thirdly, they are to explore that encyclical in greater depth by examining how the Church can build the common good through shared responsibility and adopting a “synodal style.” Finally, they are to consider how to implement the Synod on Synodality “in the face of the world’s wounds.”
Synodality, a recurring theme in both his opening address and homily at the opening Mass, “points to a way forward: listening, discerning and jointly assuming responsibility,” Leo said. It is not simply a set of procedures, he insisted, but “an attitude, an openness, a willingness to understand.” Nor does it entail a “diminishment of authority;” rather it serves to “safeguard communion” while fostering the participation of all and helping pastors exercise authority more evangelically.
The pope underlined that the consistory is not meant merely to address the internal life of the Church but to shape “our view of the world, peace, the common good, synodality,” so that the Gospel may be proclaimed with greater fidelity and credibility. The goal, he said, is to improve the Church’s witness and to become better heralds of the Gospel, which requires listening and the sharing of responsibilities.
“For this reason I wish to ask for your help,” he continued. “I need your support: strong, explicit and public. I need to feel supported by you as by brothers.” He urged the cardinals to accompany him in his service, to listen to what is emerging in local churches, to recognize signs of hope, but not ignore “struggles, misunderstandings and resistance.”
Leo said he was convinced the Lord is “teaching us a more evangelical way of living out together the responsibility he has entrusted to us,” and that the credibility of their witness and fruitfulness in mission depend on this.
The pope decided to reinstate extraordinary consistories after Pope Francis had suspended them in 2014, a generally unpopular move with many cardinals who, ahead of the conclave last year, voiced a need for the Holy Father to consult them more frequently.
In contrast to the approach of Francis, who rarely consulted his porporati except for a select few and his council of nine cardinals who advised him on Church governance, Pope Leo was emphatic on Friday about how much he valued their input, saying “sincere advice is always an act of communion” and that he needed their freedom, frankness and loyalty.
He thanked them for attending, saying their presence showed their “concern for the whole Church,” and stressing that their dialogue with him, to assist him in the service and mission of the Church, is one of the cardinals’ “most important responsibilities.”
Leo underlined that they are to be builders of “Christ’s communion” which, he said, “takes shape in a synodal Church in which everyone cooperates in the same mission, each according to their own charism and ministry.”
“We are not guardians of particular interests,” he reminded them, “but disciples and witnesses of the Kingdom of God, called to be, in Christ, the leaven of universal brotherhood,” echoing remarks he had made to the Roman Curia last December.
Pope Leo XIV celebrates the opening Mass of an extraordinary consistory of cardinals, the second of his pontificate, in St. Peterʼs Basilica on June 26, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media
Opening homily
In his homily at the opening Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday morning, Pope Leo said synodality and collegiality are “forms of Christian fraternity,” which enables all the baptized to participate in the unity of the People of God.
Noting that the meeting is taking place just ahead of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, he urged the cardinals to follow the apostles’ example of sharing the faith in freedom, to ask for the gift of peace and unity, and to “savor harmony through obedience.”
The implementation of the synod, “to which we are committed, invites everyone to move forward in unity of faith, promoting peace, and in obedience to Jesus, the living Word,” he said. As ideologies fade away, the Holy Spirit makes fraternal harmony, charity, and missionary zeal “flourish in the Church.”
“Our working together in a collegial way embodies the synodality in which all the baptized participate in the unity of the People of God,” he continued. “Synodality and collegiality are, in fact, forms of Christian fraternity, which binds us together as the baptized and as bishops.”
Appearing to recast the way in which Petrine ministry is exercised, he closed by saying that in helping him in that task, “you will find in me one who asks, not commands.”
“Moreover, the authority of primacy belongs to the one who listens and only then leads, to the one who learns and only then teaches, always following the one and only Teacher,” he said. “May the intercession of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul accompany us on this enthralling journey.”
