Dear Pope Leo:

Greatest congratulations on your ascent to the Throne of Peter.

And on your papacy.

What a thrill for an American, to see this. And what a capable countenance you present.

If we can be excused, a few observations and suggestions.

Number one, the Church needs to veer from worldliness. For too long now, statements, visits, pomp, and ceremony have been a bit skewed to politics, psychology, and celebrity. We understand the important role the Church has in orienting the world—in inserting itself.

But too often celebrities are given royal treatment at the Vatican, despite moral question marks.

This has been going on for decades.

The other day, there was the meeting with actors and filmmakers, at which time, according to Reuters, you “told a group of leading Hollywood actors and filmmakers at an audience in the Vatican on Saturday that cinemas were struggling to survive and that more should be done to protect them and preserve the shared experience of watching movies.” Screen stars Cate Blanchett, Monica Bellucci, Chris Pine, and Oscar-winning director Spike Lee were among those at the gathering. God bless them.

But to repeat, the Church has to engage with the world and remain relevant in the secular vantage point at the same time that one must be cautious in doing so. We’d like to see equal time in admonishment of Hollywood for its use of the “f-word” in just about every major movie, as well as sexual scenes, occultism, and violence. Even previews—”coming attractions”—are major occasions for sin. Even religious movies can emanate an unfortunate charisma.

It is to such an extent that one may ask: Is there something inherently wrong with the unreality of “celluloid”?

Here one notes Saint Padre Pio, who, when he finally agreed to attend his first movie, suddenly had second thoughts, stopped the car, and refused to go, saying “The devil is in it!”

This needs to be discerned and considered.

While on the subject of the devil, Holy Father, let us add that Jesus spoke much about demons.

One also notes recent comments from the Vatican and U.S. bishops on immigration.

It’s true: migrants—legitimate ones—should be helped. Everyone should be helped. Every human is equally valued by God.

None should be mistreated.

And this has occurred of late. The arrival of masked federal agents at a church in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday sent some worshippers fleeing into the woods while children sobbed inside, witnesses told The Charlotte Observer. Sometimes ICE has seemed like a terrorist operation.

But one must likewise note that every nation—including Vatican City—has borders (and in the case of the Holy See, fortress-like walls). Holy Father, you addressed the issue the other day when you supported a recent statement by the American bishops, saying, “I believe we must seek ways of treating people with humanity, with the dignity that is theirs. If someone is in the United States illegally, there are ways to address this. There are courts. There is a judicial system. I believe there are many problems in the system. No one has said that the United States should have open borders. I think every country has the right to determine who enters, how, and when. [But] when people have lived good lives—many of them for 10, 15, 20 years—treating them in a way that is, to say the least, extremely disrespectful, and with instances of violence, is troubling.”

It’s a matter of balance. Some of those illegals are vicious criminals.

We live in a time of extremes.

There are multiple sides to every issue. It was interesting the other day to hear the U.S. Border “czar,” Tom Homan scored the Catholic Church, saying its opposition to mass deportations undermines U.S. law enforcement and costs lives.

“The Catholic Church is wrong,” Homan asserted. “I’m sorry. I’m a lifelong Catholic. I’m saying it not only as a border czar—I’ll say it as a Catholic. They need to spend time fixing the Catholic Church, in my opinion.”

Homan made the remarks at the White House when asked about the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which last week condemned President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and warned of “a climate of fear and anxiety” around immigration enforcement, according to Reuters.

The bishops and you, Holy Father, are right to defend human dignity—no question.

But there are laws which (morally) must be obeyed, and as far as Homan’s observation on the Church, there are a number of searing issues that need to be addressed. To wit:

Aside from the obvious issue of sexual abuse, which is now being addressed (what a horror it has been!), there are matters like Mass itself. Forgive us for noting that too often homilies are both overly long (Francis repeatedly said to limit them to ten minutes), are theological, and tend to be divorced from the day’s Gospel reading.

Disengaged.

The young often mention this—tedium and prolongation—as a reason they stop attending. They have been returning to Mass and must not be discouraged. As for relevance, especially at this time when everyone is noting the darkness, it’s common to hear a reading about Christ casting out a demon, but nothing whatsoever on that aspect of spirituality—deliverance—in the subsequent sermon, as if the notion of casting out spirits is an archaic superstition.

As do we all, the Church needs to more closely follow the words and actions of Jesus. Bring back Mystical Theology (once a mainstay of seminaries).

Music also often needs to be a bit more reverent and abbreviated. Mass is not a concert. And let’s bring back some of the “golden oldies.” Let’s also ring the bells: they scatter demons.

As for seminaries: the biggest crisis here is not just an overly “pragmatic” (worldly) and theological approach (as opposed to a robust supernatural one), but also how manly seminarians are so often turned away or find themselves discouraged with the atmosphere.

Masculinity in the priesthood is crucial. There are plenty of men—celibate but strongly heterosexual—who’d like to be priests but do not want to be seen as effete.

Reports The New York Times today: “Across the country, the ancient tradition of Orthodox Christianity is attracting energetic new adherents, especially among conservative young men. They are drawn to what they describe as a more demanding, even difficult, practice of Christianity. Echoing some of the rhetoric of the so-called manosphere, new waves of young converts say Orthodoxy offers them hard truths and affirms their masculinity.”

Overhaul Western seminaries. Africa and the Philippines have been very successful. Emulate their manner of recruitment and formation.

Sorry to be so blunt. And blessed we are to have had Pontiffs who themselves have the right comportment in this regard and spirit but who perhaps could be more simple (plain-speaking) and direct. And in remembering Galatians 1: 10: “Whom would you say I am trying to please at this point—men or God? Is this how I seek to ingratiate myself with men? If I were trying to win man’s approval, I would surely not be serving Christ!”