Pope Leo’s Gesture at the John Paul II Plaque: A Pious Act or a Syncretistic Performance?
The article from the NCRegister portal (May 14, 2026) reports on Pope Leo XIV’s act of kneeling and touching the marble plaque in St. Peter’s Square, marking the spot where John Paul II was shot on May 13, 1981. The event occurred on the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, a date explicitly linked by John Paul II to his survival via the intercession of this Marian apparition. The article describes the act as a “welcome moment of remembrance and tribute,” a sign of Leo’s desire for reconciliation with those who felt Pope Francis had downplayed John Paul II’s legacy, and part of Leo’s broader theme of continuity with his predecessors. The article further details Leo’s other gestures honoring John Paul II, including his visit to Pompeii on the anniversary of his election and his references to John Paul’s teachings on the Rosary. This entire performance, steeped in the veneration of a false apparition and a heretical antipope, is not merely a pious act but a profound act of apostasy, a public endorsement of the very errors that have led the conciliar sect into spiritual ruin.






