Vatican City – This morning, Leo XIV recited the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, as usual. But things didn’t go exactly according to the script prepared by the Dicastery for Communication. While the first part of the Pope’s message carried a spiritual and reflective tone — centered on the Lord’s Prayer — the conclusion veered off into decidedly less evangelical territory: the text was used to give papal backing to yet another questionable initiativeby the Dicastery. The Pope’s face, however, betrayed more than a hint of discomfort.
The Gospel and the Fatherhood of God
In his remarks before the Marian prayer, Leo XIV reflected on the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray the Our Father. He emphasized the simplicity and trust with which we can turn to God — like children to their father. Quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Church Fathers, he reminded us that one cannot say “Our Father” with the lips and then be cruel to one’s brothers: prayer transforms us, but only if we allow ourselves to be transformed. So far, nothing unusual. These were good, essential words, which brought hearts back to the truth of the Gospel.
Then Something Happened
As the Angelus drew to a close, the usual greetings and intentions were read. Until a line emerged that clearly wasn’t the Pope’s own: a greeting to Vatican Radio/Vatican News, praising the inauguration of a “small station beneath Bernini’s colonnade.” Yes, you read that correctly. Right there — under one of the most iconic examples of Baroque architecture — a soundproof booth has appeared in the past few hours to house the Vatican News editorial staff. An installation that clashes with the historic and artistic context of the square and has come with not-insignificant costs. As if the offices on Via della Conciliazione — or the spacious (and costly) headquarters in Piazza Pia — weren’t already enough.
Leo XIV’s Reaction
And this is when the grimace occurred. As he read the pre-approved text — clearly sent from the Dicastery for Communication — Leo XIV raised his eyebrows and tightened his lips in an unmistakable expression of disapproval and skepticism, as anyone versed in kinesics would note. A brief but telling gesture: he knows exactly what’s been happening these months, who drafted that text, and who stands to benefit from the entire operation.
And who’s behind it all? The usual suspects: Andrea Tornielli, Paolo Ruffini, Andrea Monda, Matteo Bruni, and the orbit of protégés they’ve secured into place — more often through opaque connections than actual merit. A few of them were even present in the booth. Interestingly, they don’t normally show up during the week — but somehow manage to be there right when the Pope name-drops them.
It’s the same crowd that brought us blunders like the premature white smoke alert, the confusion around the papal name (from Pius XIV to Leo XVI, and even Leo XIII), and a long list of embarrassing errors in articles and social media posts from Vatican News and L’Osservatore Romano. A full-blown communications disaster — one that Prevost noticed first-hand in the very early days of the pontificate.
The Spadaro–EDB Affair
And as if that weren’t enough, Leo XIV has, in recent days, expressed clear irritation over a publishing maneuver by Edizioni Dehoniane Bologna (EDB), carried out in tandem with Antonio Spadaro. The latter — a master in the art of passing the buck — has tried, once again, to shift blame for initiatives that are unmistakably his own. Just read his recent tweets, and it’s evident where certain campaigns originate and who’s riding the wave.
A Call for Peace
After the Angelus, the Pope offered prayers for the victims of ongoing conflicts — in Thailand, Cambodia, and Syria — with a particular focus on Gaza, which he called a “gravely serious” situation marked by hunger, violence, and death. He called for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and respect for humanitarian law, reminding the world that every person has an inherent dignity given by God.
The “Booth of Discord” Under the Colonnade
Back to the day’s sore spot: what possible justification is there for placing a soundproof booth beneath Bernini’s colonnade, and charging it to the Holy See’s budget? All this, while the very same platforms launch invectives against priests and bishops who dare to advocate sobriety, poverty, and Gospel simplicity. The ritual of waste continues — cloaked in lofty rhetoric about communication, proximity to pilgrims, and the Jubilee— but in reality, it’s nothing more than a self-congratulatory showcase for a communications machine that’s lost its credibility. Leo XIV seems to have understood that. And that grimace may well foreshadow changes that won’t surprise those who’ve long decried the deadweight of incompetence and careerism.
d.W.I.
Silere non possum