Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Rupnik case closed, everyone’s happy except the victimsAfter the news of his defrocking from the Society of Jesus, Father Marko Rupnik decided to respond. And he does so by referring to the Aletti Centre and its director, Maria Campatelli.In the Letter to the Friends of the Aletti Centre dated 17 June 2023, the usual defensive strategy is reiterated: the accusations against Rupnik are nothing but defamation. The Jesuit leadership, alleges Campatelli, "repeatedly proved to favour a media campaign based on defamatory and unproven accusations (which exposed the person of Fr Rupnik and the entire Aletti Centre to forms...

Presidential candidate Mike Pence made a pilgrimage to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and affirm Pence’s position that the unilateral power of the Ukraine government needs to be supported.Mike Pence then presents himself as the arbiter of what it means to be a republican with a Twitter message saying, “I know the difference between a genius and a war criminal, and I know who needs to win this war in Ukraine, and it’s the people fighting for their freedom and fighting to restore their national sovereignty. There is no room in our party for apologists for Putin. There...

The Palestine Post⁩, 21 May 1933⁩READERS' LETTERS Press Incitement To the Editor of the Palestine Post Sir : — Although some of the Arab press of this country has for a long tim been full of insulting, insinuating, an sometimes even inciting articles against one section of the population, there is evidence of effective steps having neen taken to end these practices. The one case in which an editor (Isa Eff. al Isa of the Falastin) was sued for printing libellous material failed result in conviction, because the Court accepted the accused's plea that too Iong a time had intervened...

So the Supreme Court has ruled against Harvard and UNC, and in the process fatally wounded the “diversity” and “affirmative action” practices of most every higher education institution in America. There’s a lot to say about that, but I want to mark one important point: This ruling represents a drastic retreat in the social position of higher education. Though the ruling itself is not so much the cause as a symptom. Media accounts I’ve seen have tended to suggest that the Supreme Court had found that “diversity” is a compelling interest, sufficient to justify overriding the Constitution’s ban on racial...

Harvard University has vowed to overhaul the culture of its women's hockey team after a long-time coach retired amid accusations of abusive behavior that one player compared to a 'mental health Hunger Games' in early June. Katey Stone, 57, stepped down as head coach June 7 after a 29-year tenure that included four national championship appearances, but was eventually dogged by accusations she'd emotionally damaged players. Multiple outlets have reported on a toxic on and off-ice culture for the program, including allegations that players felt forced to drink and perform 'sexually-charged role playing' as part of hazing rituals, according to...

A California Reparations Task Force meeting got heated this week when several people began publicly denouncing the United States for its role in slavery, with one even calling for a “divorce.” The final meeting of the Reparations Task Force in Sacramento occurred a little over a month after the nine-member panel recommended that California state legislators pay black residents of the state up to $1.2 million in reparations for slavery and past discrimination. During the public speaking segment, people did not hold back their opinions. One man, named Reggie Romanie, believed the recommended $1.2 million would never be enough.

A Maricopa County superior court judge declined to dismiss Kari Lake’s public records bid for access to ballot affidavit envelopes today. Maricopa County argued the ballot affidavit signatures are part of the voter registration record and are therefore rendered confidential by state law, aside from a few choice exceptions which county attorneys claimed Lake failed to meet. Judge John Hannah rebuffed the argument as the incorporation of ballot affidavit envelopes into the voter registration records is not mandated nor defined by law, but common practice among county recorders. Hannah ruled from the bench and said the court is “not required...

Jewish organizations in the US pleased with today's US Supreme Court decision regarding religious accommodation... "Green" activist Greta Thunberg in Kiev meeting with Ukraine's President... The Russian military in Syria says that a US-led coalition drone approached one of its bases... In Fort Lauderdale, Florida former sheriff's deputy Scot Peterson found not guilty in connection with his response to the deadly attack at Parkland High School... The Russian Ministry of Defense says that two Ukrainian generals, 50 other Ukrainian officers and around 20 foreign mercenaries died in the strike on Kramatorsk... In Baghdad protesters storming into the courtyard of Sweden's...

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, commonly referred to as Lula, gave Pope Francis a statue of Our Lady of Nazareth, patroness of the Amazon, and an invitation to attend the October festival that celebrates her. The pope and president met in a studio in the Vatican audience hall for about 50 minutes June 21 in what pictures published by the president’s photographer showed to be a warm meeting that even involved an affectionate embrace between the two leaders. Speaking June 17 in the state of Pará, which hosts the yearly festival — The Taper...

Maine state Senate Democrats blocked a proposed amendment on Tuesday to a late-term abortion bill that would have placed a four-year moratorium on the trafficking of fetal remains leftover from late-term abortions, the Maine Wire reported.

CV NEWS FEED // This Saturday is the one-year anniversary of Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the landmark Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, and reports show that in the last year, the number of abortions has decreased significantly across much of the United States. Disney-owned polling website FiveThirtyEight stated that “there were 24,290 fewer legal abortions between July 2022 and March 2023, compared to a pre-Dobbs baseline.” According to FiveThirtyEight, there were upticks in abortion rates in many blue states, including Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, and Oregon. Since Dobbs, these states have passed laws or...

Public school students were instructed to create a kachina doll representing spirits worshiped by Native Americans, which one boy’s parents say violates their Messianic Jewish beliefs.LEXINGTON, Ohio (LifeSiteNews) — Parents of an Ohio fifth-grader say their son’s First Amendment rights were violated when he was coerced during class into making a pagan idol, that is, the likeness of a spirit worshiped by Native Americans. Students at one of Lexington Local Schools’ elementary institutions were instructed in class to make a Kachina doll, used by the Hopi Indians as a “sacred object” to teach children about spirits believed to have “special...

All but one of the 30 of the Major League Baseball teams are hosting Pride Nights this season, most during Pride Month, which celebrates and supports LGBTQ+ culture and rights. The Texas Rangers are the only team without a Pride Night. They say they are committed to making everyone feel welcome at all games. SNIP The team has been consistent with its response when asked: “Our commitment is to make everyone feel welcome and included in Rangers baseball. That means in our ballpark, at every game, and in all we do — for both our fans and our employees. We...

Update from Ukraine | Battle intensified | The Big Strike of Ukraine is Coming soon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H2yEhBY0wM The summary of the situation of Russian re-invasion to Ukraine covering the last 48 hours, as of 28th June 2023 – 22:00 (Kyiv time). https://militaryland.net/news/invasion-day-490-summary/ *** Great interactive map with viewer controlled Map magnification tool to use for each Front! https://militaryland.net/maps/

Incidents of Muslim groups objecting to houses serving as worship places were reported from two places on Java island recentlyMuslim groups in Indonesia continue to prevent Christians from holding religious activities inside houses as they were yet to receive a government permit, which is difficult to obtain in the most populous Muslim-majority country. Disturbances occurred on June 18 at two places on the island of Java, the world's most populous island and home to nearly 56 percent of the Indonesian population, adding to the long list of cases of suppression of religious minorities in the Southeast Asian nation. In a...

A popular Mexican TV doctor who regularly appeared on “Mexico Today” as a “vaccination expert” died suddenly from a myocardial infarction, according to reports. Dr. Alfredo Victoria Moreno was only 42 years old when he died in his sleep early Monday. He was a vocal advocate of COVID mRNA vaccines. Dr. Alfredo’s massive global fanbase took to social media to mourn his untimely death. They referred to his passing as a “tragedy.” The physically fit medical doctor and public health specialist had no preexisting medical conditions. He regularly appeared on TODAY (“HOY!”) to administer vaccines to the show’s staff on...

Members of California's Black reparations task force presented their historic two-year report to state lawmakers Thursday, challenging critics to read the hefty tome and reconsider redress for the descendants of slavery. The final report spanning more than 1,100 pages summarizes California's role in anti-Black racism perpetuated from the lingering effects of chattel slavery and propose a series of sweeping fixes to repair the harms done to the state's African American population. Here's what reparations would look like for Black Californians as the task force prepares for the final vote in Oakland Saturday. Here's what you need to know about reparations....

An Ohio woman became furious after Target refused to give her $1000 worth of stuff for free at the Blue Ash location on October 22, 2022. She demanded that Target pay her "reparations." When employees refused, she charged the manager and cornered him in his office before he punched her in the face. Multiple police bodycams and security footage give a clear view of the situation. 'Don't Play with Me': Woman Punched in the Face by Target Manager After Charging at Him

The nation’s largest recreational boat owners advocacy, services and safety group Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), and the nonprofit state advocacy organization Recreational Boaters of California (RBOC), are asking Golden State boat owners to speak up on a recently proposed 300% boat registration fee increase outlined in Governor Newsom’s 2024 budget. “Most citizens can understand, over time, the need for modest increases in government fee structures,” said David Kennedy, BoatUS manager of Government Relations. “However, BoatUS and RBOC do not believe such a significant increase is justified by the administration. We are asking the state’s boat owners...

Hunter Biden's former business partner Tony Bobulinski offered to testify in the criminal case into the president son's activities led by U.S. Attorney David Weiss, but the Justice Department did not respond renewing accusations of misconduct. An attorney for Bobulinski reached out to Weiss regarding his potential participation in the criminal probe, but never heard back from the DOJ prosecutor, two sources told CBS News. This development is the latest in a series of accusations that top DOJ officials may have improperly interfered by slow walking the investigation into the president's son and avoiding looking into his ties to Joe...