Two Matters to Watch from Pope Leo XIV

What Leo must do

Readers might recall that early on, I was making a point to give Pope Leo XIV a chance and was even slightly encouraged about him.

I am less encouraged now. For one thing his appointments are not much better than those of Francis.

Pope Leo XIV Promotes Pro-LGBTQ Prelate Who Permitted Pagan Idol in Cathedral

But, as it’s still early, I’m still giving him a chance. Here’s how.

At this point I see two obvious matters that he must handle rightly — because the right way to proceed on both is so obvious and needful.

First, of course, is what if anything he will do to reverse Francis’ restrictions of the Traditional Latin Mass. It should be a no-brainer to restore Pope Benedict’s policy of allowing any priest who wishes to do so to say the TLM. Should be. But will Leo?

The second has just become more of a no-brainer. Jesuit James Martin has long been a pusher of all things alphabet in the Roman Catholic Church. He is a heterodox (NOT to be confused with heterosexual) celebrity who has provoked much godly offense and caused much scandal. But all that is not enough apparently. He just went further in a very public venue in a way that cries out for church discipline.

In a fawning interview of Pete Buttigieg, Martin repeatedly called Buttigieg’s homosexual “marriage” and parenting (if it can be called that) “beautiful” and (I normally don’t give trigger warnings, but I think I should give one here.) compared it to the Holy Trinity.

Yes, James Martin really went there. Check it out for yourself if you can endure it. Yes, this is blasphemy against the Holy Trinity. And for the Roman Catholic Church not to finally exercise church discipline against James Martin would be an outrage.

If Pope Leo is any upholder of the Faith, he is already in communications with the Jesuit order about Martin. And if that order does little to nothing, Leo should follow the good example of John Paul II. As JP2 and Cardinal Ratzinger did with Liberation Theologian Leonardo Boff, Leo should publicly rebuke Martin’s error and command him to at least a year of silence.

Now if we had Pope Mark the Terrible, James Martin would be defrocked and sent to the Vatican dungeon. (If there isn’t one, Pope Mark would create one.) And Mark, in his godly zeal, would suppress the Jesuits . . . again.*

But we have Pope Leo instead, so the slightly less strict church discipline of public rebuke and silence would be good and a good sign that Leo takes defending the Faith and the orthodoxy of the church seriously.

Having said that, such right actions in these two matters is not much to ask for. They are really a bare minimum. But if Leo so proceeds, that would be reason for rejoicing.

Yet if Leo will not even perform these two acts, then perhaps my Roman Catholic friends are stuck with Francis II, with better vestments and liturgy and temperament, but Francis II nonetheless.

By the way, I’ve noticed that the Vatican, in the midst of mismanaged finances, is emphasizing fundraising through the Peter’s Pence. If I were Roman Catholic I would not give one pence or penny or cent to Peter’s Pence until Leo does the above minimum. And I would let church authorities know why.

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*One of my favorite popes, Clement XIV, suppressed the Society of Jesus on July 21st, 1773.