Free Republic

Pope Francis was not content with merely spreading the politics of Marxist wealth redistribution in his “climate change” fairyhoax encyclical, arguably the whole reason for its creation in the first place. He also chose to reinforce its supposed legitimacy by featuring a passage from an Islamic poet, Ali al-Khawas. As reported in Breitbart News, the “climate” encyclical included a depiction of the Muslim poet as cautioning people not to “put too much distance between the creatures of the world and the interior experience of God.” The symbolism of incorporating this Islamic text into the encyclical is much more significant than...

Pilgrims fill St. Peter's Square for Pope Francis' Wednesday general audience on Oct. 15, 2014. Credit: Bohumil Petrik/CNA. Washington D.C., Jun 12, 2015 / 05:11 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The global Catholic population is growing – so quickly, in fact, that priest and parish numbers cannot keep up, says a new study on trends in the worldwide Church. And this poses a challenge: With an overall growth in the number of Catholics, especially in Africa and Asia, but not enough growth in the number of parishes and priests to supplement it, there are fewer opportunities for Catholics to receive the sacraments...

One would think that Catholic priests like Chicago’s Rev. Michael Pfleger, an early supporter of Barack Obama and his push for gun control, would not be bearing false witness against one of his neighbors. Yet there he was standing in front of Chuck’s Gun Shop in suburban Riverdale, Illinois, to blame it, and other legal businesses like it, along with the National Rifle Association, for the murder spree in the gun-controlled progressive worker’s paradise of Chicago. Standing with the camera-shy Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence president Dan Gross in front of the gun shop,...

One of the speakers slated for the Vatican rollout of the long-awaited Papal document on climate change once said the earth is overpopulated by at least 6 billion people. The teaching document, called an encyclical, is scheduled for release on June 18 at Vatican City. Perhaps with the exception of the 1968 encyclical on contraception, no Vatican document has been greeted with such anticipation. The political left is hoping for a document that ties belief in global warming to a religious obligation. Climate skeptics have already started criticizing the document.

Have you ever wondered if Jesus actually believed everything He taught to those around Him? This is an out of the box type of question but it’s one that is gaining momentum amongst people who wish to defend a personal position contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church.  Their method is to use Christ and somehow convince people that what he taught was an openness to embrace a golden rule of loving everyone but leaving the person to their own devices with no attempt at a genuine conversion of heart to Christ Himself.Our human condition is both a great...

It is nearly impossible to overstate the evangelistic failure of the Catholic Church in Ireland following that country’s democratic embrace of homosexual marriage – the first nation ever to openly choose such debauchery for itself instead of having it imposed by the courts. Many reasons were offered last week for why this happened on an island nation where roughly 84 percent of the population identifies as Catholic. Among them were the tone-setting decadence of a divorce culture, the priest abuse scandal and the fat, dumb and happy that came with the country’s economic revolution in the 1990s. There is something...

NEW YORK (AP) — There will be prayer vigils and pilgrimages, policy briefings and seminars, and sermons in parishes from the U.S. to the Philippines. When Pope Francis releases his much-anticipated teaching document on the environment and climate change in the coming weeks, a network of Roman Catholics will be ready. These environmental advocates – who work with bishops, religious orders, Catholic universities and lay movements – have been preparing for months to help maximize the effect of the statement, hoping for a transformative impact in the fight against global warming. “This is such a powerful moment,” said Patrick Carolan,...

Ireland, for so long the most overtly Catholic state in Western Europe, has voted for gay marriage by a stupendous margin – 62 per cent. Never before has a country legalised the practice by popular vote. It would be naive to ask: how could this happen? Hatred of the Church is one of the central features of modern Ireland, thanks not only to the paedophile scandals but also to the joyless quasi-Jansenist character of the Irish Church, which was handed complete control of education in the Free State after partition in 1922. (Many of its priests were outstandingly holy and...

If millions of dollars partnered with “aggressive social media” can wipe out corruption and bald-faced lies, then Hillary Clinton, who comes with great stores of both, could be America’s next president That it was suddenly magnanimous, home-grown Irish, a coming together of young and old, who made their country the first to approve same-sex marriage by way of referendum, is an exaggeration that surpasses the gifts said to come to the kissers of the legendary Blarney Stone. It was in point of fact American money raised by the billion dollar resourced Atlantic Philanthropies organization who poured in mega millions to...

In John 5:43, Jesus declared:I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.With the advent of Protestantism and the confusion that followed, and that continues to this day, Christians, outside of the Catholic Church, have, at best, an incomplete understanding of the power of these words. When Jesus says, “I come in my father’s name,” he reveals the nature of the authority he possesses from God, the Father.We use this phrase—at least, the “in the name of” part—similarly in modern parlance in law enforcement when a police...

While discussing the latest Pew Survey that documented the decline of people professing to be Christian in America, Fox News pundit Bill O'Reilly blamed the Catholic Church's corruption and rap music's "promotion of depraved behavior" as a few reasons for the decline of Christianity in U.S. culture. "There is no question that people of faith are being marginalized by a secular media and pernicious entertainment," O'Reilly said. "The rap industry, for example, often glorifies depraved behavior, and that sinks into the minds of some young people – the group that is most likely to reject religion. Also, many movies and...

Apparently, the answer is ‘yes’: "Cuba has eased its persecution of religion in the last 23 years, but there have been few overtures suggesting the country’s executive office might be finding its faith. "That changed Sunday when President Raul Castro said the teachings of Pope Francis had persuaded him not only to take a softer line on religion, but perhaps to return to the Catholic Church and begin worshipping again as he once did, growing up in Jesuit schools." Now, you could interpret that to mean that Raul Castro has suddenly seen the light and decided that marxism is not...

It is the Decision of the Holy Spirit and Us – On the Council of Jerusalem and the Catholicity of the Early Church By: Msgr. Charles PopeIn the first reading at today’s Mass is recounted the Council of Jerusalem, which scholars generally date to around 50 A.D. It was a pivotal moment in the history of the Church, since it would set forth an identity for the Church that was independent of the culture of Judaism per se, and would open wide the door of inculturation to the Gentiles. This surely had a significant effect on evangelization in the early...

What Effect Will Pressure to Accept Same Sex Acts or “Marriage” Have on Church Teaching? None! By: Msgr. Charles PopeLast week was Holy Week, so sure enough there were many critical issues in the news that needed attention but we in the Church were off doing more important things like worshipping God and pondering our need for salvation. Permit a brief summary and some predictions from me based on the latest unpleasantness in Indiana last week.I am not a lawyer and neither know nor understand all the legal implications of the law signed by the Indiana governor and then later...

On the Lost Justice of the “Sabbath Rest” By: Msgr. Charles PopeSome of us who are older remember that Sundays were once quiet in downtown; in shopping areas, parking lots were empty. Most businesses were closed and few people had to work on Sundays. Surely there were exceptions, such as medical personnel, emergency workers, and those who ran essential services like power plants. But for most, Sunday was a day off. And although the biblical Sabbath was Saturday, in a largely Christian nation Sunday was the “Sabbath” day of rest.In those days, Church was in the morning and then it was...

Every San Franciscan -- and every friend of freedom -- should learn about Eugene Fahy, a native of Northern California who took a stand against tyrants and never backed down. Born in San Mateo in 1911 and educated at Saint Ignatius and the University of San Francisco, Fahy was a brilliant man who left behind indisputable proof of his eloquence and courage. He could have been a prince of the city, one of San Francisco's most prominent and prosperous men. Instead he took a vow of poverty and devoted his life to God. He joined the Jesuits, went to China,...

Someone was joking recently that the reason the Eastern Orthodox cannot have women bishops is because one can’t call a woman “Patriarch.” Behind the wisecrack is some wisdom, and the existence of women ministers in non-Catholic denominations raises the question of just how patriarchal the Christian religion must be.  Is it necessary to call priests “Father” and refer to the Pope as “Holy Father”? The title “Abbot” comes from the ancient term “Abba-Father,” and “pope” comes from the Greek word pappas — “daddy.” Are these no more than human traditions? Are these just social constructs? Or is the idea of...

Is it possible to be too Catholic to teach at Catholic school? New Jersey’s Immaculata High School thinks so. In a story that would be shocking even for a public school, Immaculata suspended a long-time teacher for defending what its own church espouses about marriage! Patricia Jannuzzi didn’t make the comments in class — or even during school time. But when she used her personal Facebook to express her personal views, the attack quickly turned personal too. catholic theology teacher threatened Like Dr. Ben Carson (and science!), Patricia believes homosexual behavior is a choice. So when the popular Republican came...

TV and movie producers rarely focus on Catholic priests in their plots, let alone use them as central characters, as in "The Father Dowling Mysteries" or "Father Murphy" in the 1980s. Maybe that's a good thing, because when Catholic priests are part of the plot these days, there is an unmistakable odor of aggression -- mocking, vilifying, and disparaging not just Catholic priests, but the priesthood itself. On March 4, on the nation's most religion-mocking channel, Comedy Central, the late-night game show "@Midnight" featured the comedian Neal Brennan. Host Chris Hardwick asked a question about confession, to which Brennan responded,...

Now there can be no doubt—Timothy Cardinal Dolan has been played for a sucker by the organizers of the 2015 New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade. He must step down as Grand Marshal.According to reports, parade organizers are engaged in last-minute negotiations with city officials to allow additional Irish LGBT advocacy organizations to march in this year’s parade. Such groups had been prohibited from marching by a long-standing ban on explicitly political banners in the parade, a policy that also kept pro-life groups off Fifth Avenue.In September, the parade committee announced that a single group, OUT@NBCUniversal, would be allowed...