Free Republic

Renewal and Restoration in the Church: An Open Letter to the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church(The document below may be downloaded as a PDF here.)An Open Letter to the Cardinals of the Holy Roman ChurchYour Eminences:The following document emerged from discussions over the past year among theologians, pastors, and canonists, who had been encouraged to produce this document by a senior cardinal. Originally our thought had been to seek for signatories—knowing, as we do, how many notable figures in the Catholic Church are in agreement with or sympathetic to the points made herein—but in view of the suddenness of...

Now, the place of the Sabbath in last day events. Would you please come to Daniel 7 verse 25. ...."he will speak against the most high, and oppress his saints, and try to change the set times and law, the saints will be handed over to him for a time, times, and half a time. The Bible says that this day that points us to the creator, this day that tells us life is complete, life has got meaning, life has got purpose, The Bible tells us that a great church came into the world and with an impious hand,...

During the Sede Vacante, the cardinals are responsible for the day-to-day business of the Church. The reins of power are held by the Cardinal Treasurer and three assistants – two are chosen by lot, one is appointed: Cardinal Marx. His work in Rome begins now. Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx has been participating in the interim leadership of the world Catholic Church since today. The Cardinals present in Rome confirmed him as one of three assistants to Cardinal Treasurer Kevin Farrell in governing the Church during the Sede Vacante, due to his role as co-ordinator of the Council for the Economy....

Christ and the Creation-Sabbath The New Testament takes for granted the creation origin of the Sabbath. A clear example is found in Mark 2:27 where Christ refutes the charge of Sabbath-breaking levelled against the disciples by referring to the original purpose of the Sabbath: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Christ’s choice of words is significant. The verb “made-ginomai” alludes to the original “making” of the Sabbath and the word “man-anthropos” suggests its human function. Thus to establish the human and universal value of the Sabbath, Christ reverts to its very origin right after the...

Born January 20, 1939 and raised in Rome, a stones-throw from the Vatican wall, Dr. Bacchiocchi became an Italo-American scholar who studied, lived and served in several countries. His college education was gained in England at Newbold College where he earned a B.A. degree in Theology. From England he went to America for his graduate studies, achieving M.A. and B.D. degrees at Andrews University Theological Seminary. After completion of his seminary training in 1964, he served in Ethiopia for five years with his wife Anna, teaching Bible and History. In 1969 Dr. Bacchiocchi returned to his native city of Rome...

A day of grace and rest from work 2184 Just as God "rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done,"121 human life has a rhythm of work and rest. the institution of the Lord's Day helps everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social, and religious lives.122 2185 On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord's Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate...

Let me clear something up right now before we go any farther. I'm not saved by a church. The Bible makes it very very clear that I'm saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. So I want every person watching on TV to know that this Adventist believes we are saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So, salvation is not found in a church, salvation is found in a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. I also want to say I am very conscious of the good people in other churches. .........God has got his children in every church. I'm...

[Catholic Caucus] “Blessing Gives Strength to Love”: German Bishops’ Conference Releases Authorized Pastoral Guidelines on Imparting Blessings to Homosexual CouplesIt’s as if they were just waiting for the perfect moment—the moment when the last obstacle to their plan would be removed, and no one could stop them. The German original may be found here. -PAK“Blessing Gives Strength to Love”:Blessings for couples who love each otherHandout for pastorsResolution of the Whole Conference [of German Bishops], April 4, 2025 [released April 23]“The Church wishes to proclaim in word and deed the message of the God-given dignity of every person. This message guides...

Pope Francis’s Sharp Left Turn Toward HeresyJorge Mario Bergoglio became the 266th successor of St. Peter and the head of 1.4 billion Catholics on March 13, 2013. His pontifical persona as Pope Francis, taken in honor of St. Francis of Assisi — the patron saint of ecology and animals — warmed the hearts of both Catholics and Protestant,s and even non-Christians.But Francis’s honeymoon with faithful Catholics lasted just four months. While flying back from an apostolic visit to Brazil on July 29, 2013, a reporter asked him if there was a “gay lobby” in the Vatican.Francis’s reply was shocking: “If...

Now this is funny what I'm going to tell you. .... All the theologians tell us we ought to keep the 10 commandments. They all do. Billy Graham, everybody. And then we say, what about the 4th commandment. Oh, they say the commandments were nailed to the cross. ...... You can't have it both ways. Let's be a little honest. Let's not lie. The commandments are eternal. There's only one commandment that talks about times. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath...

Could Cardinal Parolin be validly elected pope?For Cardinal Parolin, the Vatican II 'renewal' is to be brought about through compromise with the proponents of liberalism and naturalism, rather than by combatting these errors.Pietro Parolin is widely regarded as one of the leading candidates who may be elected at the next conclave. Parolin was named a cardinal by Francis in 2014 and has been a member of his influential Council of Cardinal Advisers since that year. He played a prominent role in Francis’s radical revolution and has been a strong supporter of “synodality”, which he sees as a continuation of Vatican...

At last Jesus was at rest. The long day of shame and torture was ended. As the last rays of the setting sun ushered in the Sabbath, the Son of God lay in quietude in Joseph's tomb. His work completed, His hands folded in peace, He rested through the sacred hours of the Sabbath day. In the beginning the Father and the Son had rested upon the Sabbath after Their work of creation. When “the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them” (Genesis 2:1), the Creator and all heavenly beings rejoiced in contemplation of the...

"Remember the Sabbath day." One of my church members made this comment She said "I think you make too much of it (Laughter) it It's like a man caught by his wife and he's committing adultery." So here's a man He's caught committing adultery and his wife says to him "You're breaking the seventh commandment." And he says "I think you make too much of it." He says that because he's guilty before God. It is a guilty world my friend that has forgotten the words of God that says.... you make too much of it...... But God placed it...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope in a poncho, symbol of Bergolio’s pontificatePope Francis’ recent appearance in St Peter's, which stunned the world, is the latest and most striking demonstration of how, in complete contrast to his predecessor, he has lived his pontificate at the service of his own ideas. A systematic deconstruction of the papacy.The image of Jorge Mario Bergoglio in a wheelchair, wearing a white long-sleeved vest half covered by a striped poncho, his hair dishevelled and black trousers, is perhaps the most eloquent expression of how he - and his entourage - have understood the papacy, and the umpteenth, perhaps...

Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Did Christ Abolish the 7th day Sabbath?? Acts 13:14-15 show that the Apostle Paul was teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath many years after Christ died. In verse 42, after Paul’s Sabbath sermon, many of the Jews who heard him became offended and left. But notice, “the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.” The Gentiles, those who had no prior knowledge of Sabbath observance, asked if Paul could come back the next Sabbath. Notice what happened: “And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of...

Sunday Is Not the SabbathIf we believe we have to "honor the Sabbath day," why aren’t Catholics obliged to attend Mass on Saturday instead of Sunday?One of the most appealing teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination is their insistence that Christians must obey the Ten Commandments . . . all ten of them. They rightly expose the errant thinking among many Protestant Christian sects that claims, “We don’t have to keep the Ten Commandments for salvation anymore.”Of course, as Jesus reminds us:And behold, one came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?”...

Quote from his sermon: "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. This is another one a lot of people don't do. And there's no good reason not to. There is no place in the Bible that cancels out the Sabbath. Yes Jesus did push back on how they observe the Sabbath but let's be very clear, Did Jesus observe the Sabbath? Yes he did. Yes he did. Now he protected works of mercy on the Sabbath, but he protected the Sabbath. And here it makes it very clear that when we honor the Lord, and his creation, then we...

[Catholic Caucus] Archbishop Aguer: Pope Francis seeks the ‘peace of the world’ over the ‘peace of Christ’The main purpose of the Church's existence is fulfilled when and because she speaks of God and leads men towards heaven. But Pope Francis seems to seek a worldly peace and kingdom instead.The value of the concept of mystery differs in literature and theology. In the world of literature it means something hidden (“mysterious”) which must be revealed at some point, at least at the end of the plot. In theology, however, Mystérion designates God and divine things: the Mystery of Christ, true God...

[Catholic Caucus] The Scapegoat in the Pit: A Girardian Reflection on the Suppression of the Latin MassAbove: Joseph’s Bloody Coat Brought to Jacob by Diego Velázquez, 1630I Am the ProblemWe are familiar with the famous story of G.K. Chesterton, who was once asked to write an essay answering the question, “What’s wrong with the world?” His ‘essay’ reply for publication was disarmingly simple. Two words: “I am.” These two words, juxtaposed with God’s eternal “I AM,” underscore the paradox of our existence. Where God’s “I AM” is the fullness of truth and life, our own “I am” is often the...