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Reporting on the extraordinary turnout for the “Rosary on the Borders” prayer campaign in Poland, the Associated Press (AP) suggested that the event smacked of “a problematic expression of Islamophobia.” On-the-ground sources said that over a million Poles turned out Saturday to pray the rosary along the country’s 2,000-mile border for the salvation of their country. According to the spokesman for the Polish Bishops’ Conference, Father Pawel Rytel-Andrianik, the event drew “millions of people” to pray the rosary together and was the second-largest prayer event ever held in Europe, after the 2016 World Youth Day. “This exceeded the boldest expectations...

In recent days a couple of surprising things have happened in Rome. And they are instructive in their way. The first is the beginning of the collaboration with “Avvenire,” the newspaper of the Italian episcopal conference, of the satirical comics author Sergio Staino, with a Sunday strip entitled “Hello, Jesus!”Here the surprise lies in the fact that Staino is an unwavering communist, was a “flower child” and a champion of free love, was until a few months ago the director of “L'Unità,” the defunct newspaper of the Italian communist party and then of the parties that succeeded it, and is...

Pope Francis’ recent statements about the death penalty being “contrary to the Gospel” seem to be a departure from previous Catholic teaching, a Catholic professor says.  “When Pope Francis says that capital punishment is ‘in itself contrary to the Gospel,’ and ‘inadmissible … no matter how serious the crime,’ he seems to be contradicting traditional teaching,” said Dr. Edward Feser, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Pasadena City College in California, to LifeSiteNews.  Pope Francis made his controversial remarks during an October 11 speech to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, which gathered to celebrate the 25th...

A British couple have caused outrage on the Greek island of Rhodes with a wedding photo in which the couple perform a sex act in front of a Greek Orthodox monastery, leading the head of the island’s Greek Orthodox Church to ban future foreign weddings. The groom, Matthew Lunn, posted a photo of his new wife Carly on Facebook as she knelt in her white dress, appearing to perform oral sex on her new husband. No one expected the international reaction as the photo soon went viral and eventually reached local news media on Rhodes and Metropolitan Kyrillos, the head...

Proverb 14 (NKJV) The Ways of Life and Death 01 The wise woman builds her house, 00 But the foolish pulls it down with her hands. 02 He who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD, 00 But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him. 03 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, 00 But the lips of the wise will preserve them. 04 Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; 00 But much increase comes by the strength of an ox. 05 A faithful witness does not lie, 00 But a...

ATHENS, Greece, October 10, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – Greece has passed a controversial sex-change law that Orthodox leaders say will destroy mankind. The “Change of Sex” bill passed overwhelmingly, by 171 votes, in Parliament with strong support from Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. It grants legal recognition to sex changes without any requirement other than the desire of the applicant, allowing anyone age 15 or older to legally change gender. Tsipras spoke against what the country’s dominant Orthodox Church calls “Holy Tradition” and the Church’s teaching on the family in heated words to Parliament. Greece Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras addresses Parliament....

Our Lady of Perpetual HelpFr. William Saunders Q: What is the story behind the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help?The icon (about 54 x 41.5 centimeters) depicts our Blessed Mother Mary under the title “Mother of God,” holding the Child Jesus. The Archangels Michael and Gabriel, hovering in the upper corners, hold the instruments of the Passion: St. Michael (in the left corner) holds the spear, the wine-soaked sponge and the crown of thorns, and St. Gabriel (in the right corner) holds the cross and the nails. The intent of the artist was to portray the Child Jesus contemplating...

Two left-leaning Catholic bishops, along with “married” homosexual partners, celebrated a special Mass for "Families of the LGBT Community" in San Diego last weekend. The event commemorated the 20-year anniversary of a controversial U.S. bishops’ letter on homosexuality that was censured by the Vatican within a year of its release.   Bishop John Dolan, an auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of San Diego, presided over the October 7 mass commemorating the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) letter on homosexuality "Always Our Children.”  The mass, concelebrated with San Diego Archbishop Robert McElroy and 16 other clergy, took place at St....

Since Christ first promised His disciples He would return, Christians have wondered if their generation is the one that would witness the fulfillment of that promise. And probably every generation since has thought itself to be the last generation, basing their belief on the perceived or actual declining moral standards of society in their day. Yet for all the speculation and hearsay, only one generation can be the final generation, and all the evidence points to ours. For centuries, Christians have used anecdotal evidence, such as "things have never been so bad" or "look at all the evil in the...

Faithful Catholics in Italy are fasting on bread and water and praying the Rosary together throughout the country.  On Friday, the 100th anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima, the Italian Association Accompanying Marian Sanctuaries (Associazione Italiana Accompagnatori Santuari Mariani, or AIASM) sponsored a nationwide day of fasting, as well as a Rosary. Organizers called it "Rosary at the Border" and praised the Rosary as "the most powerful peace initiative" for their country and the world.  The event's inspiration came from the "Rosary to the Borders" rally in Poland on October 7. Poland's Rosary to the Borders drew well...

The Trump administration's plan to roll back mandatory insurance coverage for birth control faces a new federal court challenge. Washington state's attorney general sued Monday to stop the new rules from taking effect. California and Massachusetts have already filed similar complaints. Last week, the administration said it's changing the Obamacare requirement that health plans cover contraception. It wants to exempt any non-government employer with a "religious or moral objection." Because of the Catholic Church's strict stance against contraception, Notre Dame University has fought the birth control mandate for years, reports CBS News' Adriana Diaz. Although the university hasn't yet decided...

Proverb 13 (NKJV) Wisdom Loves Righteousness 01 A wise son heeds his father's instruction, 00 But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. 02 A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth, 00 But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence. 03 He who guards his mouth preserves his life, 00 But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction. 04 The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; 00 But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich. 05 A righteous man hates lying, 00 But a wicked man is...

Students at Balliol College condemned their representatives for 'violation of religious freedom'Students at an Oxford college have protested after their representatives tried to ban the Christian Union (CU) from a freshers’ fair. Balliol College’s Junior Common Room (JCR), which represents undergraduates, refused the CU a stall, according to student newspaper Cherwell. The JCR reportedly feared a Christian stall would be “harmful” to students because of Christianity’s links with “neo-colonialism” and “homophobia”. But students proposed a motion that condemned the JCR leadership for “barring the participation of specific faith-based organisations” and committing “a violation of free speech [and] a violation of...

Sister Frances Ridler said the programme was an 'honest portrayal' of religious life and would be 'good for the Church'A convent in Norfolk is taking centre stage in a reality television series about “party girls” swapping sex, parties and alcohol for religious life. The four-part series, to be aired on Channel 5 on Thursdays, features five girls who were told they would go on a “spiritual journey” but were horrified to discover they had been sent to a convent. Sister Frances Ridler, of the Daughters of Divine Charity in Swaffham, said the experience had been a “rollercoaster” but she felt...

Defense Minister Shoigu wants to restore and reaffirm the Russian traditional friendship between the the church and military...If you look closely at Russia’s impressive WW2 Victory Day parades on May 9th, you’ll see that upon departing the Kremlin beneath Savior Tower, the Defense Minister has consistently made the sign of the cross at every victory day parade since 2015. Force of habit, superstition, you say? Far from it. He is honouring the age-old Russian Christian tradition that gave Savior Tower its name. You see, fixed beneath the battlements of the Kremlin Bell-Tower is a famous icon, the Savior of Smolensk....

Pope Francis Toys WIth Heresy In His Hostility Towards Capital Punishment Pope Francis has made known his animosity towards capital punishment, going so far as to condemn it outright.  Of course in doing so, he has directly contradicted centuries of Church teaching.  These teachings include proclamations by various popes and the Council of Trent.  Also read here, here, here, here, and a smattering of my previous posts dealing with this as the Maryland Catholic Conference repeatedly blundered on this topic. In Evangelium Vitae, Pope St. John Paul II betrayed his personal distaste for capital punishment, but he respected Sacred Tradition enough to acknowledge...

In Missouri, Bp. John Gaydos' commitment to a pro-gay diocesan measure continues to stoke tensions in the diocese of Jefferson City. On October 7, Catholics from across the Show-Me State gathered in Jefferson City to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Missouri Catholic Conference. The celebration was a momentous affair, featuring prelates Abp. Christophe Pierre, papal nuncio to the United States, and St. Louis Abp. Robert J. Carlson, in addition to Bp. Gaydos. Meanwhile, roughly two dozen faithful Catholics came together to pray the Rosary outside St. Joseph Cathedral during the commemoration's closing Mass. The vigil was organized as an...

Proverb 12 (NKJV) The House of the Righteous Shall Stand 01 Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, 00 But he who hates correction is stupid. 02 A good man obtains favor from the LORD, 00 But a man of wicked intentions He will condemn. 03 A man is not established by wickedness, 00 But the root of the righteous cannot be moved. 04 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, 00 But she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones. 05 The thoughts of the righteous are right, 00 But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful....

Turning to the future, Brown said technological change and the development of artificial intelligence would transform the concept of the divine. "We will start to find our spiritual experiences through our interconnections with each other," he said, forecasting the emergence of "some form of global consciousness that we perceive and that becomes our divine". "Our need for that exterior god, that sits up there and judges us ... will diminish and eventually disappear."

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the key figure in the production of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sees the Catholic book of faith 25 years after its publication as a success project. In the German-speaking world alone, old prejudices continued, and the work has "not yet caught on in depth," the Viennese archbishop said on Tuesday in the interview with the news agency "Kathpress". Recent theological debates, such as the letter "Amoris laetitia", should be looked at in more detail with regard to the Catechism promulgated by Pope John Paul II on 11 October 1992, Schönborn demanded.