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Pope Francis said on Monday government officials have a “human right” to refuse to discharge a duty, such as issuing marriage licenses to homosexuals, if they feel it violates their conscience.

Royal Dutch Shell will cease exploration in Arctic waters off Alaska’s coast following disappointing results from an exploratory well backed by billions in investment and years of work. The announcement was a huge blow to Shell, which was counting on offshore drilling in Alaska to help it drive future revenue. Environmentalists, however, had tried repeatedly to block the project, and welcome the news.Shell found indications of the oil and gas in the well in the Chukchi Sea about 80 miles off Alaska’s northwest coast, the company said Monday in a release from The Hague, Netherlands. However, the petroleum was not...

The Pro Rights Guide to the Gun Control Terminology Part 1 Firearms definitions A much wiser man than me said if you can get them to ask the wrong question then you don’t need to worry about the answers. The pro rights movement has been making great strides toward freedom in recent years but the antis are still controlling the dialog. As long as they are allowed to dictate the terminology they can phrase and frame the debate to their advantage. If we truly wish to win this fight we have to stop letting the liberal media provide the definitions...

When Venezuelan Oil Minister Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonso resigned in 1963, he blasted the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, at the time torn by internal rivalries, for failing to produce any benefits for his country. Half a century later, OPEC is still split and Venezuela is again unhappy, this time at the unwillingness of the organization’s top producer, Saudi Arabia, to rescue oil prices from a six-year low that’s dragging the battered Venezuelan economy into an even deeper crisis. On Sept. 10, Venezuela’s oil minister, Eulogio del Pino, tweeted appeals for OPEC and non-OPEC countries “to have a discussion on...

As Halliburton officials confirmed laying off workers at its Williston offices earlier this month, many in the industry are anticipating more layoffs to come as the price of oil and the state drilling rig count continue to drop. "I think the next four to five months are going to be a struggle," said North Dakota Petroleum Council President Ron Ness. From September 2014 to as recently as August, 4,552 individuals working for oil-related companies received unemployment benefit payments, according to North Dakota Job Service data. These include positions related to drilling, extraction and support activities, according to Michael Ziesch, Job...

One thing that that has puzzled a lot of people since the selection of Pope Francis two years ago is how a left-leaning Pope could succeed two very serious conservative Popes—John Paul II and Benedict XVI—who you would have thought had stacked the ranks of the Cardinals with clergy that would perpetuate their theological and philosophical outlook. Was Benedict hounded out of office by some kind of internal Vatican scandal perhaps? Was there some ecclesiastical version of a coup?There’s no evidence that I’m aware of—until now. Three days ago the National Catholic Register ran a very curious article about...

WHO REALLY IS POPE FRANCIS? Which one of these is Pope Bergoglio: the voice of the oppressed, the poor, the marginalized or the voice of the oppressors? In Cuba we witnessed a political, never pastoral, WHO REALLY IS POPE FRANCIS? by dqban229/27/2015Pope Bergoglio becoming the voice of the oppressors. He ignored the cry for help of 11 million Cubans marginalized, oppressed, the poorest among the poor enslaved under a brutal Stalinist regime for over 56 years. The Pope in Cuba called for "reconciliation" which in Francis' Orwellian lexicon means not to create "lios" (not to revolt), ask he asked the...

Here is a Vatican translation of the homily Pope Francis gave this afternoon at the closing Mass of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. A ZENIT transcription and translation of the remarks he added off-the-cuff are included in brackets. * * * Today the word of God surprises us with powerful and thought-provoking images. Images which challenge us, but also stir our enthusiasm. In the first reading, Joshua tells Moses that two members of the people are prophesying, speaking God’s word, without a mandate. In the Gospel, John tells Jesus that the disciples had stopped someone from casting out...

Here is the Vatican translation of the Pope's address to victims of sexual abuse by the clergy, who he met with early this morning at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. Following his address, the Pope met privately with each of the individuals present at the meeting. * * * My dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, I am grateful for this opportunity to meet you. I am blessed by your presence. Thank you for coming here today. Words cannot fully express my sorrow for the abuse you suffered. You are precious children of God who should always expect our...

On September 21 Americans for Responsible Solutions–the gun control group founded by Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly–tweeted numbers from the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAP) claiming armed citizens in America have killed more people since 1989 than all wars since 1776 combined. The tweet contains a meme which says, “The number of deaths from gun violence just since Reagan’s presidency is higher than the number of soldiers killed in combat in all of U.S. history.”

The unfortunate drama surrounding the collision and sinking of the Ady Gil has finally reached a conclusion. An arbitrator last week ruled that the Sea Shepherd acted “wrongful” in their decision to scuttle the ship and not allow for proper salvage efforts. The trimaran, named for its benefactor and owner Ady Gil, a Hollywood TV businessman and animal activist, famously collided on January 7th, 2010 with a Japanese whaling vessel. The event, captured on film for Animal Planet’s “Whale Wars” reality series, drew international attention for both the conservation organization and its anti-whaling mission. While the Ady Gil was disabled...

According to the experts, any day now a civil war will break out in California. It’s simple deductive reasoning. Droughts cause civil wars and California is having one doozy of a drought. Ergo, there will be a civil war in California. That’s what former Maryland governor and Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley claims. Well, not about California (just yet), but about Syria: “One of the things that preceded the failure of the nation-state of Syria and the rise of ISIS was the effect of climate change and the mega-drought that affected that region, wiped out farmers, drove people to cities,...

If Rush Limbaugh can see this far in the future, shouldn't Rush, not Dorothy Day, be considered for sainthood? Good religion is good politics. Can America integrate Heaven and Earth? Here's the Bible-thumping sermonette that defines the battle tactics.

Pope Francis warns marriage has been stretched and distorted in the United States, to the point where it is no longer even similar to the Christian sacrament of matrimony. The pontiff noted the “unprecedented changes” taking place in contemporary society, “with their social, cultural – and sadly now juridical – effects on family bonds,” referring to the Supreme Course decision in June to legalize same-sex marriage for the entire nation in Obergefell v. Hodges.

In an interview with POLITICO shortly after the pope’s historic address to Congress, the Texas senator said he respects Francis’ views and the Catholic Church’s teachings on the issue, but “as a policy matter, I do not agree.”“I spent a number of years in law enforcement dealing with some of the worst criminals, child rapists and murderers, people who’ve committed unspeakable acts,” Cruz said. “I believe the death penalty is a recognition of the preciousness of human life, that for the most egregious crimes, the ultimate punishment should apply.” Cruz also said that whether the death penalty should be in...

Mayors from eighteen U.S. cities signed a letter to President Obama saying they are willing to take even more refugees than what has been proposed by the administration. “We will welcome the Syrian families to make homes and new lives in our cities,” wrote the mayors, all of whom are part of the Cities United for Immigration Action coalition. “Indeed, we are writing to say that we stand ready to work with your Administration to do much more and to urge you to increase still further the number of Syrian refugees the United States will accept for resettlement.” “This is...

A very high profile anti-Capitalist from Canada named Naomi Klein has been invited by Pope Francis to join forces with Climate Change activist and senior aide to the Pope, Cardinal Peter Turkson. Together they will lead a prominent conference on the environment with churchmen, scientists, and activists. The conference will exclude climate change doubters and moderates. The Pope had walked back some of his comments on the economy which were anti-Capitalist but Klein says he got it right the first time – we need to overturn Capitalism. Klein spoke at Occupy Wall Street, is, according to the guardian, is a...

Pope Francis made a thinly-veiled swipe at Donald Trump as the Pontiff defended Latino immigrants who came to America at 'great personal cost' during a moving speech to 40,000 followers in Philadelphia. Francis called on migrants from Mexico and the rest of the world to 'not feel discouraged by all the challenges and hardships' they face, saying they should never feel ashamed of their own traditions. The Pope's words come in direct contrast to Trump's calls for a wall to be built along the Mexican border and for stricter controls on who can enter the US. Speaking from the lectern...

As Twitchy reported, among those greeting Pope Francis in Washington, D.C., this morning were a group of PETA protesters dressed as nuns, some with beards and some walking on stilts — classy as always. The group was part of the Pope Francis Moral Action on Climate Justice Rally on the National Mall, which also attracted other “green” groups such as Greenpeace, the Earth Day Network, the League of Conservation Voters, and the Sierra Club. Marc Morano of Climate Depot reports that organizers of the rally obtained a permit in August for 200,000 people, while liberal website ThinkProgress today reported that the...

The greatly heralded Pope Francis, beneficiary of 24 hour news coverage from all news networks, has once again given us insight into his inner self in a sermon at St Patrick's Cathedral in New York City (Transcript of Sermon) . After starting the service, Pope Francis gave a heart warming shout-out to his "religion of peace", “Muslim brothers and sisters” when he said this: “I would like to express two sentiments for my Muslim brothers and sisters: Firstly, my greetings as they celebrate the feast of sacrifice.” The Pope clearly understands that for the last 1400 years, Islam has held...