For most of his papacy, the late Pope Francis waged war on traditionalists in the Catholic Church, much to the joy of the more progressive members of the clergy.
In places like Detroit and Chicago, the Latin Mass is all but verboten in the name of "unity" under Traditionis custodes. Pope Francis called traditionalists 'rigid' and 'out of touch.' This came despite the fact that Catholics who attend Latin Masses do so regularly and are more faithful to church teachings, including on marriage, sexuality, birth control, the Eucharist, and Confession. They are also younger and tend to have larger families.
In other places, the Catholic Church was not faring well. The number of Catholics went down from 25 percent to 21 percent between 2010 and 2021. Only about 40% of Catholics attend church weekly , and the median age of Catholics is now 49. About 69% of Catholics do not believe the central teaching of the faith: that the Eucharist is the Body & Blood of Jesus. The priesthood is now numbering around 31,000 -- down from 58,000 in the 1960s -- and only half are under the age of 70.
On top of that, Francis also engaged in very questionable actions when it came to his last major letter, Fiducia supplicans. In that letter, the Pope called for "blessings for those in irregular or same-sex relationships."
Some progressive priests, like Jesuit Fr. James Martin, took that to mean the Vatican had sanctioned same-sex marriage, and he began offering blessings to same-sex couples.
Actions speak louder than word salads. pic.twitter.com/eWYj3pcrf5
— Eric Sammons (@EricRSammons) December 20, 2023
So when Pope Leo XIV took over as head of the Catholic Church, traditional Catholics had hope that the long winter of the Francis years was over.
And while Pope Leo XIV hasn't made official moves on the Latin Mass yet, he has reaffirmed that the Catholic Church will, in fact, remain Catholic:
Pope Leo XIV on why the Church won’t change it’s teaching on marriage, sexuality and gender:
— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) September 18, 2025
“I do understand that this is a very hot-button topic and that some people will make demands to say, “we want the recognition of gay marriage,” for example, or “we want recognition of… pic.twitter.com/VL6gkz8WZy
The Pope's entire statement says,
"I do understand that this is a very hot-button topic and that some people will make demands to say, “we want the recognition of gay marriage,” for example, or “we want recognition of people who are trans,” to say this is officially recognized and approved by the church. The individuals will be accepted and received. Any priest who has ever heard confessions will have heard confessions from all kinds of people with all kinds of issues, all kinds of states of life and choices that are made. I think that the Church’s teaching will continue as it is, and that’s what I have to say about that for right now. I think it’s very important. Families need to be supported, what they call the traditional family. The family is father, mother, and children. I think that the role of the family in society, which has at times suffered in recent decades, once again has to be recognized, strengthened."
Some took this as a nod that the aforementioned Fr. James Martin did not -- and will not -- get the progressive doctrine changes he hoped for.
‘I believe that the Church's teaching will continue as it is, and that's all I have to say for now.’ So Fr James Martin did *not* get what he wanted, however much he tries to disguise the fact. https://t.co/wyDFG2tD7S
— Damian Thompson (@holysmoke) September 18, 2025
Despite that, Martin -- once again -- twisted the Pope's words to suit his agenda.
Pope Leo XIV today: "It is urgent to establish a pastoral ministry that is supportive, empathetic, discreet, and non-judgmental, welcoming to all, and that offers the most personalized paths possible, suited to the diverse life situations of those receiving it."… pic.twitter.com/KFVE9NB4OM
— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) September 19, 2025
Martin, unsurprisingly, took this quote out of context. Pope Leo XIV was speaking of pastoral ministry in the context of families and young people, and not the LGBTQ community, as the Vatican website clearly notes.
The Pope, here, is talking about offering the sacrament of Confession, which makes Fr. Martin’s use of it for his own purpose so much stranger https://t.co/fQ9ra8cPrt
— Emily Zanotti 🦝 (@emzanotti) September 19, 2025
It's even stranger when you realize Martin is trying to undermine the Pope and change Catholic doctrine to suit Martin's political preferences.
In the meantime, Pope Leo XIV -- much to Martin's dismay -- has said the Catholic Church will, in fact, remain Catholic.
