Musings of an Old Curmudgeon

29 August 2026

Pope Leo Ordered Vatican To Stop Using Rupnik Images but Has Not Laicized Him

Excommunicating him or laicising him would upset his many powerful friends in the Lavender Mafia in the hierarchy and the Curia.

From LifeSiteNews

By Emily Mangiaracina

Despite Pope Leo’s suppression of Marko Rupnik’s artwork, he has not moved to excommunicate him or laicize him after his automatic excommunication in 2020 was revoked under Pope Francis.

Pope Leo XIV personally ordered the Vatican to stop using artwork created by the disgraced Father Marko Rupnik, according to the bishop of Lourdes.

Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of the Diocese of Lourdes-Tarbes revealed in an interview this week with Paris Match how Pope Leo was responsible for the new policy of the Vatican regarding Rupnik’s works, The Catholic Herald reported.

Under Francis’ pontificate, Rupnik’s artwork continued to be displayed by the Vatican and around the world despite the credible allegations against the artist, and the art’s intimate link to his abuse. Rupnik used his sexual abuse victims as models for his art.

The Vatican’s online news sites used Rupnik’s images for many years to commemorate liturgical feasts. For example, in 2024, Vatican News published an article to commemorate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary headed by Rupnik’s depiction of the scene.

In June 2024, Vatican communications chief Paolo Ruffini defended the continued use of Rupnik’s mosaics, dismissing concerns by saying, “We’re not talking about abuse of minors.”

Micas shared that during an audience with Pope Leo on June 26, 2025, the pontiff “confided to him on that occasion that he himself had ordered the removal of the reproductions of Rupnik’s mosaics, which were still illustrating articles on the Holy See’s official website, Vatican News.”

Leo is “very determined,” he added.

It was reported in June 2025 that the Vatican had quietly removed images of mosaics by Rupnik from its official website. The move came after years of backlash from victims, lay groups, and senior Church figures.

Critics noted the absence of any formal statement. The Vatican press office offered no comment on who ordered the change or why. “Doing the right thing for the wrong reason is still partial progress,” Antonia Sobocki of a UK-based victims’ group LOUDfense said at the time.

Francis had invited Rupnik to give a Lenten homily to the Curia in March 2020, just weeks after the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) judges “unanimously” ruled Rupnik had incurred his automatic excommunication due to having absolved a sexual accomplice in confession. The Pope was accused of intervening for Rupnik by lifting, reportedly “within hours,” the excommunication that Rupnik incurred for that offense.

Previous investigations into Rupnik had been dropped in October 2022 by the DDF and, according to Messa in Latino, this was directly due to Pope Francis not lifting the statute of limitations.

Rupnik is currently undergoing a Vatican canonical criminal trial. MessainLatino and AdVaticanum reported in July that a five-judge panel had acquitted Rupnik of all allegations of “violence” in his alleged acts of sexual abuse.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, issued a statement days later declaring that “Reports concerning any decision whatsoever by the judges handling the case of the Reverend Marko Ivan Rupnik are entirely unfounded.”

“The assessment of the case is still underway, and the panel is examining the documentation received from the dioceses concerned, the Jesuits, the persons involved, and the press,” he added.

Rupnik has been accused of having abused numerous women and at least one man in a variety of forms – sexual, spiritual, physical, and psychological. The abuse is reported to have taken place against at least 21 of the 40-strong Loyola Community of religious women, which he co-founded in his native Slovenia. An additional 15 alleged victims have come forward since his case became public knowledge in December 2022.

Despite Rupnik’s case being very high profile, canonical trials before the DDF are kept under seal unless the Vatican decides otherwise. Thus, the Holy See may not disclose any details about the proceedings, leading some to question the lack of transparency in such a case.

Laura Sgrò, who represents several of Rupnik’s victims, recently lamented the fact that Rupnik’s trial has been conducted in secrecy and that the victims have not had a chance to be heard during his trial.

The Jason Arday Case: Identity Over Integrity

It is unfortunate that he probably committed suicide rather than face the consequences. The case shows how wedded to identity politics and how "woke" and corrupt modern Western academia is.

From The European Conservative

By Hélène de Lauzun, PhD

The Jason Arday affair suggests that Britain's academic establishment became so eager to celebrate an emblematic success story that it neglected the ordinary standards of verification expected of every scholar.

For several years, Jason Arday embodied an exemplary story. Diagnosed with autism, non-verbal until the age of eleven and having learnt to read late, he had become a lecturer at Cambridge at the age of thirty-seven. His journey was regularly the subject of admiring profiles in the British and international press. He was also presented as a key figure in the diversification of Britain’s academic elites, often described, depending on the source, as Cambridge’s first—or youngest—black professor.

Today, this success story is crumbling under the weight of allegations of plagiarism, biographical inconsistencies, and investigations into his academic qualifications. After initially defending its professor vigorously, Cambridge finally launched an internal investigation before Jason Arday tendered his resignation this week.

The scandal extends far beyond the personal case of a single academic. It reveals the excesses of a system in which the prestige of certain identities has taken precedence over basic verification requirements.

The first aspect of the case concerns the allegations of plagiarism. Analyses have highlighted numerous similarities between his doctoral thesis and earlier works. A previous investigation conducted by Liverpool John Moores University had found no grounds for disciplinary action, concluding that the issues stemmed more from citation errors than from deliberate fraud. However, new evidence has led Cambridge to reopen the case, alongside other investigations into his academic career.

Added to these suspicions are questions regarding several claims that had played a major part in building his reputation. Universities have disputed the honorary titles or visiting professorship roles attributed to him in various official biographies. Other claims concerning sporting achievements, fundraising records, or certain spectacular episodes in his personal life have proved impossible to verify or have even been contradicted by the available facts.

For several days, Cambridge responded to the criticism not by examining the evidence, but by denouncing an alleged smear campaign. Petitions in his support quickly portrayed Jason Arday as the victim of racist attacks aimed at bringing down a black academic in a prestigious position. It is, of course, possible that some of his critics were driven by ideological motives. But this hypothesis never absolves one from examining the facts.

Yet this is precisely what seems to have been lacking. Instead of responding point by point to the accusations, part of the debate shifted towards the supposed intentions of the accusers. This reversal has become all too familiar: when evaluation criteria become politicised, criticism itself is easily equated with a form of discrimination. This line of reasoning is dangerous for everyone, including researchers from minority backgrounds. By suggesting that certain careers enjoy special protection against ordinary criticism, it fuels precisely the suspicion it claims to combat.

How could a university as prestigious as Cambridge have appeared so unwilling to verify certain elements—which were, after all, central to the career of one of its professors?

The prestige attached to his personal history undoubtedly played a part. His career had become a powerful symbol of the diversity and inclusion policies pursued by many British universities. For many, questioning certain aspects of this history amounted to questioning the institutional narrative itself. Yet a university cannot function sustainably on narratives alone. It rests on a single true currency that is scientific credibility.

The most recent developments also show that the consequences of the scandal now extend far beyond the academic world. The Guardian has revealed that Jason Arday claims to have received an advance of around $1.4 million from the publisher Simon & Schuster for his memoir, Great and Unfortunate Things, which is still due to be published despite the controversy. The publisher refuses to confirm the exact amount but maintains its confidence in the project, emphasising that no allegations of plagiarism directly concern the book’s manuscript.

For Simon & Schuster, the situation has become particularly delicate. A publishing contract signed in exchange for a substantial advance constitutes a significant legal obligation. Suspending publication could lead to complex legal proceedings with the author; proceeding with the release, however, exposes the publisher to considerable reputational risk.

The responsibility lies not only with Cambridge but with a whole chain of institutions—universities, the media, publishing houses—which have played a major part in constructing a heroic figure before thoroughly verifying the foundations of that narrative.

Cases of plagiarism at university are rife. But the Jason Arday affair goes beyond this, signalling the collapse of academic excellence. The university must remain impartial to identity-based narratives when it comes to assessing the facts. The criteria for academic excellence must be the same for everyone, precisely because they protect everyone from arbitrariness. It is appalling to see that an institution as prestigious as Cambridge could so readily suspend its critical judgement and allow itself to be taken in by a narrative that fitted all too perfectly with the ideological expectations of the moment.

Bishop Challoner's Meditations ~ August 30th

ON THE DEGREES OF HUMILITY

Consider first, that true humility does not consist in speaking ill of ourselves, by saying we are great sinners, or the like; nor yet in wearing plain apparel, or employing ourselves in mean offices; nor in looking down upon the ground, &c. - we may do all this, and yet be far from being humble; because all this may be done out of pride, either to acquire the esteem of others by this outward show of humility, or to please and applaud ourselves with the conceit of our being humble. True humility consists not in words, nor in the outside; but in the inward sentiments of the heart. 'Humility,' says St. Bernard, 'is a virtue by which a man, out of a most true knowledge of himself, becomes mean and contemptible in his own eye; so that for a man to be truly humble is to have a low opinion of himself, through the deep sense he has of his own unworthiness and of his sins; and therefore to despise himself and to be willing to be despised by all the world' See, my soul, if these be thy dispositions: if not thou art not truly humble.

Consider 2ndly, that the first degree of true humility is that which is expressed in the definition given by St. Bernard, viz., that we should have that knowledge of ourselves, and of all our miseries and sins; such a conviction of our having nothing at all to be proud of, and very many things that make us wretchedly mean and contemptible, as sincerely to despise ourselves: seeing there is nothing in us of good that is our own, and that whatsoever is in us of our own proper growth, or of our own stock, is all good for nothing, yea filthy and abominable. What room then can there be in us for any self-conceit, or self-esteem? How many and how pressing inducements have we to oblige us to think meanly of ourselves, and to despise ourselves? And yet how much does this unhappy pride prevail, in spite of all these humiliations which we carry about with us? Oh! let this misery of ours at least be a motive to despise ourselves the more!

Consider 3rdly, that the second degree of true humility advances us still farther, and makes us not only to despise ourselves, but to be willing and even desirous to be despised by all others; and that all others should have the same mean opinion of us as we pretend to have of ourselves. And indeed since in all things we are even willing to have others to be of the same opinion with ourselves, did we sincerely despise ourselves, we should certainly be glad that all others should have the same way of thinking as we have, and should in like manner despise us also. Alas! how far am I from these dispositions! The third and most sublime degree of humility is that of the saints, who in the midst of the greatest favours and highest elevations and all the supernatural gifts of divine grace are so established in God's truth as to ascribe nothing at all to themselves, but all to God: and by how much the more they are exalted by him, are so much the more mean in their own eyes, by descending so much the deeper into the abyss of their own nothingness. Happy they that in all things know how to distinguish what belongs to God, from that which belongs to themselves, and to reserve to themselves only which is their own, and to give all the rest to God!

Conclude to aim at ascending from step to step, by the help of the knowledge of thyself; and not to rest till thou arrivest at the perfection of humility. She will bring to thee all good things along with her, and conduct thee safe to the kingdom of God.

30 August, Antonio, Cardinal Bacci: Meditations For Each Day

Perseverance

1. “He who has persevered to the end,” Jesus tells us, “will be saved.” (Mt. 10:22; 24:13) Elsewhere He says that “no one, having put his hand to the plough and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Cf. Luke 9:62) It is necessary, therefore, to persevere in goodness if we wish to be saved.

It is easy to begin, but it is difficult to continue. In a moment of fervour, perhaps, you promised to be holy. Maybe some misfortune came your way, such as the loss of someone very dear to you, and you were moved to meditate upon the vanity of earthly things and promised to dedicate yourself entirely to God. In that moment you experienced the truth of the words of Ecclesiastes, summarised in the “Imitation of Christ:” “Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity, but to love God and serve Him alone.” (Bk. 1, Ch. 1:4)

Unfortunately, your good resolutions wore away with time. You may have been swept away once more by the deceptive pleasures of this world. Or perhaps your charity grew cold and in your tepidity you gave in to the violent onslaught of temptation.

Christian perseverance has three main enemies. (1) Firstly, there is time, which slowly consumes this virtue. You must conquer time by resolving to begin the battle anew every morning of your life. (2) Then there is the devil, who goes about, as St. Peter warns us, like a lion in search of his prey. (Cf. 1 Peter 5:8) You must resist him by the strength of your faith. (3) Finally, there is spiritual sloth which easily invades the soul. You must take your cue from St. Paul’s exhortation: “My beloved brethren, be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 15:58)

2. Perseverance may be a difficult virtue, but nothing is really difficult to a man of strong resolution. When the sister of St. Thomas Aquinas asked him how to become holy, he replied that it needed only one thing – a firm act of the will, for God will certainly supply the necessary grace. Think of how much work and sacrifice is required to achieve worldly success. Cicero wrote that it required constant and tireless labour in order to become a great orator. (Cf. De Orat., 1:39) St. Paul cited the examples of athletes who are prepared to make such great sacrifices in order to train themselves to win. If they are prepared to do so much to gain a perishable crown, he comments, we should be prepared to do much more to gain an imperishable one. (Cf. 1 Cor. 9:25)

3. The grace of God is the principal weapon upon which we must depend in order to gain our victory. We should pray for it humbly and perseveringly. There will be victors and losers in the battle for Heaven as well as in earthly contests. We must make sure that we are on the winning side. For this purpose we should combine fervent and constant prayer with generous cooperation with the grace of God.

Eastern Rite ~ Feasts of 30 August AM 7534

Today is the Feast of Our Holy Fathers and Patriarchs of Constantinople Alexander (336), John the Faster (577), and Paul the New (784).

✠✠✠✠✠

Saints Alexander, John and Paul, Patriarchs of Constantinople, lived at different times, but each of them happened to clash with the activities of heretics who sought to distort the teachings of the Church. Saint Alexander (325-340) was a vicar bishop during the time of Saint Metrophanes (June 4), the first Patriarch of Constantinople.

Because of the patriarch’s extreme age, Alexander substituted for him at the First Ecumenical Synod at Nicea (325). Upon his death, Saint Metrophanes left instructions in his will to elect his vicar to the throne of Constantinople. During these times His Holiness Patriarch Alexander had to contend with the Arians and with pagans. Once, in a dispute with a pagan philosopher the saint said to him, “In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ I command you to be quiet!” and the pagan suddenly became mute. When he gestured with signs to acknowledge his errors and affirm the correctness of the Christian teaching, then his speech returned to him and he believed in Christ together with many other pagan philosophers. The faithful rejoiced at this, glorifying God Who had given such power to His saint.

The heretic Arius was punished through the prayer of Saint Alexander. Arius had apparently agreed to enter into communion with the Catholics. When the Emperor asked him if he believed as the Fathers of Nicea taught, he placed his hand upon his breast (where he had cunningly concealed beneath his clothes a document with his own false creed written upon it) and said, “This is what I believe!” Saint Constantine (May 21), unaware of the deceitful wickedness of Arius, set a day for receiving him into the Church. All night long Saint Alexander prayed, imploring the Lord not to permit this heretic to be received into communion with the Church.

In the morning, Arius set out triumphantly for the church, surrounded by imperial counsellors and soldiers, but divine judgment overtook him. Stopping to take care of a physical necessity, his bowels burst forth and he perished in his own blood and filth, as did Judas (Acts 1:18).

His Holiness Patriarch Alexander, having toiled much, died in the year 340 at the age of 98. Saint Gregory the Theologian (January 25) mentioned him afterwards in an encomium to the people of Constantinople.

The Service to Saint Alexander was printed in Venice in 1771. According to some ancient manuscripts, Saint Alexander ought to be commemorated on June 2. Today he is remembered together with the holy Patriarchs John the Faster (September 2) and Paul the New (eighth century).

Troparion — Tone 4

O God of our Fathers, / always act with kindness towards us; / take not Your mercy from us, / but guide our lives in peace / through the prayers of the Patriarchs Alexander, John, and Paul.

Troparion — Tone 4
(Podoben: "Go quickly before us...")
Christ, the God over all,1 / has appointed you as a venerable shepherd of His Church, O Godly-wise Alexander, / a light upon the lampstand, a faithful steward, / and the most holy example of a pillar of Orthodoxy. / Therefore, we keep festival in your memory.

✠✠✠✠✠

Saint John IV the Faster, Patriarch of Constantinople (582-595), is famed in the Catholic Church as the compiler of a penitential Nomokanon (i.e. rule for penances), which has come down to us in several distinct versions, but their foundation is one and the same. These are instructions for priests on how to hear the confession of secret sins, whether these sins have been committed, or are merely sins of intention.

Ancient Church rules address the manner and duration of public penances which were established for obvious and manifest sinners. But it was necessary to adapt these rules for the secret confession of things which were not evident. Saint John the Faster issued his penitential Nomokanon (or “Canonaria”), so that the confession of secret sins, unknown to the world, bore witness to the good disposition of the sinner and of his conscience in being reconciled to God, and so the saint reduced the penances of the ancient Fathers by half or more.

On the other hand, he set more exactly the character of the penances: severe fasting, the daily performance of a set number of prostrations to the ground, the distribution of alms, etc. The length of penance is determined by the priest. The main purpose of the Nomocanon compiled by the holy Patriarch consists in assigning penances, not simply according to the seriousness of the sins, but according to the degree of repentance and the spiritual state of the person who confesses.

Among the Greeks, and later in the Russian Church, the rules of Saint John the Faster are honoured on a level “with other saintly rules,” and the Nomocanons of his book are accounted “applicable for all the Church.”

The first Slavonic translation was done quite possibly by Saint Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, at the same time as he produced the Nomocanon in 50 Titles of the holy Patriarch John Scholastikos, whose successor on the throne of Constantinople was Saint John the Faster. This ancient translation was preserved in Rus in the “Ustiug Rudder” of the thirteenth century, which was published in 1902.

From the sixteenth century in the Russian Church, the Nomocanon of Saint John the Faster was circulated in another redaction, compiled by the monks and clergy of Mount Athos. In this form, it was repeatedly published at the Kyiv Caves Lavra (in 1620, 1624, and 1629).

Saint John is also commemorated on September 2.

Kontakion — Tone 8

Set aflame by the love of Christ, O glorious ones, / you took up the yoke of His precious Cross revealing yourselves as followers in His footsteps by your way of life, / and you became partakers of His divine glory, / divinely-wise Alexander, with wonderful John and glorious Paul. / As you stand before His throne, earnestly pray for our souls.

✠✠✠✠✠

Saint Paul, by birth a Cypriot, became Patriarch of Constantinople (780-784) during the reign of the Iconoclast Emperor Leo IV the Khazar (775-780), and was a virtuous and pious, but timid man. Seeing the martyrdom which Catholics endured for the holy icons, the saint concealed his Catholicism and associated with the iconoclasts.

After the death of the emperor Leo, he wanted to restore icon veneration but was not able to accomplish this, since the iconoclasts were still quite powerful. The saint realized that it was not in his power to guide the flock, and so he left the patriarchal throne and went secretly to the monastery of Saint Florus, where he took the schema.

He repented of his silence and association with the iconoclasts and spoke of the necessity for convening the Seventh Ecumenical Council to condemn the Iconoclast heresy. Upon his advice, Saint Tarasius (February 25) was chosen to the patriarchal throne. At that time, he was a prominent imperial counsellor. The saint died as a schemamonk in the year 804.

Byzantine Saints: Our Venerable Fathers the Holy Patriarchs of Constantinople: Alexander, John, and Paul the New

From an Orthodox source.

IN LUMINE FIDEI: 30 AUGUST – SAINT ROSE OF LIMA (Virgin)

IN LUMINE FIDEI: 30 AUGUST – SAINT ROSE OF LIMA (Virgin): The patron saint of the Americas was born at Lima in Peru in 1586. From her very cradle she gave clear signs of her future holiness. He...

IN LUMINE FIDEI: 30 AUGUST – FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

IN LUMINE FIDEI: 30 AUGUST – FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST: Dom Prosper Guéranger: In the Western Church this Sunday is called that of the Two Masters because of the Gospel which is read upon it. T...

30 August, The Chesterton Calendar

AUGUST 30th

War is a dreadful thing; but it does prove two points sharply and unanswerably—numbers and an unnatural valour. One does discover the two urgent matters; how many rebels there are alive, and how many are ready to be dead.

'What's Wrong with the World.'

30 August, The Holy Rule of St Benedict, Patriarch of Western Monasticism

CHAPTER LXXII. Of the good zeal which Monks ought to have

30 Apr. 30 Aug. 30 Dec.

As there is an evil zeal of bitterness, which separateth from God, and leads to hell, so there is a good zeal, which keepeth us from vice, and leadeth to God and to life everlasting. Let monks, therefore, exert this zeal with most fervent love; that is, “in honour preferring one another.” Let them most patiently endure one another’s infirmities, whether of body or of mind. Let them vie with one another in obedience. Let no one follow what he thinketh good for himself, but rather what seemeth good for another. Let them cherish fraternal charity with chaste love, fear God, love their Abbot with sincere and humble affection, and prefer nothing whatever to Christ. And may He bring us all alike to life everlasting.

31 August, The Roman Martyrology

Prídie Kaléndas Septémbris Luna duodevicésima. Anno Dómini 2026

August 31st 2026, the 18th day of the Moon, were born into the better life:
In England, [in the year 651,] holy Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne. Holy Cuthbert, who was then a shepherd lad, saw the soul of Aidan carried up into heaven, and he thereupon left his sheep and became a monk.
At Cardona, in Spain, [in the year 1240,] the holy Confessor Cardinal Raymond, surnamed the Unborn, of the Order of Blessed Mary of Ransom for the Redemption of Prisoners, a man famous for the holiness of his life, and for his wondrous works, whose feast we keep upon the first day of September.
At Trier, [in the year 358,] holy Paulinus, Bishop [of that see.] In the time of the persecution under the Arians he was exiled by Constantius the Arian Emperor on account of his Catholic belief, and when he had been wearied out by changing the places of his exile, even beyond the bounds of Christendom, he at length died in Phrygia, and received a crown from the Lord in reward of his blessed sufferings.
Likewise the holy martyrs Robustian and Mark.
At Trasacco, on the Lake of Celano, the holy martyrs Caesidius the Priest and his Companions, who were crowned with martyrdom in the persecution under the Emperor Maximin.
At Cassarea, in Cappadocia, [in the third century,] holy Theodotus, Rufina, and Ammia. Theodotus and Rufina were the father and mother of the holy martyr Mamas. Rufina gave him birth in prison, and Ammia was his nurse.
At Athens, [in the second century,] the holy Aristides, a man illustrious for his faith and wisdom, who offered to the Emperor Hadrian a book upon the Christian religion, containing an exposition of our doctrine, and delivered a most able discourse in the presence of the said Emperor, to prove that Christ Jesus is the only God.
At Auxerre, [in the sixth century,] the holy Confessor Optatus, Bishop [of that see.]
At Nusco, [in the year 1093,] holy Amatus, Bishop [of that see.]
At Monte Senario, hard by Florence, [in the year 1257,] the blessed Confessor Bonajuncta [Manetti,] one of the Seven Founders of the Order of Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who gave up the ghost into the Lord's hands as he was discoursing to his brethren concerning the same Lord's Passion.
℣. And elsewhere many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
℟. Thanks be to God.

Meme of the Moment

Today is her Feast Day.

Traditional Catholic Evening Prayers in English | August

Traditional Catholic evening devotional prayers to close your day with your mind and tongue on our Lord! The month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Begin and end each day with prayer. This video is a compilation of many traditional evening prayers Catholics say, and should not be considered a replacement for those who have an obligation to pray the Divine Office evening prayers.

Compline

From St Thomas Aquinas Seminary. You may follow the Office at Divinum Officium.

Byzantine Saints: Saint Arkadios the Wonderworker, Bishop of Arsinoe, Cyprus

First Vespers of the Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost

From the Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem. You may follow the Office at Divinum Officium.

Summa Contra Gentiles, Book II: LXVIII How the Intellectual Substance Can Be the Form of the Body

From Contemplating History

Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 7 March 1274), was a Doctor of the Church, Philosopher, Theologian, Jurist, Dominican Friar, and Priest. Known as Doctor Angelicus "Angelic Doctor," and the Doctor Communis "Universal Doctor" his writings serve as a defense and proof of the validity of Christ's authority over all. The Summa contra Gentiles (also known as Liber de veritate catholicae fidei contra errores infidelium, "Book on the truth of the Catholic faith against the errors of the unbelievers"). The Summa contra Gentiles consists of four books. The structure of Saint Thomas's work is designed to proceed from general philosophical arguments for monotheism, to which Muslims and Jews are likely to consent even within their own respective religious traditions, before progressing to the discussion of specifically Christian doctrine.

Book II is dedicated to the Creation (in other words, the physical universe, everything which exists). Whether you are a history enthusiast, a student of religion, or simply curious about the impact of the Roman Catholic Church on the world, this playlist is designed to provide an informative and engaging journey through its captivating past. Subscribe to the Contemplating History channel for more educational content and immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of history.

Will Transhumanism Change Consciousness?

From Closer to Truth

Will emerging technologies change what it means to be conscious? Anil Seth explores how brain-machine interfaces and sensory augmentation could reshape conscious experience, while arguing that uploading human consciousness into a computer remains highly speculative. 0:00 Will Transhumanism Change Consciousness? 1:01 The Promise and Risks of Brain-Machine Interfaces 2:05 Can Technology Create New Experiences? 3:39 Could Humans Become a New Species? 4:10 Can You Upload Your Consciousness? Anil Seth is a neuroscientist and Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, where he directs the Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science. His research focuses on the science of consciousness, and he is the bestselling author of Being You: A New Science of Consciousness.

The Holy Rosary

Saturday, the Glorious Mysteries, in Latin with Cardinal Burke.

Where Will King Harald V Be Buried?

From Allan Barton – the Antiquary

King Harald V of Norway has died, aged eighty-nine, after thirty-five years on the throne. His son succeeds him as King Haakon VIII. But the question of where Harald will be buried isn't really a mystery — it was quietly settled years ago, in a government budget document.

This video traces the burial places of Norway's kings from the medieval period to the present day: Saint Olaf's shrine at Nidaros, destroyed and its location lost since 1568; the centuries when Norway's kings were buried in Denmark instead of at home; the Royal Mausoleum built at Akershus Fortress after Queen Maud's death in 1938, and the very public disagreement over whether she should have been buried at Nidaros instead; the sarcophagi of Haakon VII, Maud, Olav V and Crown Princess Märtha; and the medieval remains built into the mausoleum's walls, including a king's skull that spent two centuries in Denmark before it was finally returned.The video ends with the sarcophagus already designed for King Harald and Queen Sonja — a commission from the architects Snøhetta that has drawn some criticism in the Norwegian press. • 0:00 – King Harald V Has Died • 0:50 – Saint Olaf and the Lost Grave • 1:52 – The Kings Buried at Nidaros • 2:18 – Bergen's Lost Christ Church • 3:10 – The Capital Moves to Oslo • 3:39 – Margaret and the Union with Denmark • 5:15 – 1905: Haakon VII and Queen Maud • 6:17 – Maud's Death and the Nidaros Debate • 8:45 – Building the Royal Mausoleum • 10:59 – The Sarcophagi of Haakon, Maud, Olav and Märtha • 12:32 – The Medieval Remains in the Walls • 13:47 – King Harald's Own Burial

How Will the Universe End? - Robert Scherrer, PhD (Vanderbilt University)

From The Society of Catholic Scientists

Leo XIV Warns Decisions “Are Being Entrusted to Machines”

His Holiness is spot on! Technology is, indeed, being concentrated in the hands of a few. In fact, in the hands of a few billionaires, like Bezos and Musk.

From Aleteia

By Daniel Esaparza

Speaking to international public administration scholars, the Pope called for ethical frameworks to govern AI — and warned that technology is concentrating in the hands of a few.

Leo XIV received members of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences in the Vatican on Friday, August 28, at the close of their annual conference in Rome; the Holy See is itself a member of the group. The Pope's address, brief and direct, focused almost entirely on artificial intelligence and its governance, framing the question as one of urgent ethical responsibility for public administrators worldwide.

The Pope opened by noting that the Institute’s conference theme — on maintaining balance in the use of digital technologies — “launches a vibrant appeal to our world in the digital age” that connects directly to his own encyclical Magnifica Humanitas. He then named the core problem without preamble: “The speed at which innovations in artificial intelligence are developing pushes us to ask whether we will be able to control these machines in the future, whether humanity does not risk becoming the victim of its own inventions.”

His diagnosis of the present situation was equally pointed. “One of the serious problems today is the observation that decisions concerning human life are being entrusted to machines.” The sentence is short and carries the weight of the entire address. The concern is not abstract — it is operational, immediate, and directed at the people in the room whose work is precisely the administration of public life.

Facing what he called this “worrying situation,” Leo welcomed the conference’s goal of reaffirming “the irreplaceable character of human intelligence in the face of these technological tools.” He quoted Magnifica Humanitas directly: “Calling for prudence, for rigorous controls and sometimes even for a slowdown in the adoption of AI does not mean being against progress, but showing responsible concern for the human family.”

Power concentrated in a few

The Pope raised the question of concentration of power as a specific structural concern. It is important, he said, that an ethical framework accompany the use of these tools, “which unfortunately are concentrated in the hands of major economic and technological actors, and which the State struggles to control.” The common good, he insisted, must not be sacrificed to private interests: “It is essential to ensure that the good of the human family is not sacrificed for private interests.”

Leo closed by connecting his call to that of Pope Francis, quoting his predecessor's Message for the 57th World Day of Peace in January 2024: “We have the duty to broaden our gaze and to orient techno-scientific research toward peace and the common good, for the service of the integral development of the human person and of the community.”

The International Institute of Administrative Sciences was founded in 1930, in the aftermath of the global economic crisis, with the stated vocation — as quoted by Leo from a 1950 address by Pius XII — of being “a constant appeal to the conscience of political authorities to adapt social life to the continually changing conditions of the times, so that it may realize the intentions and plans of the Wisdom of the Creator.”