COLLECTIVE FORMAL NOTICE AND FORMAL REQUEST FOR CANONICAL INVESTIGATION REGARDING THE ELECTION OF LEO XIV

To the kind attention of His Most Reverend Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin Secretary of State of His Holiness Apostolic Palace – Vatican City   and, for information to:   His Most Reverend Eminence Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church   His Most Reverend Eminence Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith   His Most Reverend Excellency Mons. Anthony Randazzo Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts  

Your Most Reverend Eminences and Excellency,

We, the undersigned baptized faithful, consider it necessary to bring to Your attention certain urgent canonical matters that, at present, do not allow us to acknowledge the certain legitimacy of Pope Leo XIV as Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.  

These concerns relate to evident discrepancies with the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, even with regard to Articles 76–77 thereof, which specify that the nullity of an election, in the event of a violation of the applicable rules, does not require any ecclesiastical declaration in this regard.  

The violations in question concern:  

1. The failure by Pope Benedict XVI to renounce the Petrine munus, pursuant to the provisions of can. 332 §2;  

2. The failure to declare the vacancy of the Apostolic See due to the death of the last legitimate Pope, Benedict XVI;  

3. The participation in the 2025 Conclave of a significant number of cardinals (108) whose appointments are invalidated by the irregular resignation of Pope Benedict XVI;  

4. The exceeding of the maximum limit of 120 electors provided for by the current legislation;  

5. Circumstances, which have not been officially denied, concerning violations of the rules on secrecy and the regularity of the conclave proceedings (a cardinal caught with a mobile phone after the extra omnes and another elector leaving the assembly before its official closing).   

It is also noted that, since 2023, multiple requests for clarification have been submitted to the Holy See, including petitions signed by over 20,000 faithful and canonical-doctrinal contributions addressed to the Secretariat of State, without any official response having been received to date.  

In light of can. 212 §3, which recognizes the faithful the right and duty of to manifest their thoughts to the sacred Pastors for the good of the Church, we would like to stress that the persistent uncertainty regarding the validity of the acts in question also has significant repercussions for the civil society.

In particular, reference is made to the concordat framework between the Holy See and the Italian Republic, originally defined by the Lateran Pacts of 11 February 1929 and subsequently revised through the bilateral Agreement of Villa Madama of 18 February 1984, which was incorporated into Italian law by Law No. 121 of 25 March 1985. This framework, based on the principles of bilaterality and cooperation, is relevant for the recognition of the civil effects of ecclesiastical acts, and therefore requires certainty as to their canonical validity.  

Equally, attention is drawn to the provisions of canon law that provide for sanctions in the case of usurpation of an ecclesiastical office. In this perspective, should the above-mentioned critical issues prove to be well-founded, the Reverend Father Robert Francis Prevost OSA would incur the relevant sanctions provided for by the canonical order, having illegitimately: been consecrated bishop, created cardinal, and elected to the papal throne under the name of Leo XIV.

In view of the foregoing, we request that the competent ecclesiastical Authorities proceed without further delay to provide a formal clarification regarding the canonical legitimacy of Pope Leo XIV, by means of an official pronouncement, expressed in reasoned form and based on adequate canonical and documentary verification. Failing this, we will be compelled to appeal to the Italian legal order by virtue of the aforementioned Lateran Pacts, as well as to inform the embassies of countries that have concordats with the Vatican City State.        

In light of the above, we submit the following canonical study:  

PROVIDED IN FACTO ET IN IURE  

That the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis constitutes the lex specialis governing, according to the norm of law, the election of the Roman Pontiff;  

that, pursuant to can. 332 §1 CIC, the acquisition of the Petrine munus is subject, for its validity, to a legitimate election and its acceptance;  

that cann. 124–125 CIC establish the essential requirements for the validity of juridical acts, the lack of which results in nullity or invalidity;  

that, in the year 2025, a Conclave was held from which the current incumbency of the Petrine office derives;  

that public reports, observations, and interpretative difficulties have emerged concerning the substantive and procedural regularity of said Conclave;  

that, among these reports, the statements made by Dr. Angelo Giorgianni are also relevant; these are cited not as proof, but as notitia criminis or, in any case, as notitia iuris suitable to prompt the competent Authority to exercise its power-duty of verification;  

NOTED IN LAW  

that certainty regarding the incumbency of the Petrine office constitutes a primary legal good of the canonical order, as it is the foundation of visible ecclesial communion;  

that can. 212 §3 CIC recognizes the faithful the right and duty  to submit to the Pastors issues concerning the good of the Church;  

that disputes relating to ecclesiastical offices fall within the competence of the ecclesiastical authority (cann. 1400 ff. CIC); that the persistence of an objective doubt (dubium positivum et prudens) regarding the validity of the election affects legal certainty and the orderly exercise of ecclesiastical power;  

IN IURE – PENAL AND SANCTIONING PROFILES  

that Book VI of the Code of Canon Law, as reformed by the Apostolic Constitution Pascite Gregem Dei (2021), provides for a strengthened sanctioning system for the protection of the ecclesial order;  

that, pursuant to cann. 1378 et seq. CIC, as well as other applicable criminal provisions, the illegitimate exercise of an ecclesiastical function constitutes a sanctionable canonical offense;  

that, should — quod Deus avertat — an undue exercise of the Petrine munus be configured, this would constitute an offense of exceptional gravity, affecting the very summit of the ecclesial order;  

that, in such a case, the possible author of the usurpation of the supreme ecclesiastical office would be subject to the most serious disciplinary and criminal sanctions provided for by canon law, according to the assessment of the competent Authority;  

that precisely the potential gravity of such an offense requires, from a legal standpoint, a certain, formal, and definitive ascertainment;  

GIVEN ALL THE ABOVE THE UNDERSIGNED HEREBY FORMALLY NOTIFY AND INTIMATE

to the competent ecclesiastical Authorities to:    

Proceed ex officio with the opening of a complete and documented canonical investigation procedure regarding the circumstances pertaining to the 2025 Conclave;  

Verify, in facto et in iure, the full compliance of the electoral operations with the provisions of Universi Dominici Gregis;   Issue an official, public, reasoned, and legally binding pronouncement on the validity or invalidity of the election;  

ABOUT THE GRAVE CONSEQUENCES IN CASE OF PERSISTING DOUBT  

The undersigned point out that the persistence of an objective and unresolved doubt (dubium grave, positivum et prudens) produces legally and pastorally significant effects.  

In particular, sacred ministers, in the internal forum, might consider themselves not bound by the obligation of explicit hierarchical communion in liturgical actions; the mention of the Roman Pontiff in the Canon of the Mass might be suspended or altered;

the faithful might refrain from participating in celebrations considered canonically doubtful, with consequent harm to visible ecclesial communion, disruption of sacramental unity, and compromise of the juridical order of the Church.

Such a situation constitutes a serious and present prejudice to the entire ecclesial body and cannot be left to subjective evaluations.  

CONCLUSIONS  

The undersigned, ad normam iuris: act ad tutelam veritatis; ad certitudinem iuris restaurandam; ad unitatem Ecclesiae tuendam;

and FORMALLY REQUEST AND DEMAND the competent Authority to: give a final pronouncement on the validity of the election; remove every state of juridical uncertainty; assure full certainty regarding the incumbency of the Petrine munus;     

Following signatories

Andrea Cionci    Contact the author of the petition