Issued by the Old Roman Apostolate
Die II infra octavam Paschæ MMXXV

With solemnity and filial prayer, the Old Roman Apostolate marks the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis, the 266th Successor of St. Peter. As the Church enters this moment of transition, we join the faithful throughout the world in praying for the repose of his soul, entrusting him to the mercy of Almighty God.

We acknowledge with due reverence the dignity of the papal office and the unique burden borne by the Roman Pontiff as Servus Servorum Dei. In keeping with our devotion to the Holy See and our unwavering commitment to the perennial magisterium of the Catholic Church, we receive this moment as one of both mourning and spiritual reflection.

The Apostolate recognizes that the pontificate of Pope Francis was marked by unprecedented doctrinal, liturgical, and moral confusion, which intensified a crisis already afflicting the Church since the mid-twentieth century. During his reign, many faithful Catholics—particularly those attached to the traditional rites and teachings of the Church—experienced alienation, marginalization, and at times unjust censure.

Among the wounds sustained during this pontificate, the Apostolate notes with particular concern:

1. The restriction and vilification of the traditional Latin liturgy and its adherents
The promulgation of Traditionis Custodes (2021) and the subsequent Rescriptum ex Audientia (2023) reversed the freedoms granted by Summorum Pontificum (2007), treating the venerable Tridentine liturgy as an anomaly to be extinguished rather than a legitimate expression of the lex orandi of the Church¹. This policy contradicted the clear teaching of Benedict XVI that the traditional Roman Rite had never been abrogated².

2. The proliferation of ambiguities in moral and doctrinal teaching
Documents such as Amoris Laetitia (2016) introduced grave confusion regarding the reception of the sacraments by those in irregular unions³. The Abu Dhabi Declaration (2019) asserted that the diversity of religions is “willed by God,” an expression contrary to the dogmatic teaching that the one true religion was established by divine revelation in Christ⁴. Such statements, even if later clarified, contributed to a climate of doctrinal relativism.

3. The alignment of the Church’s public witness with secular and globalist ideologies
Through encyclicals like Laudato Si’ (2015) and Fratelli Tutti (2020), and via active collaboration with institutions such as the United Nations, the Holy See often appeared to prioritize climate policy, migration frameworks, and interreligious fraternity over the proclamation of Christ as King and Saviour⁵. This trend not only diluted the Church’s missionary identity but contributed to the perception that spiritual concerns were subordinated to political ones.

4. The failure to address sexual abuse with transparency and justice
Despite early appearances of reform, the pontificate of Pope Francis was marred by significant failures in addressing clerical abuse. The case of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who avoided justice by being laicized, exposed a pattern of protection and promotion of abusers within the highest ranks of the Church. The allegations made by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, though dismissed by the Vatican, remain unrefuted in substance⁶. Further, figures such as Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta and Fr. Marko Rupnik SJ were shielded or rehabilitated despite credible accusations. These failures undermined the Church’s moral authority and inflicted further suffering on victims.

The ORA’s Hopes for a Future Pontiff

In the spirit of filial devotion and ecclesial reform, the Old Roman Apostolate offers the following hopes for the next successor of St. Peter—hopes rooted not in ideology but in the sensus fidelium and the unceasing tradition of the Church.

1. Doctrinal Fidelity
We pray for a pontiff who will unambiguously reaffirm the perennial magisterium of the Church—without compromise, novelty, or ambiguity. He must be willing to correct errors and restore clarity in moral theology, ecclesiology, and sacramental discipline.

2. Restoration of the Sacred Liturgy
We desire a pope who will fully rehabilitate the traditional Latin liturgy, not as a tolerated exception but as a central expression of the Roman Rite, and who will seek to bring the modern liturgy into organic continuity with the received tradition.

3. Apostolic Mission, Not Bureaucracy
The Church must recover her missionary identity, boldly proclaiming Christ as the only Redeemer of mankind, and cease appeasing secular powers, ideologies, and false religions under the guise of diplomacy.

4. Moral Courage and Justice
The future pontiff must demonstrate the will to cleanse the episcopate of corruption, hold bishops accountable, and end the culture of immunity that has protected abusers and heretics alike.

5. Reconciliation with the Faithful in Exile
We pray for a Holy Father willing to offer juridical and spiritual reconciliation to groups like the ORA and the SSPX—not as errant factions, but as witnesses to the truths eclipsed in the postconciliar era. This would mark the beginning of true restoration.

6. Personal Holiness and Marian Devotion
The next pope must be a man of prayer, penance, and supernatural vision, formed in the school of Our Lady and faithful to the traditions of the saints and martyrs.

The Apostolate stands ready to serve the Church in this time of discernment and awaits with humble hope the opportunity for authentic reconciliation with the Holy See, when such may be accomplished in fidelity to the immutable truths of the Faith.

We commend the soul of Pope Francis to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mater Ecclesiae, and to the judgment of Christ, the eternal High Priest and Sovereign Judge of all.

To the College of Cardinals, we commend the solemn task of election to the light and guidance of the Holy Ghost, praying that they may act not in the spirit of the age, but in the Spirit of Truth.

Requiescat in pace ✠

Issued under the authority of the Primus
of the Old Roman Apostolate

Footnotes

¹ Traditionis Custodes, 2021; Rescriptum ex Audientia Sanctissimi, 21 February 2023.
² Benedict XVI, Letter to Bishops Accompanying Summorum Pontificum, 7 July 2007: “What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too.”
³ Amoris Laetitia, 2016, especially Chapter VIII, §§295–312.
⁴ Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, signed 4 February 2019. For doctrinal contrast, see Mortalium Animos (Pius XI), and Dominus Iesus (CDF, 2000).
⁵ See criticism by Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Christus Vincit, and Cardinal Müller, Manifesto of Faith, 2019.
⁶ Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, Testimony, 25 August 2018. See also the Vatican’s McCarrick Report (2020), which confirmed elements of Viganò’s claims. Additional cases include Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta (close associate of Pope Francis, convicted in 2022), and Fr. Marko Rupnik SJ (accused of multiple spiritual and sexual abuses over decades, reinstated to ministry in 2024).

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