EWTN News portal reports that “Pope Leo XIV” appointed Benedictine Father Godfrey Mullen as bishop of Belleville, Illinois, on March 13, 2026. Mullen, a diocesan administrator and monk of St. Meinrad Archabbey, will be consecrated on May 1. He expressed gratitude to the diocese, stating, “You all are my people. All my life, I have loved you,” while Cardinal Blase Cupich praised his “humility and devotion” and Bishop Michael McGovern highlighted his “prayerfulness, compassion, intelligence, and humor.” The appointment is framed as a routine leadership transition within the U.S. “Church.”
This act by the antipope Leo XIV epitomizes the theological and spiritual bankruptcy of the conciliar sect, where modernist clerics, devoid of Catholic orthodoxy, are elevated to episcopal office to perpetuate the apostasy initiated at Vatican II.
The Invalid Authority of the Appointing Antipope
The foundation of this appointment is fundamentally null because “Pope Leo XIV” is not a legitimate pontiff. Catholic doctrine, as defined before the conciliar revolution, holds that a manifest heretic loses the papacy ipso facto. St. Robert Bellarmine, in De Romano Pontifice, declares: “A Pope who is a manifest heretic, by that very fact ceases to be Pope and head, just as he ceases to be a Christian and member of the body of the Church.” The conciliar popes, from John XXIII onward, have embraced Modernism—the “synthesis of all heresies” condemned by St. Pius X in Lamentabili sane exitu—and religious indifferentism, anathematized by Pius IX in the Syllabus of Errors (Error 77: “In the present day it is no longer expedient that the Catholic religion should be held as the only religion of the State”). Leo XIV, by continuing this trajectory, is a manifest heretic and thus an antipope. Consequently, his appointments, including that of Mullen, are null and void, lacking any authority in the true Church.
The Modernist Profile of Bishop-Designate Mullen
Mullen’s credentials reveal a deep immersion in the errors of the conciliar sect. His doctorate in liturgical studies from The Catholic University of America aligns with the post-conciliar reform of the Mass, which reduces the Unbloody Sacrifice of Calvary to a “table of assembly” and introduces profane elements. This directly contradicts the immutable theology of the Holy Sacrifice, as defined by the Council of Trent and reaffirmed by Pope Pius XII in Mediator Dei. Mullen’s authorship of “several books and articles on the liturgy” likely promotes the Novus Ordo, a man-made rite that violates the principle that the Mass must reflect the hypostatic union and the propitiatory nature of Christ’s sacrifice. His praise for “pastoral” qualities—humility, compassion, humor—echoes the post-conciliar shift from supernatural authority to naturalistic humanism, where the bishop’s role is reduced to psychological management rather than the defense of dogma. As St. Pius X condemned in Lamentabili, Proposition 57: “The Church is an enemy of the progress of natural and theological sciences,” yet Mullen’s academic background suggests alignment with the evolution of doctrine and historical criticism that Modernism injects into theology.
Omission of Supernatural Realities: The Naturalistic Tone
The ARTICLE’s language is saturated with naturalism, omitting the supernatural essence of the episcopal office. Mullen’s statement, “I have always been fascinated by the way Christ is present in his wonderful people,” reduces Christ’s presence to an immanent, almost pantheistic sense, ignoring the Real Presence in the Eucharist and the hierarchical structure willed by Christ. There is no mention of the bishop’s duty to teach with authority, to sanctify through valid sacraments, or to govern as a visible head in communion with the true Pope. Cardinal Cupich’s commendation of Mullen’s “ability to serve the people of God” reflects the conciliar error of democratizing the Church, where the laity are “the people of God” in a sociological sense, not the Mystical Body of Christ with defined roles. This silence on the state of grace, final judgment, and the reign of Christ the King over all societies—central to Catholic doctrine as Pius XI taught in Quas Primas—exposes the apostate mentality. The ARTICLE treats the Church as a human institution focused on “hope” and “compassion,” devoid of the supernatural mission to save souls from eternal damnation.
Symptomatic of the Conciliar Apostasy and Systematic Replacement
This appointment is a clear fruit of the conciliar revolution, which has systematically replaced Catholic bishops with modernists since John XXIII. The emphasis on Mullen’s “liturgical studies” and “pastoral” approach aligns with the errors condemned in the Syllabus: Error 44 grants civil authority over religious matters, while Error 63 condones rebellion against legitimate princes—both implicit in the conciliar church’s subservience to secular powers. Mullen’s isolation within the Benedictine order, known for its traditional roots, yet now permeated by post-conciliar reforms, demonstrates how even ancient religious orders have been subverted. The absence of any reference to Mullen’s stance on Modernism, religious liberty, or the nullity of the Novus Ordo Mass reveals the hidden assumption of the conciliar sect: that such errors are now normative. This mirrors the “disinformation strategy” outlined in the Fatima file, where the narrative is controlled to conceal the Third Secret and promote ecumenism. Here, the narrative is controlled to present a modernist bishop as a “son of the diocese,” obscuring his complicity in the apostasy.
Contrast with Pre-Conciliar Catholic Doctrine
Before 1958, a bishop’s appointment was a sacred act to ensure the propagation of the deposit of faith. Pius IX, in Quanta Cura, condemned the idea that the Church should adapt to modern errors. Pius XI, in Quas Primas, insisted that “all men, prone to forgetfulness, consider how much our Savior cost us” and that Christ’s reign must order all societal relations. A true bishop would be chosen for his unwavering adherence to Thomistic theology, his defense against Modernism, and his commitment to the social reign of Christ. Mullen, by contrast, is selected for his alignment with the conciliar sect’s humanistic and liturgical innovations. His consecration on May 1—a date with potential pagan or communist connotations—further underscores the sect’s syncretism, as warned in the Fatima file regarding “Christian-Islamic syncretism.”
Call to Reject the Conciliar Sect and Return to Tradition
The faithful must recognize that participation in the conciliar structures, including the acceptance of such appointments, constitutes formal cooperation with apostasy. The true Church endures in those who profess the integral Catholic faith outside the “neo-church,” led by valid bishops and priests ordained before 1968. As St. Pius X declared in Pascendi Dominici gregis, Modernists are “the most pernicious of all the adversaries of the Church.” Mullen’s appointment is not a mere administrative act but a deliberate act of the “abomination of desolation” (Matt. 24:15), where the holy place is occupied by modernists. Catholics must flee to the true Tradition, reject the conciliar sect and its antipopes, and seek sacraments from faithful clergy, lest they be complicit in the damnation of souls.
