Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland: Love, not defiance, has been the driving force behind Abp. Lefebvre and the SSPXWhile Church ‘discipline exists for healing’ and ‘the good of souls,’ Bp. Strickland wrote, it should never be used to obscure ‘the sincere love that many have for Christ and His Church.’… If I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. — (I Corinthians 13:2) (Pillars of Faith) — In moments of great tension within the Church, we must remember that every judgment made must ultimately serve the salvation of souls. Truth can...

[Catholic Caucus] Swiss diocese of St. Gallen promotes ‘working together’ for ‘election of first female pope’For the Diocese of St. Gallen, ‘women must be treated as equals to men—in all circumstances,’ apparently including ‘women’s ordination,’ according to a heterodox diocesan campaign. The Diocese of Saint Gallen, Switzerland’s, “Ich bin Dabei” (“I’m In”) campaign meant to encourage lay participation in the Church includes a poster calling for the “first female pope.”The diocese’s ongoing campaign, which officially launched in May, includes several posters displayed in about 25 villages and towns as well as on its website, with laypeople’s faces promoting the discussion...

People in China pay using their hand — but how? All you have to do is hover your hand over the POS terminal, which uses infrared cameras to scan your palm. Beforehand, you have to use a device that registers your palm print and vein pattern and connects it to your bank card.

Vance has taken a keen interest in Christians in Lebanon. To understand why Vance’s outreach matters, it’s worth looking at history. Historically the majority community, Christians in Lebanon have suffered setbacks in the last century. For instance, they lost out in the Lebanese civil war, and after the Taif Accords, they saw their traditional role running the presidency slightly weakened in favor of a Sunni-held prime minister’s office. The leader of the Lebanese Forces, [Samir] Geagea, sent a letter Monday to a US official, thanking him for his statements and urging him to completely separate the Lebanese issue from negotiations...

A couple was left bewildered after they discovered how some shops in China are taking payment.

Sudan, June 23, 2026: In a region where fear and violence have become part of everyday life, one Catholic priest chose to remain beside the people he served. Father Youhanna Al-Amin, parish priest of St Vincent Parish in Kauda, in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains, was killed along with two others in an attack that has left the Christian community mourning a servant who stood with the vulnerable until his final moments. A priest who remained with his parish in Sudan despite growing violence was killed after the theft of vital medicines intended for local people. Fr Youhana Alamin, parish priest of...

[Catholic Caucus] The synodal church’s plan to emasculate the priesthood of Christ, overturn the moral orderFaith and morals will be taught, and decisions on Church governance will be made, not according to a hierarchical structure of authority, but rather a 'synodal process.'“For there have crept in some men (who were written of long ago unto this judgment), impious, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only sovereign Ruler, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 4)[1]“It will not be out of place to consider the ancient tradition, teaching and faith of the Catholic Church, which was revealed...

Every four years the World Cup reminds us that national identity still matters. Fans wave flags. Anthems are sung. Rivalries that stretch back generations are renewed. Nations celebrate victories and mourn defeats together. Yet amid all the passion and patriotism on display at the 2026 World Cup, something else has quietly emerged—something far more powerful than national pride. Faith.While much of the media remains focused on goals, controversies, and tournament storylines, many players from multiple nations are using one of the world's largest sporting stages to publicly declare their trust in Jesus Christ. Even more remarkable, players who wear different...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo’s upcoming consistory will echo Francis’ synodal styleThe June 26-27 gathering will divide the cardinals into 20 groups to discuss evangelization, peace, the common good, and synodality.VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — The Vatican has confirmed that the upcoming extraordinary consistory will be conducted through structured small-group discussions and plenary reporting sessions.On June 22, the Holy See confirmed the program of proceedings for the extraordinary consistory convened by Pope Leo XIV for June 26-27, revealing that participating cardinals will carry out much of their deliberation through small-group discussions followed by presentations to the full assembly, in like manner with...

[Catholic Caucus] McElory bans the installation of communion rails in the churches of the Diocese of WashingtonCardinal Robert McElroy, Archbishop of Washington, has ordered that no communion rails be installed or reinstalled in the churches of the archdiocese, in a new liturgical controversy in the United States over kneeling communion and traditional forms of reverence before the Eucharist.The alleged directive was initially reported by journalist Christine Niles of Stella Maris Media, following a recent meeting with priests. To date, the Archdiocese of Washington has not issued a formal decree or official communication regarding this measure.No communion rails or temporary kneelersThe...

[Catholic Caucus] Cdl. McElroy praises Vatican downplaying of homosexual sin during James Martin’s conferenceMcElroy failed to mention the Church's teaching on same-sex 'marriage' and accused the Church of 'frequently wounding' the so-called 'LGBT community.'WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — Cardinal Robert McElroy lauded Pope Leo XIV’s downplaying of sexual sin and the Synod on Synodality’s final report on “doctrinal, pastoral and ethical questions” which falsely suggested that homosexual relationships may not be sinful.The notoriously heterodox archbishop of Washington, D.C.’s remarks came during a homily at a Mass for Father James Martin’s pro-LGBT Outreach Conference at the Jesuit-run Georgetown University.During his June 20...

[Catholic Caucus] WATCH: Young Catholics pray Rosary to protest Fr. James Martin’s pro-LGBT conferenceMembers of Tradition, Family and Property Student Action and other Catholics prayed the Rosary outside of Fr. Martin’s heterodox Outreach conference at Georgetown University.Several young Catholics prayed the Holy Rosary outside Georgetown University this weekend during Father James Martin’s pro-LGBT Outreach Conference.Members of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) Student Action, along with many young faithful, peacefully prayed the Rosary outside the Jesuit university after receiving over 31,000 signatures for a petition opposing the June 19–21 conference, entitled “Walking Side by Side: Celebrating Five Years of Outreach Ministries.”In...

Anglican Church in North America acting archbishop Julian Dobbs (left) and leader of the Anglican Catholic Reformed Church Bishop Derek Jones (right).The interim head of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) has filed a defamation suit against the leader of the breakaway Anglican Reformed Catholic Church. Bishop Julian Dobbs, who was appointed acting archbishop of the ACNA in November while Archbishop Steve Wood is under investigation, says accusations he misappropriated $47,862 are false and malicious. Dobbs submitted evidence to the U.S. federal court in Northern Alabama showing the disputed sum is actually $3,750. The money was put into...

The Episcopal Church headquarters building in Midtown Manhattan. (Photo by Zbig Jedrus Photography) The Episcopal Church, once the spiritual home of America’s founders, presidents and other members of the elite, announced Wednesday that it wants to sell or lease its 12-story New York City headquarters, a sign of the shrinking of mainline Protestantism and institutional religion in the United States as well as the way religious groups are radically reshaping their commercial footprint in the 21st century. The denomination — the U.S. branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion — announced after a meeting of its executive council that the...

UFC Spreading the Gospel✝️

[Catholic Caucus] The Fallout from Archbishop Vigano’s Message to Pope LeoArchbishop Vigano’s letter to Pope Leo was a straightforward list of questions for the new Pope to answer regarding actions by Pope Francis and the direction of the Catholic Church.The letter to Leo XIV from Monsignor Carlo Maria Viganò [here] has the merit of confronting the Pope with inescapable questions. And since it comes not from a fanatical ideologue but from a faithful servant of the Church, it fully warrants being taken seriously by anyone questioning what has become of a Church that still calls itself Catholic but, in essence,...

Hospitality does not require a perfect home, a big screen, or a gourmet meal. It requires room in the heart before it requires room in the house. Paul told the Romans to “practice hospitality” (Romans 12:13); Peter told believers to “offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:9); the writer of Hebrews warned that some have entertained angels without knowing it (Hebrews 13:2). World Cup hospitality can be especially powerful because the event already creates natural openings. You do not have to force a conversation about culture, home, language, family, or national memory. The game brings those things...

McElroy Says Leo Deepens Francis’ LGBT Project While Rome Looks to Excommunicate Every SSPX PriestOutreach at Georgetown, Cupich’s synodal welcome, Study Group 9, possible SSPX penalties, and Argentine bishops praising an abortion-rights activist.McElroy Welcomes Outreach to WashingtonCardinal Robert McElroy welcomed the 2026 Outreach Conference to Washington with language that should make every serious Catholic stop reading and then read it again.Hiraeth In Exile is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.SubscribeThe letter is dated June 19, 2026, on the letterhead of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. It begins with the...

[Catholic Caucus] Hold my drinkThere are images that summarize a way of understanding the liturgy better than a hundred treatises. The photographs of Víctor Manuel Fernández, «Tucho,» elevating the host while holding the chalice with the same hand, inserting his fingers inside the chalice with the same naturalness with which anyone would hold a cup at a party, is scandalous not only because of a question of rubrics, but because of a question of Catholic common sense.For centuries, priests were educated in a true pedagogy of reverence. After the consecration, they kept their thumb and index finger together while elevating...

Pope Leo XIV received participants in the first congress of the faithful of the Syro-Malankara Church residing in Europe in audience this Monday. During the meeting, held in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Pontiff highlighted the importance of preserving the spiritual and liturgical heritage of this Eastern Catholic Church and encouraged its faithful to remain united to their traditions and to their hierarchy. The Syro-Malankara Church is one of the Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome. It has its roots in the ancient Christian tradition of India linked to the preaching of the Apostle Saint Thomas and currently...