Free Republic

Gabriel Attal was named Tuesday as France's youngest-ever prime minister, as President Emmanuel Macron seeks a fresh start for the rest of his term amid growing political pressure from the far right. Attal is also France's first openly gay prime minister. Macron's office announced

Pope Francis urged Vatican officials to avoid "rigid ideological positions" in a speech days after his recent approval of blessings for same-sex couples.Addressing the Holy See hierarchy in his annual Christmas greeting last Thursday, Francis emphasized the importance of evolving to serve the Catholic Church effectively."In our service here in the Curia too, it is important to keep faring forward, to keep searching and growing in our understanding of the truth, overcoming the temptation to stand still and never leave the 'labyrinth' of our fears," the bishop of Rome said. "Fear, rigidity and monotony make for an immobility that has...

If you have followed my writing and speaking over the decades, you will know that Catholicism has not been a focus of my ministry, either praising it or criticizing it. At the same time, I recognize the important role of the Catholic Church in standing for the sanctity of life and the meaning of marriage. That’s what makes the recent pronouncement of Pope Francis, allowing priests to “bless” same-sex couples, especially distressing. What act of apostasy will be next?My Catholic colleague John Zmirak wrote on Tuesday, “Today I got one of those emails nobody wants to receive. You know, the...

According to much of what's read in the media and among some advocates, the Vatican's changed! It's finally come around to embracing the LGBTQ+ agenda, and is now offering blessings for gay couples for inclusivity's sake, and who knows, soon may be offering gay marriages! Here is some of the cheering from Christopher Lamb at CNN:With five words, uttered right at the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis changed the Catholic conversation about LGBTQ+ people. In 2013, when asked by a journalist about gay priests, the pope famously replied: “Who am I to judge?”Over the last decade the pope has...

A new bill filed in Florida would require local governments and schools to remain neutral when it comes to displaying flags. The proposed legislation, HB 901, was filed by state Rep. David Borrero, R-Sweetwater, and would prohibit flying flags tied to political topics including sexuality, gender orientation or race. Compass LGBTQ Center CEO Julie Seaver is among those opposed to the legislation.

Pope Francis has approved a measure that will allow Roman Catholic priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples, under the condition that the blessing is not considered akin to marriage and while still labeling such relationships sinful. In a Declaration titled “Fiducia Supplicans” that was issued Monday, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith provided “a broadening and enrichment of the classical understanding of blessings, which is closely linked to a liturgical perspective.” “It is precisely in this context that one can understand the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their...

As Florida business owner Joe Mills remembers it, all the questions about whether the 14,000-memberFirst Baptist Church Orlando is now affirming same-sex relationships began after he started a Bible study group on Facebook with two of his gay friends called The Gospel Gathering while actively participating at the church. The group, which describes itself as a gathering “of Christian believers who want to worship God in a safe and nonjudgmental environment where all are welcome,” has 98 members. It was launched in May 2021 by Mills and his friends, Kevin Copley and David Speight. All three men are gay but...

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal filed by a Christian therapist against Washington state's ban on "gay conversion therapy," allowing the law to remain in effect.In an orders list released Monday morning, the high court declined without comment a petition for a writ of certiorari in the case of Brian Tingley v. Robert W. Ferguson, Attorney General of Washington state, et al.The decision received separate dissenting opinions from Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. Thomas claimed that Washington had "silenced one side of this debate" through state law."A law that restricts speech based on its content...

“Tagespost" exclusive: Rome Opens the ParachuteDie Tagespost November 24, 2023Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin informs the German bishops that the ordination of priests reserved for men and the Church's teaching on homosexuality are non-negotiable - a German special path is therefore The German bishops have received a clear message from the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin that the Vatican is not considering negotiating the letter "Ordinatio Sacerdotalis", in which Pope John Paul II confirmed the exclusion of women from ordination to the priesthood in 1994, or the Church's teaching on homosexuality in upcoming talks with a delegation of...

A Houston couple’s trip to New York City turned into an extra special one when they got engaged during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. In video shared by the New York City Police Department, the couple danced in the street while the NYPD Ceremonial Unit performed during the parade Thursday morning.

The number of congregations that have left the United Methodist Church amid the schism over the denomination's stance on homosexuality has passed the 7,000 mark.Over the weekend, the number of churches that have disaffiliated from the UMC since 2019 reached 7,286, according to UM News, with over 5,200 leaving this year alone.This total includes 366 churches leaving the Kentucky Conference, 349 churches leaving the North Alabama Conference, 334 churches leaving the North Georgia Conference, 326 churches leaving the North Carolina Conference and 317 churches leaving the Indiana Annual Conference.Of the 334 congregations that have disaffiliated from the North Georgia Conference...

Sheryl Crow inspired and entertained the world with another hit song years ago. She sang: “If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad.” In our plights to fulfill ourselves, find ourselves, or make ourselves happy, we do all kinds of things today. Because we can. We turn to cat videos, the all-you-can-eat buffet, TikTok, online games, life coaches, self-help programs, “Christian” yoga, YouTube and podcasts, music-on-demand, and TV and movies any place, any time. We can even filter out the commercials. We have our favorite meal order queued up on our phones. Our own Instagram page shows our...

The Church of England has decided to proceed with trial blessing services for same-sex couples. This decision, made during the General Synod, marks a significant shift in the denomination's stance on same-sex relationships. The Bishop of Oxford proposed the amendment for these trial services, which narrowly passed in the House of Laity by one vote, the U.K.-based group The Christian Institute noted, adding that the House of Bishops supported the motion 23 to 10, with four abstentions. The House of Clergy also voted in favor, 100 to 93, with one abstention. The House of Laity also voted in favor, but...

The Church of England will test-run stand-alone services for blessing same-sex couples after its ruling body, the General Synod, voted to move ahead with implementing special prayers of thanks and dedication for gay couples. The vote to go ahead with the pilot program followed hours of emotionally charged debate about the church’s pastoral responsibilities toward gay people. The synod’s vote on Wednesday (Nov. 15) follows the House of Bishops’ agreement last month to commend “Prayers of Love and Faith,” a collection of prayers and readings for same-sex couples, for use in existing church services. The bishops also approved the prayers...

A new report maintains that the wife of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has deleted her counseling website outlining biblical positions on marriage as a result of the criticism directed at her husband's views. Johnson's Southern Baptist views have become the subject of much media coverage since he was elected last week, with The Huffington Post reporting Friday that his wife, Kelly, operates Onward Christian Counseling Services. The liberal publication included a copy of her company's operating agreement, which includes a statement of faith. The statement of faith includes beliefs about marriage and sexuality, namely that marriage amounts to a...

On April 3, after Bud Light named trans TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney a spokesperson, Kid Rock responded with a video showing him firing an automatic rifle at a stack of Bud Light beer cases. Country star Travis Tritt announced that he was dropping the beer from his tours, and several conservative social media personalities launched a boycott of the brand. In Tennessee, the state legislature recently banned drag queen shows but, after the Covenant Baptist School shooting, expelled two Black legislators for protesting gun violence with demonstrators. And last month, the Republican Party of Texas censured GOP Representative Tony Gonzalez,...

Nearly 100 congregations in Ohio have left the United Methodist Church amid the denomination's ongoing debate over homosexuality, joining thousands of other churches in the United States that have done the same.At a special session of the UMC West Ohio Conference held last weekend, 96 churches were granted their request to disaffiliate from the mainline Protestant denomination. The session was held at Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, with around 800 clergy and laity in attendance. Bishop Gregory V. Palmer presided over the gathering. In addition to the 96 disaffiliations, the session also dealt with budgetary issues, recommending the...

Over 200,000 minors are estimated to have been sexually abused in Spain by the Roman Catholic clergy since 1940, according to an independent commission published Friday. The report did not give a specific figure but said a poll of over 8,000 people found that 0.6 percent of Spain's adult population of around 39 million people said they had suffered sexual abuse by members of the clergy when they were still children. The percentage rises to 1.13 percent -- or over 400,000 people -- when including abuse by lay members, Spain's national ombudsman Angel Gabilondo told a news conference called to...

Five years after decriminalizing sodomy, the justices on India’s Supreme Court unanimously declined to legalize same-sex marriage, leaving the issue for the nation’s Parliament to decide. Tuesday’s ruling came after listening to arguments for and against same-sex “marriage” last spring. During those hearings, “the government argued that a marriage is only between a biological male and a biological woman, adding that same-sex marriages went against religious values and that the petitions reflected only ‘urban elitist views,’” according to an AP report. “Religious groups too had opposed same-sex unions, saying they went against Indian culture.” Attorneys representing those in favor of...

Tensions ran high at a Broward County Public Schools board meeting Tuesday as board members voted to approve a new sex education curriculum for students across the district. The board voted 5-4 to pass the district's reproductive health and disease prevention materials. Those for the curriculum called it comprehensive and inclusive... But those against the curriculum say it goes against Florida's Parental Rights in Education law, otherwise known as the "don't say gay" law.