Free Republic

Fr. Jonathan Morris “sodomy isn’t sin” interview found. Listeners found the Fr. Jonathan Morris interview on the SiriusXM Radio gay channel from several years ago where he EXPLICITLY declares his belief that sodomy is not sin, and that you MUST “love” “homosexuality” and sodomitical acts as intrinsic to a person’s humanity. “Love the sinner, hate the sin” is WRONG! He knows because his sodomite sister told him so!Link here. The whole thing is only 24 minutes long. The we have to love sin part starts at 10:35. Morris says that he “used to believe” “that homosexual sex is not in...

Friday, May 29 Mary Ann Glendon - Former US Ambassador to the Vatican and member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. Fr. Robert Sirico - President of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion & Liberty.

ROME, MAY 14, 2009 - Despite every attempt to stir controversy and fan fires of moral outrage, Ron Howard’s film adaptation of Dan Brown’s novel "Angels and Demons" enjoyed a peaceful world premiere May 4. The Italian press was more irate over the one-and-a-half hour delay in starting the film while the cast and author did red carpet interviews, than anything else. Most European journalists dubbed it “Americanata” -- silly stuff Americans enjoy, like McDonalds. The movie had its worldwide release May 13, and although it is a fast-paced, action-packed popcorn movie with terrific set design and beautiful filming of...

A visually breathtaking television series is currently being shown on the Eternal Word Television Network that aims to bring to life the Catholic meaning behind the priceless works of art on display in the Vatican Museums. Produced and directed by Catholic documentary filmmaker Mary Shovlain, “Catholic Canvas” takes viewers on an artistic journey through salvation history, starting with the Old Testament, from creation to the fall of man, and moving on to man’s need for a redeemer and the promise of Christ’s redemption.The series includes works by Michelangelo, Raphael, Perugino and, through Shovlain’s persistent efforts and the generosity of the...

VATICAN CITY, FEB. 29, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address Benedict XVI gave today in English upon receiving in audience Mary Ann Glendon, the new ambassador of the United States to the Holy See. * * * Your Excellency, It is a pleasure for me to accept the Letters by which you are accredited Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America and to offer my cordial good wishes as you take up your new responsibilities in the service of your country. I am confident that the knowledge and experience born of your distinguished association with the work...

Letters revealing Mother Teresa’s half-century-long “crisis of faith” have many pondering what to make of the secret life of one of the most revered figures in modern history. Yet as theologians and psychologists offer interpretations for her deep “darkness,” a preeminent American theologian used Mother Teresa’s struggle to remind believers to trust Christ and not their feelings. Whether it be an average Christian or a saint, doubts on the existence of God and turmoil over the inability to feel His presence is something every Christian has wrestled with. Yet more important than dwelling on human emotions is securing one’s faith...

Now this is going to be interesting. Bush announced he'll pick Mary Ann Glendon as his rep to the Holy See. The Globe/AP story reporting the nomination wastes no time making sure she's properly tagged: President Bush plans to nominate Harvard University law professor Mary Ann Glendon to be his new US ambassador to the Vatican. Glendon, 69, is an antiabortion scholar and an opponent of gay marriage who has written about the effects of divorce and increased litigation on society. Her 1987 book, "Abortion and Divorce in Western Law," was critical of the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade...

The Return of Santo Stefano Rotundo By Elizabeth Lev ROME, FEB. 8, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Lorenzo the Magnificent famously cautioned his young son Giovanni, the future Pope Leo X, as he set off to Rome for the first time, "As you are now to reside in Rome, that pool of all iniquity, the difficulty of conducting yourself … will be increased." The wary sentiment of this canny Florentine resonates even today, where many people come to see the wonders of the city without expecting to find much spiritual bolstering. Fortunately, Rome's bad spiritual reputation often proves unwarranted. An example is the...

ROME, NOV. 2, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Sadly, many people who don't know the name of the present Pope turn out to be quite well versed in the more scandalous papacies of centuries past. Yet that same mentality that takes a gossip magazine as seriously as a history text, never fails to be taken aback by the number of people thronging St. Peter's Square today, traveling thousands of miles to see the Successor of St. Peter. For them, it seems inexplicable that after such human frailty, the Church can still be vibrant and active 2,000 years later. For Catholics, however, this comes...

ROME, SEPT. 21, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The Romans are worried. On the bus, in the cafes and standing in the interminable post office lines, people are weighing the possibility of a Muslim reprisal in the wake of Benedict XVI's citation of a 14th-century dialogue between the Byzantine emperor Manuel II and a Persian theologian. Though Romans gracefully weathered the 4 million visitors for the funeral of Pope John Paul II in April 2005 and stoically considered the possibility of a terrorist attack before the general elections this past spring, the reactions to Benedict XVI's lecture at the University of Regensburg have...

ROME, JULY 20, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Fewer and fewer people attend Sunday Mass in Italy, or so they say. While Mass attendance has certainly dropped over the years, the image of Rome's nine hundred churches sitting empty is just plain wrong. Many local parishes have lively Mass attendance and work hard at keeping young people in and around the church. At my own church of the Protomartyrs, the 10 a.m. Sunday Mass is standing room only and the other five Masses throughout the day are well attended. The draw isn't the music, nor the coffee and doughnuts; it is the untiring...

ROME, July 6, 2006 (Zenit.org).- As Rome temperatures soar, and the sun reflects off the travertine in the Forum and St. Peter's Square, turning the city into a giant kiln, tourists start to view an old attraction with new eyes: the fountains of Rome. While the Trevi and the Four Rivers fountains are always high on people's must-see list, it takes the scorching heat of Roman summer to see these works not only as photo opportunities, but also as examples of the generosity of Papal Rome. The seventy-odd elegant sculpted fountains, as well as hundreds of simple water spigots, ensure...

ROME, FEB. 23, 2006 (Zenit.org).- During this first year of Benedict XVI's pontificate, Romans have been delighted to see the continuation of many of Pope John Paul II's traditional appointments in the city. This Feb. 25, the Saturday before Lent, the Holy Father will commemorate the feast of the Madonna della Fiducia, at the Roman Seminary. The Madonna della Fiducia is a simple little devotional image, painted by a religious sister in the 18th century, which has accompanied the Roman Seminary from its first home in the Collegio Romano to its present home at St. John Lateran. The Madonna's fame...