Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Exclusive interview: Archbishop Aguer on the papal visit to Argentina and the legacy of Pope Francis n an exclusive interview with AdVaticanum, Archbishop Héctor Aguer discusses Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Argentina, the legacy of Pope Francis, the state of the Church in his country and the place of tradition in its futureArchbishop Héctor Rubén Aguer is the Archbishop Emeritus of La Plata, Argentina. Born in Buenos Aires on 24 May 1943, he was ordained a priest in 1972 and served as Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires from 1992 to 1998 before being appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of La...

[Catholic Caucus] Ohio cathedral to offer funeral Mass for man in homosexual ‘marriage’ The Cathedral of Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, of the Diocese of Toledo will host a Catholic funeral Mass for a man who lived for decades in a homosexual relationship, threatening grave scandal.The Catholic Cathedral of Toledo, Ohio, is set to offer a Catholic funeral for a man who lived in a homosexual “marriage.” The funeral will be in direct violation of ecclesiastical law regarding the refusal of Christian burial for manifest sinners.A visitation for John Arthur Park will take place Monday, November 9,...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Zen urges Pope Leo to stop Synod, remove Cardinal Fernández Cdl. Zen slammed the Synod’s ‘hidden agendas,’ including on homosexuality and ‘women’s ordination,’ and called on Pope Leo to give Cdls. Mario Grech and Jean-Claude Hollerich a ‘long vacation.’Cardinal Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, in a blog post last week, reflecting on the fruits of the Second Vatican Council, called on Pope Leo XIV to put a stop to the Synod and condemned the initiative’s “hidden agendas” on LGBT ideology, female “ordination,” and clerical celibacy.In his blog post, translated into English on November 6, Cardinal...

Chinese bishops praise sinicization as synodality at conference in Rome “That’s the main point we need to work on: Being loyal to our government and being loyal to our faith.” Archbishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing and Cardinal Stephen Chow of Hong Kong defended the controversial policy of Sinicization of the Catholic Church in China and obedience to state religious laws at a Nov. 5 conference in Rome, comparing the state ordering of religion to the practice of synodality in the Latin Church.Archbishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing. Credit: Lou Linwei/Alamy Live NewsIn his speech at a Nov. 5 conference...

[Catholic Caucus] The Fifth Mark of the Church: Why Traditional Catholics Are Being Persecuted The Catholic Church is known by four marks: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. But there is a fifth mark that Catholics have long recognized: Persecution. As traditional Catholics face mounting restrictions from Rome, could the persecution of those who remain faithful to Tradition be helping preserve the visible identity of the true Church?One of the most intriguing aspects of the current crisis in the Catholic Church comes to light when we consider the following truths of our religion:The Catholic Church is a perpetually visible society.The Catholic...

Pope Leo gives top post to feminist who supports gay blessings Claudia Leal Luna criticized the Vatican's 2021 ruling against blessings for gay unions, arguing that Catholic sexual morality needs to take 'some steps.' Pope Leo XIV named Chilean theologian Claudia Leal Luna as undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, placing a vocal critic of the Church’s 2021 rejection of blessings for homosexual unions in a senior Vatican post.The appointment, announced Thursday, pairs Leal with Jesuit Father Avelino Chicoma Bundo Chico. Vatican News and the dicastery’s own announcement confirm that Leal, born December 12, 1977, holds a...

[Catholic Caucus] Marian Theologians Renew Appeal to Cardinal Fernández Over Vatican Doctrinal Note A year after the publication of Mater Populi Fidelis, the International Marian Association says its detailed criticisms remain unanswered.A year after the Vatican published its controversial instruction Mater Populi Fidelis, a group of leading Marian theologians has sent a new letter to Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández noting that he has yet to respond to criticisms they had made of the document last December.The Theological Commission of the International Marian Association (IMA) also mentioned in their Nov. 4 letter to the Vatican’s prefect of the Dicastery for the...

Cardinal Parolin confirms Pope Leo’s approval of China bishop appointments despite ‘imperfect’ agreement Cardinal Pietro Parolin has confirmed that Pope Leo XIV has approved episcopal appointments under the Vatican’s agreement with China, acknowledging that the arrangement remains imperfect but insisting that dialogue with Beijing must continueCardinal Pietro Parolin has confirmed that Pope Leo XIV has given his assent to episcopal appointments made under the agreement between the Holy See and China, while acknowledging that the arrangement remains imperfect and defending the Vatican’s decision to continue implementing it.Speaking to journalists on Thursday, 5 November, the Vatican Secretary of State reaffirmed that...

Vatican promotes climate agenda with Lenten ‘carbon fast’ Vatican officials promoted a 40-day 'carbon fast' during Lent while unveiling plans to utilize AI to monitor global parish eco-commitments.The Holy See celebrated the expansion of its global ecological platform by showcasing artificial intelligence surveillance tools and promoting an eco-substitute for Lenten penance, urging faithful to replace traditional mortification with a “carbon fast.”On November 4, the Holy See Press Office hosted a press conference to mark the fifth anniversary of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform (LSAP), a digital framework launched by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Officials announced that over...

Being pro-life is not antisemitic Cardinal Cupich (Oct 29, 2026) will today honour Michael Sacks despite his substantial financial support for abortion, while the Archdiocese of Chicago has responded to criticism by warning of the dangers of antisemitismToday, despite widespread indignation from the pro-life movement, Cardinal Blase Cupich will award Michael Sacks the inaugural Nostra Aetate Award at Mundelein Seminary in Chicago. The award will be presented during the annual Rerum Novarum event, “an evening to honour lay men and women who are examples of Catholic Social Teaching in action.”Nostra Aetate, full title Declaration on the Relation of the Church...

A hundred Catholic nuns visit a Buddhist temple in Ho Chi Minh and practice meditation A Redemptorist priest maintains that offering incense and praying before a statue of Buddha are incompatible with the Catholic faithThe visit of nearly a hundred Catholic nuns to a Buddhist monastery in Vietnam has sparked debate among the country’s faithful after images circulated showing the sisters participating in religious practices specific to Buddhism. The encounter, held on October 26 in Ho Chi Minh, has drawn criticism from a Redemptorist priest, who recalls that certain gestures performed during the day are incompatible with the Catholic faith.According...

A Bad Look for the Vatican - On the Blocking of Saint Peter’s to Traditional Pilgrims - by Bishop Marian Eleganti A Bad Look for the VaticanThis year's ban on the traditionally minded "Ad Petri Sedem" pilgrims entering Saint Peter's Basilica on October 24, 2026 borders on hostility toward Catholics who are loyal to the Pope and orthodox in their faith. It has nothing to do with concern for unity in the Church or with operational difficulties in organizing liturgical celebrations in Saint Peter's.The rites that exist in the Catholic Church, in their peaceful coexistence with the Novus Ordo, demonstrate...

[Catholic Caucus] Two Pilgrimages, Two Bans: Traditional Catholics Shut Out of Rome and Lourdes In the same weekend, traditional Catholics were denied their customary prayer service inside St. Peter’s Basilica and barred from public liturgies and processions at Lourdes. Two pilgrimages. Two holy places. And one unforgettable witness to a faith that no ecclesiastical restriction can extinguish. During the “Christ the King” pilgrimage organized by the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) in October 2026, I learned more vividly than ever that a pilgrimage’s true success does not rest on a basilica, a sanctuary, or even an official authorization from...

From Dick Durbin to Michael Sacks: Cupich will recognize an abortion-funding donor at a gala for future priests Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, will participate on October 29 in a gala at which the archdiocese will present the Nostra Aetate award to businessman Michael J. Sacks, president and chief executive officer of GCM Grosvenor, who has donated $600,000 to fund initiatives aimed at facilitating access to abortion in Illinois.The recognition will take place during the annual Seminary Salutes Rerum Novarum gala, organized by Mundelein Seminary, part of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake, with the goal of...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Cupich awards Democrat billionaire who funds abortion Billionaire Democrat Michael J. Sacks donated $600,000 toward Illinois’ ‘abortion access infrastructure,’ and has served as a board member of the Obama Foundation.Cardinal Blase Cupich is honoring Michael J. Sacks, a major abortion funder, in Chicago next week.Sacks is receiving the Nostra Aetate award from the Archdiocese of Chicago despite his publicized, direct financial support of abortion. An announcement from Mundelein Seminary, published by the University of Saint Mary of the Lake, lists Sacks as a recipient of this year’s award from the archdiocese.“Join His Eminence Blase Cardinal Cupich and...

[Catholic Caucus] New Vatican official renews calls for female deacons Sister Mary Barron has committed to her prior activism for ordaining women, despite the Church clearly reserving Orders for men.A new senior Vatican official has reaffirmed her previous push for female deacons, saying that women “hear the call to priesthood”. On October 8, Sister Mary Barron OLA was named by Pope Leo to become the adjunct secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization and president of the Pontifical Mission Societies. A native of Ireland, Sr. Mary spent some years in Nigeria and Tanzania with her missionary Congregation of the Sisters of...

[Catholic Caucus] Fr. Chad Ripperger silenced by his bishop for a year Denver Archbishop James Golka has ordered Fr. Chad Ripperger to cease all public ministry – no talks, no preaching, no writing – for one year.Denver Archbishop James Golka has ordered Father Chad Ripperger, the most widely heard living American priest on exorcism and spiritual warfare, to cease all public ministry for one year, LifeSiteNews has confirmed directly with the priest. The order seems to cover public appearances, online homilies, and writings. Talks already booked are to be cancelled. Ripperger was scheduled to speak at the upcoming LifeSiteNews 30th...

Xi ‘Sinicizes’ China’s Catholic Church, with Vatican Approval China’s clerics are becoming propagandists for the government.The Vatican has been widely criticized for its 2018 provisional agreement with China. While the agreement’s contents are secret, the Holy See revealed that it gives Beijing a role, along with at least a papal right to veto, in appointing Catholic bishops in China. Due to President Xi Jinping’s “Sinicization” of religion campaign, eight years on, the agreement is even more disastrous than previously thought.Last month, the agreement saw 44-year-old parish priest Father Andrew Ding appointed archbishop of the megacity of Chongqing. His chief distinction...