Vatican City – Silere non possum exclusively broke the news of an apostolic visitation to the Cistercian community of Heiligenkreuz, initiated by the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. It was a true and well-founded report which – as is often the case – was immediately plundered by other media outlets without any reference to the source. Andrea Tornielli’s Vatican News blog once again copied and pasted the content without citing the original source. This behaviour is typical of scavengers and belongs to corrupt individuals protected by others (including institutions) just as corrupt.
It is therefore wholly inappropriate for Andrea Tornielli to complain when Silere non possum exposes the skeletons in his closet, accusing us of not wanting to “collaborate” with those who have, for years, operated in an illicit and professionally unethical manner. The Holy See knows this well: as long as the Dicastery remains in the hands of corrupt and corruptible figures, who trample on professional ethics and manipulate information, Silere non possum will not collaborate with anyone.
The same happened with the websites of the German-speaking episcopal conferences in Germany and Austria: they published the news without crediting the source. After all, Pope Leo XIV has already repeatedly denounced the disloyalty and incompetence of certain Church media outlets, and facts — once again — prove him right.
Heiligenkreuz: Measured Words, but a Different Reality
Today, Monday 16 June 2025, the Heiligenkreuz community released an official statement noting that the Dicastery, in a letter dated 5 June, expressed its intention to “gain a precise understanding of monastic life and the governance of the abbey”, presenting the initiative as a “gesture of benevolent solicitude” intended to foster growth and protect the community from possible internal and external risks.
These are cautious and respectful words, as they rightly should be — yet they do not tell the whole truth. The community merely repeats what was written to them by the Prefect: welcome the visitation. Full stop.
Out of respect for the community, we initially chose not to publish certain elements we had read in the letter. However, in light of the proliferation of false interpretations by various media outlets, we are now compelled to clarify the situation:
This visitation does not stem from a fraternal gesture, but from formal accusations that were submitted to the Dicastery. It follows a well-established pattern: an anonymous or deliberately constructed report is submitted, and the Dicastery rushes to strike — just as it has done in several other well-known cases we have previously reported.
Indeed, the letter addressed to Heiligenkreuz explicitly refers to “reports concerning the governance and administration of the abbey”. It is therefore clear that the accusations concern leadership and financial management, not spiritual or formative matters. Let us not forget that in the case of San Giacomo di Veglia, it all began with “financial concerns” and then turned into a brutal and destructive assault on the abbess and the nuns.
Who Are the Visitors? Another Sign of Ideological Drift
What further worsens the situation is the worrying choice of the two apostolic visitors. The first is Jeremias Schröder, Primate Abbot of the Benedictines, already known for ambiguous and tolerant attitudes towards serious abuse cases within the Abbey of Sant’Anselmo — such as the Polish abbot we previously documented. The second name is even more troubling: Christine Rod MC, a veil-less religious sister, representing the German-speaking modernist wing of consecrated life. An ideologically driven figure, she risks importing division and conflict into a community that has always strived for harmony between tradition and modernity.
The Real Target: A Living, Young, Faithful Community
Why Heiligenkreuz? Because it is one of the very few religious communities in Europe that has managed to implement Vatican II with genuine balance. It is rich in vocations, rooted in tradition, yet open to dialogue with the contemporary world. Precisely for this reason, it is intolerable to those who seek the dissolution of authentic religious life.
The same happened with the Saint-Martin community, which also came under attack for similar reasons: too vibrant, too faithful, too free from power games. The Dicastery today does not protect, but targets what works, in the name of ideological balance and factional logic. Behind this latest attack looms the overbearing figure of Mauro Giuseppe Lepori, Abbot General of the Cistercians, whose influence within the Dicastery is far from impartial.
An Appeal to Pope Leo XIV
We are once again facing institutionalised violence, yet another attempt to destroy what is fruitful and thriving, disguised in reassuring terms such as “care” and “discernment”. But the situation is now intolerable. Only the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, can intervene decisively to halt the decline initiated by Simona Brambilla, who presumes to act as a psychologist despite having no real competence either in monastic life or in psychology.
In this regard, we are publishing the documents to demonstrate that the apostolic visitation had been planned for some time and was decided during the pontificate of Pope Francis. In recent days, many have begun to accuse Pope Leo XIV, who was not even aware of it until Silere non possum published the article on Sunday.
The threat is serious: the lives and vocations of young monks who desire to give themselves wholly to God and to His Church are at stake. What is needed now is truth, justice and courage.
Fr. L.S.
Silere non possum