Free Republic

The Sino-Vatican Pact fails again: an appeal from the Catholic Church in ChinaThis has been written by a Chinese Catholic, to whom we have for obvious reasons granted anonymity.The translation of Bishop Shen Bin from the Diocese of Haimen to the nearby diocese of Shanghai on 4th April 2023 marks the failure of the secret Sino-Vatican agreement of 2018. Diocesan priests in Shanghai are mostly reluctant to accept Bishop Shen Bin as the bishop of Shanghai, and it seems difficult for Bishop Shen to execute his governance such as transferring the priests among parishes. The appointment was made, without the...

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things 'in order,' she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. > > She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and w hat outfit she wanted to be buried in. > > Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important...

Out-of-control crime in the Democrat-run city of Seattle forced the United States Postal Service (USPS) to pause deliveries to an entire zip code for a week. Around 900 residents in the 98118 zip code did not receive their mail as delivery services were halted due to mail theft and 'equipment security concerns'. They were told to pick up their mail from the local post office and stood in long queues of up to an hour while delivery services were paused for a week before UPS lifted the ban on Tuesday. Thieves had stolen a master key which is used by...

Actors warned John Cleese that his Life of Brian stage show should not include a scene about a man wanting to be a woman and have a baby, the comedian has said. The Monty Python star is working on a stage production of the troupe’s 1979 comedy film, The Life of Brian, which parodies the Messianic message of the New Testament. In the film version, a character named Stan explains that he wants to be a woman called Loretta and “have babies”, before being told by Cleese’s character Reg that this was impossible. This exchange reportedly met with opposition from...

Shares of U.S. regional lenders fell on Friday after CNN reported that U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told bank chief executives that more mergers may be necessary following a series of bank failures. Yellen also reaffirmed the strength and soundness of the country's banking system at the meeting with bank CEOs on Thursday in the aftermath of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic Bank. The KBW Regional Banking Index fell 2.2%, with shares of PacWest Bancorp and Western Alliance among the biggest losers as they shed 1.9% and 2.4, respectively. Comerica Inc declined 1.2%, Zions...

In Alpena Township, Michigan, 13-year-old Owen Burns thwarted the attempted kidnapping of his 8-year-old sister by using a slingshot to scare off the 17-year-old assailant. After being hit in the head and chest with pellets launched from the slingshot the would-be kidnapper ran away. Presidential Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre cited this incident as "proof that the President's plan to outlaw AR-15 type rifles would not leave potential victims without recourse if they are attacked by criminals. If a teenage boy can do the job with just a slingshot there's no telling what a fully grown adult could do." "As this...

John Kerry claimed that US farm confiscations are not off the table, as he stated that small farms contribute a significant amount of greenhouse gasses. If you recall, farmers in Holland are undergoing the most radical regulations that are actually causing culling of herds, and destruction of crops. Following the plans of the World Economic Forum and the United Nations have produced a disaster of major proportions. We do not want that evil plan here

Democrats, Biden will be as he was in 2020, but Trump will be as he was in 2016 and you should be worried. My prediction is, that as bad as he is in the polls, Democrats will circle the wagons around Biden and Kamala Harris. They and their sycophantic press will cancel any pretenders to the Throne in the White House. And being fully to the LGBTQ Left, the press and the Party will forgive their tack to the middle; to fool the country as they always do at election time. Trump, on the other hand will be faced with...

In most of the USA, Ascension Day is observed this Sunday, whereas in the ecclesiastical provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha, and Philadelphia, it is observed on its proper day on the Thursday forty days after Easter. 1. Ascension Day is an unusual Feast, in which the “action” of the Feast Day actually takes place in the First Reading rather than the Gospel. We typically think of all the narratives of Jesus’ life as recorded in the Gospels, overlooking that Acts records at least two important narratives about the activity of the Resurrected Lord (Acts 1:1-11; also 9:1-8)....

Russia has banned hundreds of U.S. citizens, including former President Obama, political commentator Rachel Maddow and late-night host Stephen Colbert, from entering its territory in response to the U.S. sanctions over the Ukraine war. The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a Friday post on its website it is blocking entry for 500 Americans in response to the sanctions it said are designed to inflict the most damage possible on officials and civilians in Russia. The list of banned individuals includes former officials, lawmakers from both parties who were elected to Congress during last year’s midterm elections and may have...

Molson Coors, the owner of Miller Lite, is defending the marketing executives behind a recent TV ad that drew fury from some conservatives, warning that it will not tolerate personal attacks on its employees. The Miller ad, which aired in March for Women's History Month but has re-emerged online this week, disavows the brand's prior campaigns that relied heavily on scantily-clad women. Molson Coors chief marketing officer Sofia Colucci came under withering online personal attacks over the ad, and took down her social media accounts in the face of hysterical right-wing outrage. 'People can take issue with our ads or...

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced this week that he organized for a bus to bring about 40 immigrants north to Denver, Colorado, where they were left near a park, as part of an ongoing plan to move more migrants to the city, according to the Houston Chronicle. Abbott recently announced that Texas has relocated more than 18,500 people as part of his efforts to send migrants who have been processed at the border to northern cities. The governor claimed in an interview earlier this month that these "are the chosen cities by the migrants themselves. Every one of these migrants...

The 69th Bilderberg Meeting taking place in Lisbon, Portugal this weekend is comprised of about 150 of the most powerful individuals in finance, business, military, government, media, and academia discussing in secret how to steer their global agenda. Learn about the history of Bilderberg and its plan in Alex Jones’ 2007 seminal film Endgame: Blueprint For Global Enslavement, breaking down the eugenics-obsessed elite’s plot to depopulate the planet and impose a totalitarian world government. If Endgame was the Master’s Degree in understanding the long term goals of the global elite and their quest for world government and population reduction, then...

As a member of the United States Intelligence Community since I was 22 years old, I’ve had, at minimum, a secret security clearance for the better part of 17 years now. I’ve always taken this responsibility seriously, as while working in intelligence, I’ve seen firsthand the disastrous consequences of intelligence falling into the wrong hands, whether it’s a leak on our own side leading to the death of soldiers or information we’ve received because we convinced our enemies to pass data to us that resulted in successful military and law enforcement operations both in the U.S. and abroad. Getting a...

Drag performances took place on board the USS Ronald Reagan under the command of a Navy captain whose promotion to rear admiral is currently being blocked by Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville. Capt. Michael Donnelly served as commanding officer of the aircraft carrier the USS Ronald Reagan from April 2016 to September 2018. During that time period, Yeoman 2rd Class Joshua Kelley was performing as a drag queen at Morale, Welfare, and Recreation department-sanctioned events on the carrier under the drag name “Harpy Daniels.” As commander of the USS Ronald Reagan, Donnelly would have been aware of, and responsible for,...

Now, after a long life, I've come to understand how common it is for many basically nice, well meaning people to do terrible things in their lives. When few — that is, on the micro-level — are involved, it may destroy families and communities. When many do it, whole civilizations may be destroyed. It is why, particularly on the macro-level, I care little about niceness. As regards people I rely on outside my home — presidents, teachers, airline pilots, doctors, architects, investment advisers, my rabbi — I don't care fundamentally if I'd enjoy hanging out with them. I care about...

Key leadership from companies like Microsoft, ChatGPT, and Google are convening with prime ministers, royalty, bank governors, army generals, and top US officials at the 2023 Bilderberg Meeting in Lisbon, Portugal to strategize about global affairs. Artificial intelligence is the focus of the 69th annual secretive Bilderberg meeting. Over 130 individuals from 23 countries will participate in the private, closed-door deliberations. The three-day event runs this year from May 18 to 21. OpenAI Ceo Sam Altman Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Deept Mind CEO Demis Hassabis, World Economic Forum Agenda Contributor Yuyal Harrari, and PayPal co-founder...

Much like Amazon, Jeff Bezos’ $500 million superyacht offers every bell and whistle imaginable, from A to Z. The colossal, triple-masted Koru began its career serving the world’s third richest man this week, cruising the Mediterranean around Mallorca.The 417-foot schooner first left Rotterdam in the Netherlands for sea trials in February. Dropping anchor in Mallorca put its jaw-dropping size on full display. It also showed the extent of Bezos’ fleet: Not only did the Koru sail into harbor, so did its support vessel, Abeona, a mega-boat in its own right, the luxurious fast-launches used to move between the two —...

A Tennessee man found himself behind bars this week after returning fire at thieves who were trying to steal a van outside his home.

Two cops heard the desperate screams of the Chinatown woman who was stalked by a homeless stranger and murdered in her apartment — and even spoke to her killer through the door — but failed to help, the victim’s family claims in a lawsuit. Christina Yuna Lee, 35, was attacked by an assailant who snuck in behind her as she entered her Chrystie Street building around 4:20 a.m. on Feb. 13, 2022. Neighbors heard her cries for help “for at least five minutes” as she was being viciously butchered, and dialed 911.