Free Republic

On the day of Bartolo Longo's beatification, October 26, 1980, Pope John Paul II called him a "man of the Madonna"; he later called him "a true apostle of the rosary" and "a layman who lived his ecclesial pledge to the full".  And John Paul II knew what he was saying — his own Marian spirituality was influenced deeply by what, as a young man, he had gleaned from Bartolo's life and works.So who was this a man who so profoundly affected the greatest pope of the 20th century and who has had a permanent effect on the way we...

An open conflict has erupted in the Church between exorcists who believe that demons can cause many maladies, especially mental ones, and psychologists who all but dismiss exorcism as a product of the Middle Ages, according to a new book by Los Angeles Times reporter Tracy Wilkinson. The volume, entitled The Vatican's Exorcists, marshals a highly secular and often skeptical view of exorcisms at the same time that it presents fascinating facts on priests who administer the rite in places like Rome and those who have suffered from demonic oppression. The conflict -- psychology versus demonology -- has penetrated the...

A secular book about exorcism says that one thing rankles demons. "The devil doesn't like Latin," writes Tracy Wilkinson in The Vatican's Exorcists. "That is one of the first things I learned from Father Gabriele Amorth, long known as Rome's chief exorcist, even though that has never been his formal title. "Now past the age of eighty, Father Amorth has dedicated the last decades of his life to regaining a measure of respectability for exorcism. Despite his advancing age, he continues to perform the rite several times a week at his office in Rome. "Scores of people seek him out....

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) -- Presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton outlined a broad economic vision Tuesday, saying it's time to replace an "on your own" society with one based on shared responsibility and prosperity. The Democratic senator said what the Bush administration touts as an "ownership society" really is an "on your own" society that has widened the gap between rich and poor. "I prefer a 'we're all in it together' society," she said. "I believe our government can once again work for all Americans. It can promote the great American tradition of opportunity for all and special privileges for none."...

Men in parts of Tanzania's main city, Dar es Salaam, are living in fear of a night-time sex attacker. A BBC correspondent says the attacks are being blamed by some on a demon called "Popo Bawa" meaning winged bat. Some men are staying awake or sleeping in groups outside their homes. Others are smearing themselves with pig's oil, believing this repels attacks. Reports of the demon's existence have been common for many years in Zanzibar, where locals claim it originated. The BBC's John Ngahyoma in Dar es Salaam says not many people actually believe that the demon exists and there...

Iran Blames U.S. For Sectarianism In Iraq October 13, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Iran's Supreme leader Ali Khamenei today accused the United States of interfering in Iraq's internal affairs and creating religious divisions in the country. Khamenei said there is plenty of evidence that "the occupiers" are promoting terrorism committed in Iraq in the name of Shi'ite and Sunni Islam. Ayatollah Khamenei, who was speaking at Friday prayers in Tehran, also said that Israel and the United States had lost the recent conflict in Lebanon, which he described as a "historical phenomenon." Khamenei said the conflict demonstrated that resistance is the...

Twenty-nine years have passed since that day, June 29 1972. It was the Feast of Saint Peter, Prince of the Apostles. It was the Feast of Saint Paul who brought the Gospel of Christ to the extreme corners of the West. On that day, June 29, Feast of the Patron Saints of Rome, Peter’s successor who had taken the name of Paul issued a dramatic warning. Paul VI spoke of God’s enemy supreme, that enemy of man called Satan, enemy of the Church. “The smoke of Satan”, warned Paul VI, “has found its way into the Church through the fissures”....

A PARANORMAL figure, a poltergeist, allegedly resurfaced for the umpteenth time at Mumbwenge Combined School, five kilometres from Oshigambo in the Ohangwena Region, tormenting 40 learners. The mysterious and extremely sinister image, as described by learners, carries a garden fork and it is with this fork that it presses them down to the ground trying to tie them up and to kill them. The voices of children screaming could be heard in the background when New Era called the school principal, Helena Makili, amidst the unfolding drama yesterday afternoon after three o'clock

Satanism is running rampant throughout Russia, according to a priest at a Murmansk church defaced by vandals. Earlier this month, according to an Interfax report, the Church of the Savior-on-the-Waters, built in memory of lost seamen was targeted with Satanic symbols and animal blood.

I recently set out to learn more about Islam. I had no agenda at the time except to broaden my knowledge on the subject. What I have learned sickened me. I had previously been accepting of the notion that Islam was a peaceful religion and that the Muslim terrorists who inflict so much pain and death around the world represented a fringe element outside of mainstream Islam. I was wrong. The Islamic deity, Allah, is a false god. While the term "Allah" does indeed carry the same meaning as "God," Mohammed's Allah is nothing more than a construct of a...

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The day after the funeral Mass for Terri Schiavo, which garnered national attention for its touching moments and heavy attendance, Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, Florida, informed the church's pastor, Fr. William Swengross of Most Holy Name of Jesus Church and pastor to the Terri's parents, the Schindlers, that he will be transferred in June to St. Stephens Church in Valrico. This church is located out of the diocesan mainstream, far away from Pinellas County, where the Schiavo drama played out. Bishop Lynch previously drew controversy for taking what seemed like a neutral stand in the Schiavo dispute, declining...

Dirty Footprints - We must write letters of outrage to the senators who voted to drill in ANWR, says our columnist. But maybe all there is left to do is weep. President Bush must be feeling so victorious. The Senate has now said yes to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge—the pristine place President Eisenhower took measures to protect in 1960. advertisement Environmental groups have said the fight isn’t over, and I want to believe there is still something we can do—write letters, e-mails, rise up en masse and say no. But I don’t know if anything will help...

WASHINGTON - It's no fun being the runner-up on inauguration day. To add to the poignancy for Sen. John Kerry, Thursday's inauguration was a year and a day since his surprise victory in the Iowa caucus propelled him to the Democratic nomination and, almost, the presidency. Kerry's seat assignment was in the seventh row as President Bush took the oath of office. And every time they flashed his picture on the Jumbotron, the crowd — full of wealthy Republicans — jeered. But he sounded a note of defiance as he looked ahead to the next four years. "Democracy means ......

I fought a demon from the fifth grade — and the demon won In spring 1974 in fifth grade at Kaiserslautern American Elementary School No. 2 in southwest Germany, my class took on another one in a spelling bee. I was pumped. I smelled victory. In the final round, the girl four spots ahead got "committee." Man, I wanted her to get it wrong, because I knew if it got to me, I had it nailed. How tough is it to spell "committee"? She spelled it "comite." BZZZT! The next guy spelled it "comitee." BZZZT! The next guy spelled it...

John F'ing Kerry is visiting Sheboygan's Fountain Park this Friday! Can any of you experienced Freepers give me advice on how to effectively protest/make an appearance against this scum-sucking pig/low life?

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry called today for Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign and urged President George Bush to appoint an independent group to recommend reforms after a report faulted all levels of the military for abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. “It’s not just the little person at the bottom who ought to pay the price of responsibility,” Kerry said at a Philadelphia union hall. “The buck doesn’t stop at the Pentagon.” A report released yesterday by an independent panel led by former Defence Secretary James Schlesinger concluded that senior US military leaders in Iraq and the...

<p>WASHINGTON — House Democrats have declared war on the Republican leadership, vowing to gum up the legislative process in retaliation for what they say is systematic and unfair treatment by the majority. “Our bag of tricks is somewhat small, but we will continue to use it,” said Stacey Farnen, spokeswoman for House Minority Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md. “There are some more dramatic ways we can express ourselves.”</p>

In the last few years, Russian scientists have invented the world's deadliest plagues. Have we learned about this too late to stop it? THE BIOWEAPONEERS

Probably the best article on Small Pox I've seen. Last week, the news was filled with talk of bioterrorism and chemical warfare. One of the threats that were mentioned frequently was smallpox, the virus that now exists only in laboratories but is thought to have killed more people than any other infectious disease in history. This piece, about smallpox and its potential as a biological weapon, originally appeared in the July 12, 1999, issue of the magazine. A related article by Preston, on renewed efforts to create a vaccine, which appeared in The Talk of the Town six months later, ...