Free Republic

Easter Sunday is not a day of rest for the Democrats' moneychangers. At least three top party officials dispatched fundraising emails Sunday in their bid to reach loyal Democrats in between church and Easter dinner. It's just the latest sign that politics and fundraising have become as regular as shopping at Sears or Walmart, which also open on Easter. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Sunday morning sent out an updated fundraising note from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi that didn't even mention Easter. "We could really do this! If we can hit 200,000 donations before tonight's FEC deadline, it would...

The pastor at the Washington, D.C. church where the Obama family celebrated Easter on Sunday said members of the religious right want blacks “in the back of the bus,” women “back in the kitchen” and immigrants “back on their side of the border.” “It drives me crazy when the captains of the religious right are always calling us back…for blacks to be back in the back of the bus…for women to be back in the kitchen…for immigrants to be back on their side of the border,” Rev. Dr. Luis Leon said in his sermon, according to the White House press...

Catholic MPs' Plea To Pope Francis To Ease Clerical Marriage Ban In Britain Twenty one Roman Catholic MPs and peers have written to the Pope urging him to consider relaxing the rules on priestly celibacy in Britain. John Bingham 31 Mar 2013. The group, who include the former Attorney General Baroness Scotland, say that allowing married former Anglican clergy to become Catholic priests proves that married clergy can be a “great blessing”. It has, they say, helped soften the effects of a serious shortage of priests which is threatening the closure of local churches in the next few years. They...

For the last 700 years, it has been the main place of Christian worship in the Palace of Westminster, aside from brief periods as a wine cellar and a stable for Oliver Cromwell’s horses.But now, it seems, the Government has a new role in mind for the chapel of St Mary Undercroft, which is nestled in a crypt beneath Parliament. Ministers are considering changing the historic Anglican chapel into a multi-faith prayer room – so that it can be used to conduct same-sex weddings. Under the gay marriage legislation currently passing through Parliament, the chapel will not be able to...

In my challenge for Muslims to march with me at the Sudan Embassy to protest the persecution and slavery of Christians, my critic agreed and said, “No Muslim will ever disagree with this. ISLAM DOES NOT SUPPORT WHAT YOU ARE SAYING.” Maybe he agrees with me but the Muslim world does not agree, and he did not agree to protest with me! Moreover, there are no Muslim demonstrations at the Sudan Embassy! Could that be because most Muslim leaders are hypocrites; or are they too busy whipping their wives and writing error-filled books about the “peaceful” religion of Islam? Next,...

The Russian president has opposed the adoption of Russian orphans by LGBT foreign couples, and has instructed the government and the Supreme Court to prepare changes to existing law before July 1. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order will most likely be fulfilled by the Ministry of Education and Science, which is currently dealing with issues concerning orphans and adoptions, Izvestia daily reported. The ministry has not yet commented on the news, saying that Putin’s instructions had not yet reached their office. Tensions over the issue arose in mid-February, after the French National Assembly voted to legalize adoptions by same-sex couples....

Excellent interview of Terence Jeffrey on CBN news concerning the rising anti-Christian tyranny in the U.S.

In a Good Friday interview with ABC News, Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles renewed his call for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants in the United States. “We have to give them the opportunity if they want to be citizens,” he said. “If…they don't have the opportunity, then we will create a permanent underclass in our society, which is not fair, and it's not the American way.” Praising Pope Francis for his pastoral style, Archbishop Gomez, who was “totally” surprised by his election, said that “having somebody from Latin America that can understand your culture, and your traditions,...

<p>An Italian priest who died in a Nazi concentration camp and two victims of Soviet-bloc regimes during the Cold War were among those recognised as martyrs by Pope Francis.</p> <p>Pope Francis likewise recognised the martyrdom of Romanian Father Vladimir Ghika and Hungarian Salesian Brother Stephen Sandor, who were killed by their country’s communist regimes, in 1954 and 1953, respectively. The decrees prepare the way for the martyrs’ beatification, probably later this year.</p>

"If Jesus were alive today, he would be more inclined to say, 'you know, I didn't know it all...'" - Rev. Oliver White, Sean Hannity Show, March 27, 2013 In general, most news outlets have provided awful coverage of the Supreme Court proceedings on same-sex marriage. Covering the proceedings like they cover a political campaign or a sporting event, most of the analysis and commentary has been about political "wins" for one side or the other and the ramifications of the pending decision on homosexuals in our society, rather than the wide-ranging ramifications for society itself. Filling the void of...

Reaping the Whirlwind: A reflection on the deepening darkness that celebrates homosexual unions and activity There is, among faithful Catholics, a dismay, and even an understandable anger at the events unfolding at the Supreme Court these past days related to to gay unions. And even if the court were to uphold traditional marriage (which does not seem likely), or merely return the matter to the States, it seems quite clear where our culture is going regarding this matter, approving things once, not so long ago, considered unthinkable.What then to do with our dismay and anger? It is too easy to...

The old adage that one lie leads to another is never more apparent than when modern American public officials deal with issues arising from sexual immorality. President Bill Clinton, for example, started a chain of lies when he decided to have an adulterous relationship with a White House intern. Clinton first lied to his wife, then to a federal court, then to the American people. Nor could Clinton's lies, delivered as president, be his lies alone. His partisans in Congress either had to abandon him or add another link to the chain of lies by declaring that perjury and obstruction...

In the nineteenth century, the courts agreed that it was necessary for the State to acknowledge the biblical requirement of monogamy over against polygamy (many wives). Marriage is by definition a union of one man and one woman. The courts justified their rulings because of moral absolutes found in the Christian religion. What was true of polygamy was equally true of homosexuality since homosexuality was illegal in all the states, including the Mormon-populated state of Utah. The arguments against polygamy applied to homosexuality with little or no debate. In The Late Corporation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day...

[big snip] Many Jesuits have been lukewarm at best ...the distrust stems from Francis's six years as Jesuit provincial of Argentina ...He was fiercely opposed to liberation theology. "As a provincial, he was extremely strict and fairly conservative, which goes against the grain of the society," said [historian Michael] Walsh. Fr. Jose Maria Sang, who recalls his former mentor as an earnest, well-prepared teacher with a strong spiritual orientation, also believes that those seeking to pigeonhole the new pope as conservative or progressive are missing the point. "These terms are political, not religious," he said. "It is better to look...

<p>Boys and girls at an Alabama elementary school will still get to hunt for eggs – but they can’t call them ‘Easter Eggs’ have the principal banished the word for the sake of religious diversity.</p> <p>“We had in the past a parent to question us about some of the things we do here at school,” said Heritage Elementary School principal Lydia Davenport. “So we’re just trying to make sure we respect and honor everybody’s differences.”</p>

THE Gospel calls us to share our possessions with one another, particularly the poor—a voluntary dispossession of our goods and our time. However, the anti-gospel calls for a sharing of goods that flows, not from the heart, but from a political system that controls and distributes wealth according to the whims of the State. This is known by many forms, particularly that of Communism, which was birthed in 1917 in the Moscow revolution led by Vladimir Lenin.Seven years ago when this writing apostolate began, I saw a strong image in my heart that I wrote about in The Great...

Tuesday, March 26, 2013 CMTV: Dolan and the Dolanites Thank God for the courageous and honest analysis of Michael Voris and ChurchMilitant.TV. In this Special Report, Michael Voris takes Cardinal Dolan to task for multiple offenses against the Church and Our Lord, including the Cardinal's latest escapade of allowing abortion-supporting Vice-President to receive Holy Communion at a Mass where the Cardinal was presiding.   This report is not "bishop-bashing"; it is an act of charity. Our shepherds are held to higher accountability than we, the lay faithful.  It is time that some of them realize that their own actions are...

Thanks to Kathryn Lopez for highlighting this interview in USA Today with Archbishop Cordileone on gay marriage. Anybody who wishes to enter into a debate about gay marriage with friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, or anyone else should read this interview and memorize each and every answer by the Archbishop. This, folks, is how it is done. Do not accept their premises at all. This is not a debate about tolerance or a live and let live mentality. If it was, some form of civil union or benefit structure would have been sufficient. This is about criminalizing the opposing views and...

Let’s get one thing straight. In this battle over same-sex ‘marriage’ it often sounds like those pushing the dismantling of traditional marriage have the upper hand in terms of love. ‘You are opposed to love!’; ‘How does the love between me and my partner affect you in your marriage?’; ‘Why can’t I be allowed to love whomever I choose?’ These are the tough arguments from ‘love’ facing those who are fighting to protect marriage from radical redefinition. In truth, however, love is the principle reason to fight same-sex ‘marriage.’ You see, law is a teacher and enshrining same-sex ‘marriage’ in...