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The Rise and Fall of the Humble Pope The current pontificate began with a fanfare of praise from the mass media, which were happy to promote the Vatican Press office’s narrative of the “humble Pope”: Look! He paid his own hotel bill!  Look! He took the bus with all the other cardinals! Look! He refuses to live in a “palace” or wear red shoes like those other Popes! Look! He rides around in a Ford Focus, not a fancy car!After all, this was the same Pope who said “Who am I to judge?” respecting the flagrant homosexual he had made...

“He answered and said, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”’” (Matthew 4:4). James, the Lord’s earthly half-brother, reminds us that this life is very temporary and uncertain—it is not even guaranteed that we will have an earthly future. James’s practical letter teaches us: “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also...

Open letter: Rethinking the future of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong A group of Catholics, mostly young people, have addressed a letter to the diocesan Curia. Whilst appreciating the educational and charitable work the Church has offered so far, the petitioners demand the diocese not be China’s "vassal" and end the "colonial" phase of its work as a substitute services provider. It also notes the commitment of Christian in politics, defending the right of the faithful to religious freedom in China as well as Hong Kong’s freedom. Hong Kong (AsiaNews) – A group of Hong Kong Catholics, most of...

It certainly looks that way. Whenever an authoritarian figure starts activating Frank Luntz-style fora you can be pretty sure that he is desperately looking for buy-in. If so, we can rest assured that the neo-papalist powers of the Ecumenical Patriarchate which were invoked to create this new “autocephalous” Church in Ukraine aren’t as great as we had feared. Ecclesiastically of course, they were a nullity from the start. That was obvious to most of us when the Phanar engaged in Orwellian logic to nullify the original tomos of transfer of the Kiev metropolis to Moscow some three centuries ago. At...

In 1923, J. Gresham Machen, then professor at Princeton Seminary, wrote the book, Christianity and Liberalism. The book was a response to the rise of liberalism in the mainline denominations of his own day. In short, Machen argued that the liberal understanding of Christianity was, in fact, not just a variant version of the faith, nor did it represent simply a different denominational perspective, but was an entirely different religion altogether. Put simply, liberal Christianity is not Christianity. So insightful is Machen’s volume, that it should be required reading certainly for all seminary students, pastors, and Christian leaders. What is...

Please, bishops: act now; you’re running out of time! The statement from Archishop Vigano, pleading with McCarrick to make a public act of repentance, was a dramatic—and sadly rare—display of bold pastoral leadership. God bless Bishop Strickland for joining in that plea. I hope and pray that other American bishops will follow suit. But please, bishops, act now. You’re running out of time. This morning, by chance (or was it by chance?) I found myself reading from the sermons of St. Claude la Colombiere. Speaking about true repentance for sin, St. Claude tells this striking story: We read, in the...

Christ’s Victory Is Total, but Often in Surprising Ways Msgr. Charles Pope • January 15, 2019 • The first reading from Mass for Tuesday of the First Week of the Year is from the Letter to the Hebrews. It sets forth the total victory of Christ and that the Father has subjected all things to Christ. Yet the text also shows how the outworking of this subjugation is paradoxical. Note first the declaration of all things being subject to Jesus Christ: In “subjecting” all things to him, he left nothing not “subject to him” (Hebrews 2:8b). “All things” is a...

D.C.'s embattled Catholic leader, Donald Wuerl, under fire in recent days for untruthful statements regarding what he knew about the alleged sexual misconduct of his predecessor, Theodore McCarrick, apologized late Tuesday, saying he forgot he knew about the allegations and that it was “never the intention to provide false information.” Wuerl apologized to former priest Robert Ciolek in the evening and then sent a letter to the priests of the archdiocese, where Wuerl is the acting administrator. Pope Francis received Wuerl’s retirement as archbishop earlier than expected last fall as the cardinal was being pummeled by criticism over his handling...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem The Acts of the Apostles 
 (New Testament) Colossians 2 2 I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I tell you this so that no one may...

"By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil" (Proverbs 16:6 KJV).

“It is the will of God.” How easily these words fall from the lips or flow from the pen. How difficult it is to penetrate exactly what they mean. Few concepts in theology generate more confusion than the will of God. One problem we face is rooted in the multifaceted way in which the term will functions in biblical expressions. The Bible uses the expression “the will of God” in various ways. We encounter two different Greek words in the New Testament (boule and thelema), both of which are capable of several nuances. They encompass such ideas as the counsel...

Adam was hanging around the garden of Eden feeling very lonely So, God asked him, "What's wrong with you?" Adam said he didn't have anyone to talk to. God said that He was going to make Adam a companion and that it would be a woman. He said, "This pretty lady will gather food for you, she will cook for you, and when you discover clothing, she will wash it for you. "She will always agree with every decision you make and she will not nag you, and will always be the first to admit she was wrong when you've...

January 16 2019 Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Heb 2:14-18 Since the children share in blood and Flesh, Jesus likewise shared in them, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the Devil, and free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life. Surely he did not help angels but rather the descendants of Abraham; therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP/VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE and AMERICA: Government, Family, Military, Business, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 1 JOHN 5:14 Religion Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.

ALBUQUERQUE – Monday, January 14, 2019–IMMEDIATE RELEASE—New Mexico is one of the states listed by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as having widespread flu outbreaks and high Influenza-like Illness (ILI) Activity. Due to the severity of the flu season, the archdiocese will be taking the following steps in regards to the celebration of Mass: • During the Sign of Peace, instead of shaking hands or hugging, as is practiced in some parishes, it would be best to simply nod your head and avoid bodily contact.

Officials at the New York State Catholic Conference are calling the Reproductive Health Act “worse than we thought it would be.” “It foresees a time in New York where it’s a crime to be pro-life,” said Kathleen Gallagher, director of pro-life activities and the Catholic Action Network for the conference, which is the public policy arm of the state’s Catholic bishops. The measure, introduced in the Legislature the week of January 7, will expand access to abortion in the state, despite being promoted as simply codifying Roe v Wade. It not only increases access to abortion across the board, including...

TYLER, Texas, January 14, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – A Texas bishop famed for his orthodoxy has seconded a Vatican whistleblower’s plea to a disgraced prelate to repent. Bishop Joseph E. Strickland of Tyler, Texas posted today’s news concerning Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò on Twitter, adding his own message. This morning Viganò begged ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, an American prelate notorious for sexual misconduct, to publicly repent of his crimes. Strickland added his own message. “Once again as a bishop of the Church I add my voice to the plea of Archbishop Vigano,” the Texas bishop tweeted. “He speaks of ETERNAL SALVATION, language...

China’s Communist party is intensifying religious persecution as Christianity’s popularity grows. A new state translation of the Bible will establish a ‘correct understanding’ of the textIn late October, the pastor of one of China’s best-known underground churches asked this of his congregation: had they successfully spread the gospel throughout their city? “If tomorrow morning the Early Rain Covenant Church suddenly disappeared from the city of Chengdu, if each of us vanished into thin air, would this city be any different? Would anyone miss us?” said Wang Yi, leaning over his pulpit and pausing to let the question weigh on his...

Post by Franciscan Media Image: Saint Paul the Hermit | Jusepe de Ribera Saint Paul the Hermit Saint of the Day for January 15 (c. 233 – c. 345) Saint Paul the Hermit’s Story It is unclear what we really know of Paul’s life, how much is fable, how much is fact. Paul was reportedly born in Egypt, where he was orphaned by age 15. He was also a learned and devout young man. During the persecution of Decius in Egypt in the year 250, Paul was forced to hide in the home of a friend. Fearing a brother-in-law would...

Cdl. Wuerl asks for ‘understanding’ after evidence shows he lied about McCarrick WASHINGTON, D.C., January 14, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – In a January 12 letter addressed to the priests of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., Cardinal Donald Wuerl offered no apology for months of deceitful statements denying his knowledge of sex abuse allegations against disgraced ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Instead, he asked for “understanding.” The letter (read full letter below) comes after news last week that Wuerl was deceitful about his knowledge of sex abuse allegations against McCarrick, further vindicating the testimony from former Papal Nuncio Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò on who knew about...