Power Through Truth

Friday, January 30, 2026

Sick! Leo Doubles Down On Vatican Rejection Of ‘Co-Redemptrix’!

"At a time of apostasy, impurity, and confusion, the faithful do not need a diminished Mother."

From lifesitenews.com, written by John-Henry Westen Thu Jan 29, 2026 - 3:38 pm EST: Pope Leo doubles down on Vatican rejection of 'Co-Redemptrix' - LifeSite

"(LifeSiteNews) — On Thursday morning, Pope Leo XIV publicly praised a Vatican document that has already sparked one of the most serious Marian controversies in decades.

Addressing the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Pope commended the doctrinal note Mater Populi Fidelis, issued under the extremely controversial Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, infamous for his books on kissing and orgasms.

Leo praised the Fernández document, saying it “encourages popular Marian devotion, deepening its biblical and theological foundations, and at the same time offers precise and important clarifications for Mariology.”

While many suggested that it was only Fernández who issued the document, the Pope has now doubled down on his support after having originally permitted its publication and signing it.

But a growing number of faithful Catholics—bishops, priests, theologians, and even the Pope’s own former flock—say those “clarifications” do something very different.

They say the document diminishes the Blessed Virgin Mary, restricts time-honored Catholic language, and effectively repudiates doctrines that popes, saints, and the universal Church have taught for centuries.

Remember what the document actually says. Mater Populi Fidelis declares that the Marian title “Co-Redemptrix” is “always inappropriate,” and it discourages the title “Mediatrix of All Graces,” claiming it is not clearly grounded in revelation and risks confusion.

That judgment has been met with alarm from some of the most serious Catholic authorities alive today.

Father Davide Pagliarani, Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X, said the document had a “profound impact” on him and described it as “tantamount to dethroning the Most Blessed Virgin Mary” of her traditional titles.

To be clear, the title Co-Redemptrix does not mean Mary is equal to Christ—and the Church has never taught that.

It means that by God’s will, Mary uniquely cooperated in Christ’s redemptive work: through her fiat at the Annunciation, her suffering at Calvary, and her lifelong union with her Son.

Popes taught this explicitly.

Pope Pius XI stated in 1933: “The Redeemer could not but associate His Mother with His work; for this reason we invoke her under the title of Co-Redemptrix.”

Saint John Paul II himself used the title on multiple occasions.

So IF “Co-Redemptrix” is “always inappropriate,” then popes, saints, mystics, and doctors of the Church were wrong—a conclusion impossible for Catholics to accept, particularly coming from Leo and Fernández.

A second refutation comes from the International Marian Association Theological Commission, a body that includes cardinals, bishops, and more than 40 internationally respected theologians—among them Scott Hahn and Mark Miravalle.

They called the Vatican note an “anti-development of doctrine.”

Because the document cuts away the doctrine those titles express.

The Commission pointed out that many central Catholic doctrines require explanation.

The Trinity.

The title Mother of God.

Transubstantiation.

By the Vatican’s logic, anything that requires explanation becomes “unhelpful.”

Third, the claim that Vatican II “refrained” from teaching Mary as Co-Redemptrix is historically false.

The theologians point out that Lumen Gentium explicitly teaches that Mary “associated herself with her Son’s sacrifice in her mother’s heart” and endured His suffering at Calvary.

The doctrine is there—even if the word is not.

Multiple critics note the Vatican document’s repeated insistence that Marian titles must not offend Protestant sensibilities.

Father Pagliarani called this concern “almost pathological.”

Bishop Bernard Fellay was even more blunt. He called the document “pitiful” and “an insult to God,” warning that it reflects a Protestant spirit inside the Church—one that cannot tolerate Mary’s God-given role in the economy of salvation.

But the opposition to the Vatican document extends even to Pope Leo XIV’s backyard—his own former diocese.

In Chiclayo, Peru—where Pope Leo served as bishop for eight years—more than 100 Catholics have formally petitioned him, urging him to reconsider what they call a “truly scandalous” and “harmful” Vatican document.

These are not academics. They are ordinary faithful—people he was supposed to have shepherded. They write that Mater Populi Fidelis has caused deep sadness among them.

They explain that on the feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, their parish priest found himself unable to preach Mary as Mediatrix of All Graces.

They ask the Pope:

“Can you imagine such a thing? What a harmful innovation this doctrinal note has been.”

They go further.

“Do not make our poor Mother suffer in this way… She who suffered so greatly at the foot of the Cross to give birth to us.”

When the most faithful bishops, theologians, priests, and now the simple laity all say the same thing—that Mary is being diminished—should the Church not listen?

At a time of apostasy, impurity, and confusion, the faithful do not need a diminished Mother.

They need the Woman whom Scripture calls “terrible as an army in battle array”—the one whom saints and popes called the Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of All Graces, because God Himself willed her cooperation in the salvation of souls and chose to give us All Grace and Truth through her."

Follow John-Henry

John-Henry is the co-founder and CEO of LifeSiteNews.com. He and his wife Dianne have eight children and they live in the Ottawa Valley in Ontario, Canada.

He has spoken at conferences and retreats, and appeared on radio and television throughout the world. John-Henry founded the Rome Life Forum, an annual strategy meeting for life, faith and family leaders worldwide. He is a board member of the John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family. He is a consultant to Canada’s largest pro-life organization Campaign Life Coalition, and serves on the executive of the Ontario branch of the organization. He has run three times for political office in the province of Ontario representing the Family Coalition Party.

John-Henry earned an MA from the University of Toronto in School and Child Clinical Psychology and an Honours BA from York University in Psychology.

Thursday, January 29, 2026

Maryland County Council Stops Praying ‘Our Father’ After Atheist Group Threatens Lawsuit

Jesus: If you deny me before men, I will deny you before My Father!

And so, it goes...

From lifesitenews.com, written by Emily Mangiaracina Wed Jan 28, 2026 - 1:54 pm EST: Maryland county council stops praying ‘Our Father’ after atheist group threatens lawsuit - LifeSite

"(LifeSiteNews) — A Maryland county council has stopped its tradition of beginning meetings by praying the “Our Father” after it received letters threatening litigation from the atheist group “Freedom from Religion Foundation” (FFRF).

While legal experts say the practice of praying before meetings is clearly constitutional, the council is concerned that it would be crushed by legal fees if it continues its practice of reciting the Lord’s Prayer.

The council has recently been hit with several letters threatening lawsuits, “including three letters of demand” from FFRF, which has proclaimed its purpose is to “promote the constitutional principle of separation of state and church and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.”

The Wicomico County Council in southeastern Maryland is considering replacing its longstanding practice of prayer by council members with “holding a moment of silence, hosting a clergy-led prayer or letting Wicomico County voters decide through a referendum,” according to the Salisbury Independent.

Council President John Cannon said during a January 20 legislative meeting that there has been “a great deal of disappointment” about the decision and that he “share[d] in that disappointment.” He pointed out that the tradition of praying the Our Father had been in place well before he began his council position 20 years ago.

“We are not a council that shies away from a challenge simply because litigation is threatened,” Cannon continued. “But when legal counsel is clear about the probable outcome, when the financial risk to our citizens is so substantial, we have a responsibility to weigh fiscal stewardship against our desire to preserve a tradition we’ve honored for so many years.”

David Cortman, senior counsel and vice president of U.S. Litigation at Alliance Defending Freedom, says the tradition of praying before legislative meetings goes back to the founding of the U.S. and that its legitimacy has since been affirmed by the Supreme Court.

“What’s funny about this recent case [is that] it feels a little bit like a blast from the past,” he remarked during “Washington Watch” on Monday. “These issues have been … settled by the Supreme Court over a decade ago,” said Cortman, going on to note that the country’s highest court ruled about 40 years ago that legislative prayer is constitutional. Marsh v. Chambers in 1983 upheld the Nebraska legislature’s practice of opening sessions with a prayer by a publicly funded chaplain. That decision noted that legislative prayer has been practiced in the U.S. since the First Congress, something alluded to by Cortman.

“These type of legislative prayers have been ongoing since, literally, [when] the First Amendment was passed,” said Cortman. “And Congress … hired a chaplain to engage in legislative prayers at the very beginning of our country, and so they’re permissible now.”

Groups like FFRF have been exploiting for decades a misunderstanding of the Establishment Clause, the so-called “separation of church and state,” which “doesn’t carry what the Left wants it to carry,” according to Cortman.

“They send out these fear-mongering letters, they threaten litigation, they threaten attorney fees, and towns and counties just look at their budget and say, ‘Look, we’re already strapped. We don’t want to take the risk of having to pay out attorney fees.’”

The attorney further advised that the left-leaning courts of Maryland should not discourage Cannon from holding firm to the council’s practice of prayer and even engaging in litigation if needed.

“[S]ometimes the law is different in different areas of the country, but that’s why the Supreme Court is there to even all that out,” he stressed. “[F]ederal law, according to the Supreme Court, is uniform everywhere. So you may have recalcitrant courts that try to distinguish cases or draw the lines differently. But even if this case [went] all the way up to the Supreme Court again, [it] would certainly … bless this practice because it’s part of the tradition of our country going back to our Founders.”

Cortman urged other local governments facing similar legal challenges to turn to groups like Alliance Defending Freedom, “who could give them legal advice on the exact issue.”

“I’ve seen these letters from Freedom from Religion Foundation literally for 30 years. … They threaten you with litigation and try to get towns and localities to stop doing whatever religious practice it happens to be. So they need to get advice from groups like ADF who do this sort of work and give them the advice and then hopefully make the decision to take a stand.”

“Because if we don’t, what happens is that erodes religious freedom for all of us.”'

End of very revealing article...

Pray for strength and honor!

Viva Cristo Rey! Bl. Fr. Miguel Pro, Fr. Emil Kapaun, and Fr. Vincent Capodanno, pray for us...

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle...

St. Joseph, pray for us!!

Gene DeLalla

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

The Heretic Dressed-Up As A Cardinal: Cupich Advocates For Latin Mass Suppression, Cites Document From Recent Consistory

Back on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, I posted this:

THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS! Pope Leo XIV Invokes Leo XIII As Early Champion Of Ecumenism!!

Now, Cupich is twisting another document -- a Bull by Pope Saint Pius V, to invoke even more suppression of the already-disappearing traditional Latin Mass, with another outrageous claim: ["]Cardinals["] Blase Cupich's and Arthur Roche's citation of Quo Primum in justifying TLM suppression is disingenuous, because the 1570 bull authorized the traditional Mass ‘in perpetuity.’

OUTRAGEOUS!

From lifesitenews.com, written by Emily Mangiaracina Tue Jan 27, 2026 - 3:15 pm EST: Cardinal Cupich advocates for Latin Mass suppression, cites document from recent consistory - LifeSite

"(LifeSiteNews) — ["]Cardinal["] Blase Cupich issued a reflection on Wednesday supporting Pope Francis’ goal of suppressing the traditional Latin Mass, arguing that the existence of only “one rite” is a matter of “unity.”

“Accepting the reform authorized by the church is a matter of preserving the unity of the church as St. Pope Pius V stated, a truth the late Pope Francis recalled,” wrote Cupich, referring to one of the main “takeaways” of a document on the liturgy distributed by Cardinal Arthur Roche at the extraordinary consistory convened by Pope Leo XIV earlier this month.

Cupich referred to Roche’s own citation of Pope Pius V that Bishop Athanasius Schneider later pointed out was taken out of context: “As in the Church of God there is only one way of reciting the psalms, so there ought to be only one rite for celebrating the Mass,” Pius V wrote while issuing the Roman Missal of 1570.

The Chicago Archbishop explicitly used this principle of “unity” as a justification for the TLM-suppressing Traditionis Custodes. Cupich pointed out that Francis considered the Second Vatican Council’s liturgical “reform” – that is, the Novus Ordo Missae – to be the “unique expression of the ‘lex orandi’ of the Roman Rite.”

Favoring the Novus Ordo while suppressing the traditional Latin Mass is therefore “in keeping with his predecessor St. Pope Pius V,” because “there must be only one rite as a means of preserving the unity of the church,” according to Cupich.

The orthodox prelate Schneider recently stressed that Roche selectively referenced Quo Primum in his consistory document when he quoted its statement that “there ought to be only one rite for celebrating the Mass.”

The reality is, Schneider pointed out, Quo Primum actually “explicitly permits all variants of the Roman Rite that had been in continuous use for at least 200 years to continue lawfully,” including the Ambrosian and Dominican rites. “Unity does not mean uniformity, as the history of the Church attests,” Schneider noted.

Referencing Quo Primum here is disingenuous on the parts of Roche and Cupich, because the 1570 bull clearly contradicts their main point by firmly authorizing the TLM “in perpetuity.”

Quo Primum states that “this Missal is hereafter to be followed absolutely, without any scruple of conscience or fear of incurring any penalty, judgment, or censure, and may freely and lawfully be used. Nor are superiors, administrators, canons, chaplains, and other secular priests, or religious, of whatever title designated, obliged to celebrate the Mass otherwise than as enjoined by Us. We likewise declare and ordain … that this present document cannot be revoked or modified but remains always valid and retains its full force.”

End of very disturbing article...

Pray for strength and honor!

Viva Cristo Rey! Bl. Fr. Miguel Pro, Fr. Emil Kapaun, and Fr. Vincent Capodanno, pray for us...

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle...

St. Joseph, pray for us!!

Gene DeLalla

That DAMNED Second Vatican Council!!!!

At the end of my articles, I ask Fr. Vincent Capodanno, among others, to pray for us.

Who was Fr. Capodanno?

He was the "Grunt Padre," in other words, he was the chaplain for a Marine detachment in Vietnam.

In September of 1967 (three months before I entered that country), Fr. Capodanno was ministering the Last Rites to a mortally wounded Marine on the battlefield.

As he was performing the duties of his office, Fr. Capodanno took numerous rounds from a machine gun (or an AK-47), killing him instantly.

He died performing the duties of the Catholic priesthood.

He knew that he would be subjecting himself to that very possibility, yet he also knew that he had to administer the all-important Last Rites to that Marine.

The following article will show just the opposite -- in once Catholic Spain, where priests were not allowed to minister to the dying on a train that had derailed...

How sad and destructive to those souls...

From lifesitenews.com, written by John-Henry Westen Tue Jan 27, 2026 - 5:00 pm EST: Spain blocks priests giving last rites after deadly train crash. Does Vatican II agree? - LifeSite

"(LifeSiteNews) — Imagine lying on the ground, knowing you’re about to die.

The train you took home in the evening derailed, throwing you and everyone else against the wall of the carriage. All around you, people are moaning in pain. Some of them are already dead. Others – like you – know that they will be dead soon too.

And imagine you can hear a conversation taking place, just outside the train.

“We need to get in,” you hear a man say. “We need to get to the dying.”

“You can’t, Father,” comes a reply. “This is an emergency health and rescue situation. We can’t let you in there to interfere.”

“Interfere?!” you hear another man say. “We are priests of Jesus Christ. We have to get the last rites to anyone still alive.”

“Father, I’m in charge of this scene. I can’t let you in. You might jeopardize a future investigation.”

“Souls are at stake!” the first priest’s voice comes back. “Captain, I demand that you let us in.”

“Father!” you try to call. But your words don’t come out. You’re ebbing away.

But you… you were planning on going to confession on Saturday, weren’t you? You had that one mortal sin on your soul, committed in a moment of weakness, but committed freely. And there will be no Saturday for you, now.

But just out there, not far away at all, is a priest with the power to absolve you – and with the will to enter a dangerous situation to do so. But he is being prevented from doing so, because “just public order,” as decided by the emergency services, must be observed.

Now friends, this is not just some melodrama.

Just a few days ago, on January 18, a passenger train derailed in Adamuz, Spain. Soon after it, another train crashed into it and derailed itself too.

According to the Spanish outlet Voz Populi, 45 people died. Other sources estimate that 292 were injured, and 15 were left in a critical condition.

This was the worst railway catastrophe in Spain since 2013.

And yes: it’s come to light that more than one priest from the Córdoba diocese rushed to the scene to bring the life-giving sacraments of Jesus Christ to the dying – and that the authorities prevented them from reaching the victims.

Spanish law contains provisions for citizens “to receive religions assistance” in a hospital or health center – but in circumstances like this, Voz Populi reports, “there is an absolute priority for health and rescue assistance,” and “religious assistance cannot ‘interfere’ with ‘rescue’ work.”

“Ridiculous!” I can hear some of you saying. “Isn’t the soul more important than the body? The Church should have the right to carry out her mission, nothing can be allowed to get in the way of that.”

Indeed, you are correct. This is the teaching of the Church – but… it is not the teaching, I’m afraid to say, of Vatican II.

Now, bear with me. This is not about scoring cheap points on the back of a tragedy. This is deadly serious.

Before Vatican II, the Church taught that, as the true Church of Jesus Christ, she had a right to absolute immunity from the state in the carrying out of her mission. She taught that the civil authority had a duty to help her carry out her mission.

The Catholic states – like Spain, I might add – recognized all this.

A priest would unquestionably be allowed in to administer to the dying. Any exceptions to this were just that – exceptions.

The immunity of the Church from the state, and her liberty in carrying out her mission, and the state’s duty to assist her in this: this is what is meant by the phrase “Christ is King” – even if those who throw it around as a slogan don’t really realize it.

But that all changed at Vatican II. Dignitatis Humanae is the most controversial document of that council, and it’s the document that attempted to redefine the Church’s teaching on religious liberty.

And because now the Vatican was advocating for all religions, rather than only the one true faith, they had to suggest that such religious liberties be qualified with “due limits.” The new teaching was that everyone had a right to religious freedom: to the free exercise of their own religion, unless – and I quote – “just public order” required otherwise.[1]

But once you’ve made that change, something important happens in practice: you give the civil authority the power to decide what those due limits are, and what constitutes just public order. You can’t claim that the Church still has the right to determine that: you’ve already given the power to do so away.

It’s true that the Vatican document says that the civil authority cannot “inhibit acts that are religious.” But the text is clear: religious acts can indeed be inhibited if “public order” requires it. And as I said, it’s not the Church who will be deciding what “public order” requires.

And that’s exactly what happens. It’s what happened in Spain, where the emergency services get to decide that the “due limits” of “just public order” mean that priests can’t enter a disaster zone and help prepare the dying for their judgment.

It’s what happened during COVID, when the governments of the world decided that “due limits” of “just public order” required churches to be closed, and the holy sacrifice of the Mass was to be suspended – while liquor and pot stores were still allowed to be open.

It’s what happened in England, when the Catholic Member of Parliament Sir David Amess was stabbed to death by an Islamist in 2021. A priest arrived on the scene to administer the last sacraments, but he was not allowed in by the police.

It’s no use complaining about the Spanish police, suggesting that they are anti-Catholic, or lack a proper appreciation of the sacraments and the supernatural order. It was Vatican II that put them in the position of making these decisions and practically – if not in principle – subjecting the Church to the state.

So what can we take home from this?

The novelties of Vatican II are not harmless. They affected David Amess, the victims in Spain, and all of us during COVID. And they could affect any of us again, too, if we find ourselves in a disaster like this, or victims of a terrorist attack, or any other terrible circumstances.
Stay in a state of grace. “You know not the day or the hour,” said Our Lord. One mortal sin merits an eternity in Hell. Do not commit mortal sin, and do not presume on the mercy of God or the ease of going to confession. As St Augustine famously said: God has promised us mercy, but he has not promised us tomorrow. And habits of venial sin incline us to mortal sin – so we must fight against them too.
Understand what to do if you are in a disaster situation. You need to try to make an act of perfect contrition. Calling upon the help of God, picture Our Lord on the cross before you – look at his hands and his feet, his side, and his head. Look at his wounds from the scourging, and think of his terrible suffering. Ask yourself what he is doing there: he is dying. What is he dying for? To bring glory to God and to save mankind. Why does mankind need saving? Because of sin – our sin – your sin and my sin. Our sins are what nailed him to the cross, and he was nailed there willingly and full of love. He loves us, and longs to save us. Make acts of faith, hope and charity – and the best act of contrition you can, as slowly and with as much love for God as you can muster. As well as this, know how to administer an emergency baptism, and be ready to help and encourage those around you to faith in Christ, love for him, and sorrow for their sins.

Let’s pray for the souls of those who died in this crash, and for their loved ones – and pray, every day, for a good death ourselves. As the Litany of the Saints says: “From a sudden and unprovided for death, deliver us, O Lord.”

References

References
↑1	“2. This Vatican Council declares that the human person has a right to religious freedom. This freedom means that all men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups and of any human power, in such wise that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others within due limits.” “2. […] The council further declares that the right to religious freedom has its foundation in the very dignity of the human person as this dignity is known through the revealed word of God and by reason itself. “This right of the human person to religious freedom is to be recognized in the constitutional law whereby society is governed and thus it is to become a civil right.” “2. […] The exercise of this right is not to be impeded, provided that just public order be observed.” “3. […] Injury therefore is done to the human person and to the very order established by God for human life, if the free exercise of religion is denied in society, provided just public order is observed.” “4. […] Provided the just demands of public order are observed, religious communities rightfully claim freedom in order that they may govern themselves according to their own norms, honor the Supreme Being in public worship, assist their members in the practice of the religious life, strengthen them by instruction, and promote institutions in which they may join together for the purpose of ordering their own lives in accordance with their religious principles.”

Follow John-Henry

John-Henry is the co-founder and CEO of LifeSiteNews.com. He and his wife Dianne have eight children and they live in the Ottawa Valley in Ontario, Canada.

John-Henry earned an MA from the University of Toronto in School and Child Clinical Psychology and an Honours BA from York University in Psychology.

End of article...

Pray for strength and honor!

Viva Cristo Rey! Bl. Fr. Miguel Pro, Fr. Emil Kapaun, and Fr. Vincent Capodanno, pray for us...

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle...

St. Joseph, pray for us!!

Gene DeLalla