De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

  Something significant is happening in Rome — and most people have not noticed it yet. Pope Leo XIV has begun quietly reshaping the machinery of Vatican governance. The appointment of Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia as nuncio to the United States, the replacement of Fr Daniel Pellizzon in the papal household, and the reported appointment of Swiss Guard Lieutenant Anton Kappler as assistant of the chamber are not isolated personnel changes. Together they signal something much larger. After years of turbulence under the pontificate of Pope Francis, Leo XIV appears to be restoring institutional order at the centre of the Church. The papal household is being reorganised. The diplomatic corps is being recalibrated. The networks that surrounded the previous pontificate are gradually giving way to a more disciplined and traditional structure of governance. In my latest article for Catholic Unscripted I examine what these appointments mean, why they matter for the Church in the Un...

  Many Catholics were deeply disturbed to see Cardinal Mahony being welcomed in the Vatican by Pope Leo XIV. This follows a rehabilitation of the disgraced Cardinal under Pope Francis. Does this, combined with Pope Leo's support of Cardinal Cupich reveal a deeply worrying direction under this papacy? More details in the write up here .

Pope Leo XIV’s first extraordinary consistory was meant to be a moment of reassurance. Instead, it has exposed the deepest fault lines in the Church today. In this episode of Catholic Unscripted, I take you inside what has really unfolded during this decisive week in Rome — beyond the official communiqués and carefully managed language — to examine why so many faithful Catholics are uneasy, and why this moment matters far more than it may first appear. We look closely at the renewed invocation of Vatican II and synodality, and ask whether these terms are being used as instruments of continuity or as placeholders for perpetual uncertainty. Drawing on the long-standing theological divide between Concilium and Communio, I explore how this unresolved post-conciliar tension is now shaping the direction of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate. I also examine the significance of Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe’s prominent role at the opening of the consistory, why his elevation has raised serious concer...

Over the past week, many Catholics have been anticipating Pope Leo XIV’s first extraordinary consistory with a mixture of hope, relief, and unease. On the surface, the signals look familiar: synodality, Vatican II, liturgical reform, participation. For some, that familiarity is reassuring. For others, it raises an immediate and troubling question: are we simply returning to the same categories, the same debates, and the same unresolved tensions that have defined the post-conciliar Church for decades? In a new, long-form analysis now published on Catholic Unscripted on Substack, I take a close look at what has actually happened so far during this consistory, what has been said publicly by Pope Leo, cardinals, and bishops, and what these signals may mean beneath the surface. One of the most important moments came not in a formal decree, but in Pope Leo’s general audience catechesis on Vatican II. His emphasis on liturgical reform and active participation has been widely reported, bu...

This week, Pope Leo XIV has summoned the entire College of Cardinals to Rome for an Extraordinary Consistory — his first since ascending to the Chair of Peter. On the surface, the official agenda looks familiar: synodality, evangelisation, Curial reform, a renewed reading of Evangelii Gaudium and Praedicate Evangelium. The language would not have been out of place a decade ago. But appearances can be deceiving. What matters just as much as what is being discussed is how it is being discussed. For the first time in years, all cardinals are being asked to participate in sustained, structured consultation rather than observing from the sidelines while decisions emerge elsewhere. It is quite extraordinary to think that the last real extraordinary consistory (with the exception of a meeting in August 2022) dates back to February 2014. Interesting fact: Prevost, in the Sacred College since 2023, will be among the "first-timers" at this consistory he has called! That fact alone ...

The capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces has sent shockwaves through international politics. World leaders are divided, international bodies are alarmed, and even within the United States the debate is fierce. Was this a long-overdue act of justice against a brutal tyrant, or a dangerous breach of international law? In the middle of that storm stands Pope Leo XIV. Some Catholics are frustrated by his response. Others see it as prudent. Many are unsure what to make of it at all. In a new long-form article on Catholic Unscripted, I take a careful, unsentimental look at what Pope Leo actually said, what he deliberately did not say, and how his words compare with the reactions of governments, the United Nations, and major global powers. The piece also examines a largely overlooked tension in the American debate: how can leaders now claim Maduro’s capture was unlawful when previous U.S. administrations publicly offered tens of millions of dollars for information leading to his arrest...

A report from Ines San Martin provides some insight into what led Cardinal Prevost to choose the name Leo XIV. She got some intel into it from Chilean Cardinal Fernando Chomali, who just happened to share a dinner table with the Pope, soon after the 267th Successor of Saint Peter was introduced to the world:   Chilean Cardinal Fernando Chomalí described the conclave that elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV as a profoundly spiritual and joyful experience, rooted in prayer and unity. "It was a very impressive ecclesial, spiritual and human experience," Cardinal Chomalí told OSV News on May 9. "I have no idea why, but I felt like I was carrying all of Chile in my heart, in my mind, even in my skin." Cardinal Chomalí, the archbishop of Santiago and Chile's only voting cardinal, said the weight of helping to elect the successor of Peter left him deeply moved. "You become aware of the responsibility of helping name the successor of Peter,...