Leo XIV, between traditionalist crisis and traditional thought

The choice of preachers for the Lenten Spiritual Exercises has always had a special significance, and Pope Leo XIV’s choice of a Trappist bishop from Norway to offer this year’s retreat to the Roman Curia is no exception.

Popes generally chose among those they held in highest regard, often ahead of an important assignment or promotion. In some cases, the choice has even foreshadowed election to the See of Peter.

This was the case with Karol Wojtyla, whom Paul VI introduced to the Curia by having him preach the Lenten Spiritual Exercises of 1976. It was the case with Joseph Ratzinger, whom John Paul II chose as preacher for the Lenten Spiritual Exercises of 1983, upon his arrival in Rome.

Benedict XVI almost always chose cardinals, also to give the position greater authority. Pope Francis almost always chose friars or priests—even though one of the latter, Fr. Angelo de Donatis, would later became the Pope’s Cardinal Vicar for the Diocese of Rome—perhaps also to demonstrate how the Pope knew to look after the least important and those who could cause problems.

Leo XIV, in his first choice, named Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim.

A Trappist with a traditional cast of mind and strong personal piety, Varden will bring his experience as a preacher to the Curia.

It is perhaps telling as well that the Exercises this year will be held in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace, rather than in the hill town of Ariccia outside Rome—as was the case during much of Pope Francis’s reign—nor in the Redemptoris Mater chapelof the Palace, where they were held under both John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

The Redemptoris Mater, it happens, is decorated entirely with the works of disgraced celebrity artist and accused serial abuser, Fr. Marko Rupnik.

The choice of Varden is telling in itself.

Varden comes from a Lutheran but largely agnostic family. He converted to Catholicism at fifteen years old after hearing Gustav Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony. He has a strong spirituality. His latest book is “Chastity,” and he is generally known for maintaining a strong connection to the Church’s tradition, while integrating it into contemporary times.

The appointment reveals much about Leo XIV, his personal spirituality—a key to which he has already identified in a book by the 17th century Carmelite friar known in religion as Brother Lawrence, posthumously compiled by Fr. Joseph de Beaufort: The Practice of the Presence of God —and his desire not to rush ahead on tradition and Church doctrine.

The world is contemporary, but the Church is not antiquated. Indeed, there remains a powerful message of faith to offer the world. This is what the Pope seems to be saying with the appointment of Bishop Varden as preacher of the Lenten Spiritual Exercises.

The choice of Varden could be received as a comforting sign for those fearing a progressive Pope or a second Francis who would shuffle the cards when everything seemed decided.

Three developments over the past week, however, may add a wrinkle of complexity to the story.

The first: the appointment of Sister Raffaella Petrini, president of the Governorate of Vatican City State, as a member of the Commission for Confidential Matters. The Commission addresses various issues, and it’s clear that the Vatican governor should sit on it. Yet, Sister Petrini’s presence has raised eyebrows among those who thought Leo XIV would put a stop to the decision to appoint women to cardinal positions.

The second was the appointment of Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi as president of the IOR’s Commission of Cardinals. After including Cardinal Fernandez Artime — whom Leo XIV apparently held in high esteem — in the Commission, the Pope changed its president following the departure of Vienna’s Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, who had turned 80, and appointed a bishop who had also contributed to the Vatican but lacked specific expertise.

After making several adjustments to the Vatican’s financial laws, many observers, including this one, expected the Pope would restore the Vatican Secretary of State, who had previously served as president of the commission, to the IOR’s membership. Leo, however, decided to continue in the footsteps of Pope Francis’s initiative, at least for now.

The last noteworthy development is the debate that has opened with the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X, the so-called Lefebvrians. Their superior, Pagliarani, has already announced that SSPX will ordain new bishops, even without the consent of the Holy See. Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, has already expressed his willingness to engage in dialogue, warning that if the SSPX were to proceed with the ordinations, he would incur excommunication latae sententiae.

Pagliarani will meet with the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on February 12th, and it will be seen whether he will proceed with his intent; later, he will complain that he was forced to do so by circumstances.

The rift with the traditional world, or at least with a fairly radical part of it, is an important test for Leo XIV.

Pope Francis never succeeded in regularizing the canonical status of the Lefebvrian group, but he made several concessions to the SSPX during his reign, especially during the Jubilee of Mercy in 2016, when the validity of their confessions and the sacraments they administered was guaranteed.
Leo XIV faces a complex situation because traditionalists complain about continuity with Pope Francis’s pontificate on liturgical matters. For example, they complain that the Francis-era repeal of Benedict XVI’s liberalization of the ancient rite has not yet been abrogated.

Leo XIV, however, does not appear to be a Pope who likes to make major sweeping changes. He will simply work to address the crisis. He has made it known that he wants to do more for the role of women in the Church, hence the appointment of Sister Raffaella Petrini as a member of the Commission for Reserved Matters. He has decided to grant the permissions required by Traditionis Custodes for the celebration of the Mass in the ancient rite, as told by Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia, nuncio to United Kingdom.

This doesn’t mean Leo XIV is a progressive.

It means he is a Pope who avoids conflicts when and where he can and absorbs the shock of them when and where he cannot avoid them. He has his own approach to diplomacy, both internally and externally.

Varden’s choice, in this sense, is indicative. It indicates where the Pope’s heart beats. And now it’s a matter of enabling it to beat for a long time to come.