“Rather, they cement the Catholic tradition up to Pius XII,” explained Archbishop Gänswein, now apostolic nuncio to three Baltic nations. “After that everything was over for them, that’s it, from that moment there were only mistakes.”

In remitting the excommunications of the four bishops illicitly consecrated in 1988, Pope Benedict was “like a father who tries to create peace—an outstretched hand that, unfortunately, they did not accept,” Archbishop Gänswein continued. “There was a radical fringe that prevailed.”

The prelate called for the repeal of Traditionis Custodes, Pope Francis’s 2021 apostolic letter restricting the extraordinary form of the Mass: “a wrong decision can and must be corrected ... I believe that Pope Francis has made a mistake, without realizing it.”

“We in no way claim to substitute ourselves for the Church, and we have no ambition other than to remain faithful to her,” Father Davide Pagliarani wrote in his July 3 letter. “In conscience, we did not believe we could evade the moral duty we owe to souls.”

“We are certain that one day You yourself, or one of Your successors, will wish to adopt the program of Saint Pius X: ‘To restore all things in Christ,’” Father Pagliarani added. “On that day, the Holy Father will discover, with great joy and profound consolation, authentically Catholic souls whose bond with the Church was never founded upon the shifting sands of an ambiguous dialogue, but upon the rock of the faith of Peter.”

Pope Leo XIV marked the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America with a letter extending “heartfelt congratulations to all Americans on the occasion.”

Pope Leo XIV accepted the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center and, in a July 3 video address (49:05), hailed the “lofty ideals enshrined at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence.”

“We cannot remain silent while funds meant for the poor are being stolen,” Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo of Kidapawan said on June 28. “We cannot remain silent while the people’s treasury is being turned into the personal wealth of a few. We cannot remain silent while corruption continues to destroy the future of our children.”

“It is not enough to pray for change,” Bishop Bagaforo added. “We must also stand up for change. It is not enough to ask for good governance. We must also demand accountability.”

Pope Leo XIV received President Gustavo Petro of Colombia on July 2, a month before a new Colombian president is scheduled to take office.

Police detained Bishop Abelardo Mata, 80, on June 29, released him, and detained him again the following day. The prelate is the retired bishop of Estelí.

“Lithuania and the Holy See enjoy a long-standing warm relationship built on mutual respect,” said Kęstutis Budrys. “Lithuania highly appreciates the role of the Holy See in our country’s resistance against the Soviet occupation and in the restoration of an independent state of Lithuania, and, in the context of today’s realities, its support for Ukraine.”

“We stand ready to work together to increase pressure on Russia and achieve a sustainable, just peace in Ukraine,” Budrys added.

“Catechist Victor Paul succumbed to severe torture, preventable illness, and starvation, while the others were brutally murdered by their captors,” according to the archdiocesan announcement. Two dozen other captives, including Paul’s son and pregnant wife, regained their freedom in a series of releases.

The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network released the video associated with Pope Leo’s prayer intention for July.