Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Fernández defends Fiducia Supplicans, says Pope Francis ‘has expanded our understanding’Cardinal Fernández said Pope Francis has the ‘right’ to endorse homosexual ‘blessings’ in contradiction to Catholic teaching and that the matter is ‘close to the Pope’s heart.’VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Víctor Manuel Cardinal Fernández has defended Fiducia Supplicans, which endorses “blessing” homosexual “couples,” saying that “Pope Francis has expanded our understanding of blessings” and “he has the right to do so.”Speaking at the April 8 press conference presenting Dignitas Infinita – the latest document published by Fernández’s Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith –...

NewsGuard discovered that The New York Times was never worth its flawless 100/100 score, but apparently only after MRC Free Speech America repeatedly called it out. NewsGuard finally downgraded The Times’ perfect score Feb.1 to a lukewarm 87.5/100. NewsGuard’s beef with the legacy leftist publication was that it “no longer meets NewsGuard standards for handling the difference between news and opinion responsibly.” Wow, what a revelation! Has the dystopian website traffic cop been living under a rock? The head-turning move by the media ratings firm came after MRC released three studies of NewsGuard’s ridiculously skewed ratings system across three consecutive...

A group of older Swiss women have won the first ever climate case victory in the European Court of Human Rights. The women, mostly in their 70s, said that their age and gender made them particularly vulnerable to the effects of heatwaves linked to climate change. The court said Switzerland's efforts to meet its emission reduction targets had been woefully inadequate. It is the first time the powerful court has ruled on global warming. Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg joined activists celebrating at the court in Strasbourg on Tuesday. "We still can't really believe it. We keep asking our lawyers, 'is...

PHOENIX — The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a 160-year-old near-total abortion ban still on the books in the state is enforceable, a bombshell decision that adds the state to the growing lists of places where abortion care is effectively banned. The ruling allows an 1864 law in Arizona to stand that criminalized abortion by making it a felony punishable by two to five years in prison for anyone who performs or helps a woman obtain one. The law — which was codified again in 1901, and once again in 1913, after Arizona became a state — included an...

As a longtime fan of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, I’ve seen the man chokeslammed, Stone Cold Stunned, Pedigreed, Mandible Clawed and more. And yet he never looked weaker to me than he did the other day on Fox News, which saw him tap-dancing and, in a way, turning against some of his biggest fans. Johnson made a bit of news in an interview that aired Friday on Fox News, in which he announced that he won’t be endorsing a presidential candidate this year — saying he had realized that his 2020 endorsement of Joe Biden had “caused an incredible amount...

[Catholic Caucus] Infinite ShamelessnessI have tried to read the newest excrementation, or declaration, or whatever document it is, about the alleged infinite dignity of the human person. They quote the United Nation at the very start. I have stopped reading there, as I am not a follower of the United Nations religion. Still, already from a general perspective, it is quite evident what this infinite here and infinite there aims at: the divinisation of the human being. It is not Christian (much less Catholic) tradition to say that a person has “infinite dignity”. Why? Because it hasn’t. A person can...

Donald Trump’s supporters are parroting his persecution complex, leading experts to warn of the dangerous cult of MAGA.

This month marks another anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. For generations, this tragic story has captivated hearts and minds. The loss of the Titanic left a shaken world in disbelief and made people stop and think. I, personally, became deeply intrigued by the Titanic from the moment I learned of the story as a young child. I believe this is one of those rare, historic events that provides a myriad of timeless lessons. The most obvious is the sinfulness of human pride and arrogance…clearly present in almost every aspect of the story.

A group of January 6 defendants has reportedly filed a class action lawsuit against 21 Capitol Police officers and others for millions of dollars in damages. Defendant Jake Lang told Real America’s Voice on Friday that the group of more than 78 defendants filed the lawsuit, according to Newsweek. He told the show, “I got shot in the foot with a rubber bullet, other people were bludgeoned nearly to death, hit with chemical spray and had long-lasting lung effects and so… we are now serving 21 defendants…Capitol Police officers, Capitol Police officials.” Lang turned 29 on April 7 — his...

On Monday, the Biden administration unveiled its new student loan debt proposal, which, if finalized, would eliminate some debt for as many as 25 million borrowers.These plans primarily target those with "runaway interest" and borrowers who have been making payments for two decades. Moreover, it aims to assist those eligible for forgiveness through income-driven repayment (IDR) schemes and individuals enduring financial hardship."The plans would give borrowers $20,000 in loan forgiveness for balances that have grown due to unpaid interest since entering repayment, regardless of income. Those who qualify for the SAVE IDR plan would get the full balance of their...

Former Vice President Mike Pence slammed former President Donald Trump’s position on a national abortion ban as a “slap in the face.”Pence issued a statement on X, criticizing Trump’s announcement that he did not support a federal ban on abortion.“President Trump’s retreat on the Right to Life is a slap in the face to the millions of pro-life Americans who voted for him in 2016 and 2020,” Pence wrote in his statement:By nominating and standing by the confirmation of conservative justices, the Trump-Pence Administration helped send Roe v. Wade to the ash heap of history where it belongs and gave...

Speaking at the annual convention of the Rabbinical Assembly in 1968, Dr. King said: The response of some of the so-called young militants does not represent the position of the vast majority of Negroes. There are some who are color-consumed, and they see a kind of mystique in blackness or in being colored, and anything non-colored is condemned. We do not follow that course ... Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all of our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel, and never mind saying it, as one of the...

Two weeks ago I had the sad duty to inform you that most, if not all, of the hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7 were probably dead. Now, Hamas has confirmed it."Today I received a detailed report on the talks in Cairo, we are constantly working to achieve our goals, first and foremost the release of all our hostages and achieving a complete victory over Hamas," Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu said on Monday. He added, "This victory requires entry into Rafah and the elimination of the terrorist battalions there. It will happen — there is a date."But it's...

Watch footage of the bizarre tanks ploughing through the battlefield. PUTIN'S failing forces have resorted to using bizarre mobile sheds on the battlefield in an attempt to withstand Ukrainian kamikaze drones. Russian tanks have appeared underneath turtle shell-like cages after it was revealed that a humiliated Putin has lost almost all of the tanks he had when he began his brutal invasion of Ukraine. Strange footage shows a row of ageing Russian tanks trawling through fields under the steel covers. The odd-shaped metal blanket appears to be designed to shield Putin's dwindling fleet from Ukrainian onslaught. Up close clips show...

Thread by Julie KellyJust when you thought Jack Smith's J6 case against Donald Trump couldn't get any more laughable--it just did. In one week, SCOTUS will hear arguments on DOJ's (ab)use of 1512c2, post Enron document shredding "obstruction of an official proceeding" statute passed in 2002. My longtime followers know I've covered this issue for 3+ years. More than 330 J6ers and Trump have been charged with this felony obstruction count--now SCOTUS has a chance to right an horrific wrong that has destroyed (and ended) lives as this ruthless DOJ intentionally misinterprets the law to criminalize political dissent. DOJ's use...

On Good Friday, the White House announced a “transgender day of visibility” for March 31, which fell this year on Easter Sunday, the holiest day in the Christian calendar, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The 635-word proclamation issued by Biden declared:Transgender Americans are part of the fabric of our Nation. Whether serving their communities or in the military, raising families or running businesses, they help America thrive. They deserve, and are entitled to, the same rights and freedoms as every other American, including the most fundamental freedom to be their true selves. ... Today, we send a message...

Daily Readings from the USCCBNicodemus answered and said to him, ‘How can this happen?” Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this? Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony.” John 3:9–11As we reflected upon yesterday, Nicodemus is one of the only Pharisees who ultimately converted, became a follower of Jesus, and is today considered a saint. The only other Pharisees who were recorded by name as converts to Christianity...

Uri Berliner, a veteran at the public radio institution, says the network lost its way when it started telling listeners how to think. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You know the stereotype of the NPR listener: an EV-driving, Wordle-playing, tote bag–carrying coastal elite. It doesn’t precisely describe me, but it’s not far off. I’m Sarah Lawrence–educated, was raised by a lesbian peace activist mother, I drive a Subaru, and Spotify says my listening habits are most similar to people in Berkeley. I fit the NPR mold. I’ll cop to that. So when I got a job here 25 years ago, I never looked back....

The Russian Investigative Committee announced on Tuesday that it has opened a criminal case against high-ranking officials from the US and other NATO countires for financing terrorism following the deadly Crocus City Hall attack in Moscow. "It has been established that the funds received through commercial organizations, in particular the Burisma Holdings oil and gas company that is operating in Ukraine, have been used over the past few years to carry out terrorist acts in Russia, as well as abroad, in order to eliminate prominent political and public figures and cause economic damage," the committee declared. Moreover, the committee is...

Poor little Jack Smith—out of nowhere, a judge in Trump’s “classified documents” case fails to rubber stamp the prosecution’s unethical motions, and essentially declare Trump guilty before a trial even takes place. Judge Aileen Cannon correctly ruled that a jury should be able to contemplate the validity of Trump’s Presidential Records Act defense—but Jack Smith doesn’t want the jury to hear that because it is inconvenient to his case. Here’s this, from Politico:Tensions flare between special counsel Jack Smith and Judge Aileen CannonAmid delays and uncertainty over Donald Trump’s classified documents case, a strained dynamic between his prosecutor and his...