Episode 2615: Critique of Pope JP II's Additions to the Rosary and the Promotion of Divine Mercy

I have been questioned by certain attendees of the Mother Perpetual Novena on Thursday nights why when I recite the Holy Rosary before the Novena I do not recite the Luminous mysteries that are dedicated to Thursdays. I have also been questioned for not supporting the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Additionally there is a very popular Marian Priest (Novus Ordo) who promotes the Holy Rosary and Divine Mercy very aggressively and part of that is very good but he attacked those of use that disagree with Pope John Paul’s alternatives claiming “You really think you know better than a Pope? And do you know the Rosary is a Sacramental and not a Sacrament so the Pope has the authority to do so”. Well sadly the answer is twofold. First, how do you like what you have received from the Popes of John 23rd to Pope Francis? So that answer is “Yes I do!” Since one of the Pillars of our Catholic Faith is “Tradition” you better believe I will question anyone that tampers with one of our Pillars including a Pope. In response to the good priests second question around sacrament verses sacramental is , just because they could doesn’t mean they should have.
So this episode will tackling a particularly controversial topic: why I as a Traditional Catholic take issue with Pope John Paul II’s addition of the Luminous Mysteries to the Rosary and, at the same time, how his promotion of the Divine Mercy devotion and the canonization of St. Faustina can be seen as a problem.
To frame this discussion, we’ll be reflecting on the wisdom of the great saints and popes who have defended the integrity of the Church’s traditions throughout the ages.
Part 1: The Structure of the Rosary and Pope John Paul II's Luminous Mysteries
Let’s start by looking at the Rosary. As many of you know, in 2002, Pope John Paul II introduced the Luminous Mysteries, with the intention of deepening our meditation on Christ’s life. While this was done with a pastoral heart, many Traditional Catholics feel that this change disrupts the sacred structure of the Rosary as it was handed down through the centuries.

Let me put this in further perspective for you.
Number of Popes Between the time of St. Dominic and Pope John Paul II
Pope Honorius III was the 177th pope.
Pope John Paul II was the 264th pope.
The difference between the two is 87 popes (264 - 177), so there were 87 popes between Pope Honorius III and Pope John Paul II.

Time Span Between St. Dominic’s Death and Pope John Paul II
St. Dominic promoted the Rosary in 1214.
Pope John Paul II’s added to the Rosary in 2002.
The time span from 1221 to 2005 is 784 years.
So, between the time of St. Dominic and the Pope John Paul II’s reign, there were 87 popes over a span of 788 years.
Saint Pius V, the pope who standardized the Rosary after the victory at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, made clear the power and perfection of the 15-decade Rosary. In his Apostolic Letter Consueverunt Romani Pontifices, he emphasized the Rosary as a weapon in the hands of the faithful to combat heresies and dangers threatening the Church. This powerful devotion, consisting of the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries, mirrors the Psalter of the Church with its 150 Hail Marys. So by Pope John Paul II adding another 5 mysteries he fractured the construct and the entire purpose of the 150 Hail Marys and not 200.
As Pope Leo XIII, known as the "Rosary Pope," once said in Supremi Apostolatus Officio, "The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin... If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary."
For centuries, the Rosary remained unchanged a perfect prayer handed down through Our Lady’s own hands. So, when Pope John Paul II added five new mysteries, this disturbed the theological and numerical symbolism that had existed since the time of St. Dominic. Traditional Catholics question whether any pope, no matter how holy, has the right to alter something so closely tied to divine revelation.

Part 2: The Divine Mercy Devotion and St. Faustina’s Canonization
Now let’s turn to the Divine Mercy devotion. Many faithful Catholics have found comfort in the message of Divine Mercy, as revealed to St. Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s. In fact, Pope John Paul II had a deep personal devotion to Divine Mercy, which culminated in his canonization of St. Faustina and the establishment of Divine Mercy Sunday. But Traditional Catholics have concerns about the emphasis this devotion places on mercy without sufficient attention to God’s justice.
St. Alphonsus Liguori, a Doctor of the Church, spoke often of the importance of balancing our understanding of God’s mercy and His justice. He wrote, "God is merciful, but He is also just... sinners say: 'God is good.' Yes, but He is also just, and He must punish those who offend Him."
While no one denies the beauty of God’s mercy, Traditional Catholics are wary of an overemphasis on mercy that might lead to a neglect of repentance and penance. They also point to the initial reservations the Church had about St. Faustina’s writings, which were placed on the Index of Forbidden Books in 1959 due to concerns over the authenticity and theological soundness of the messages. These concerns were later dismissed by Pope John Paul II, but the rapid rise of the devotion still causes some unease. Why did all the Popes from the time of Sr Faustina refuse her writings and devotion and also could her being Polish have been his central reason?
St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest theologians of the Church, reminds us that “mercy without justice is the mother of dissolution; justice without mercy is cruelty.” Traditional Catholics strive to maintain this delicate balance in their spiritual lives.
My daughter and her family have done the deep dive into the Divine Mercy Chaplet and even replaced their nightly Rosary with it.
I expressed my concerns that this devotion may unnecessarily compete with two more ancient and established devotions: the Holy Rosary and the Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was directly instituted by Christ through St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century. Here’s how this tension might be understood:

Overemphasis on a New Devotion
The Holy Rosary, dating back to St. Dominic (c. 1214), and the Devotion to the Sacred Heart, revealed to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 1670s, are both well-established in Catholic tradition. These devotions have been supported by numerous popes, saints, and theologians as powerful and essential practices for spiritual growth, the conversion of sinners, and the salvation of souls. Traditional Catholics might feel that the rapid rise of the Divine Mercy devotion places undue emphasis on a newer practice, overshadowing devotions that have withstood the test of centuries.
Pope Pius XI, in his encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor (1928), called the Devotion to the Sacred Heart the “most complete summary of our religion.” The Sacred Heart encapsulates not only the mercy of Christ but also His call for reparation for sins, penance, and a balance between mercy and justice. This theological depth could be seen as more complete than the Divine Mercy devotion, which emphasizes mercy but may not as directly emphasize the need for personal conversion and reparation.

The Holy Rosary: A Time-Tested Spiritual Weapon
The Holy Rosary has been called a "spiritual sword" by saints like St. Louis de Montfort and Pope Leo XIII, and for centuries it has been promoted as one of the Church's most powerful weapons against sin and heresy. The Rosary’s 15 mysteries (Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious) offer a profound meditation on the life of Christ, from His incarnation to His Resurrection and the coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven. The repetitive prayer structure calls us to dwell in the mysteries of Christ’s life in a way that deeply sanctifies the soul.
Traditional Catholics may worry that promoting the Divine Mercy Chaplet as an equally powerful prayer could distract from the primacy of the Rosary. The Chaplet’s brief format focused mainly on the repetition of the phrase “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world” while beautiful, lacks the same depth of meditation that the Rosary provides. Furthermore, it was the Blessed Virgin Mary herself who instituted the Rosary, while the Divine Mercy devotion is a private revelation given to an individual saint, making it inherently secondary to Marian devotions.
St. Pius V, after the victory of Lepanto in 1571, declared the Rosary to be responsible for the Christian victory, further cementing its spiritual power. The Rosary has been associated with countless miraculous events, making it a cornerstone of Catholic prayer life, and any new devotion must not compete with this already well-established tradition.
The Sacred Heart: Instituted by Christ Himself
The Devotion to the Sacred Heart, revealed to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 1670s, came directly from Christ, who asked that this devotion be spread to emphasize His burning love for humanity and the necessity of making reparation for the sins of the world. The Sacred Heart emphasizes not only Christ’s mercy but also His justice, calling souls to repentance, personal sanctification, and deepening their love for the Eucharist. It fosters a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of both God’s mercy and His righteous anger toward sin.
In her visions, St. Margaret Mary reported that Christ specifically asked for the establishment of the First Fridays devotion, wherein Catholics would receive Holy Communion in reparation for sins committed against His Sacred Heart. This devotion, blessed by countless miracles and ecclesiastical approval, covers both God’s mercy and the need for reparation, whereas the Divine Mercy devotion primarily emphasizes mercy alone.
In the eyes of some traditional Catholics, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, while certainly beautiful and focused on mercy, may not provide as balanced a theological understanding as the Sacred Heart devotion, which addresses the full spectrum of God’s attributes His love, justice, and the necessity for human repentance and sacrifice.
The Danger of Diluting Ancient Devotions
Traditionalists may argue that the rise of the Divine Mercy Chaplet risks diluting the importance and usage of both the Holy Rosary and the Sacred Heart devotion. If Catholics begin to favor the Divine Mercy Chaplet over these older, more deeply established devotions, there is a risk that the theological richness and long-established spiritual fruits of the Rosary and Sacred Heart devotions could be neglected. This is especially significant when the Church has affirmed for centuries that the Rosary and the Sacred Heart devotion are critical for fighting sin and growing in holiness.
St. Louis de Montfort passionately defended the Rosary as the surest way to obtain grace and defeat the enemies of the Church, and Pope Leo XIII issued numerous encyclicals calling for the widespread recitation of the Rosary. The Rosary, unlike private revelations like Divine Mercy, is intimately connected to the public revelation and practice of the Church, blessed with universal indulgences and deep roots in Marian apparitions and the Church’s magisterium.
Maintaining the Balance of Tradition
In the end, this conversation isn’t about rejecting mercy or rejecting a deeper meditation on Christ’s life it's about maintaining the integrity of the Church's traditions. As St. Vincent of Lérins taught, “We hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all.” The Luminous Mysteries, while beautiful in themselves, break from the tradition that has guided Catholics for centuries.
Similarly, while the Divine Mercy devotion has brought many blessings, we must ensure that it complements, rather than overshadows, the broader framework of repentance, justice, and the sacred traditions of the Church. Pope Pius X, who fought so valiantly against modernism, urged us in his encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis to reject novelties that distort the truth of our faith, saying, “The true friends of the people are neither revolutionaries nor innovators, but traditionalists.”
Closing Prayer
As we conclude this episode, let us turn once again to Our Lady and ask for her guidance in defending the sacred traditions of the Church.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
Mother of Sorrows, we ask for your intercession, that we may remain faithful to the holy traditions of the Church, which you have revealed to the saints. Protect us from errors and lead us always to your Son, Jesus Christ. May we grow in love for the Rosary and all the devotions that the Church, in her wisdom, has handed down to us.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Thank you for joining us on this journey through our faith. Let us remain rooted in tradition as we strive for holiness in our daily lives. Stay strong in your devotion, and until next time, may God bless you and keep you.