Free Republic

Amid a rocket attack launched by Hezbollah on residential homes in the village of Rmeish in southern Lebanon, more than 50 children celebrated their first Communion in a testament to faith, resilience, and hope in the midst of war. In comments to local media, Rmeish Municipality Head Hanna Al-Amil said a missile fell between inhabited homes on Sunday morning and “narrowly avoided causing a major disaster.” Al-Amil stressed that the village contains no military forces, armed groups, or weapons, emphasizing that residents “simply want to live safely on their land, away from confrontation and escalation.” On Friday, several Hezbollah rockets...

Featured Term (selected at random):AGE OF DISCRETION Sometimes refers to the age at which a person reaches adulthood and can make lifetime decisions, especially regarding one's state of life. But more commonly it is the age when a child is capable of making free acts of the will and therefore becomes morally responsible for his actions. This was St. Pius X's understanding as regards the age for receiving the sacraments of penance and Holy Communion. In general, it is about seven years of age. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life....

Pope Benedict XVI offered a rare glimpse into his past Saturday and gave a small lesson in Catholicism to children who attended his first youth rally at St. Peter's Square; an event that was reminiscent of the gatherings inspired by Pope John Paul II. Benedict recalled the sunny, "beautiful Sunday" in 1939 that he made his First Communion at the age of 9, telling an estimated 150,000 children and their parents he had begun a "lifelong friendship with Jesus" that he hoped the children would also enjoy. "So I went forward in my life, and thanks to God, the Lord...