Free Republic

It was the footnote heard around the world. Footnote 351, to be precise. The dynamite – or so it seemed to some – quietly buried deep in Pope Francis’ recent apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia. To journalists poring over the exhortation hoping to learn how the pope intended to resolve the debate that had pitted cardinal against cardinal and bishop against bishop at the two recent synods at the family, it seemed to provide the key. “In certain cases, this can include the help of the sacraments,” the footnote reads, before making reference to the Eucharist and confession. Were these the...

Most Americans say they believe in God. And around the world, religious Jews, Christians, and Muslims all say they believe in God, as do many people who do not identify with any formal religion. But this statement is actually meaningless. To cite but one example, the God in whose name Muslims cut innocent people’s throats and rape women cannot be the same God as the God of those who believe that God hates such actions. Who, then, argues that all those who say they believe in God believe in the same God? Two groups make this argument. The first consists...

Moscow, April 19, Interfax - Head of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk draws a parallel between the USSR and present-day Europe. "It is surprising that today Russian and European civilizations have exchanged their roles in a certain sense. The Soviet Union was the country of the official state atheism, while all of us perceived the West as the Christian region," the hierarch said on air of his program Church and the World on Rossiya 24 television. According to him, now it is quite the contrary: faith and the Church are revived in Russia, new...

Psalm 52:8 I Trust in the Mercy of God Forever and Ever.

“Covenant College has elected to forfeit the Women’s Tennis USA South Conference championship match, scheduled for April 17, 2016. The championship match takes place on a Sunday, and as an institution owned and operated by the Presbyterian Church in America we observe the Sabbath by not competing in athletic events on Sunday. This conviction is clearly stated in our Student Handbook and is informed by the Bible, the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the PCA Book of Church Order. In national tournaments, the NCAA makes accommodations for institutions that do not compete on a particular day for religious reasons. Bylaw...

Which man or woman among us all can EVER profess and claim that we have kept PERFECTLY the Ten Commandments of Almighty God with ALL (100%) of our heart, soul and minds? No one is that crazy to make such a foolish statement. If you are one to make such a claim please take this brief test. Almighty God’s Holy Law (The 10 Commandments) clearly reveals and conveys to every human being that we are truly transgressors of the natural and SPIRITUAL absolutes of Almighty God and that we are fully accountable to Him on this matter (Isa. 1:18, Rom...

A resounding question asked by many today is, “Where is America in Biblical prophecy?” The simple answer is that our nation will still exist during the Great Tribulation period, but our military power and socio-economic position will have been diminished to the level of a godless, base nation. For many years this was a hard reality for many American believers to grasp because in many ways it was so hard to see! But by faith in God's Word we knew it must be! When Almighty God the Son calls His Body ( the Church) out of the world by means...

Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised. The LORD is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people. He settles...

Sometimes restrictions serve to bring out our creativity in startling and memorable ways There was a time in the early years of motion pictures when a kiss was the ultimate expression of love. Anything beyond a brush of the lips was left to the imagination, and love scenes were actually more potent because of it.In the 1930s a strict code dictated to directors and writers the lines of demarcation between what was permissible, not only for lovemaking, but also for vulgarity and other delicate themes. Though marked in part by what was considered backward in the era [i.e., miscegenation – ed],...

BATON ROUGE, April 14, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has signed an executive order that critics say will open the floodgates for discrimination lawsuits to be filed against businesses and will prevent people of faith from freely exercising their religion. The order, which was signed yesterday, adds “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” alongside such immutable characteristics as race, sex, and national origin in the state's anti-discrimination policy. All firms that accept state contracts must adopt a similar policy. “We are fortunate enough to live in a state that is rich with diversity,” said Gov. Edwards on Wednesday....

Conference attendees called for a new way of thinking 'consistent with Gospel nonviolence'Participants at a conference hosted by the Vatican have called for the Catholic Church to renounce its just war doctrine and for Pope Francis to write an encyclical on nonviolence and “just peace.” In a closing statement, attendees at the conference, which was sponsored by the Vatican’s justice and peace office and Pax Christi International, the Catholic peace movement, said that too often the doctrine had been used to justify and endorse military action rather than prevent it. Church teaching has long allowed for “just wars” — the...

Full title - "[Catholic Caucus] World Over - 2016-04-14 – Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation on the Family with Raymond Arroyo" FR GERALD MURRAY and ROBERT ROYAL...the Papal Posse...join us to discuss Pope Francis' recently released Apostolic Exhortation, AMORIS LAETITIA (The Joy of Love). Excerpt - see video of this EWTN program segment at "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5Avd7bCiV0".

One of the first United Methodist Church congregations to join the LGBT lobbying group, Reconciling Ministries Network, will close next month. St. Paul United Methodist Church of Denver, Colorado, a theologically liberal congregation that became the third church to become a Reconciling congregation, will soon close its doors. The Rev. Jessica Rooks, head of St. Paul UMC, told The Christian Post the final worship service will be held on Sunday, May 22. "St. Paul has opened its doors and built relationships with the LGBTQ community, the homeless and hungry in Denver, those struggling with addition, and individuals who struggle to...

As a general rule, one is typically on the wrong side of the issue if they are fighting against a group of nuns providing care for the elderly and poor. “One,” in this case, is unsurprisingly the Obama Administration. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The pending U.S. Supreme Court case Zubik v. Burwell involves the Catholic charity the Little Sister of the Poor and other religious organizations’ desire to not provide services in their health plans that violate their religious beliefs. Namely, this includes free access to contraceptive drugs, including some that may cause abortions.The Obama Administration claims that they include a workaround...

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster isn't real and it's followers, who call themselves Pastafarians, are just kinda' being jerks, a federal court in Nevada. (OK, the court didn't say they were being jerks but hey I'm allowed some editorial leeway. It's just a blog anyway.) A blast of common sense from the bench. Whoa. Newsweek:Worshippers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster call their faith FSMism or Pastafarianism, a portmanteau of pasta and Rastafarianism. One such worshipper, Stephen Cavanaugh, a prisoner in a Nebraska state penitentiary, sued the state in 2014 over the right to practice his faith. Cavanaugh argued...

On Wednesday, April 13 Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest athletes of all time, ended his 20-year basketball career with a bang, scoring 60 points in his last game.While Bryant’s stats can be recited by many  five-time NBA champion, two-time Olympic champion, 18-time All-Star and the third leading scorer in NBA history — few know about the role his Catholic faith played in helping him through one of his darkest hours.Born in Philadelphia, Kobe Bryant was raised in a Catholic household and even spent some of his youth in Italy. Drafted into the NBA at the age of 17, he eventually married Vanessa Laine at...

For years there has been disagreement between Catholics and some non-Catholic groups about the Catholic ChurchÂ’s teaching on the Marian Dogmas, particularly, the perpetual virginity of the Blessed Mother. This will attempt to clear up some of the confusion. Catholics have always held that Mary remained a virgin before, during, and following the birth of Jesus. Many non-Catholics contend that scripture proves that she did not and points to several instances of people being called brothers or sisters of Jesus. When we study the scriptures carefully, paying particular attention to the order of sentences and view the language with precision,...

I. The Church is a mystery. It is the mystery of God's presence among us, our Savior, God, who does not want the death of sinners, but be converted and live. The conversion requires our collaboration. II. The Church is infallible in its divine nature; but it is run by people who can make mistakes and even make mistakes. We must distinguish the office of the person. The latter remains a certain amount of time in office and then out-either by death or other circumstances, but the office remains. Pope Francis today has the papal ministry and the primacy of...

Editor's Note: One of the most popular regular features in the print- and e-edition of The Remnant is "The Last Word", by Father Celatus. Father, who is a pastor working in the U.S. at a diocesan parish, enthusiastically celebrates the TLM as often as possible. Father's call to his brother priests to stand and resist what is happening in Rome speaks for itself, but I'd remind our readers that this courageous priest is not part of the SSPX or FSSP or any other traditionalist fraternity or society. He is a diocesan priest who is protecting his flock and defending Truth...

Norway's Lutheran Church voted on Monday in favor of allowing same-sex marriage, becoming the latest of a small but growing number of churches worldwide to do so. Last year the French Protestant Church allowed gay marriage blessings, while the U.S. Presbyterian Church approved a change in the wording of its constitution to include same-sex marriage. In a vote at the annual conference of the Norwegian Lutheran Church on Monday 88 delegates out of 115 in total backed same-sex marriage. "Finally we can celebrate love independently of whom one falls in love with," said Gard Sandaker-Nilsen, leader of the Open Public...