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.
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.
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.”
Pope Leo XIV’s early writings as a friar and prior general of the Augustinians are set to be released in September 2026, the Vatican announced this week.
According to Vatican News, the writings will be published in the volume Freedom Under Grace: Reflections on the Spiritual Tradition That Formed Me. The volume will include homilies, speeches, and letters from then-Father Robert Prevost.
It was originally published in Italian on May 6 by the Vatican Publishing House under the title Liberi sotto la Grazia. The English edition will be published by Image Books, a division of Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group.
Freedom Under Grace offers insights into Leo’s Augustinian spirituality and his preoccupation with themes such as unity, servant leadership, social justice, and constant spiritual renewal. Many of these addresses were delivered during his extensive travels to support Augustinian communities around the world.
At a press conference for the publication of the Italian edition on May 6, Father Joseph Farrell, O.S.A., prior general of the Augustinians and a former colleague of Prevost, spoke to EWTN News about his hopes for the book.
“It is a great opportunity to share a person who led the order of Saint Augustine for 12 years, who now serves as the Successor of Saint Peter,” Farrell told EWTN News.
“I hope that what we are able to discover in his writings is the foundation he has in the teachings of St. Augustine — his own formation, which he shared with us Augustinians and is now ready to share with the world.”
Representatives of Christianity and Dharmic religions present in Europe gathered in Rome this week to reflect on fraternity and promote interreligious dialogue and cooperation across the continent.
The Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue organized the June 23–24 meeting at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known as the Angelicum, under the theme: “Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains and Sikhs in Europe: Building Fraternity through Dialogue and Collaboration.”
According to a June 24 Vatican statement, “some prominent religious leaders, academics, scholars and representatives of Christianity and the Dharmic religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism)” took part in the conference.
The meeting, promoted by the dicastery “in continuity with its previous initiatives,” brought together people committed to “strengthening human fraternity through interreligious dialogue and cooperation in Europe.”
The Vatican said the conference was “conducted in a cordial atmosphere and in a spirit of respect and openness” and offered participants “an opportunity for mutual listening, learning and enrichment.”
Participants reflected on the challenges facing contemporary societies and “reaffirmed the importance of dialogue and collaboration as means of fostering understanding, solidarity and hope,” the statement said.
Fraternity should not be a utopia
In his welcoming address, Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, lamented that fraternity is often viewed as “a utopian idea,” particularly in a context marked by war and division.
Looking to Europe, he recalled the continent’s “cultural and religious heritage” and its history of diverse groups living together amid migration, globalization, and demographic change.
The cardinal described Europe as a “rich melting pot” of ethnic groups, languages, and religious traditions — a heritage he said should be valued in order to build “an inclusive, cohesive and harmonious society” that respects human dignity and human rights, including the right “to profess and practice one’s own religion.”
In this context, the Vatican statement said participants “acknowledged the foundational role of fraternity for building cohesive and peaceful communities.”
They also stressed that believers, “while serving as credible witnesses of their morals and faith convictions, must never shy away from contributing to the flourishing of fraternity through concrete actions that promote peace, harmony and the wellbeing of all.”
The participants also “highlighted the importance of strengthening mutual respect, cooperation and engagement today, while remaining rooted in their respective religious traditions.”
The meeting reaffirmed a shared commitment “to nurturing a culture of encounter and collaboration for the common good,” according to the Vatican.
Participants also expressed hope that “such collaboration will continue to inspire the wider society and contribute to the building of fraternity and peace.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, EWTN News’ Spanish-language sister service. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Pope Leo XIV this week emphasized that sports are important for spiritual growth and human development.
In a private audience with members of the Italian Swimming Federation on June 25, the pontiff highlighted the value of competitive sport as a means of instilling important values and fostering the growth of the body and mind.
Pope Leo XIV greets members of the Italian Swimming Federation during a private audience at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican on June 25, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media
“Sport, when practiced well, is medicine for both body and spirit,” Leo said in his remarks. “It integrates the different dimensions of the human person and directs them toward very important values such as commitment, solidarity, and honesty.”
To the swimmers present in the audience, the pope also highlighted the environmental and theological significance of water.
“[Swimming] symbolically recalls an aspect that has been part of us since our motherʼs womb: to live means learning to move in harmony with others and with the environment around us. For us Christians, moreover, water is a symbol of Baptism and of new life in Christ,” Leo said.
Leo has frequently emphasized the value of sport since the beginning of his pontificate.
On the eve of the Milano-Cortona Winter Olympic Games in February, the pope published the letter Life in Abundance on the importance of sports in personal formation.
The Vatican has published, for the first time in English, a collection of Pope Benedict XVI’s private homilies from 2005-2017.
According to Vatican News, the Vatican Publishing House has published “The Lord Holds Us By the Hand,” previously released in Italian in 2025 under the title “Il Signore Ci Tiene per Mano.”
The book contains Benedict’s homilies delivered during private Masses both during his time as pope and after his resignation from the papacy in 2013.
The volume includes homilies from the seasons of Advent, Lent, and Easter, given at either the private chapel in the Apostolic Palace or the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican, and focused on developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
The book offers an example of the continuity of the late pope’s theological work since his time as Joseph Ratzinger, both as an acclaimed theologian and as head of the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The book also highlights his focus on the person of Christ as an accompanying figure for today’s Christians.
“The Lord Holds Us by the Hand” includes a preface by Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Pope Benedict XVI’s former personal secretary, and an introduction by Father Federico Lombardi S.J., president of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation.
A second volume, dedicated to Benedict’s homilies given during Ordinary Time, is forthcoming.
Next year, 2027, will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Ratzinger, who would later become Pope Benedict XVI.
The traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) issued an open letter and a declaration of faith to Pope Leo XIV and the College of Cardinals on June 24.
Ahead of the extraordinary consistory of the cardinals at the Vatican on June 26-27 and the SSPX’s upcoming episcopal consecrations on July 1 without papal approval, the group issued the letter as well as the declaration reaffirming their attachment to Church tradition.
“We are convinced that Tradition contains all the remedies for the deepest ills afflicting the Church and the world, for which solutions are sought in vain outside of it,” the SSPX stated in their open letter.
The accompanying declaration contains 154 statements defending traditional Church teachings, including on the sacraments, divine revelation, the Virgin Mary, the rejection of ecumenism, and fidelity to the Traditional Latin Mass.
These documents from the SSPX mark the latest development in a series of public disagreements with the Holy See over the SSPX’s planned episcopal consecrations without papal approval.
The Vatican stated on May 13 that the consecrations would be a schismatic act, resulting in automatic excommunication for the consecrating bishops and those consecrated.
On June 16, Pope Leo warned the SSPX that their planned episcopal conscrations risk schism.
“We have invited them, and I am still considering making another appeal, to say: ‘Do not do this. Let us try to live in communion in the Church.’ But it is their choice. They must understand what it means for them and for the Church,” the pope said, responding to journalists’ questions outside Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo on June 16.
The SSPX exclusively celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass and has rejected certain teachings and reforms of the Second Vatican Council, particularly regarding religious freedom and the Church’s approach to other faiths.
The Holy See Press Office did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
St. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, is one of only three people in history — after Jesus and Mary — whose birthday is celebrated in the Church’s liturgy.
In fact, the Nativity of St. John the Baptist on June 24 is a solemnity, meaning it is the highest form of Catholic feast day. And because it falls exactly six months before the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord, it is sometimes known as “Summer Christmas.”
“The Church observes the birth of John as in some way sacred; and you will not find any other of the great men of old whose birth we celebrate officially. We celebrate John’s, as we celebrate Christ’s,” St. Augustine of Hippo said in his sermon 293.
In the Mass for the solemnity, the priest prays to God in the preface that in Christ’s precursor, “St. John the Baptist, we praise your great glory, for you consecrated him for a singular honor among those born of women.”
“His birth brought great rejoicing; even in the womb he leapt for joy at the coming of human salvation. He alone of all the prophets pointed out the Lamb of redemption,” the prayer continues. “And to make holy the flowing waters, he baptized the very author of baptism and was privileged to bear him supreme witness by the shedding of his blood.”
St. Augustine explained that “John, it seems, has been inserted as a kind of boundary between the two Testaments, the Old and the New. That he is somehow or other a boundary is something that the Lord himself indicates when he says, ‘The Law and the prophets were until John.’ So he represents the old and heralds the new. Because he represents the old, he is born of an elderly couple; because he represents the new, he is revealed as a prophet in his mother’s womb.”
John’s connection to Christ
Father Mauro Gagliardi, a theologian and liturgist who teaches in Rome, wrote in a 2009 article on Zenit that it is important to emphasize John the Baptist’s role as “indicator.” John is “a prophet who refers back to Christ.”
The liturgy, Gagliardi said, does the same thing, and thus the June 24 solemnity “reminds us of this: The Christian liturgy is a powerful indicator of Christ to the peoples, like [John] the Baptist.”
John the Baptist’s feast day also has cosmic connections, the theologian pointed out. The fact that June 24 is close to the summer solstice demonstrates the fulfillment of the prophecy in John 3:30 that “he must increase; I must decrease,” since after John’s birthday the days get shorter, or “decrease,” while after Jesus’ birthday on Dec. 25, the days get longer, or “increase.”
“This interweaving between a figure from the history of salvation — John — and the cosmic rhythms (both guided by the same God) has found a fruitful development in the devotion and liturgy of the Church,” Gagliardi said.
Popular customs of ‘summer Christmas’
The Church’s liturgical commemoration of St. John the Baptist dates back to the fourth century.
Acknowledgement of the saint’s importance can also be noted in his shared patronage, together with St. John the Apostle, of Rome’s Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, which is also the seat of the bishop of Rome — that is, the pope.
The night of June 23 is known in some countries, including Italy, as “St. John’s Eve.” Due to the solemnity’s timing, shortly after the summer solstice, some of the practices connected to the feast have a pagan character, including that some refer to it as “the Night of the Witches.”
Modern-day secular festivities may include concerts and theatrical performances, while Catholics usually celebrate Mass and hold religious processions.
One of the most typical customs related to St. John’s Eve, both secular and religious, is the bonfire, called in some countries “St. John’s Fires,” which are lit in honor of the saint who “was not the light, but came to testify to the light (Jn 1:8).” Fireworks or candle-lit processions can also take the place of bonfires.
In an Angelus message on June 25, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI said the feast of St. John the Baptist “reminds us that our life is entirely and always ‘relative’ to Christ and is fulfilled by accepting him, the Word, the Light, and the Bridegroom, whose voices, lamps, and friends we are.”
“‘He must increase, but I must decrease’ (Jn 3:30): The Baptist’s words are a program for every Christian,” Benedict said.
This story was first published on June 24, 2024, and has been updated.
