This month draws to a close with yet another illicit consecration in the Catholic Church. More minor in scope but extreme in position, the Papa Stronsay-based Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer (Transalpine Redemptorists) had their abbot, Fr Michael Mary Sim, consecrated by sedevacantist Bishop Pierre Roy. Bishop Roy stated that he asked Fr Michael Mary to accept consecration “despite some initial reluctance”.

Bishop Roy said: “Father Michael Mary will not be a mere dispenser of sacraments, as some today seek to reduce the Catholic episcopate to. He will be consecrated in the absence of an apostolic mandate, since the See of Rome is clearly occupied by the enemies of God.”

He announced that the now-Bishop Michael Mary, who is in his early 70s, will live primarily in New Zealand following his consecration, stating that this was because there was no “traditional bishop” in the country.

In the aftermath of both the Society of St Pius X (SSPX) consecrations and in the lead-up to the Papa Stronsay consecration, more bishops have either called for restrictions on the Latin Mass to be lifted or have expanded its provision in their dioceses. Bishop Hugh Gilbert of Aberdeen increased the frequency of the old rite to weekly in one parish ahead of the Transalpine Redemptorists’ consecrations, and the Bishop of Oslo announced he was prepared to expand the Tridentine Rite in response to the SSPX. It is possible that what began as an initial response is becoming a trend, as we may yet see more bishops see providing the old rite as a way to accommodate the faithful who have a devotion to it.

A new German lay organisation is currently working to oppose plans by the Synodal Way to establish what it calls the Synodal Conference, under which an equal number of bishops and laity would decide issues. 

The organisation, Pro Fide Ecclesiae (PFE), was founded on July 12 and, the following week, released an open letter to Pope Leo XIV with an accompanying petition urging the Pontiff to reject the proposals. The Conference, if established, would be a dramatic break with the Church's hierarchical structure. However, Rome has a difficult history with the Synodal Way, and is unlikely to approve such dramatic changes.

In the United States, the House of Representatives began its August recess on Thursday, July 24, and will remain out of Washington until the end of August. The Senate's recess will begin on August 10 and continue until the middle of September.

Hawaii will welcome a new bishop on Tuesday, when Fr Michael Castori SJ is installed as Bishop of Honolulu. Hawaii has one Catholic diocese for the entirety of the state. Castori is a native of Sacrament, California and entered the Jesuits five years after graduating from Harvard. 

The United States has halted its strikes against Iran after nearly two weeks of bombing, but tensions remain in the region as talks over reopening the Strait of Hormuz continue.