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Pope Demands Silicon Valley “In the Name of God” Censor “Hate Speech,” “Conspiracy Theories”Pope Francis thinks empowering giant corporations to silence free speech is Godly.Pope Francis invoked God in an effort to pressure Silicon Valley giants into censoring more content, including “hate speech” and “conspiracy theories.”Yes, really.The Pope made the remarks during a World Meeting of Popular Movements, a shadowy organization created to promote “social justice” and fight racism with the help of religious leaders.“In the name of God, I ask the technology giants to stop exploiting human weakness, people’s vulnerability, for the sake of profits without caring about the...

After warning Donald Trump that building a 'huge wall' on the Mexican border is 'not Christian', Pope Francis is returning home to Vatican City.... which is entirely surrounded by an enormous stone wall. The Pope made a direct dig at The Donald before he

Pope Benedict XVI 'is to resign' Breaking news The Pope is to resign at the end of this month in an entirely unexpected development, reports from the Vatican say.

Happy Oktoberfest 2011!

In the European past, many men were given the choice between death and speaking the truth. Today, however, those who wish to speak the truth as they see it are confronted by a far more wrenching choice.Madeleine Bunting, writing in The Guardian, has sharply attacked the Regensburg address of Pope Benedict XVI. Among the points that she makes, there is one that deserves special attention, because it expresses the sentiment of all those who have criticized the Regensburg address for being inflammatory and provocative. "An elderly Catholic nun has already been killed in Somalia, perhaps in retaliation for the pope's...

Four days into his reign, Pope Benedict called the journalists who had been covering his election to what was billed as a press conference. Addressing the assembled correspondents, photographers, camera operators, sound recordists and producers, he noted that the media were capable of reaching and influencing not only individuals, but whole masses of people - indeed, the whole of humanity. He thanked us all for our hard work in putting that awesome power at the service of the Roman Catholic Church and the Vatican for a few days. Then he blessed us - and, just as the reporters present were...

All Christians can agree on this, that the Bible is God’s authoritative and inspired word, and ought to govern the faith and life of the Christian community. What’s in accord with Scripture is good. What contradicts Scripture must be rejected.Opposition in the Name of Fidelity The Protestant reformers, inspired with zeal for God’s word, went one step further. Under the banner of “sola scriptura” they proclaimed the Bible as the only infallible authority for Christians. That meant that both Tradition and Church authority could be opposed in the name of fidelity to Scripture. Funny thing, however: from the outset...

ROMA, June 1, 2006 – In a St. Peter’s Square that is always extremely crowded with pilgrims from all nations, each Wednesday Benedict XVI continues the cycle of catechesis he began last March 18, on “the relationship between Christ and the Church as considered beginning with the experience of the apostles.” The continuity is interrupted only rarely: for example, on Wednesday, May 31, the pope dedicated the audience to a reflection summarizing his trip to Poland a few days earlier. The theme assigned to the cycle is revealing of pope Joseph Ratzinger’s intention to clarify the essence and foundations...

About 270,000 people on Friday attended a Mass by Pope Benedict XVI in the same Warsaw square where his predecessor had inspired Poland's Solidarity movement against communist rule a quarter-century before.The faithful filled the rain-drenched Pilsudski Square, standing resolutely in ponchos and under umbrellas. Church bells pealed as the pope was driven to the square through streets lined with cheering, waving people. An aide held an umbrella as Benedict ascended a high Mass platform topped by a 82-foot metal cross.In his sermon, Benedict challenged moral relativism, or the view that there are no absolute values.In remarks read in Polish by...

VATICAN CITY (CNN) -- While tens of thousands crowded St. Peter's Square for the ailing Pope John Paul II this time last year, those closest to the pope gathered around his bedside, bidding farewell to their mentor and leader of the church. They all say he was conscious to the end, and that among his last requests was, "Read me the Bible."Pope John Paul II died a year ago Sunday, after 26 years as the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church and its one billion followers. As the anniversary of the death of this much beloved figure approached, CNN...

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Whatever happened to the sacred oath of secrecy? Cardinals were sworn to silence about everything that happened during deliberations in the Sistine Chapel to choose a new pope. But within hours of the conclave, some German cardinals - delighted about the choice of their countryman, Joseph Ratzinger - spilled some of the secrets. Cardinal Joachim Meisner told reporters Tuesday night that the new Pope Benedict XVI was elected on the fourth ballot - the first of the afternoon session. He added that Ratzinger got more than the required two-thirds support. ``It was done without an electoral...

A prophecy by a 12th-century Catholic saint that predicted characteristics of the last 112 popes appears to have been strengthened by the election of the new pontiff today. The prophecy labels the new pope "the Glory of the Olive." The Benedictine Order is known as the Olivetans and has as its symbol the olive branch. The new pope, though not of that order, chose as his name Benedict XVI.

CHICAGO (CNS) -- Before the cardinals locked into the Sistine Chapel had a chance to cast their first ballot April 18, a group protesting the lack of women's voices in the conclave gathered outside Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago to send up billows of bright pink smoke along with prayers for women to be heard. The event featured statements from several organizations supporting the ordination of women that called on the church to open its doors fully to women's participation. "At a time when young women are sold into slavery around the world, when war brings the rape of women,...

THE WASHINGTON TIMES ROME -- Among the crowds awaiting the new pope are Catholic clergy who say John Paul II was their primary inspiration. "The first time I met this pope, I was 13 years old," said the Rev. Donald Tremblay, a Montreal priest in town for the funeral and conclave. "I had goose bumps," he said. "There was an energy. He radiated. I told myself, 'This man is worth following.' " The cardinals failed to select a new pope yesterday during their first round of voting -- evident by the black smoke that rose from a chimney above the...

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 17, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is the last installment of biographical sketches of the cardinals who are scheduled to participate in the conclave to elect a new pope. The conclave begins Monday. * * * Jean-Louis Tauran, 62 Archivist and librarian of the Holy Roman Church Jean-Louis Tauran was born April 5, 1943, in Bordeaux, France. He was ordained a priest Sept. 20, 1969. He holds licentiates in philosophy and theology and a degree in canon law. He served as parochial vicar in Bordeaux. In March 1975 he entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See and was...

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Roman Catholic cardinals started to move into sequestered lodgings Sunday ahead of a momentousconclave to elect the successor to Pope John Paul II. The 115 eligible cardinals will enter the secretive conclave in the Sistine Chapel Monday with no clear favorite to take over the reins of the 1.1 billion-member Church. Some of the red-hatted "princes of the church" held publicMasses around a rainswept Rome Sunday, refusing to speculate on the vote and underlining the spiritual nature of their quest. "People think that we are going to vote like in an election. But this is something...

Interview With Belgian Bishop André-Mutien Léonard BRUSSELS, Belgium, APRIL 15, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The legacy of John Paul II is not something to look back upon, but to use as a guide and inspiration for the future, says the bishop of Namur, Belgium. Bishop André-Mutien Léonard, philosophy professor the Catholic University of Leuven and member of the International Theological Commission, reflects in this interview with ZENIT on the person of John Paul II, and what expectations Catholics should have now with respect to the conclave. The bishop has dedicated most of his ministry to young people, and in 1999, he was...

VATICAN staff and clergy involved in the secret election of the next pope swore an oath today not to divulge any information on the proceedings. They swore and signed the oath in the Vatican's Hall of Benedictions in front of Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo, who is in charge of the Church during the papal interregnum, and two other clerics. Under conclave rules established by the late Pope John Paul II in 1996, all clergy and lay people involved in auxiliary capacities during the conclave must sign the oath. They include doctors and nurses, technicians, kitchen and cleaning staff, confessors and...

VATICAN CITY (AP) _ Workers scaled the roof of the Sistine Chapel on Friday and attached the chimney pipe that will bellow white smoke to alert the world that a new pope has been elected, as the Vatican made final preparations for next week's conclave. Attached by a safety clip and cable, a worker climbed down the tiled roof and uncapped a small top that had covered the chimney. He replaced it with a tall, thin pipe fed to him by another man in dress pants and a tie who was standing in an opening in the chapel's sloped roof....

Principal Celebrant: Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State.