Episode 3144: A Letter, A Turning Point? Pope Leo XIV and the Return to Tradition?

A Letter, A Turning Point? Pope Leo XIV and the Return to Tradition?
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”
O God, Who art the unchangeable light of truth and the eternal foundation of Thy Church, grant that Thy people, through the intercession of St. Peter the Apostle and Pope St. Pius X, may be ever faithful to the deposit of faith, and unshaken in times of trial. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pope Leo XIV’s letter to Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, dated June 17, 2025:
To Our Venerable Brother
RAYMOND LEO Cardinal BURKE of the Holy Roman Church
Cardinal Priest of the Basilica of Saint Agatha of the Goths in Rome, As you celebrate the Golden Jubilee of your priestly ordination in Rome—made a priest of the Diocese of La Crosse—we thank you ‘for the prompt service you have zealously carried out and the earnest care you have demonstrated most especially for the law, which has also been of good service to the dicasteries of the Apostolic See.’
“You have preached the precepts of the Gospel according to the Heart of Christ and have recounted His treasures, diligently offering your devoted service to the Church universal.
“While anticipating the very best for you, and under the watchful care of blessed Peter and Paul the Apostles, it is our good pleasure to impart our Apostolic Blessing to you and to those near to you.

Given at the Vatican, 17 June, in the Holy Year 2025
Pope Leo XIV”
And here’s Cardinal Burke’s public response, July 8 Praised be Jesus Christ! I am very humbled to have received this letter from His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, for the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of my ordination to the Holy Priesthood. Please join me in thanking Our Lord for the election of Pope Leo XIV, Successor of Saint Peter, as the Shepherd of the Church throughout the world.
Please also pray for Pope Leo XIV that Our Lord, through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Saint Peter Apostle, and Pope Saint Leo the Great, will grant him abundant wisdom, strength, and courage to do all that Our Lord is asking of Him in these tumultuous times.
May God bless Pope Leo and grant him many years. Viva il Papa!”
Context & Significance
1. A gesture of renewed unity.
Cardinal Burke was one of the most vocal conservative critics during Pope Francis’s papacy—and under Francis, he was removed from key roles and sidelined (). This letter marks a significant tone shift, symbolizing warmth and reconciliation under Pope Leo. Many readers see it as “a good first step in healing” .
2. Emphasis on fidelity to law and Gospel.
Leo’s words praise Burke’s adherence both to canon law and to preaching “according to the Heart of Christ.” This highlights continuity in tradition and pastoral care.
3. Apostolic Blessing & pastoral encouragement.
By invoking Saints Peter and Paul and including an apostolic blessing, Pope Leo expresses both fraternity and blessing as Burke enters his 50th year of ministerial service.
4. Broader Church wide implications.
Observers note this may signal a more open posture toward traditionalism especially in light of Burke’s request to revisit restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass .
Why it matters
• Symbolic reconciliation: Represents a public rapprochement between a conservative prelate and the new pontificate.
• Potential shift in Vatican policy: Could herald openness to dialogue on liturgy, tradition, and canonical matters.
• Boost to traditional faithful: Provides encouragement to those invested in the Traditional Latin Mass and doctrinal stability.
Here is a deeper look into how Pope Leo XIV’s letter to Cardinal Burke fits into his early papal agenda and what it signals for the future of the Church, especially regarding tradition and liturgy.
Pope Leo XIV’s Early Agenda: A Traditionalist Turn?
1. Reconciliation with sidelined prelates
Cardinal Burke, a former head of the Apostolic Signatura and outspoken critic of Pope Francis, was:
• Stripped of his Vatican roles
• Publicly rebuked for challenging Amoris Laetitia
• Recently removed from Vatican housing and salary by Pope Francis
Now, Leo’s personal letter is not just symbolic it’s strategic:
• It sends a message that traditional fidelity is valued again in Rome
• It opens the door for dialogue and healing with conservative bishops
• It suggests Cardinal Burke’s theological and canonical work may once again be welcome in Vatican discussions
This sets a tone of pastoral correction of the harsh climate that emerged under the Francis papacy.
2. Liturgical implications: toward a recovery of the TLM
Cardinal Burke is a strong defender of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM). Pope Francis severely curtailed it through Traditionis Custodes (2021), causing deep wounds across traditional communities.
Leo XIV’s letter, with its:

• Praise for Burke’s orthodoxy and lawfulness
• Apostolic blessing
• Warm tone of pastoral gratitude
…could indicate a new openness to revisiting Traditionis Custodes, if not reversing it outright.
What this could look like:
• Broader indults for bishops to permit the TLM
• A reassertion of Summorum Pontificum (2007)
• Appointment of traditional bishops to key dicasteries
• Creation of stable norms for traditional communities like FSSP, ICKSP, and SSPX
3. Return to clarity in doctrine and law
Pope Leo’s reference to Burke’s fidelity to canon law and “the precepts of the Gospel according to the Heart of Christ” is important.
Under Francis, many perceived a softening of moral clarity, especially around:
• Communion for the divorced and remarried
• The nature of intrinsic evil (Amoris Laetitia, Fiducia Supplicans)
• Confused messaging on doctrinal unity
Pope Leo may be indicating:
• A return to legal precision in canon law
• Restoration of Thomistic clarity in theology
• Reform of dicasteries that deviated from tradition (e.g., Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith under Fernández)
4. Strengthening the episcopacy and curial reform
By restoring respect to a cardinal who was marginalized, Pope Leo:
• Undermines the authoritarian and polarizing tone set by Francis’s appointments
• May reform the College of Cardinals, prioritizing fidelity to tradition and doctrine
• Could restructure the Roman Curia to return authority to dicasteries like the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and Apostolic Signatura

This reorientation suggests a re-grounding of papal governance in ecclesial tradition, not ideology.
What to Watch For Next: Potential signs of Pope Leo’s direction
The Bigger Picture: The Two Churches?
Some traditional Catholics (including Archbishop Viganò and many laity) have described the post-Vatican II Church as having drifted from the visible continuity of doctrine and liturgy.
Pope Leo XIV’s small gestures may now signal:
• A course correction
• A bridge between the old and new, rooted in authentic tradition
• A desire to recover the “Church of all time” spoken of by St. Pius X and Benedict XVI
In the words of St. Vincent of Lérins:
“We must hold fast to that which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all.”
Pope Leo’s letter to Burke may be a signpost not just of personal affection, but of a coming restoration of liturgical and doctrinal order in the Church.
Setting the Stage – A Church Divided
In the decades since Vatican II, the Church has undergone a transformation liturgically, doctrinally, and spiritually. Traditional Catholics have often found themselves:
• Marginalized for their fidelity to the Latin Mass
• Slandered as “rigid,” “backward,” or “divisive”
• And worst of all, suffering quietly, watching their beloved traditions be suppressed
Under Pope Francis, this conflict deepened. Traditionis Custodes was a crushing blow to communities that simply wanted to worship God as the saints did. And faithful prelates like Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke—a defender of the sacred, the canon law, and the Holy Mass—were cast aside.
Let’s reflect on just a few lines:
“You have preached the precepts of the Gospel according to the Heart of Christ and have recounted His treasures, diligently offering your devoted service to the Church universal.”
“We thank you for the prompt service you have zealously carried out and the earnest care you have demonstrated most especially for the law.”
This wasn’t mere flattery. It was a public affirmation of a man who had been unjustly sidelined. Pope Leo invoked the Apostolic Blessing and praised Burke for precisely the virtues that modernists despise:
• Fidelity to tradition
• Love for canon law
• Zeal for orthodoxy
This is not just a personal letter it is a signal to the world.
We Will Not Be Satisfied With Scraps: A Traditional Catholic Response to Pope Leo XIV’s Letter to Cardinal Burke
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”
The recent letter from Pope Leo XIV to Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke has been hailed by some as a “turning point” in the relationship between Rome and the traditional Catholic faithful. It has been framed as a gesture of warmth, a possible signal of change, a symbolic reconciliation between the See of Peter and one of its most unjustly marginalized prelates.
And yet, for many traditional Catholics, this gesture feels hollow. Why?
Because after decades of suppression, insults, liturgical abuse, doctrinal confusion, and open hostility—we do not want gestures anymore. We want justice.
1. The Suffering of the Traditional Faithful: A Historical Overview
For over 50 years—since the promulgation of the Novus Ordo Missae in 1969—those faithful to the Mass of the Ages have been treated not merely as a curiosity but as a threat. From the laity in the pews to the most reverent priests and religious orders, the traditional faithful have:
• Been mocked and labeled “rigid,” “backward,” or “schismatic.”
• Been pushed to the peripheries of dioceses, often forced into gymnasiums, basements, and funeral homes to worship.
• Had their sacramental and spiritual lives disrupted, suppressed, and relocated without just cause.
• Been unjustly denied access to the form of the Mass that nourished saints, martyrs, and centuries of Catholic civilization.
We have lived for decades under what can only be described as liturgical apartheid within our own Church—a spiritual exile enforced not by canon law or divine mandate, but by the will of disoriented prelates and bureaucrats enthralled with novelty.
The papacy of Pope Francis only deepened these wounds with Traditionis Custodes—a document that contradicted Benedict XVI’s Summorum Pontificum and falsely implied the Traditional Latin Mass fosters disunity. And so, the faithful were once again betrayed, this time under the guise of “unity.”
2. We Do Not Need Papal Permission for What Is Ours by Right
Let it be made clear: no pope has the authority to abrogate what has been handed down through Sacred Tradition. The Mass of the Ages—codified by St. Pius V in 1570 but organically developed over centuries—is not a preference. It is not a rite among many. It is the liturgical expression of the Roman Rite—rooted in apostolic tradition and organically shaped by the Holy Ghost.
Pope Benedict XVI affirmed this truth clearly:
“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too.”
—Summorum Pontificum, 2007
Therefore, when we speak of a “return to tradition,” we are not asking for something new. We are not requesting special privileges. We are demanding that the hierarchy acknowledge what has always been true: the Church never had the right to suppress the Traditional Mass.
And so, while Pope Leo XIV’s letter to Cardinal Burke contains kind words, a papal blessing, and vague signals of openness—we are unmoved. We do not need a papal nod to validate our fidelity. Our faith stands not on sentiment, but on Truth.
3. Traditional Catholics Are Not Children Waiting for Treats
It is condescending and frankly insulting to treat traditional Catholics as if we are waiting breathlessly for crumbs from Rome’s table. The hierarchy has offered every indulgence to modernist and heterodox movements:
• Amazonian liturgies featuring pagan rituals were not only tolerated but celebrated.
• Masses filled with guitars, balloons, dancers, and clown vestments go unchecked.
• Novelties like “youth Masses,” “inclusive language,” and “eco-liturgies” are promoted in chancelleries and Rome itself.
But let a traditional priest offer the Latin Mass with incense and chant, and he is told he is a threat to unity. Let a community ask to baptize their child in the ancient rite, and they are met with suspicion or outright denial.
How is this justice? How is this charity? How is this Catholic?
We are not rebels. We are not extremists. We are simply Catholics—holding fast to what the saints held, what the martyrs died for, and what the Church herself canonized as holy and immutable.
We will not beg for what is ours by inheritance.
4. Cardinal Burke: Honored Now, Sidelined for Years
Pope Leo XIV’s praise for Cardinal Burke’s “prompt service,” his fidelity to the law, and his orthodoxy is not just overdue—it is ironic.
Where was this affirmation when Cardinal Burke:
• Rightly questioned Amoris Laetitia for its doctrinal ambiguity?
• Defended the indissolubility of marriage and the integrity of the Eucharist?
• Cautioned against the Pachamama idolatry in Rome?
• Was evicted from Vatican housing and stripped of his salary for merely requesting clarity?
This letter, while polite, is far too late to erase the damage inflicted not just on Cardinal Burke, but on all those who shared his concerns and bore the same punishment—priests, seminarians, religious, and the laity.
5. What Must Happen Now: Words Are Not Enough
Traditional Catholics are not interested in optics or symbolic reconciliations. We require action:
• Immediate and universal restoration of the Traditional Latin Mass under Summorum Pontificum.
• Permanent protection of traditional orders (FSSP, ICKSP, SSPX) without interference or compromise.
• **Public repudiation of Traditionis Custodes and Fiducia Supplicans—both of which contradict the perennial magisterium.
• Reappointment of faithful bishops and theologians who will defend Thomistic clarity and moral absolutes.
• Restoration of doctrinal precision and the rightful role of the Apostolic Signatura and Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Until these changes occur, traditional Catholics will not be content with kind words and ceremonial gestures.
6. We Will Not Wait on the Sidelines Anymore
We are done waiting.
We will not apologize for our fidelity.
We will not be ashamed of our reverence.
We will not compromise our inheritance.
We will not sit silently while the faith of our ancestors is treated as disposable.
If Rome will not defend the Mass of Ages, we will.
If bishops remain silent, we will speak.
If tradition is ridiculed, we will rejoice—because it means we stand where the saints once stood.
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Conclusion: Hope Rooted in Eternity, Not Politics
We pray for Pope Leo XIV. We ask God to give him wisdom, clarity, courage, and the grace to act—not merely to speak. But our ultimate hope is not in Rome’s shifting politics or papal moods. Our hope is in Jesus Christ, in the deposit of faith, in the sacred traditions handed down without corruption.
And so, we echo the cry of St. Pius X:
“Far, far from the clergy be the love of novelty! Let us love what our fathers believed and let us not tolerate new opinions.”
—Pascendi Dominici Gregis, 1907
Let the Church once again become visibly, unshakably Catholic.
And let the Traditional Latin Mass, the heartbeat of the Roman Rite, be restored, defended, and celebrated in every corner of the world.
CONCLUSIONARY PRAYER
“O God of Truth, who hast promised that the gates of hell shall not prevail against Thy Church: grant us the grace to remain faithful to the traditions we have received, and to defend them with charity, courage, and clarity. Bless Pope Leo XIV with strength and wisdom to restore the sacred. And bless all those who suffer in silence for the sake of the true Faith.
Through the intercession of St. Pius V, St. Pius X, and Our Lady of Fatima, protect Thy flock and purify Thy Church. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”