Free Republic

If only he had shaved that morning. Basilios Bessarion grew up in an Eastern Orthodox community in present-day Turkey in the early 15th century. He become a monk, then an abbot, and was eventually appointed to be a metropolitan bishop by the Byzantine Emperor John VIII Palaeologus, with whom he attended the ecumenical Council of Florence with hopes to reunite eastern and western Christianity. Though Bessarion was originally against reunion with Rome, he quickly changed his mind and became the most important Eastern Orthodox advocate for reunion at the council. Pope Eugene IV was so impressed by him that he...

<p>New York City’s subways had five days of record ridership last month, and those in charge of the public transportation system have seized on the increased usage to push their multi-billion dollar capital plan.</p> <p>The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Wednesday that the subway system broke its single-day ridership record on five days last month.</p>

If only he had shaved that morning. Basilios Bessarion grew up in an Eastern Orthodox community in present-day Turkey in the early 15th century. He become a monk, then an abbot, and was eventually appointed to be a metropolitan bishop by the Byzantine Emperor John VIII Palaeologus, with whom he attended the ecumenical Council of Florence with hopes to reunite eastern and western Christianity. Though Bessarion was originally against reunion with Rome, he quickly changed his mind and became the most important Eastern Orthodox advocate for reunion at the council. Pope Eugene IV was so impressed by him that he...

You saw the Disney movie as a kid. You may have read the book. But did you know some of it was based on real history? While the story of King Arthur, Merlin, and all the rest may not be true, there really is a centuries-old sword stuck in a stone. In the small Italian town of Chiusdino, there’s a small chapel near Saint Galgano Abbey known as Montesiepi chapel. And inside you’ll find a big slab of stone in the floor with the handle of a sword sticking out of it.

After Pope Francis published his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, which, in part, attempted to highlight the concern that the rich should have for the poor and the marginalized, he became known in conservative circles as the Pope of the Redistribution of Wealth; to which, liberals would have preferred a more fun title – Pope of Economic Justice. Nevertheless, due to the Pope’s interest in governments and corporations sharing their booty he was compared to President Barack Obama. Perhaps, to a very limited degree, Pope Francis and Barack Obama do have a common interest in economic justice, but what everyone has...

Few realized when Small is Beautiful was published that E.F. Schumacher’s economic theories were underpinned by solid religious and philosophical foundations, the fruits of a lifetime of searching. In 1971, two years before the book’s publication, Schumacher had become a Roman Catholic, the final destination of his philosophical journey.

People say America is one of the most religious countries in the world. But is it religious in the way that you think it is? You’re bound to learn something new in this list:

Today, Pope Francis beatified Pope Paul VI, who served the Catholic Church as the bishop of Rome 1963-1978. (“Beatification” is one step below being canonized a saint.) Paul VI had a jam-packed papacy, including finishing the Second Vatican Council, traveling to all six inhabited continents (a first for popes), and historic ecumenical break-throughs. But today he’s probably most remembered for his 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, which confirmed the Catholic Church’s long-standing teaching against contraception, abortion, and sterilization. Outside of the Catholic Church (and, unfortunately, by a large number of people within the Church as well), the teaching of Humanae Vitae...

All of these are from the Things Jesus Never Said Facebook Page.

We have known about the H1N1 (Swine Flu), risk for many months now. We knew that last spring's outbreak would turn into a more virulent strain by this fall. That is all basic science. Concerned for our citizens, the government recognized the need to produce substantial volumes of vaccine. We have spent more than $2.2B for H1N1 Swine flu. To date, only a minor amount of this vaccine has been delivered, but concern seems muted. Despite new vaccine manufacturing technologies, we persist in using outdated methods and to spend huge sums of money in a wasteful manner. Why? ..... ....So,...

Previously, we brought you “7 Words You Didn’t Know Had Christian Origins.” But, of course, Christians have contributed far more than just seven words to our language! So here are seven more words you didn’t know had Christian origins. 1) Goodbye “Goodbye” (also “goodby,” “good bye,” or “good-bye”), comes from the older English term “godbwye,” which is a contraction of “God be with ye.” (“God be with ye” = “godbwye”) The French (adieu) and Spanish (adios) words for parting ways are also related to commending the person to God. [There are 6 more at the link]

So the greatest trick of the Devil is convincing people he doesn’t exist? Pope Francis is not impressed. Starting with his very first homily as the bishop of Rome, Pope Francis has regularly reminded believers that the Devil is real, that we must be on guard, and that our only hope against him is in Jesus Christ. Here are are 13 of Pope Francis’ most direct quotes on the matter. Read all the quotes here: http://www.churchpop.com/2014/10/07/13-pope-francis-quotes-oldest-foe-devil/

When you think of a Greyhound, what comes to mind? Possibly a fast dog racing around a track? Greyhounds make great companions although this is probably not the first breed that comes to mind when thinking of adopting a dog. Perhaps it is because there are some erroneous myths surrounding greyhounds that keep people from considering adoption. Examiner.com must be excerpted per their complaint.

Dos Equis Beer created a promotional character touted as “The Most Interesting Man in the World.” While he certainly has some fascinating attributes, Greyhound owners might be able to give him a run for his money.

Now that he has been named archbishop of Chicago, many people have expressed interest in Bishop Blase Cupich’s time as bishop of the Diocese of Spokane. I should make clear that I barely know Bishop Cupich on a personal level. I am only a Catholic layman in the diocese of Spokane. I do, however, hold an endowed chair in “Christian Philosophy” at Gonzaga University, serve as academic advisor to Bishop White Seminary (an undergraduate college seminary at Gonzaga), and am a former director of Gonzaga’s small Catholic Studies Program. Gonzaga University is, primarily, a school of approximately 4800 undergraduates that...

Q: I am a graduate theology student, and in class we covered the reforms of the Council of Trent. I came across this passage from Chapter 12 of the Decree on Reformation of Session 25: “The holy synod therefore enjoins on all, of what rank and condition soever they be, to whom the payment of tithes belongs, that they henceforth pay in full the tithes, to which they are bound in law, to the cathedral church, or to what other churches… they are lawfully due. And they who either withhold them, or hinder them [from being paid], shall be excommunicated…”...

Six years into his presidency, the debate is heating up as to where President Barack Obama's presidential library will be located, with four sites reportedly under consideration. These are: (1) At the bottom of an abandoned West Virginia coal mine. This one is considered appropriate given how Obama's regulatory push against "global warming" has caused and continues to cause losses in the U.S. coal industry, with all the associated unemployment and human suffering. It is related to Barack Obama's campaign pledge to stop the rise of the seas (which, by the way, he succeeded in doing even long before he...

Irish Central reports: "Pope Francis continues to amaze. He married 20 couples on Sunday in Rome several of them “living in sin” having had children outside marriage. 'The people getting married on Sunday are couples like many others,' the diocese of Rome said in a statement. 'Some already live together, some already have children.' The Pope said marriage was 'real life, not some TV show.' In marrying them he he kicked away one of the bulwark beliefs of the sex-obsessed hierarchy in the old church, the belief that sex outside marriage was a heinous and immoral act. All of us...

I came across a story on PewSitter today that linked to a translated interview that Kurt Cardinal Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, gave to Swiss Television (SRF). In his interview the Cardinal said a number of hopeful things about Islam versus the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria/and the Levant (ISIS/ISIL). He stated that “ISIS is a cruel perversion of religion,” and despite that fact that Christians are being persecuted more today than they were in the first two centuries, he believes that that day will come when the fundamental right of religious freedom will...

In this show, I discuss the central concerns of the "Men's Rights Movement", how the social doctrine of the Church matches up with it, and what simply must be done in this area in order to prevent societal collapse. LISTEN ON YOUTUBE (Alternative link, via Vimeo.) Summary: I start off with a note to women and I complain about the modern media's terrible influence in these matters. I make note of what I call "practical polygamy" (80-90% of women chasing after 10-20% of men). Perhaps most controversially, I tackle the issue of the advanced education of women and their "right"...