Free Republic

Florida AG warns bishops: Catholic schools could lose vouchers over COVID mandatesFlorida Attorney General James Uthmeier says Catholic schools must honor parents’ religious objections to mandated shots or risk losing access to state scholarship dollars.Florida Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier warned the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops July 31 that Catholic schools could jeopardize their eligibility for state-funded scholarships and vouchers by denying religious exemptions from vaccination requirements.“Ironically, they won’t offer religious exemptions as prescribed by state law,” Uthmeier wrote in an announcement of his letter to the bishops. “This is troubling and may disqualify them from state scholarships and...

Catholic Star Wars: The SSPX Excommunication as You’ve Never Seen ItOne of the year's biggest Catholic controversies in a witty, self-deprecating parody (think exiles, empires, liturgical battles, etc.). Whether you agree or disagree, this take explores why so many faithful Catholics feel like they're the rebels in their own Church. A fortnight ago, I attended the illicit episcopal consecrations in Écône to bid farewell to the SSPX as newly separated brethren (again). I did so because I was in the neighbourhood and I could; more so as an observer than participant, because I was loth to incur the wrath and...

The Rev. Franklin Graham called the idea of paper gender dolls being used in the Minnesota public school system “sick,” “warped,” and “wicked.” On Monday, Graham shared a New York Post article titled, “Taxpayer-Funded Trans Dolls With Removable Genitalia To Hit Classrooms This Fall for Kids as Young as 4 To ‘Learn About Different Options.’” The article included an image of the dolls showing both male and female anatomy. Franklin Graham Describes Gender Dolls as ‘Sick and Warped’ “You can’t ask for a better example of moral depravity than this. Minnesota has developed ‘MyGender Dolls‘ with interchangeable parts, including removable...

Pope Leo XIV meets pro-abortion singer Patti Smith as Vatican official hails ‘shared mission’One of Patti Smith's best known lyrics is, 'Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine.'Pope Leo XIV met with the pro-abortion, pro-LGBT punk rock star Patti Smith on Friday morning.Smith, who is originally from Chicago, like Leo, is a singer, songwriter, and poet sometimes known as the “Godmother of Punk” for her influential early role in shaping punk music. Her fame peaked in the late 1970’s with her biggest hit, “Because the Night,” a sensual song that declares the “night belongs to lust.” One of her...

[Catholic Caucus] Divine Worship Prefect Roche: “Leo will not change Traditionis or go back to Summorum.” From his interview to British Catholic periodical “The Tablet,” the words of Cardinal Roche are peremptory: “But no, Pope Leo is not going to change Traditionis Custodes, and he’s not going back to Summorum Pontificum.”Meaning, the Traditional Latin Mass will remain in the Egypt of Captivity (Traditionis) and never return to the Promised Land of Liberty (Summorum).Excerpt below (behind the paywall, but provided by our occasional contributor Matthew Hazell on X):Cardinal Roche is 76. He is therefore past the age of retirement.(Interview)

Female Priesthood by Stealth? How the Revolution Plans to Bypass Catholic DoctrineThe modernist revolution has learned a painful lesson: it cannot defeat Catholic doctrine head-on. So now it has a smarter plan—leave the dogma in the books while changing everything that gives it life. If this analysis is correct, the battle over women's ordination isn't coming tomorrow. It's already being fought through liturgy, bureaucracy, and the courts. And that's precisely what makes it so dangerous.The impossibility of formally modifying the doctrine on female ordination is leading some ecclesial circles to pursue the same result through liturgy, canon law and even...

Facial Recognition Payments

[Catholic Caucus] Lawyer for Rupnik’s alleged abuse victims decries ‘total secrecy’ of trialA lawyer representing five accusers of disgraced Fr. Marko Rupnik said that the women have ‘not been summoned’ and don’t even know the names of the judges in the trial.A lawyer representing five of the women who have accused Father Marko Ivan Rupnik of physical and psychological abuse has decried the proceedings of his trial for neglecting the “minimum” needed for “justice.”Reports emerged earlier this month from MessainLatino and AdVaticanum that Rupnik was acquitted in his Vatican canonical criminal trial of all charges of “violence” related to his...

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[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Grech: Synodality Begins With Conversion of Hearts, Not New LawsThe future of synodality in the Catholic Church depends first on the conversion of hearts rather than changes to canon law, Cardinal Mario Grech told journalists during the second press conference of the 12th Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC).The Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops made the remarks on July 24 at the Media Room of Hotel Mulia, Jakarta, in response to a question about whether the fruits of the Synod on Synodality would eventually be incorporated into the Church's legal framework.While...

This is a message with Pastor Hibbs about current events and the whole situation in the Middle East involving Iran and China and their new system that allowed the successful attacks on the US interests in the Middle East. The part about China and their new system starts at the 39 minute mark. Video is 1:12 minutes long

This 41-year-old man has been a Catholic priest for a few weeks now. He was ordained at St. Hedwig’s Cathedral in Berlin by Archbishop Heiner Koch. This makes him a true exception in Germany: apparently, there are no other Catholic priests in the entire country with a similar background Around seven million Muslims live in Germany. One of them was Senad Mrkaljevic. He converted to Catholicism a few years ago and is now a priest. This makes him an exception.News When he entered a church for the first time in his life, in his early twenties, he initially felt unsure....

[Catholic Caucus] Pagan Aztec war dance takes over LA Catholic cathedral sanctuaryThe sacrilegious ‘Aztec Mass’ event featured pagan Aztec music and war dances with immodest performers near the altar of the Los Angeles cathedral.The Archdiocese of Los Angeles allowed the performance of a “Misa Azteca” (“Aztec Mass”) concert, which featured pagan Aztec music, dances, and poetry in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels last month.The sacrilegious June 27 event, held in the mother church of the largest archdiocese in the United States, combined the sacred music of the Catholic Mass, such as the solemn “Kyrie” chant and the...

An Albuquerque Catholic parish already known for provocative political displays is facing new scrutiny after its church letterboard appeared to single out a local woman by name after she repeatedly criticized the parish’s left-wing messaging. The latest controversy centers on Saint Therese Parish on Fourth Street in Albuquerque. A photo of the parish sign shows the message: “RACISM GRAVE SIN AGAINST GODS LOVE KATRINA G.” The apparent reference was to Katrina Griego, who has posted multiple photos of the parish’s letterboard signs on Facebook while criticizing what she described as a “woke” priest using a Catholic church for political messaging....

Father James Martin calls for ‘gay priests’Continuing his public advocacy on LGBT issues, Fr James Martin SJ has argued that the Catholic Church should officially admit ‘gay’ priests.In a new essay published by his pro-LGBT organisation Outreach, Fr James Martin has presented his case for why the Church should admit homosexuals to the priesthood. He notes that he is only in favour of admitting celibate men, but after establishing that as the foundation of his argument, the prominent Jesuit calls on the Church to change its rules regarding seminary admission and ordination.

[Catholic Caucus] Faithful Catholics confront pro-LGBT ‘All Are Welcome Mass’ in San DiegoMassResistance held a Rosary rally against an LGBT 'Pride Mass' in San Diego, California, earlier this month.Contrasting messages from San Diego Catholics: Traditional Catholics outside (left) vs radical message inside (right) during the St. John the Evangelist Church's "pride" Mass.For many years, faithful Catholics have endured a disturbing pro-LGBT turn in many of their churches. But lately, in some places, that has gone completely overboard. And many Catholics have had enough of it.The Hillcrest neighborhood of San Diego is the most “LGBTQ+” area in town. One would hope...

Faithful Catholics beg Pope Leo to stop official recognition of Germany’s Synodal WayPro Fide Ecclesiae, co-founded by Bishop Marian Eleganti, warned plans to recognize Germany’s ‘Synodal Conference’ would ‘permanently alter the hierarchical constitution of the Church.’A new Catholic lay group co-founded by Bishop Marian Eleganti has called on Pope Leo XIV to stop the German Synodal Way.The newly established Pro Fide Ecclesiae (PFE) seeks to give voice to those who do not feel represented by Germany’s largest body of lay Catholics, the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), and who do not feel heard by the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK).In...

Alleged abuser priest and Pope Francis favorite Fr. Rupnik cleared by Vatican court: ReportsA five-judge panel reportedly cleared disgraced Fr. Marko Rupnik of all charges of ‘violence’ related to alleged sexual abuse.Disgraced former Jesuit Fr. Marko Ivan RupnikFather Marko Ivan Rupnik has apparently been acquitted in his Vatican canonical criminal trial of all charges of “violence” related to his alleged sexual abuse, per reports from two Italian news outlets. While the ruling remains unconfirmed by the Vatican, MessainLatino and AdVaticanum reported on July 20 that a five-judge panel has acquitted disgraced former Jesuit cleric and favorite of Pope Francis of...

Leo XIV’s meeting with Sarah Mullally fuels legal campaign against male-only priesthoodFrench legal scholars say Pope Leo’s audience with Sarah Mullally has revived efforts to have Catholic ordination rules struck down as unlawful sex discrimination under European law.French legal scholars pointed to Pope Leo XIV’s cordial reception of female Anglican “archbishop” Sarah Mullally in renewed efforts to have the Catholic Church’s male-only priesthood treated as unlawful sex discrimination.In an article published in the French newspaper La Croix on July 12, a group of French academics pushed to challenge the Catholic Church’s exclusion of women from Holy Orders, arguing that Pope...

As the Church prepares to beatify Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen on Sept. 24 in St. Louis, Bishop Robert Barron said the beloved archbishop’s legacy extends far beyond his groundbreaking media ministry. In a July 17 interview on “EWTN News In Depth,” Barron said Sheen’s enduring influence was rooted in decades of prayer, intellectual formation, and faithful preaching — a model he said he believes Catholic evangelists need now more than ever. The Church’s recognition follows years of investigation into Sheen’s life of heroic virtue and the Vatican’s approval of a miracle attributed to his intercession. During his priesthood, Sheen became...