Another is the case of Libero Milone,


the Vatican’s first auditor general, who was reportedly framed and then fired in 2017 after his investigations uncovered internal financial corruption. Milone sued the Vatican in 2022 for


unlawful dismissal, but a Vatican tribunal threw out his case. Milone’s subsequent appeal was rejected, with lawyers accus- ing the Vatican of treating him unjustly as key documents support his claim. Leo has yet to meet or speak with him. Regarding financial reform in gener-


al, Pope Leo has been praised for Coni- uncta Cura, a papal decree that boosted flexibility and potential returns by end- ing the Vatican Bank’s monopoly. He also suppressed a high-level fundrais- ing body set up when Francis was ill, and that had been held in suspicion. But despite a push for greater trans-


parency and concerns over the Vati- can’s financial health, Leo has drawn criticism for reactivating the Adminis- tration of the Patrimony of the Apos- tolic See (APSA), an influential Vatican


department responsible for managing assets and real estate. The department has been accused of


opaque dealings, possible money laun- dering, and weak internal controls. He has had more success in a key


area cardinals had wanted addressed: increasing the chances for them to meet the pope and one another. In January, Leo XIV relaunched the


first of a series of expected meetings of cardinals that Francis had abolished in 2014.


Although the January consistory


meeting turned out to be more of a committee meeting based on “synodal- ity” — a byword, say critics, for subvert- ing the hierarchy of the church in favor of heterodoxy — observers said it man- aged, at least partially, to restore the College of Cardinals to being the pope’s advisory “senate” it was meant to be. The initiative was consistent with


Leo’s emphasis on being a listener and bridge-builder to bring factions together. The pope has made it known he will


REFLECTION Pope Leo XIV feeds the fish in a pond at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. One year into his pontificate, observers say he has been reluctant to take hard decisions, especially when it comes to issues related to the Catholic Church’s moral teaching.


MAY 2026 | NEWSMAX 63


FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100