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Pope Francis called on Palestinian militant group Hamas to free hostages abducted from Israel, adding that he is “concerned” over Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip. “I continue to follow what is happening in Israel and Palestine with tears and apprehension: many people killed, others injured,” Francis said Wednesday in his address to the general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. “I pray for those families who have seen a feast day transformed into a day of mourning, and I ask that the hostages be released immediately.” “It is the right of those who are attacked to defend...

[Catholic Caucus]On Eve of Vatican Synod, Bishop Warns of Move to Impose ‘Counterfeit Church’ROME — Kazakh Bishop Athanasius Schneider has joined the many Catholic prelates warning of nefarious plotting behind the scenes of the upcoming Vatican “Synod on Synodality.”O Lord, “prevent the enemies of the Church from exulting in a victory over the authentic Catholic Church obtained by imposing a counterfeit church under the guise of ‘synodality,’” Bishop Schneider wrote in a September 29 prayer for the synod.“For where sin and apostasy in the Church abounds, the victory of Your grace will abound the more,” the bishop added.In his prayer,...

Pope Francis on Imperialism: Is Russia a Special Case?A month after Pope Francis spoke in favorable terms about Russia’s imperial past, the diplomatic ramifications still reverberate. Last week, the Holy Father received the credentials of the new Russian ambassador, a rather routine encounter, though with a Vatican statement about how friendly the meeting was.A few days later, on Friday, the Holy Father received the Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See in a private audience, which is absolutely not a routine encounter. Ambassadors to the Holy See get two meetings with the pope, both pro forma — one when they present...

Pope Francis urges Chinese Catholics to be ‘good citizens’As Pope Francis concluded Mass on Sunday in the Hun Theatre in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar, he took a moment to invite two Chinese bishops to stand with him at the altar for a moment.The Pope greeted Cardinal John Tong Hon, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, and Cardinal-elect Stephen Chow Sau-yan, SJ, bishop of Hong Kong.As he held up their hands, Pope Francis sent greetings to the “noble people of China” and wished “all the people the best.”He encouraged the people of China to “strive ahead, always advancing.”Turning to the faithful...

The Church’s morals didn’t change until Vatican II in the 1960s. Before that, you had nearly two thousand years of consistency. If you speak to neo-Catholics now, they will tell you that there was a great revelation in the 20th century, and they realized that morality is constantly in flux, and that basically, all the fundamental premises of the historic Church are wrong. The Pope has gone from promoting gay anal to now actively attacking the people pushing back on it. He must be feeling he’s in a good position, to move from encouraging gay sex to actively organizing anyone...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis speaks out against his critics in the U.S. Catholic ChurchIn his recent conversation with Portuguese Jesuits in Lisbon during World Youth Day, Pope Francis commented that the situation in the Catholic Church in the United States is “not easy,” where “there is a very strong reactionary attitude” that “is organized and shapes the way people belong, even emotionally.”He also spoke about what should be the pastoral attitude toward L.G.B.T. persons and much else, as revealed in the transcript of the conversation published today in La Civiltà Cattolica, by Antonio Spadaro, S.J., the magazine’s editor, who was...

Pope Francis blasted what he described as groups of "very strong, reactionary" American Catholics, warning against becoming "backwardists" who oppose change in the Catholic Church. "The situation in the United States is not easy: There is a very strong, reactionary attitude. It is organized and shapes the way people belong, even emotionally," said the pope. "I want to remind these people that backwardism is useless, and it is necessary to understand that there is a correct evolution in the understanding of questions of faith and morals."

“Christians should imitate Jesus in being steadfast — not inflexible — in their convictions, thus being open to change for the good of others, Pope Francis said on Sunday. “This is what God is like: He is love, and the one who loves does not remain rigid,” the pope said on Aug. 20. “You stand firm, you stay firm, not rigid.” The Christian, he added, “does not remain rigid in his own positions but allows him or herself to be moved or touched. He or she knows how to change plans. It’s creative love.” Pope Francis said: “We Christians want...

[Catholic Caucus] Flourishing Latin Mass Community Targeted Outside St. LouisAbove: inside the church of St. Barnabas the Apostle. Parish Website.In 2013, St. Barnabas the Apostle Parish in O’Fallon, MO—about 40 minutes outside of St. Louis—was dying. The pastor, Fr. Ray Hager, was told that the parish would be closed in about five years unless things turned around quickly.In response, Fr. Hager introduced the regular celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass. Over the course of the next decade, the TLM grew rapidly until a majority of the parish consisted of those who attended the old rite. In 2021, St. Barnabas received...

[Catholic Caucus] Priest to Pope Francis: I accuse you of heresy and humbly plead that you correct your waysAs for the people I accuse, I do not know them, I have never seen them, I have no grudge or hatred against them. And the action I am taking here is merely a public means of hastening the explosion of truth and justice.Editor’s note: The following is an open letter by Father Jesusmary Missigbètò, an Opus Dei priest suspended in March of 2021 after criticizing Pope Francis’s support of civil unions of homosexual couples the previous November and asking him to...

The sisters had gifted the monastery to the Vatican in a last ditch attempt to save their way of life, only to have the Pope forcibly remove and defrock them.(Crisis Magazine) — For more than seven hundred years, the Franciscan monastery of Santa Chiara has stood overlooking the glorious waters of the Amalfi Coast in the town of Ravello, the “city of music” and the “pearl of the Amalfi.” Poor Clares came to Ravello in 1297, just after the death of St. Francis, and the monastery and town have flourished together for almost a thousand years. The monastery grounds, church,...

Bp. Strickland urges Vatican to refute Biden’s claim that Pope doesn’t oppose taxpayer-funded abortions'Mr Biden can’t be allowed to twist the words of Pope Francis in this way,' the Bishop of Tyler wrote on Twitter. Bishop Joseph Strickland called on the Vatican to deny President Joe Biden’s claim that Pope Francis does not support the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) call for a halt to taxpayer-funded abortions. “Mr Biden can’t be allowed to twist the words of Pope Francis in this way,” Stickland wrote on Twitter. “I implore the Vatican press office to emphatically clarify that Pope Francis...

[Catholic Caucus] Fr. Gerald Murray slams Pope Francis’ comments on homosexuality, African bishops'The people that have to undergo conversion are those who want to commit sodomy, not the bishops who are telling them this is a sin, it’s wrong, and the state should not legitimize it.'Renowned canon lawyer Fr. Gerald Murray blasted Pope Francis’ recent call for the global decriminalization of homosexuality and his criticism of bishops who support anti-sodomy laws. Murray, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, denounced the “confusion” of the pope’s remarks in a hard-hitting interview Thursday with Raymond Arroyo on EWTN’s The World Over....

The writers of the Church tell us that in the latter days the city of Rome will probably become apostate from the Church and Vicar of Jesus Christ; and that Rome will again be punished, for he will depart from it; and the judgment of God will fall on the place from which he once reigned over the nations of the world. For what is it that makes Rome sacred, but the presence of the Vicar of Jesus Christ? What has it that should be dear in the sight of God, save only the presence of the Vicar of His...

Pope Francis laicizes America’s best loved pro-life priest Fr. Frank PavoneAccording to the pope's U.S. representative, the order for dismissal from the priesthood was a result of 'blasphemous communications on social media' and 'persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop,' but Pavone said he had no knowledge of the Vatican's decision. America’s best loved pro-life priest, Fr. Frank Pavone, the National Director of Priests for Life as well as the President of the National Pro-Life Religious Council, has apparently been laicized (dismissed from the priesthood) by order of Pope Francis.Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported that a December...

Bergoglio: "It is not licit to convince them of your faith" The Bergoglian nightmare continues without episcopal resistance. "It is not licit to convince them of your faith," said Bergoglio just last week in Rome. "Proselytism is the strongest venom against the ecumenical path," as he pounds his fist to ensure we get it. Wearing his Bandera Fascist Ukrainian virtual signal as a stole, Bergoglio has revealed once again the liar he is. Once again, a complete and utter denial of the actual words of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ from the Gospel according to St. Matthew beginning...

‘Let him talk to his pastor about this incoherence,’ said the Pontiff.VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Francis has noted the “incoherence” of President Joe Biden’s support for abortion as a Catholic, but said that he “leaves it” to Biden’s “conscience” whether to receive Holy Communion or not. Speaking to the Spanish TV network Univision in an interview segment released July 12, the 85-year-old pope condemned abortion, saying that “scientific data” show that “a month after conception, the DNA of the fetus is already present and the organs are already aligned.” “Is it fair to eliminate a human life?,” he asked....

Fr. Jesusmary is permitted to say Mass privately on the condition that he refrains from writing criticism of the Roman pontiff.(LifeSiteNews) – In a June 4 audience with Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Pope Francis approved the sanctions first laid by Opus Dei upon Father Jesusmary (the pen name of Abbé Janvier Gbénou) for publicly rebuking Pope Francis in response to some of his controversial statements and beliefs. The African priest is now barred from any active ministry, including celebrating the Sacrifice of the Mass in public. He is permitted to say Mass privately on the condition that he refrains from writing...

Pope Francis has removed a Puerto Rican bishop from office over allowing conscientious objections to COVID-19 vaccine shots, some of which were made from the mutilated parts of aborted fetuses.Bishop Daniel Fernández Torres led the Diocese of Arecibo for over ten years, but was asked to abdicate the post because he “had not been obedient to the pope nor had I been in sufficient communion with my brother bishops of Puerto Rico.”On March 9, Pope Francis replaced Torres in the diocese. The Vatican gave no reasoning for their decision. Bishop Álvaro Corrada del Río, bishop emeritus of Mayagüez, replaced him....

Pope Francis delivered what have been described as ‘some of his strongest words yet’ in pushing the abortion-tainted shotsVATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Francis has once again strongly pushed for people to take the abortion-tainted COVID-19 injections, calling health care and vaccination “a moral obligation,” both for personal health and the health of others, while continuing to ignore moral concerns. In his annual address to the diplomatic corps, Pope Francis touched on a wide-range of topics, including a delivery of “some of his strongest words yet” in promoting the abortion-linked COVID injections. The 85-year-old pontiff called for “personal, political, and...