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Monsignor Michael Nazir-Ali has told AdVaticanum that the murder of Henry Nowak and the police response point to a wider “loss of a moral compass in society”, warning against political correctness, rule-book policing and the abandonment of conscience Monsignor Michael Nazir-Ali has described the murder of Henry Nowak and the police’s failure to attend to the victim as a result of a “loss of a moral compass in society”. Speaking to AdVaticanum , the Pakistani-born British Catholic priest and former Anglican bishop said that this loss had imposed a “necessity, therefore, of going by the rule book rather than using one’s conscience”. He also lamented “political correctness”, which has caused an “inability to use our common sense” and a reliance on “‘woke’ nostrums”. The murder of Henry Nowak has sent shock waves through Britain and beyond, particularly because of the police’s treatment of the 18-year-old in the final moments of his life. Nowak was stabbed by Vickrum Digwa five times on his return from a night out in Southampton at the end of last year. Digwa’s brother, Gurpreet Digwa, called the emergency services, where he lied to the police and repeatedly told them that Digwa had been the victim of a racial attack. Digwa then contacted his parents and hid the knife used to kill Nowak with his mother. When police arrived, they spoke with Digwa before attending to Nowak. They then arrested Nowak and handcuffed him. Nowak repeatedly told the officers, “I can’t breathe”, and said nine times that he had been stabbed. One of the arresting officers responded by saying, “I don’t think you have, mate.” Nowak stopped responding before officers called emergency services, a call made two minutes and 48 seconds into the body-camera recording depicting the events. While many have called for calm in the wake of the murder, questions have been raised about what led to Nowak’s death, particularly police guidance on responding to issues relating to race relations. Under particular scrutiny is a document produced by the National Police Chiefs’ Council which says that “producing equality of policing outcomes… does not mean treating everyone ‘the same’”. Hampshire Police, responsible for policing Southampton, has also come under scrutiny. In 2020, the force spent nearly £1 million ($1.34 million) on compulsory race training. Hampshire Police also published its own Race Action Plan covering 2024 to 2026. The criticism centres on the idea that police may have been quicker to appear “anti-racist” than to assess the realities of the crime, and that they may have taken Digwa and his family’s allegations of racism more seriously than Nowak’s fatal injuries. The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has refuted the idea that “two-tier policing”, where police give preferential treatment to ethnic minorities, exists. He has also called for the words of Henry’s father, Mark Nowak, to be respected. After the sentencing of Digwa, Mark Nowak stated that “we do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We want his story to make our streets safer for everyone.” Another controversy surrounding the case is Digwa being in possession of a kirpan, a Sikh ceremonial knife that is one of the five articles of faith for practising Sikhs. Digwa was carrying two knives: a small one, which most would reasonably describe as a kirpan, and a 21-centimetre dagger, which was used to kill Nowak. Digwa described both as kirpans, but leaders of the Sikh community, who have unanimously condemned the murder, said the second blade was not a kirpan. Under UK law, a kirpan may be carried for religious, ceremonial, sporting or historical reasons. However, a kirpan can become an offensive weapon if it is used unlawfully, with the decision over appropriateness resting with the courts. Responding to the controversy surrounding the possession of a kirpan , Monsignor Nazir-Ali said: “The Sikh community is rightly appalled by what this person may have brought down upon them.” He continued: “They have disowned his actions, but they now need to make sure that their religious obligation to wear a kirpan is carried out in such a way as to render the religious object harmless to others.” Monsignor Nazir-Ali is well known for his ability to address contentious issues with finesse and common sense. He has worked to promote positive relations between Islam and Christianity, while also warning that some extremist Muslims seek both “victimhood and domination”. He has also described multiculturalism as “newfangled and insecurely founded”. Much of his ability to address controversial issues centres on his deep understanding of different cultures. Born in Pakistan, just two years after the Partition of India, he was raised in both Christian and Muslim contexts. At 15, he began to identify as a Christian and was received into the Anglican Church of Pakistan at the age of 20. He studied for Anglican ministry at Cambridge and married a Scottish woman, Valerie Cree, in 1970. He is a hyperpolyglot, with knowledge of English, Arabic, Persian, Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac and Latin. Monsignor Nazir-Ali was received into the Catholic Church by the then Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, Monsignor Keith Newton, on 29 September 2021. He was ordained priest by Cardinal Vincent Nichols on 30 October 2021 at Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory Catholic Church in London. He was made a Monsignor in 2022 by Pope Francis. Image credit: Oxtrad – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79306197

Pope Leo XIV will ask the world’s cardinals to discuss war, peace and the future of the Synod on Synodality at an Extraordinary Consistory on 26 and 27 June. The agenda includes the international situation and Magnifica Humanitas, but makes no provision for discussion of the liturgy Pope Leo has decided not to include the liturgy in the agenda for the upcoming June consistory. The pontiff will instead ask the world’s cardinals to discuss war, peace and the future of the Synod on Synodality when they gather in Rome later this month for an Extraordinary Consistory. Details of the agenda emerged after a letter sent to cardinals by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, was published by the Italian blog Messa in Latino. According to Diane Montagna, the meeting, which will take place on 26 and 27 June, will focus on the international situation, Pope Leo’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas and the implementation of the Synod on Synodality. Cardinal Re said the gathering was intended to provide “a space for mutual listening, discernment, and shared reflection on certain matters of importance for the life and mission of the Church at the present time”. He wrote that Pope Leo wished “to draw upon the experience and counsel of the members of the College of Cardinals” and to count on “the active assistance and support of each one in the various places and responsibilities in which he serves the Church”. The first session will be dedicated to the situation facing the Church and the world. Cardinals will be invited to reflect on “what sufferings, tensions, and questions are today affecting with greatest force the peoples and ecclesial communities entrusted to your care” and to identify “signs of hope, fidelity to the Gospel and possible reconciliation” that should be brought before the College and the Pope. Two sessions will then be devoted to Magnifica Humanitas , Pope Leo’s first encyclical. One discussion will centre on Chapter Five of the document, titled The Culture of Power and the Civilisation of Love , with particular attention given to questions of war and peace. Cardinal Re noted that the encyclical teaches that “peace is not simply one issue among others, but a prerequisite for the universal common good and a test of the moral maturity of peoples”. The cardinals will be asked to consider how best to reaffirm the encyclical’s assertion “that the ‘just war’ theory, which has all too often been used to justify any kind of war, is now outdated”, and to discuss “what concrete paths might help peoples and Christian communities to safeguard and build peace”. A further session will examine the encyclical’s call to interpret contemporary social and cultural changes in the light of the Gospel and to direct the search for happiness and fulfilment towards what the document describes as integral human development. The final working session will focus on the next stage of the Synod on Synodality, the worldwide consultation process launched under Pope Francis. Cardinals will receive an update on preparations for the assemblies planned for 2027 and 2028 following the publication of the document Toward the Assemblies 2027–2028: Stages, Criteria, and Tools for Preparation . The update will be followed by a period of open discussion with Pope Leo. According to Cardinal Re’s letter, interventions from members of the College will be limited to three minutes each. The consistory will conclude on 29 June, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, when Pope Leo celebrates Mass in St Peter’s Basilica and imposes the pallium on newly appointed metropolitan archbishops.

France’s parliament has abandoned plans that would have required Catholic priests to report information heard in confession. The controversial proposal was removed from a child protection bill after opposition from bishops and concerns over religious freedom France’s parliament has abandoned controversial plans that would have forced Catholic priests to reveal information heard in the confessional. The National Assembly unanimously adopted the legislation on 1 June following weeks of debate over proposals to strengthen safeguarding measures in schools and extracurricular activities in the wake of the Bétharram abuse scandal. The affair, centred on the Notre-Dame de Bétharram school in south-west France, led to hundreds of allegations of physical, sexual and psychological abuse and intensified demands for stronger protections for children. While the bill ultimately passed with cross-party support, lawmakers removed a provision that had provoked strong opposition from the Catholic Church and concerns among legal experts over religious freedom. The original text would have required ministers of religion to report abuse against minors even when the information was obtained during sacramental confession. It stated that ministers of religion were subject to reporting obligations for information acquired “in the exercise of their ministry” and that no appeal to the seal of confession could exempt them from that duty. The French bishops mounted a public campaign against the proposal before it reached the Assembly chamber, warning that it threatened fundamental liberties protected by French law. In a statement issued ahead of the debate, the Conference of Bishops of France said it shared the determination of public authorities to combat violence against children but expressed “great concern” about elements of the legislation. The bishops said the text called into question “several fundamental freedoms”, including “freedom of conscience, professional secrecy, freedom of education or freedom of religion”. Bishop Jean-Marc Eychenne of Grenoble emerged as one of the leading critics of the measure. “The secrecy of confession is not a privilege for priests, but a right for the faithful,” the bishop said. After intense parliamentary discussions, deputies withdrew the clause before the final vote, allowing the wider legislation to proceed without the measure targeting the seal of confession. Lawmakers also removed a separate proposal that would have tightened state oversight of private schools operating under contract with the government, including many Catholic institutions. The outcome was welcomed by Church leaders, who stressed that their opposition was directed at the confessional provision rather than efforts to improve safeguarding. Bishop Matthieu Rougé of Nanterre said he was “very happy” that parliament had focused on what he described as the “real objectives” of protecting minors and combating violence in educational settings. Referring to the confession controversy, he suggested the issue had entered the debate in a “somewhat parasitic” way. The dispute nevertheless reopened a long-running argument in France over the relationship between Church teaching and state authority. Under Catholic canon law, the seal of confession is absolute. Canon 983 states that “the sacramental seal is inviolable”, and any priest who directly violates it incurs automatic excommunication. The Church teaches that a confessor can never reveal what has been disclosed during the sacrament, regardless of the circumstances. The principle has been formally protected since the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 and has survived centuries of political upheaval, including the French Revolution and later anti-clerical campaigns that sought to remove the influence of the Church. Photo credit: Notre-Dame de Chrétienté

Fourteen Catholic bishops will attend this year’s UK’s March for Life, double the number seen in previous years Fourteen Catholic bishops are expected to attend this year’s March for Life UK in London in what organisers believe will be one of the largest displays of episcopal support for the annual pro-life event since it was founded. Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, co-director of March for Life UK, revealed the names of the bishops expected at the 5 September march as the UK’s pro-life movement prepares for its annual witness to the value of human life. The bishops include Archbishop Richard Moth of Westminster, Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham and Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark, alongside Bishops David Evans, Paul Mason, Peter Collins, Philip Egan, David Waller, Paul Hendricks, Frank Dougan, John Arnold, John Keenan, Paul Swarbrick and Bosco MacDonald. The announcement follows a turbulent year for the pro-life movement after MPs backed measures that would effectively decriminalise abortion at any stage of pregnancy in England and Wales. Archbishop Wilson emerged as one of the strongest episcopal critics of the proposals. Responding after Parliament approved the changes, he said: “This is a truly tragic moment for our nation.” Archbishop Wilson continued: “How can this frightening legislation, which, following Royal Assent, will permit the abortion of children right up until the moment of birth for any reason, have any place in a civilised society?” He added: “There is, however, another life involved which is now to be ignored and silenced. There are also serious concerns for the safety of women.” “While there is an even more difficult journey now to protect the unborn child, we must continue to speak up for the voiceless, support women in crisis pregnancies and witness to the sanctity of every human life.” Other bishops expected to attend have also been prominent defenders of Catholic teaching on abortion. Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth previously criticised proposals to expand abortion access in Guernsey, warning they would permit abortions “much later in pregnancy”, with less regulation and “right up to birth for a disabled child”. He said: “But what procedure can justify any professional termination of the life of an innocent baby?” Describing the proposals as “fundamentally detestable”, he urged Catholics to oppose any further liberalisation of abortion laws. Bishop David Waller, the Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, has regularly attended March for Life events and has spoken of the need to uphold the dignity of every human person. Addressing a previous rally, he said: “It’s so wonderful because ultimately those who come on this march are already living in this profound truth that human life is sacred.” He added: “It’s not just about the unborn child; there are all sorts of issues in our society, but if the unborn child isn’t sacred, then really everything falls from there.” He concluded: “It’s not about hating people who have turned to abortion, because their lives, too, are holy and sacred. It’s about the fundamental dignity of human life.” Among those travelling from Scotland is Bishop John Keenan of Paisley, one of the country’s most outspoken pro-life advocates. He has repeatedly criticised attempts to exclude pro-life voices from public debate and has called abortion the “greatest human rights issue of all time”. Bishop Paul Swarbrick of Lancaster, another regular supporter of the event, told participants at a previous March for Life rally: “I don’t need to be a Catholic bishop to know abortion isn’t the way it should be.” March for Life UK was established in 2012 and has grown into the largest annual pro-life demonstration in the United Kingdom. Thousands of participants are expected to gather in central London this year for a day of prayer, speeches and public witness. The attendance of 14 bishops is double the number who have attended in previous years. While this year has certainly brought another attack on the unborn by the state, there have also been major pro-life victories. Both the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments rejected outright the introduction of assisted suicide into the National Health Service. Similarly, the House of Lords identified so many faults in Kim Leadbeater’s rushed attempt to impose assisted suicide that the bill fell. With increasing numbers of MPs switching from support to opposition, alongside a shift in public opinion, it is unlikely that another attempt will be made during this Parliament. The bishops’ show of support acknowledges both the challenges and the victories experienced recently by the UK’s pro-life movement.

Retired Argentine Archbishop Héctor Agüer has praised the growing popularity of the Paris-Chartres pilgrimage among young Catholics. In the same essay, he renewed longstanding allegations that Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, a central figure in the post-Vatican II liturgical reforms, was a Freemason Retired Argentine Archbishop Héctor Agüer has praised the growing popularity of the Traditional Latin Mass among young Catholics. The former Archbishop of La Plata said the revival of traditional pilgrimages and devotional practices demonstrates that “orthodoxy and Tradition are in good health and are a guarantee for the future”. The comments were made in an essay published on 1 June by Rorate Caeli, in which he reflected on the Traditional Latin Mass, the liturgical reforms introduced after the Second Vatican Council and the renewed interest in traditional Catholic worship, particularly among younger generations. “The media and, especially, social networks point out that in several European countries, particularly among young people, the ‘Traditional Mass’ is being lived with fervour, accompanied by numerous processions and pilgrimages. “The youthful crowds that revived the traditional Paris-Chartres pilgrimage have drawn widespread attention, with an average age of 22. It is a recovery of Catholic tradition, which had been suffocated in those countries by liberalism, progressivism and atheism,” Archbishop Agüer wrote. The archbishop emeritus pointed to several traditional pilgrimages that have attracted growing numbers of participants in recent years, including the annual Paris-Chartres pilgrimage in France, the Oviedo-Covadonga pilgrimage in Spain, the Rome-Subiaco pilgrimage in Italy and the Rawson-Luján pilgrimage in Argentina. “Pilgrimages like Paris-Chartres, and those of Rawson-Luján (Argentina), Oviedo-Covadonga (Spain), Rome-Subiaco (Italy), and others that are emerging here and there, speak to us of something undeniable: orthodoxy and Tradition are in good health and are a guarantee for the future.” Archbishop Agüer said the traditional liturgy remained closely connected to the Church’s historic understanding of the Mass as the sacramental representation of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary. “The ‘Traditional Mass’ can be called that because it dates back to the seventh and eighth centuries and remained in effect for centuries until at least the Council of Trent, which revised and reissued it so that it would reach our days. Essential to it is its identification with the Sacrifice of the Cross, established as the Sacrament of the Sacrifice at the Last Supper of Jesus with His Apostles. “This Sacrament is the mystery of the Passion and Resurrection, consecrated by the Holy Spirit. The Mass is directed to the glory of the Triune God, to whom it offers the Sacrifice of Jesus,” the retired archbishop wrote. Archbishop Agüer contrasted the older liturgy with the Mass promulgated by Pope Paul VI following the Second Vatican Council, saying: “The Mass defined Catholicism from the Council of Trent to Vatican II. During the pontificate of Paul VI (Giovanni Battista Montini), who succeeded the brief pontificate of John XXIII, a new Mass was invented.” However, he added: “A few modifications here and there could have been introduced to the ‘Traditional Mass’, as had been done during its multi-century existence. But no; Vatican II sought to retouch everything, and a new Mass was meant to spring from its spirit.” Archbishop Agüer also repeated claims concerning Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, the principal architect of the post-conciliar liturgical reforms. “The author of the new Mass was Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, recognised as a Freemason according to undeniable documents, though secret in accordance with the nature of Freemasonry,” he wrote. Archbishop Bugnini, who served as secretary of the Consilium responsible for implementing the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, played a central role in the reform of the Roman Rite after the council. Allegations that he was a Freemason have circulated for decades. The former Archbishop of La Plata also highlighted several differences between the traditional liturgy and the reformed rite, including celebration facing the people, the expanded cycle of Scripture readings and the introduction of additional Eucharistic Prayers. “In it, the priest stands facing the people; biblical readings are multiplied, and over time several Eucharistic Prayers were authorised, which recreate the single Canon of the ‘Traditional Mass’.” The archbishop added: “It would seem that in the Mass of Paul VI and Bugnini, the priest offering the rite must strive to direct himself to God and ensure that the faithful do not become confused.” The archbishop emeritus noted that he celebrates the post-conciliar liturgy and was ordained according to the liturgical books that preceded the reforms. He said: “This Mass is the one I celebrate, in which I was ordained nearly 54 years ago; I do so with the greatest devotion I can. But I remember that in my childhood, as an altar boy, I regularly attended the ‘Traditional Mass’, a rite that was never invalidated and has accompanied that of Paul VI until today, and which, as I said at the beginning, is being rediscovered with enthusiasm by youth.” Turning to liturgical abuses, Archbishop Agüer wrote: “Note should be taken, for example, of a certain bishop who entered Mass on a skateboard, or some priests who dress up as clowns when celebrating. Such outrages can only trigger a stampede effect.” Ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires in November 1972 by Cardinal Juan Carlos Aramburu, Archbishop Agüer served in parish ministry and theological education before being appointed auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires by Pope John Paul II in 1992. He later became coadjutor bishop of La Plata and succeeded Archbishop Carlos Galán as archbishop in 2000, leading one of Argentina’s most important dioceses until his retirement in 2018. During his episcopal ministry, he became known a prominent conservative voice in the Argentine Church, frequently speaking on liturgical matters, Catholic education, abortion, marriage and secularisation. He also served on several Vatican bodies, including the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the Pontifical Council for Culture, and was a consultant to the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

France has seen a surge in adult baptisms. At the same time, more than 20,000 pilgrims completed the three-day pilgrimage to Chartres, the flagship event of the Traditional Latin Mass movement in France. This is the story behind its remarkable growth This year’s annual Notre-Dame de Chrétienté pilgrimage saw more than 20,000, mostly young people make their way from Paris to Chartres amid a Europe-wide heatwave. It is another record-breaking year for the event, which is supported by a further 6,000 volunteers. Like much that is found in the traditional wing of the Church, the pilgrimage is both old and new. New in the sense that it has a vitality brought about by its young attendees. Old in the sense that its origins are medieval. The city of Chartres owes its association with pilgrimage to the Sancta Camisa, a piece of silk worn by Our Lady during the Nativity. Depending on the account, Charlemagne either stole the relic in Constantinople, or was given it by the Byzantine imperial family, and then in turn gave it to his grandson Charles II, also known as Charles the Bald, who presented it to Chartres Cathedral in 876. The Sancta Camisa came to prominence in 911, when Chartres was subjected to a Viking raid. Gantelme, the bishop and military leader of Chartres, is reported to have displayed the relic above the town gate. This is said to have emboldened the defenders of Chartres and terrified the pagan army, resulting in the town withstanding the attack. The episode led to the conversion of Rollo, the Viking leader, his pledge of allegiance to Charles the Simple, more charitably known as Charles III, and the establishment of the Duchy of Normandy, with Rollo as its first duke. Just over a century and a half later, that duchy would successfully invade England, a feat no one has yet matched. Over the ensuing centuries, the cathedral was subjected to successive fires. After each one, however, the people of Chartres rebuilt it in ever more splendid forms. The “Cult of the Carts”, a medieval devotion in which lay people harnessed themselves to carts in place of oxen to transport building materials, finds one of its most famous examples in Chartres. In a letter written by Abbot Haymo of Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives to the monks of Tutbury Abbey in England, Haymo described people of all social classes dragging materials to Chartres catherdral as an act of piety and penance. During the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Chartres became a major centre of Christian pilgrimage. Great fairs were held for the Presentation, the Annunciation, the Assumption and the Nativity, with pilgrims arriving in time to join the festivities. The area surrounding the cathedral functioned as a free-trade zone, exempt from state taxation and governed instead by cathedral authorities. On 7 August 1773, the high altar designed by Charles-Antoine Bridan, depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Assumption into Heaven, was consecrated. Today it remains one of the most iconic features of the medieval cathedral, alongside its celebrated stained-glass windows. More than a century later, another Charles became synonymous with the cathedral. Charles Péguy, the French poet and essayist, helped keep the pilgrimage to Chartres alive by establishing the Paris route. Péguy spent much of his early life detached from religion and would probably have identified more as a Dreyfusard than anything else. Yet his growing nationalism ultimately led him back to France’s Catholic heritage, perhaps most clearly expressed in Le Mystère de la charité de Jeanne d’Arc ( The Mystery of the Charity of Joan of Arc ), first published in 1910. In 1911, at the deathbed of his son Pierre, he made a promise that if his son recovered, he would make a pilgrimage to Chartres beginning in Paris. In 1912, he completed the journey, which left him transformed. He took his students on the pilgrimage and, when he was killed in battle in 1914, they continued the pilgrimage in his honour. Péguy’s faith was complicated. He was married to a divorcee and was never able to be sacramentally reconciled with the Church. However, his Catholicism by conviction bears considerable witness to the power of the Church to draw people in, no matter the obstacles in their path. Like many good traditions, Chartres fell out of use in the years of liturgical upheaval that followed the Second Vatican Council. The Paris to Chartres route, etched into Catholic intellectual France by Péguy, ceased to exist and it was not until 1982 that it resurfaced. It is now associated with the traditionalist movement within the Church. In 1988, after Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre was excommunicated following the illicit episcopal consecrations at Écône, a reality sadly familiar for this year’s pilgrimage, the Society of Saint Pius X began to walk the route in reverse, starting in Chartres and finishing in Paris, a journey it makes to this day. Organised by Notre-Dame de Chrétienté, the pilgrimage has grown at a staggering rate. In 2010, attendance reached 10,000. By 2023, organisers had to close registration early and limit attendance to 16,000, with this year’s numbers exceeding 20,000. This year’s journey started on Saturday 23 May, with Holy Mass at Saint-Sulpice, Paris’s second-largest church, where pilgrims gathered from 5 a.m., filling the surrounding streets. A military-style operation enabled pilgrims to drop off their tents and bags before being escorted through the Saturday morning streets of Paris. Priests process into Saint-Sulpice for the opening Mass of the pilgrimage Walking through the streets of Paris, pilgrims sang hymns while carrying banners displaying saints to whom they are devoted. More than 4,000 religious and priests accompanied the groups, with the short distances between chapters providing opportunities for confession. Pilgrims walk through the French countryside At the end of the first day, pilgrims camped at a vast campsite in Senlisse. Tents were erected for the night, with special areas for priests to celebrate individual Masses from 4 a.m. The following day, at 5.30 a.m., pilgrims were woken for what was potentially the most arduous day of the journey because of the heat and sun exposure, making their way to an open field en route for Pentecost Sunday Mass celebrated by Father Antonius Maria Mamsery, Superior General of the Missionaries of the Holy Cross, a community devoted to the Traditional Latin Mass. Speaking to AdVaticanum after Mass, Father Antonius described the pilgrimage as the “hope of Europe” and “the hope of the revival of the faith and of Catholicism as it once was”. After another evening in a specially erected campsite, the final leg of the journey was completed on Pentecost Monday, a national holiday in France. The crowds arrived singing “Chartres sonne, Chartres t’appelle” (“Chartres rings, Chartres calls you”), before a Solemn Pontifical High Mass celebrated by Cardinal Raymond Burke. His Eminence Cardinal Raymond Burke blesses pilgrims before celebrating a Solemn Pontifical High Mass at the conclusion of the Notre-Dame de Chrétienté pilgrimage in Chartres. Today the pilgrimage has an international character, with pilgrims travelling from as far afield as Australia and South America. However, it remains predominantly French. France is currently experiencing a revival in Catholic devotion, with more than 13,000 adult baptisms this year, a 270 per cent increase in just five years, with the largest cohort, 42 per cent, aged between 18 and 26. The combined number of adult and adolescent baptisms exceeds 20,000, roughly equivalent to the number of pilgrims who took part in this year’s pilgrimage. It is therefore no coincidence that this year’s pilgrimage theme is mission. Organisers said the event stands “at the heart of this spiritual awakening in France, for which prayers have been offered for 44 years”, and it was notable that passers-by were handed leaflets as the pilgrimage passed through towns and villages. The Bishop of Chartres, Bishop Philippe Christory, who gladly welcomes the throngs of pilgrims to his cathedral each year, acknowledged that although the increase in baptisms is significant, “so many are still so far away from the Church”. Speaking to AdVaticanum, he said: “We have to love. Love is the key, the door and the way. Otherwise, this is all nonsense, if it is not for love of God and love for our brothers.” A cynic might judge the turnout to be relatively small compared with the millions who gather for World Youth Day. But the pilgrimage exists without extensive promotion from the Church’s hierarchy, and it is a journey made entirely on foot. It is a pilgrimage of penance and mortification that requires a level of commitment and physical endurance beyond that of a typical pilgrimage. Perhaps a fairer comparison would be Rome’s annual marathon, which 22,000 people completed in 2025 in cooler weather and over less than half the distance. What is increasingly clear is that Chartres represents a phenomenon that it is now impossible for the Church hierarchy to ignore: a younger generation of Catholics is devoted to the Traditional Latin Mass in substantial numbers, and that this devotion will persevere through any restrictions imposed upon it. The first signs of this acknowledgement are becoming apparent, notably in Pope Leo’s request earlier this year that the French bishops show charity towards those attached to the traditional form of the Mass. Brother João, a member of the Fraternity of St Joseph the Guardian, a community that offers the Traditional Latin Mass in the Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon to re-evangelise France, put it succinctly when he told AdVaticanum: “Chartres is a testimony.” With a younger generation of clergy also rising through the Church’s hierarchical ranks who share the same devotion, it remains only a question of time before that testimony leads to concrete action and the promotion, rather than the penalisation, of the Church’s most ancient and edifying liturgical expression. Photo credit: Notre-Dame de Chrétienté