EWTN News portal reports that on April 21, 2026, during a papal flight from Angola to Equatorial Guinea, the usurper Robert Prevost, styling himself “Pope Leo XIV,” delivered an extended eulogy commemorating the first anniversary of the death of his predecessor, the manifest heretic Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Francis). “Leo XIV” praised “Francis'” alleged concern for the poor and his message of mercy and fraternity, stating: “I would like to remember, on this first anniversary of his death, Pope Francis, who gave and offered so much to the Church through his life, his witness, his words, and his actions.” He further described “Francis” as having lived “closeness to the poorest, the smallest, the sick, children, and the elderly,” and emphasized his promotion of “universal fraternity” rooted in the Gospel. “Leo XIV” specifically recalled “Francis'” message of mercy, citing his first Angelus and a March 17, 2013, homily on the woman caught in adultery, and pointed to the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy as part of his legacy. He concluded by saying: “Let us pray that he is already enjoying the mercy of the Lord, and let us give thanks to the Lord for the great gift of Francis’ life to the whole Church and to the entire world.” This act of public veneration of a manifest heretic and apostate, on the anniversary of his death, is not merely a diplomatic gesture but a profound theological scandal that reveals the depth of the conciliar sect’s departure from the Catholic faith. The following analysis deconstructs this event from the perspective of integral Catholic doctrine, exposing its theological bankruptcy and its symptomatic role in the ongoing apostasy.
The Heresy of “Mercy” Without Truth: A Doctrinal Autopsy
The eulogy delivered by “Leo XIV” is not merely a sentimental remembrance but a systematic recapitulation of the very heresies that defined the Bergoglio pontificate. To praise “Francis'” “message of mercy” without any mention of the theological distortions that accompanied it is to canonize error itself. The Catholic Church has always taught that mercy is inseparable from truth. As Pope Pius XI declared in Miserentissimus Redemptor (1928), the devotion to the Sacred Heart is founded on the recognition of Christ’s kingship and the obligation of reparation for sin. Mercy divorced from the demands of justice and the necessity of repentance is not Christian mercy but naturalistic sentimentality. The “mercy” preached by “Francis” was precisely this: a denial of the reality of sin, the nullification of the moral law, and the opening of the Church’s sacraments to those living in manifest contradiction to divine law. To invoke such a “legacy” as a gift to the Church is to blaspheme against the Holy Ghost.
“Universal Fraternity” as Religious Indifferentism
“Leo XIV” praised “Francis'” promotion of “universal fraternity,” describing it as “authentic respect for every man and woman” rooted in the Gospel. This language is a direct echo of the conciliar document Nostra Aetate (1965), which initiated the Church’s descent into religious indifferentism. The Catholic Church has always taught that fraternity is possible only among those who share the same faith. As Pope Pius IX declared in the Syllabus of Errors (1864), proposition 15: “Every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which, guided by the light of reason, he shall consider true,” is condemned. Proposition 16 further condemns the idea that “Man may, in the observance of any religion whatever, find the way of eternal salvation.” The “universal fraternity” promoted by “Francis” and now celebrated by “Leo XIV” is not the fraternity of the Gospel but the fraternity of the Masonic lodge, where all religions are considered equally valid paths to God. This is the very error that Pope Leo XIII condemned in Humanum Genus (1884), warning that the naturalism of Freemasonry leads to the denial of the Church’s exclusive claim to truth.
The Silence on Apostasy: What “Leo XIV” Did Not Say
The most damning aspect of this eulogy is not what was said but what was omitted. There is no mention of the doctrinal deviations of “Francis,” no acknowledgment of the confusion he sowed among the faithful, no recognition of the harm caused by his attacks on the traditional liturgy and moral teaching. This silence is not accidental; it is a deliberate strategy to legitimize the errors of the conciliar revolution. By praising “Francis'” “closeness to the poor” while ignoring his promotion of homosexuality, his attacks on the family, and his syncretistic worship at Assisi, “Leo XIV” reveals himself as a willing participant in the cover-up of apostasy. As St. Pius X warned in Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907), the Modernists are characterized by their “fear of being called enemies of progress” and their tendency to “cloak their errors under ambiguous language.” The language of “mercy” and “fraternity” is precisely such a cloak, used to hide the betrayal of the faith.
The Theological Impossibility of Praying for a Manifest Heretic
“Leo XIV” concluded his eulogy by saying: “Let us pray that he is already enjoying the mercy of the Lord.” This statement is theologically absurd. The Catholic Church has always taught that the fate of souls is determined by their adherence to the faith and the moral law. A manifest heretic, who dies in a state of rebellion against the Church, cannot be presumed to be in a state of grace. As St. Robert Bellarmine taught in De Romano Pontifice (2:30), a manifest heretic ceases to be Pope and head of the Church, and is “cut off from the body of the Church without excommunication.” To pray that such a person is “enjoying the mercy of the Lord” is to deny the reality of divine justice and the necessity of repentance. It is to treat heresy as if it were merely a difference of opinion, rather than a mortal sin against the faith. This is the ultimate fruit of the conciliar revolution: the denial of the distinction between truth and error, between the Church and the world.
The Symptomatic Level: Continuity of Apostasy
The fact that “Leo XIV” chose to commemorate the anniversary of “Francis'” death in this manner is not a sign of continuity with the Catholic tradition but of continuity with the conciliar apostasy. The true Church has always condemned heresy and honored only those who died in the faith. The conciliar sect, by contrast, honors its own architects of destruction. This is the “hermeneutic of continuity” in practice: the seamless transition from one antipope to another, each building on the errors of his predecessor. The “mercy” of “Francis” becomes the “fraternity” of “Leo XIV,” and both are nothing but the naturalistic humanism condemned by Pope Pius IX in the Syllabus of Errors. The Church is not a human institution that evolves with the times; it is the Mystical Body of Christ, founded on immutable truth. To treat it otherwise is to commit the sin of Modernism, which St. Pius X defined as “the synthesis of all heresies.”
The Linguistic Level: The Rhetoric of Apostasy
The language used by “Leo XIV” is revealing. He speaks of “witness,” “closeness,” “fraternity,” and “mercy” – all terms that have been emptied of their Catholic content and filled with naturalistic meaning. “Witness” no longer means martyrdom for the faith but simply living a good life. “Closeness to the poor” no longer means the corporal and spiritual works of mercy but a vague solidarity with the marginalized. “Fraternity” no longer means the brotherhood of the baptized but a universal human solidarity that ignores the distinction between the faithful and the infidel. This is the language of the conciliar sect, designed to obscure the truth and create the illusion of continuity with the Catholic tradition. As the Defense of Sedevacantism file notes, the conciliar antipopes are not judges of the faith but its betrayers, and their language is the language of betrayal.
The Factual Level: A Fabricated Legacy
The legacy that “Leo XIV” attributes to “Francis” is a fabrication. The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (2015-2016) was not a genuine renewal of Catholic devotion to the Sacred Heart but a propaganda exercise designed to promote the conciliar agenda of “mercy” without repentance. The homily on the woman caught in adultery, cited by “Leo XIV,” was used by “Francis” to justify the admission of adulterous and divorced persons to Communion, in direct contradiction to the teaching of the Council of Trent and the Code of Canon Law of 1917. The “closeness to the poor” praised by “Leo XIV” was accompanied by a systematic attack on the traditional liturgy, the moral teaching of the Church, and the rights of the faithful to the Most Holy Sacrifice. To praise this legacy is to praise the destruction of the Church.
The Ecclesiological Implication: The Church as a Human Institution
The entire event reveals the conciliar ecclesiology: the Church is not the Mystical Body of Christ but a human institution that can be reformed and redefined according to the spirit of the times. The “mercy” of “Francis” and the “fraternity” of “Leo XIV” are not supernatural virtues but naturalistic ideals borrowed from the Enlightenment and the Masonic tradition. As Pope Pius XI taught in Quas Primas (1925), the reign of Christ the King extends over all nations and all aspects of life, and no human authority can place itself above His law. The conciliar sect, by contrast, has placed itself above the law of Christ, replacing the supernatural order with a naturalistic humanism that denies the reality of sin, the necessity of redemption, and the authority of the Church. This is the “abomination of desolation” spoken of by Our Lord (Matt. 24:15), and it is the true face of the conciliar revolution.
Conclusion: The Call to Rejection
The eulogy delivered by “Leo XIV” on the anniversary of “Francis'” death is not a cause for mourning but for clarity. It reveals, with unmistakable clarity, the depth of the conciliar apostasy and the impossibility of reform from within. The conciliar sect is not the Catholic Church but a counterfeit, a “synagogue of Satan” (Apoc. 2:9) that has usurped the See of Peter and filled it with error. The response of the faithful is not to participate in this charade but to reject it utterly, to cling to the immutable Tradition of the Church, and to pray for the restoration of the true papacy. As the False Fatima Apparitions file warns, the conciliar revolution is not a spontaneous development but a planned operation, a “Masonic psychological operation” against the Church. The only response is to return to the faith of the Fathers, to the teaching of the councils, and to the authority of the true Church, which endures in the faithful who profess the integral Catholic faith and are led by bishops with valid sacraments and validly ordained priests. The mercy of God is infinite, but it is not the “mercy” of “Francis” or “Leo XIV.” It is the mercy of the Cross, the mercy of the Sacred Heart, the mercy that demands repentance, faith, and obedience to the truth. Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus.
Source:
Pope Leo XIV recalls Pope Francis a year after his death (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 21.04.2026