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| Vatican calls for representatives of ‘other religions’ in next phase of synodal implementation |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-28-2026, 11:24 AM - Forum: Vatican II and the Fruits of Modernism
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Vatican calls for representatives of ‘other religions’ in next phase of synodal implementation
New Synod guidelines call for representatives of 'other religions' in local ‘assemblies’ and leadership roles for lay Catholics
as part of an ongoing ‘transformation’ of Church governance.
![[Image: D1918A13-2F08-4B67-A80B-2530311D9437_1_1...40446.jpeg]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/D1918A13-2F08-4B67-A80B-2530311D9437_1_105_c-e1785232540446.jpeg)
Cardinal Mario Grech
Michael Haynes
Jul 28, 2026
VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — The Vatican has issued new guidelines for the next stage of the Synod of Synodality calling on dioceses to involve representatives of other religions, deepen permanent synodal structures, and evaluate broader leadership roles for lay Catholics.
On July 27, the General Secretariat of the Synod published a new 19-page document entitled “Recollecting,” providing bishops and diocesan synodal teams with detailed instructions for preparing local “evaluation assemblies” during the first half of 2027 as part of the implementation of the 2021-2024 synod. The document describes the assemblies not as a one-time consultation but as a stage in an ongoing “transformation” of diocesan life and governance.
“The preparation and conduct of the Assembly do not exhaust the implementation of the Synod by the local Churches: they are simply a moment of assessment within a process that progressively shapes the identity of each local Church, its relationships and its way of life through synodal choices, dynamics, practices and structures,” the document reads.
Published under the authority of the General Secretariat of the Synod, “Recollecting” serves as practical guidance for bishops and diocesan synodal teams. It explains how each diocese is to prepare a narrative report and convene a local “evaluation assembly” before submitting its conclusions to national synodal bodies and ultimately to the Vatican.
Among the provisions drawing particular attention is the recommendation that dioceses consider including non-Catholics in synodal structures. In the section outlining the composition of diocesan synodal teams, the document states that bishops may wish to invite “representatives of other Christian Churches and communities or other religions as observers.”
The same approach appears later in the guidelines governing the diocesan evaluation assemblies. When discussing who should participate, the document says that dioceses should “provide for the participation of representatives of other Churches and Christian Communions or of other religions,” while noting that the precise form of participation “may vary” according to local circumstances and “cultural contexts.”
The new guidance also presents synodality as a lasting feature of Church governance rather than a temporary process. It states that the 2027 assemblies are intended to help local churches continue a process that “progressively shapes the identity of each local Church, its relationships and its way of life through synodal choices, dynamics, practices and structures.”
Elsewhere, the document states that the assemblies are designed to cultivate “a style of listening, co-responsibility and discernment” that local churches are expected to preserve in their normal life after the assemblies conclude.
When describing subjects that dioceses should evaluate in preparing their reports, the document specifically includes “access by lay faithful to leadership roles that do not require the Sacrament of Orders and to other ecclesial responsibilities,” alongside questions concerning synodal decision-making, transparency, accountability, and ecclesial structures.
Local church “narrative reports,” the document avers, should focus on the “promotion of a synodal spirituality” alongside proposals for new liturgical implementations, so that the Mass or other rites may be reformed in such a way as to be “lived in a synodal key.”
The publication of this document is part of the implementation timetable established after the conclusion of the Synod on Synodality. According to the schedule outlined in the document, diocesan and eparchial assemblies will take place during the first half of 2027, followed by national and regional assemblies later that year, continental assemblies during the first months of 2028, and a final “Ecclesial Assembly” in the Vatican in October 2028.
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| The Admonitions of King St Stephen of Hungary: Ageless Guidance |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-28-2026, 11:20 AM - Forum: The Saints
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The Admonitions of King St Stephen of Hungary: Ageless Guidance for Believers, Statesmen and Descendants
gloria.tv | July 28, 2026
The admonitions of King Saint Stephen to his son, Prince Emeric, constitute the opening piece within the legal compilation titled Corpus Juris Hungarici. This letter, authored by St Stephen in 1027, stands as the pinnacle literary masterpiece of Hungary’s legal heritage. Written in Latin, it takes the form of ‘Admonitiones‘ (Admonitions), directly addressed to St Stephen’s designated heir to the throne, Prince Emeric.
According to experts, the Admonitions represent a cornerstone in the realm of Hungarian theoretical political thinking. Saint Stephen’s direct involvement in its composition is evident, and it is plausible that the text predominantly or even entirely originates from his hand. Be that as it may, the Admonitions unmistakably convey his viewpoints.
Comprising ten succinct chapters replete with resolute religious content and references, the writing profoundly underscores the role of religion. This significance is vividly apparent, as over half of the ten chapters delve into matters intertwined with the Christian faith and the church.
These admonitions, however, transcend the confines of public law and the Church. With a measure of abstraction, our insightful and sensitive readers might discern within them profound parental guidance, the preservation of which could ensure the enduring unity of familial bonds across generations.
Presented below are select excerpts from the admonitions of King St Stephen of Hungary:
King Saint Stephen’s Admonitions To His Son Prince Emeric:
‘Since I perceive that all things, founded at the nod of God and disposed by his most manifest preordination, both in the spaciousness of the sky and in those most spacious climes of earth, do subsist and thrive wholly in accordance with the rationality of intelligence; and since I am sufficiently aware that all things granted by the grace of God for the use and dignity of this life – to wit: kingdoms, consulates, dukedoms, counties, pontificates and all other authorities, are ruled, defended, divided and joined together, partly by divine precepts and regulations, partly by legal, partly by juridical, partly by civil, and by the counsels and advices also of nobles and of those advanced in age; and since I know for a certainty that all classes of the world, everywhere, of whatever authority they be, do instruct, counsel and advise not only their retainers, their friends and their servants but also their sons; therefore, most amiable son, companion in this life, it irks me not to prepare for you lessons, precepts, counsels and advices whereby you may embellish the character of your own life and of that of your subjects, in such time as, most high God willing, you shall reign after me.’
I. On the Importance of Your Catholic Faith
‘My dearest son, if you desire to honour the royal crown, I advise, I counsel, I urge you above all things to maintain the Catholic and Apostolic faith with such diligence and care that you may be an example for all those placed under you by God and that all the clergy may rightly call you a man of true Christian profession. Failing to do this, you may be sure that you will not be called a Christian or a son of the Church.
Indeed, in the royal palace, after the faith itself, the Church holds second place, first constituted and spread through the whole world by His members, the apostles, and holy fathers, And though she always produced fresh offspring, nevertheless in certain places she is regarded as ancient. However, dearest son, even now in our kingdom the Church is proclaimed as young and newly planted; and for that reason, she needs more prudent and trustworthy guardians less a benefit which the divine mercy bestowed on us undeservedly should be destroyed and annihilated through your idleness, indolence or neglect.
My beloved son, the delight of my heart, the hope of your posterity, I pray, I command, that at the very time and in everything, strengthened by your devotion to me, you may show favour not only to relations and kin, or to the most eminent, be they leaders or rich men or neighbours or fellow-countrymen, but also to foreigners and to all who come to you. By fulfilling your duty in this way, you will reach the highest state of happiness. Be merciful to all who are suffering violence, keeping always in your heart the example of the Lord who said: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’.
II. On treasuring the Ecclesiastical Order
‘Those who want to weaken or mar the sanctity of the Holy Church labour to dismember the body of Christ…So it is incumbent upon you, my son, to vigilantly protect the sacred Church, nurturing it ceaselessly, so it grows and not shrinks. That is why history dubs the early kings great for they had expanded the Church. Strive for the same, so your crown may be more renowned, your life happier and longer.’
III. On Honouring the High Priests
‘Designate them as your principal companions, tend to the high priests as diligently as you would nurture your own vision. If their benevolence grace you, you don’t have to fear enemies.’
IV. On the Nobility
‘They (the various nobles) are the champions of the kingdom, the defenders of the weak, the conquerors of enemies, the enlargers of monarchies. They, my son, are your fathers and brothers. Of these, truly, you should reduce none to servitude, nor call any slave; they should serve you as soldiers not as slaves, rule all of them without anger and pride and envy, peacefully, with humility, gently, holding ever in your memory that all men are of one condition; and that naught elevates, save humility; and nothing casts down, save pride and envy.
If you are peaceable then you will be called a king and a king’s son, and you will be loved by all the knights. If you are choleric, proud, envious, and disinclined to peace, and if you stick up your neck above counts and princes, without doubt, the strength of the military will be the weakness of the regal authorities, and they will betray your kingdom to the aliens.
Fearful of this, direct the life of your companions with the rule of virtue, that captured by your love, they may inoffensively adhere to the kingly authority, and that your realm may be wholly at peace. Than these doctrines no noble could ask more liberal, no king more efficacious.’
V. On Justice
‘Hearken to this, my son; if you wish to possess the honour of kingship, love justice: if you wish to be master over your own soul, be patient. Whenever, my very dear son, a cause deserving condemnation comes before you, or some one accused on a capital charge, be unwilling to deal with it impatiently or to resolve with an oath to punish him – which course of action must be weak and unstable, inasmuch as foolish vows ought to be broken – or to decide the question yourself, lest your regal dignity be dishonoured by the usurpation of inferior business, but rather send the business of this sort to the judges, to whom it has been committed because they decide the case according to its own law.
Fear to be judged, but rejoice to be and to be called king. Patient kings rule, but impatient ones tyrannize. When, however, something comes before you which it befits your dignity to judge, with patience and mercy or pity judge it, that your crown may be laudable and seemly.’
VI. Concerning the Reception of Foreigners and the Support of Strangers
‘In strangers and men from abroad, there is such great utility that it can be held worthy of the sixth place in regal dignity. Why did the Roman Empire first grow, and why were the Roman kings exalted and glorious, except because many noble and wise men congregated there from diverse regions? Rome, in truth, would be a hand-maiden to this day, if Eneades had not made her free.
For as strangers come from diverse regions of the provinces, they bring with them diverse languages and usages, and diverse learning and arms, all of which not only adorn the royal palace and render magnificent the court, but also abash the arrogance of aliens. For a kingdom of one tongue, or of one custom, is weak and fragile.
Wherefore I bid you, my son, support those persons with a good will, and treat them fairly, that they may prefer to continue with you rather than to live elsewhere. For if you destroy what I have built up or strive to disperse what I have gathered together, without doubt, your kingdom will suffer the greatest damage. Lest that be, augment your kingdom daily, that your crown may be held august by all.’
VII. On the Role of the Council
‘Because of this my son, shun seeking counsel from the inexperienced and the less wise; their advice should not be sought. Turn only to the elder members of the council, for their years and sagacity have prepared them for this duty. For the counsel that guides a sovereign’s path should be confined to one from the hearts of the wise, not extend to the caprices of fools. When you walk in the company of the wise, wisdom shall be your ally; when you consort with fools, their folly shall become your own…
Hence, let each person engage in endeavours befitting their age—let the youth focus on arms, while the elders convene in council. Let it be known, the young need not be entirely excluded from the council. However, whenever their insights are sought, even if deemed vital, always present them before the elders. Thus, all your actions may be gauged by the yardstick of wisdom.’
VIII. On Filial Loyalty
‘Ancestors ought to be imitated, and sons ought to obey their parents. My customs, which you see to befit the kingly dignity, follow them without the fetter of any uncertainty. For it is a hard thing for you to maintain a kingdom of this geographical position, except you show yourself an imitator of the usage of kings who have reigned before. What Greek would rule Latins with Greek customs? Or what Latin would rule Greeks with Latin customs? None. On this account, follow my usages that you may he held eminent by your own people and praiseworthy among foreigners.
Be patient with everyone, not only with the powerful but also with the weak. Finally, be strong lest prosperity lift you up too much or adversity cast you down. Be humble in this life so that God may raise you up in the next. Be truly moderate and do not punish or condemn anyone immoderately. Be gentle so that you may never oppose justice. Be honourable so that you never voluntarily bring disgrace upon anyone. Be chaste so that you may avoid all the foulness that so resembles the pangs of death.’
IX. On Praying
‘Pray so that it expels idleness and sloth from you, and confers upon you the combined aid of all virtues in their entirety, enabling you to vanquish all enemies, both apparent and hidden.’
X. On Mercy and Other Virtues
‘All these virtues I have noted above make up the royal crown and without them, no one is fit to rule here on earth or attain to the heavenly Kingdom.’
Source: https://www.hungarianconservative.com/ar...y_country/
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| Future Pope Leo XIV embraced synodality, female leadership as bishop in Peru |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-25-2026, 09:37 AM - Forum: Pope Leo XIV
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Future Pope Leo XIV embraced synodality, female leadership as bishop in Peru
Long before Pope Francis' Synod on Synodality, then-Bishop Robert Prevost allowed women to lead synodal commissions in his Peru diocese, according to a report.
![[Image: 1-robert-prevost.jpg]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/1-robert-prevost.jpg)
Cardinal Robert Prevost, during a Synod 2023 press conference
Michael Haynes
Fri Jul 24, 2026
(LifeSiteNews) — A new report published this week by the heterodox National Catholic Reporter (NCR) featuring interviews from members of the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, sheds new light on how then-Bishop Robert Prevost, the future Pope Leo XIV, implemented synodality and embraced women taking on leadership roles during his tenure as ordinary.
The July 21 report recounted that, upon his arrival in the Chiclayo in 2014, first as apostolic administrator of the diocese, seven years before Pope Francis’ Vatican opened the Synod on Synodality, Prevost attempted to remedy a deeply divided diocese by forming a “diocesan pastoral animation team” that would become better known by its Spanish acronym EDAP. This group, later described as a “synodal laboratory,” consisted of priests, religious, and lay men and women who traveled through the diocese to listen to each parish’s needs and particularly emphasized the perspective of the laity.
Clerics and laity in Chiclayo described to NCR how Bishop Prevost focused on “listening” to the perspective of the laity and even defended allowing women to lead synodal commissions.
“At that time, Msgr. Robert (Prevost) talked about ‘co-responsibility of the layperson,’” Luis Antonio Zapata, a lay catechist who joined the EDAP in 2018, told NCR.
He added that Prevost would say “the priests are busy with their tasks, get more laypeople in here, because the laity is best able to reach the laity.”
Father Elmer Uchofen, a priest who helped lead the diocese’s synodal process, stressed that Bishop Prevost would often speak and focus on “encounter” and “listening” to the faithful.
“(Prevost) spoke to us about encounter, about needing to listen to later see what path to take,” the priest said.
“His way of being helped a lot, because he was a bishop that knew how to listen and to be patient,” he added. “He would sit in the groups and listen to the people, to everyone: priests, the laity, to the ones that were drifting a bit or had fallen away from the church. In that sense, he was a real pastor.”
Indeed, since his election as 267th pontiff last year, Leo has repeatedly highlighted in continuity with his predecessor, Pope Francis, his belief that the Church ought to be a “synodal church,” beginning with his first remarks as pontiff.
READ: Pope Leo defends synodality, tells cardinals ‘I need your support: strong, explicit, and public’
“To all of you, brothers and sisters from Rome, from Italy, from all over the world, we want to be a synodal Church, a Church that walks, a Church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, that always seeks to be close especially to those who suffer,” the newly elected pope said from the loggia.
In an extended interview last fall with Crux correspondent Elise Ann Allen for a since-published biography, Leo further stressed continuity with Francis on synodality and other key issues, noting how his time in Peru deepened his connection to the late Argentine pontiff’s outlook.
I believe (the time in Peru) was significant in both my connection with Pope Francis, my understanding of some of the vision that Pope Francis had for the Church, and how we can continue to carry that on in terms of a true prophetic vision for the Church today and tomorrow,” Leo said.
On synodality, Leo was explicit that the “process that began long before the last synod” must continue.
“I think there’s great hope if we can continue to build on the experience of the past couple years and find ways of being Church together,” he said.
READ: Leo XIV vows to ‘continue’ Francis’ ‘prophetic vision’ for the Church
Gladys Calderón, a lay female member of the EDAP who is also involved with the diocese’s Charismatic Renewal, recounted how Prevost had been more welcoming to members of their movement than his predecessor.
“As a movement, we saw ourselves as keeping a certain distance from the diocese, because as a charismatic movement we have a particular way of living (the faith), but Msgr. Roberto shook up that structure and brought us on board to walk together,” she told NCR. “We became more united, more integrated into the diocese, sharing our different charisms — it was a beautiful experience in building unity.”
Another laywoman, Birgit Weiler, a theologian at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, emphasized how Prevost had allowed several women to lead teams that provided “synodal formation” in parishes and even defended allowing this after facing pushback from priests.
“Not all parish priests were so happy when a commission came, led by a woman,” Weiler said, adding that Prevost “fully backed up the women.”
“(Prevost) said, ‘They are prepared as well as the men are and this commission is led by a woman, full stop,'” she said.
As with his emphasis on synodality, the future Pope Leo’s desire to see women take on leadership roles seems to have carried over into his pontificate.
In June, the pontiff named Maria Montserrat “Montse” Alvarado, who currently serves as president and chief operating officer of EWTN News, as the next Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication and the first woman to lead a Roman curia office.
Leo has also confirmed Sister Simona Brambilla in her role as the Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and named her to the Dicastery for Bishops. The pontiff also confirmed Sister Raffaella Petrini and María Lía Zervino, the former president of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations, in their roles in this key dicastery.
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| Holy Mass in New Hampshire - August 9, 2026 |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-24-2026, 10:01 AM - Forum: August 2026
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Holy Sacrifice of the Mass - Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Date: Sunday, August 9, 2026
Time: Confessions - 9:00 AM
Holy Mass - 9:30 AM
Location: The Oratory of the Sorrowful Heart of Mary
66 Gove's Lane
Wentworth, NH 03282
Contact: 315-391-7575
sorrowfulheartofmaryoratory@gmail.com
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| Pagan Aztec war dance takes over LA Catholic cathedral sanctuary |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-24-2026, 07:06 AM - Forum: Vatican II and the Fruits of Modernism
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A reminder that incorporation of different 'cultures' is practically mandated by Vatican II:
Quote:[There are] numerous articles that encourage adapting the Roman Rite (by means of experimentation and creativity) to the vernacular languages, to modern mentalities and cultures (and thus to the spirit of the world), to national and local usages, or which revive archaic forms of these: Sacrosanctum Concilium §§24, 36:2-3, 37, 38, 39, 40, 44, 50, 53, 54, 63, 65, 66, 67, 77, 79, 90, 101, 119, 120, 128, etc.
Pagan Aztec war dance takes over LA Catholic cathedral sanctuary
The sacrilegious ‘Aztec Mass’ event featured pagan Aztec music and war dances with immodest performers near the altar of the Los Angeles cathedral.
![[Image: shutterstock_2746439303.jpg]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/shutterstock_2746439303.jpg)
Aztec dancers
Shutterstock
Jul 23, 2026
LOS ANGELES (LifeSiteNews) — The Archdiocese of Los Angeles allowed the performance of a “Misa Azteca” (“Aztec Mass”) concert, which featured pagan Aztec music, dances, and poetry in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels last month.
The sacrilegious June 27 event, held in the mother church of the largest archdiocese in the United States, combined the sacred music of the Catholic Mass, such as the solemn “Kyrie” chant and the “Ite Missa Est,” with pagan Aztec rhythms and indigenous instruments accompanying the cathedral orchestra.
The event also featured Aztec war dances being performed near the altar, with the dancers immodestly dressed, and Nahua poetry.
Joseph Julián González, the composer of the “Misa Azteca,” claimed that the Mass composition was born out of his devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe and recalled how he felt inspired to write it after the “Kyrie” from the High Mass played to an Aztec dance rhythm popped in his head, believing this was “divine inspiration.”
“It’s so beautiful, the way that God really wanted to bring all people, including the indigenous, to himself,” González said. “It enriches our knowledge of the Guadalupe event, and it enriches our Catholicism.”
While the Catholic Church has always sought to bring people of all cultures together, it has also always condemned the concept of syncretism, or the blending of pagan and other non-Catholic rituals, such as Aztec dances, with Catholic practices.
Furthermore, González saying that devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe inspired the creation of this composition is deeply ironic, as Our Lady appeared to St. Juan Diego to convert the Aztec and other indigenous peoples in the New World to the Catholic faith.
Despite the Church’s clear teaching, syncretism has become common in many Catholic churches across the globe in recent decades. Perhaps most scandalously, during the 2019 Amazon Synod, a ceremony honoring the Andean fertility “goddess” Pachamama was held in the Vatican Gardens before Pope Francis, cardinals, bishops, and priests.
A group that included Franciscan friars knelt and prostrated themselves, foreheads to the ground, before two wooden statues of Pachamama. The ritual was led by a woman with a painted face and headdress, who later processed to Pope Francis and placed rings on his fingers. A second woman brought to him a Pachamama statue, and Francis blessed himself before it, blessed it, and took it as a gift from the woman.
Following the ceremony, the Pachamama idols were processed into the Paul VI Hall, where the pope, cardinals, and bishops met for discussions at the Amazonian Synod. Later, the Pachamama idol would be processed into St. Peter’s Basilica, where, again, the pope and cardinals stood around it, praying.
Photos unearthed by Faith & Reason co-host Father Charles Murr earlier this year, also show then-Father Robert Prevost, the future Pope Leo XIV, attending a Pachamama ritual.
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