Free Republic

It’s safe to say that, among the nations of the world, Israel perhaps evokes stronger thoughts and emotions in people than any other. Israel and polarization seem to fit hand in glove, as people either strongly like or love Israel or dislike or even hate the Jewish nation. It seems most people tend to feel very strongly about Israel, one way or another.In the church today, the nation of Israel is also a point of contention, not geopolitically, per se, but biblically. In short, as it pertains to God’s relationship with Israel in the future, there are only two basic...

The Anti-American PopeThe man elected to oppose Trump refuses to visit the US for its 250th birthday, roots for Peru against the US, attended a Communist peace march, & just appointed three anti-Trump bishops for the US.The first American-born occupant of the Vatican in history has declined an invitation to come home for the 250th birthday of the United States. Instead of standing in America on July 4, he is expected to go to Lampedusa, the Mediterranean island that has become a symbol of illegal African immigration into Europe. JD Vance had invited Leo to attend America’s 250th anniversary events,...

“Life is hard,” Yahya, a leader in Iran’s Christian house church movement, told David Yeghnazar of Elam Ministries recently. Yahya (not his real name) was sending voice messages due to Iran’s wartime internet blackout, which makes it nearly impossible for Christian leaders like the Iranian-born Yeghnazar outside the country to reach their contacts in Iran. “But we are continuing. And the Lord is showing His glory…” Despite having no church buildings, Iran’s evangelical population is the fastest growing in the world—some have called it a full-scale underground Christian revival… The first Persian worshippers of Christ may have predated Pentecost—some scholars...

.. Because of the grave danger (communism) posed to the common good, Pope Pius XI turned to St. Joseph in 1937 to have Jesus' earthly father deliver the Church from the many errors of communism. He wrote: "We place the great action of the Catholic Church against the atheistic communism of the world under the aegis of the mighty protector of the Church, St. Joseph" (Divini Redemptoris, n. 81). In response to the Holy Father's words, Catholics began to fervently invoke the intercession of St. Joseph, especially under the title "Terror of Demons", to combat the atheistic ideas of communism....

Vatican Threatens SSPX Excommunication Ahead of Consecrations, Faces Double Standard AccusationsA new rupture between Rome and the SSPX may be imminent as the Vatican reportedly prepares excommunications over unauthorized episcopal consecrations. Yet at the same time, Pope Leo XIV’s meeting with a female Anglican “archbishop” is fueling accusations of theological double standards. Is the Church witnessing a replay of 1988—or something even more consequential?The grapevine from the Eternal City has it that the Vatican is allegedly intent on SSPX excommunication (of it’s bishops and priests) over the upcoming July 1 episcopal consecrations without papal approval, reeking of Pope John Paul...

[Catholic/Anglican Caucus] Msgr. Bux asks the Vatican for clarification on the gestures towards MullallyThe recent scenes starring during Sarah Mullally’s visit to Rome, Primate of the Anglican Communion, have sparked a critical reaction from the theological sphere. Monsignor Nicola Bux, priest and theologian, has warned of a possible “confusion” among the faithful stemming from some gestures performed in the Vatican in the presence of the Anglican leader.According to the portal Stilum Curiae, Bux has particularly questioned the coherence between these acts and Catholic doctrine on the priesthood and ecclesial authority.A visit marked by controversial gesturesThe presence of the Anglican leader...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo appoints ‘Strickland’s Judas’ priest, Fr. John Gomez, as bishop of LaredoFr. John Gomez, the new bishop of Laredo, TX, was Strickland's vicar general who nevertheless arranged clergy to meet with Vatican investigators sent to assess Strickland.Pope Leo XIV named Tyler, Texas, priest Fr. John Gomez as the new bishop of Laredo, Texas. The move raised eyebrows since Gomez was instrumental in the removal of beloved Tyler, Texas, Bishop Joseph Strickland by Pope Francis. Gomez was vicar general in Tyler under Strickland, but was nevertheless the one who arranged clergy from the diocese to meet with Vatican...

[Catholic Caucus] Amazon Church renews ‘synodal commitments’ in line with ‘dream of Pope Francis’Pope Leo XIV sent a video message approving of the ‘objectives’ of the Amazonian ecclesial body as they vowed to implement Francis' ‘deeply synodal’ plans.The Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) has re-elected its leadership and doubled down on promoting a “synodal” Church in continuity with the “dream of Pope Francis.”In March, CEAMA held its 6th General Assembly under the motto, “I am about to do something new; even now it is springing forth. Do you not perceive it?” (Is 43:19) in Bogotá, Colombia. The body elected...

New Vatican document urges Catholic families to ‘ecological conversion’Two Vatican dicasteries released a joint document calling upon Catholic families to embrace ‘integral ecology,’ drawing a direct line between environmental practice and moral formation.A new Vatican document calls on Catholic families to embrace “integral ecology,” framing “ecological conversion” as inseparable from the “journey toward holiness” and linking ecological habits to the fight against abortion and euthanasia.On April 27, the Dicastery for Integral Human Development and the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life released a joint document titled “Integral Ecology in the Life of the Family,” the stated goal of which...

Immutability vs. Ecumenism: Pope meets Anglican bishop… at what cost?In the wake of the Pope’s April 27 meeting with an Anglican archbishop, Catholics are once again confronted with a pressing question: can the Church’s timeless doctrine coexist with modern ecumenism? Drawing on Scripture, the First Vatican Council, and the warnings of St. Pius X and Pius XII, this article examines whether today’s ecumenical movement represents legitimate development, or a rupture with the Faith itself.In his 1995 article, the late Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais described the core conflict between Rome and the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) as follows:...

[Catholic Caucus] Charlotte Bishop Martin refuses Communion to families at altar rail during Confirmation Mass: reportGREENSBORO, North Carolina (LifeSiteNews) — Bishop Michael Martin of Charlotte reportedly refused to give Holy Communion to families who knelt at an altar rail during a recent Confirmation Mass.The two or three families who approached the rail were passed over for Holy Communion during the Mass at Our Lady of Grace parish in Greensboro, North Carolina, according to a report by AdVaticanum.One father who attended the Mass with his family told the outlet about Martin: “He was sitting in front of us when we went...

At a time when secularization has long been treated as an irreversible trend in Western Europe, new data indicate that a significant segment of Spanish youth may be rediscovering religious identity... Preliminary findings from the forthcoming “Spanish Youth Report 2026,” produced by the SM Foundation and based on data collected in 2025, suggest that 45 percent of young people in Spain identify as Catholic. The figure marks a notable increase from 31.6 percent in 2020... Several dynamics appear to be at work. One is demographic: religious families... tend to have higher birth rates and transmit faith more consistently. Immigration also...

[Catholic Caucus] Cdl. Marx’s same-sex ‘blessing’ guide made ‘in consultation with Rome,’ heterodox theologian claimsLay theologian Thomas Söding said he sees ‘no contradiction’ between Pope Leo XIV and Cdl. Marx, asserting the German blessing guidelines preserve a distinction from sacramental marriage.A German theologian and vice-president of a Catholic lay organization has claimed that Cardinal Reinhard Marx implementing same-sex “blessings” in Germany was done “in consultation with Rome.”Thomas Söding, the vice-president of the heterodox Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), was asked about Pope Leo XIV’s response to Marx implementing “blessings” for “couples of all gender identities” in an interview with...

Leo Prepares Spiritual Death Penalty for SSPX While Honoring Schismatic Heretical Laywoman Impersonating a BishopLeo XIV’s Rome makes room for Anglican theatre, German homosexual blessings, and ecumenical word salad, while preparing excommunications for the Society of St. Pius X.On one side, Sarah Mullally, the newly installed Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, arrives in Rome for the full ecumenical treatment. She is scheduled to meet Leo XIV at the Vatican, worship with Anglican communities in Rome, pray at the tombs of Peter and Paul, meet officials from the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, and join Leo for midday prayer in the Apostolic...

The Vatican’s Feting of the First Female Archbishop of CanterburyRather than aiding Christian unity, Rome's exuberant welcome of Sarah Mullally is likely to be a stumbling block to reaching it.Pope Leo XIV receives Sarah Mullally, the first female Anglican archbishop of Canterbury, in the library of the apostolic palace, April 27, 2026 (Photo: Vatican Media)The word “scandal” comes from the Greek skándalon, via the Latin scandalum, meaning a “stumbling block” — something that causes another to fall, especially in matters of faith and morals.It was a term Pope Leo XIV returned to several times on Monday in his address to...

Female ‘archbishop’ of Canterbury gives ‘blessing’ at St. Peter’s tomb with Catholic bishop presentCatholic Archbishop Flavio Pace made the Sign of the Cross as Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally performed a ‘blessing’ in the Clementine Chapel during a Vatican visit.The female Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury has given a “blessing” at the tomb of St. Peter with a Catholic archbishop present. A photograph of Sarah Mullally giving a “blessing” at the tomb of St. Peter in the catacombs underneath St. Peter’s Basilica has caused controversy online. The picture was taken on Saturday, April 25, during Mullally’s visit to the Vatican....

Pope Leo meets with ‘archbishop’ of Canterbury, prays she will be ‘fruitful’ in her ‘service’‘I pray that the same Holy Spirit will remain with you always, making you fruitful in the service to which you have been called,’ Pope Leo told female Anglican ‘Archbishop’ Sarah Mullally. Pope Leo XIV has received the female “archbishop” of Canterbury in a private audience.On Monday, Sarah Mullally was received by the Pope as the highlight of her visit to the Vatican.LifeSiteNews CEO and Editor-in-Chief John-Henry Westen noted in a post on X that the Catholic Church does not recognize the ordinations of the Anglican...

On April 26, 1986, a reactor exploded at the Soviet-run Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located some 90 kilometers north of Kyiv in Ukraine, killing 31 people immediately and another 15,000 over the next several years from radiation poisoning. In his appeal, Pope Leo warned about the risk of using increasingly powerful technologies. He expressed his hopes that discernment and responsible decision-making may be carried out regarding nuclear energy. “I hope that at all levels of decision-making, discernment and responsibility may always prevail, so that every use of atomic energy may be at the service of life and peace,” said the...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men,...

Israel’s military removed two soldiers from combat duty and placed them in military detention for 30 days after they destroyed the town’s crucifix. The social media picture of an Israeli soldier taking the blunt side ‌of an axe to a fallen sculpture of Jesus on the cross drew worldwide condemnation and apologies from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni thanked the Italian soldiers, saying: “I thank Commander Diodato Abagnara and the entire Italian contingent of UNIFIL for their decision to donate a new crucifix to the Lebanese village of Debel.” One of the...