Free Republic

Top California lawmakers on Tuesday ordered the removal of a marble sculpture depicting explorer Christopher Columbus and his patron, Queen Isabella, from the Capitol Rotunda. The statue has been in the Capitol for more than a century. Top lawmakers called for its removal a day after a statue showing white settler John Sutter was taken down in front of the Sacramento hospital that bears his name.“Christopher Columbus is a deeply polarizing historical figure given the deadly impact his arrival in this hemisphere had on indigenous populations. The continued presence of this statue in California’s Capitol, where it has been since...

Queen Isabella: Evangelizer of the New World by Cardinal Luis Aponte MartinezThe 500th anniversary of Queen isalbella's death this month prompts a Puerto Rican prelate to examine her faithful service In this article: A True Follower of Jesus A Reformer of Church and State Devotion to Jesus and Mary Bold, Decisive, Faith-Filled Action Detail from 1596 painting “King Ferdinand and Queen Isabelle of Spain Bidding Farewell to Christopher Columbus." Imagine that you have before your eyes a map of the world. Looking at the map from heaven's perspective, imagine that the places strong in the Catholic faith shine with special...