Free Republic

Around mid-April, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia –who once wrote a letter to Barack Obama beseeching the president to reconsider his foreign policies which enable the persecution of Christians in Syria — spoke again of the threat of Christian extinction in the Mideast during a meeting with Greek Defense Minister Panagiotis Kammenos. In the Russian Patriarch’s own words: "I regularly get reports of horrible crimes that are committed there against Christians, especially in northern Iraq. I have visited those places and I remember that there were many churches and monasteries there. The city of Mosul alone had 45...

Lost in Cyberspace – As Seen in a Commercial By: Msgr. Charles PopeFor most people, the word virtual has come to mean the Internet or the computer world, as in “occurring or existing primarily online.”  But the word virtual has an original meaning that is actually quite descriptive of a modern problem.Prior to its application to the computer world, the word virtual meant “being something in effect, though not actually or expressly being such.” In other words, if something is virtual it has aspects of the real thing but is not the real thing. In the sentence “The man is a virtual goldmine...

A group of conservative Anglican leaders are reportedly meeting in London to discuss forming a “parallel” church that they feel would be more true to Anglican principles on positions like women bishops and gay marriage. The Independent reported that The Church of England is “at risk of an unprecedented schism” in light of the proposal by the Global Anglican Futures Conference, which seeks to counter what conservatives find is a liberal approach to social issues by the Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury. […] Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said back in December 2014 that he fears the...

Did you read the news? The Vatican caved in! No, wait, the sisters caved in! Or did they both win? Well, something happened! Pope Francis meets with representatives of the U.S. Leadership Conference of Women Religious in his library in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican April 16. The same day the Vatican announced the conclusion of a seven-year process of investigation and dialogue with the group to ensure fidelity to church teachings. The outcome resulted in revised statues approved by the Vatican. (CNS photo/L'Osservatore Romano) "In journalism," stated Abp. Fulton Sheen 60 years ago in Thinking Life Through, "the...

Full title: Christians in Niger Forgive Muslims Who Burned Churches and Killed Believers: 'We Want Them to Know Jesus Christ' Christians living in Niger, West Africa have offered Christ-like forgiveness to the radical Muslims who destroyed their homes and churches, are are continuing to share the Gospel in the region. On January 17, hundreds of Muslims, angered by the cartoons of the prophet Muhammad published by the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, destroyed 69 churches and 11 Christian homes. Ten Christians lost their lives and hundreds more were injured in the wake of the deadly rampage. "They took pews, Bibles, chairs...

Cardinal Francis George of Chicago. Chicago, Ill., Apr 17, 2015 / 12:20 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal Francis George, the Emeritus Archbishop of Chicago, passed away Friday morning after a long batter with cancer. Archbishop Blase Cupich, who currently heads the archdiocese, remembered Cardinal George as “a man of peace, tenacity and courage.” At an April 17 press conference, Archbishop Cupich lauded the cardinal for his bravery in overcoming challenges, which included a battle with polio as a teenager that left his legs permanently weak. “Cardinal George was a respected leader among the bishops of the United States,” Archbishop Cupich noted,...

A group of Muslim migrants have been arrested for 'aggravated murder' after allegedly throwing 12 Christians into the Mediterranean sea during a recent crossing from Libya, Italian police reports.

Cardinal George Dies. Tweet from media & link to official announcement. RT @nbcchicago Official announcement on the passing of Cardinal George expected for 2 p.m. Watch it live here: http://nbcchi.com/tqU9DqM

Hillary Scott says she was asleep in the back of the bus when a fire started nearby and eventually destroyed the vehicle. Her fast-acting bus driver got everyone off the bus safely, but that’s not the reason the Lady Antebellum singer is walking away with a deeper faith in God.

Your Holiness: I recall with pleasure and gratitude my visit to the Vatican in November and your moving address to our Colloquium on the Complementarity of Man and Woman in Marriage. There, gathered with leaders of the world’s great religious traditions, East and West, you reaffirmed the Church’s doctrine of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife and spoke movingly of the right of every child “to grow up in a family with a father and mother.” Here in the United States we are blessed with many bishops who join you in bearing witness to these profound and...

Moscow, April 16, Interfax - Russian President Vladimir Putin said the situation in the Middle East for Christians is terrible and the international community is not taking enough steps to protect them. "As to the Middle East and Christians, the situation is terrible. We have spoken about it many times and we believe that the international community is not doing enough to protect the Christian population of the Middle East," Putin told reporters. He reiterated that Christians have lived in the Middle East for centuries and the place is the birthplace of Christianity. "It is sad that the international community...

Pope Tawadros II, Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, will travel to Yerevan on April 20 to take part in the most significant events planned to commemorate the centenary of the Armenian Genocide. Pope Tawadros’ visit to Armenia will last about a week. Sources of the Coptic Patriarchate consulted by Agenzia Fides report that it will be the first participation of a Coptic Orthodox Patriarch in official commemorations of the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian Apostolic Church and the Coptic Church belong to the group of Oriental Orthodox Churches, also referred to as "pre-chaldedonian", because they had refused some Christological formulations...

As many of you that visit this channel know, the Jehovah's Witness religion does not allow people to have freedom of thought and belief. If a person changes their viewpoint and questions the JW hierarchy and leadership then they will be sanctioned. If a member adopts an "unacceptable" opinion or conviction and dares to speak of it, then the local religious leaders (called Elders) will come after them, using an iron fist in a velvet glove to bring them back in line. If that fails, then they will cut the person off and ostracize them before everyone, announcing them from...

I call on all the readers here to pray and offer fasting and alms for the spiritual defense of Archbishop Cordileone of San Francisco.Will San Francisco be the Alamo of the Church in these USA?Today, in the ultra-liberal San Francisco Chronicle there is a full page ad from 100 “Prominent Catholics” calling on Pope Francis to remove Archbp. Cordileone. Prominent? Why? Because they support sodomy and they have money? Catholic? How?What will happen across these USA if the liberals and homosexualists succeed in bringing down Archbp. Cordileone?Think about it. The libs and the haters of the Church and homosexualists with...

Smoke billows after a Saudi-led airstrike on the Yemeni capital Sanaa (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed, File) 'You are not alone,' Bishop Paul Hinder tells faithful who must remain 'invisible' in order to stay safe. The few Christians remaining in war-torn Yemen gather for liturgies and prayer meetings in the basement of a villa in the city of Sanaa where they remain “invisible” in order to stay safe, Bishop Paul Hinder has told Vatican Radio.Bishop Hinder, the apostolic vicar of southern Arabia, said that it is not specifically Christians who are at risk in the conflict, but foreigners who have been...

IRAN BILL BATTLE: "Congress’s Role in Iran Nuclear Deal Shows Limits of Obama’s Power" by Peter Baker: "In his assertions of executive power to advance his agenda in an era of gridlock, President Obama has been largely on offense. But his latest battle with Congress not only left him on defense, it actually broke the gridlock. Against him. Mr. Obama’s abrupt decision to sign a compromise version of legislation on Iran that he had previously vowed to veto was a bruising retreat in his larger campaign to act without Congress’s getting in his way. In this case, partisanship gave way...

A public school district in Oklahoma has agreed to stop allowing for the distribution of Bibles following threatened legal action from an atheist organization. Duncan Public Schools sent a letter to the American Humanist Association in response to a complaint leveled against an elementary school teacher who distributed several Gideon Bibles to her students. Scott W. Stone, legal counsel for Duncan Schools, explained to the AHA's legal arm the Appignani Humanist Legal Center that actions were being taken in response to their complaint. "All teachers and administrators in the district are being advised that they are not permitted to distribute...

Confiscated by the Bolsheviks, first used as a warehouse and more recently a concert hall, the cathedral will be restored to the Orthodox diocese. In 2010 it was reopened for worship.Moscow (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Smolny Cathedral in St. Petersburg, one of the symbols of the city of the Tsars and now owned by the state, will be returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. This was announced April 14 by Nikolai Burov, director of the museum of the four cathedrals which also includes that of Smolny. "The decision has been made: the Smolny Cathedral will be restored to the diocese,"...

Earlier this week, the Religion News Service asked liberal pastor Tony Campolo to make the Christian case for Hillary Clinton and asked me to make the case against. Campolo calls himself the “positive prophet of red letter Christianity” and is a personal friend of the Clintons. Let’s just say we had starkly different assessments. Here’s Campolo: Clinton also understands how Congress works — a needed skill since legislative gridlock has characterized Washington over the last several years. Amid dire problems, the last session of Congress proved to be one of the least productive of any in our nation’s history. It...

Although he thinks marriage should be between a man and a woman, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio says he would attend a same-sex wedding of a family member or friend to show his support for someone he cares about. Rubio was interviewed Wednesday by Fusion's Jorge Ramos, who asked the Republican presidential candidate whether he would attend the wedding of a gay friend or co-worker if invited. "If there's somebody that I love that's in my life, I don't necessarily have to agree with their decisions, or the decisions they've made, to continue to love them and participate in important events,"...