Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo’s new bishop of Tucson supported Communion kneeler ban, Latin Mass restrictions Pope Leo XIV on Monday named Monsignor James A. Misko, the vicar general of the Diocese of Austin, Texas, as the next bishop of Tucson, Arizona.Bishop-elect Misko will be consecrated and installed as the eighth bishop of Tucson on February 20, 2026, the diocese announced December 22.As vicar general of Austin, Misko enforced the suppression of multiple Traditional Latin Masses (TLM) and the ban on Communion kneelers, while also urging the faithful to get the abortion-tainted COVID jab.Misko, 55, will succeed Archbishop Edward Weisenburger, now...

[Catholic Caucus] The Demented War on Altar Rails Moves North -- to PennsylvaniaAfter Charlotte, the war on Altar Rails moves north.This past June, Rorate reported on a Pennsylvania parish reeling from a persecution of traditional pastors. The year has not even ended, and the parish (Mary, Queen of Saints, in Aliquippa), under new administration -- now its Novus Ordo will have the use of altar rails banned. You may kneel if you want to (they can't abolish the general law), but without any support. It's at the newest bulletin online for December 14, page 4.

[Catholic Caucus] Poll: Most Catholic voters support Trump, deportations despite bishops’ concernA majority of Catholic voters in the United States have a favorable opinion of President Donald Trump and support the broad-scale deportation of immigrants who are in the country illegally, according to a poll published by EWTN News and RealClear Opinion Research on Dec. 11.The poll surveyed 1,000 self-identified Catholics from Nov. 9 through Nov. 11, nearly 10 months after Trump assumed office. Trump won the Catholic vote in the 2024 election last year, and one of his campaign promises was mass deportations — a policy strongly opposed by...

Christmas mangers should bring joy not debate A controversial nativity scene showing a sign that reads “ICE was here” in place of where Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus should be, is on display at the St. Susanna Parish in Dedham.How very sad that a Dedham Catholic parish has used a Christmas manger scene to attack law enforcement and promote open borders and illegal immigration. The teachings of past Boston Cardinals and the Universal Church have much more in common with President Donald Trump’s America First policies than with the angry social justice warriors who have effectively desecrated a church.In a...

[Catholic Caucus] New Orleans Catholics afraid during immigration sweeps can miss MassThe Archdiocese of New Orleans has said that Catholics who are fearful for leaving their homes can miss Mass amid immigration raids while U.S. Border Patrol agents fan out across the city in the second week of an immigration enforcement operation.Archbishop Gregory Aymond granted the dispensation for Catholics who are "rightfully afraid to participate in Mass.”The dispensation will be valid "until the individual Catholic determines it is safe to attend Mass again or this dispensation is revoked or amended," Aymond said in a letter Monday to New Orleans' Catholic...

Raking In Hundreds Of Millions For Trafficking Kids Destroys U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Credibility On ImmigrationIn its special message, inaccurate wording disguises the USCCB’s self-interested opposition to the deportation of illegals.arlier this week, Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. (CLINIC) crooned: “As we enter the Advent season, we remember that the Holy Family themselves were migrants seeking safety.” It is a recurring motif to validate the resistance of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to curtailment of illegal immigration.In November, the USCCB prepared for Advent by declaring war on the Trump administration with a “Special...

[Catholic Caucus] A Modest Proposal for Reeducating the BishopsThe time has come to reeducate our bishops, beginning with how they use—and manifestly misuse—the English language. Our Lord gave us a clear precept about language: “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from the Evil One” (Matthew 5:37). And likewise, from the Old Testament: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20). These bishops, and sadly even the supreme pontiff, have, in...

US (Catholic) parish places 'ICE was here' sign in cribSt Susanna Parish in Denham, Massachusetts, USA is an active Pax Christi parish. For this year's outdoor Nativity scene, the figurines of the Holy Family are not displayed - instead, the parish placed a sign: "ICE was here."When contacted by a Boston Globe reporter who asked if the photo was authentic and if ICE actually had visited the church, St Susanna's pastor Fr Steve Josomo confirmed the veracity of the image and wrote the following response:"Each year our Peace and Justice group (Pax Christi) tries to hold a mirror up to...

[Catholic Caucus] Tennessee bishop limits celebration of Latin Mass to small chapel once a monthAfter banning the Latin Mass at all parishes in the Diocese of Knoxville, Bishop Mark Beckman will now allow a monthly TLM in a retreat center chapel, which is likely too small to accommodate the faithful. Featured ImageThe Diocese of Knoxville under Bishop Mark Beckman will limit the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) to just one chapel at a retreat center once a month after previously announcing the suppression of all parish TLMs in the diocese, the bishop announced in a letter on Tuesday.In...

Leo XIV Appoints Bishop Monteiro: Favours Female Ordination, Refers to Protestants as Role Model Today, Pope Leo XIV has appointed Rev Yohanes Hans Monteiro, 54, as Bishop of Larantuka, Indonesia.He was ordained a priest on July 14, 1999. The article's picture shows him in 2024 celebrating 25 years as priest.Rev Monteiro completed a doctorate in 2018 in liturgy at the anti-Catholic University of Vienna, Austria."No Harm If Women Are Ordained"In 2024, Monsignor Monteiro wrote together with a certain Fransiska Widyawati a 16 page study entitled “Paus Fransiskus dan Kepemimpinan Perempuan dalam Gereja Katolik” (Pope Francis and women’s leadership in the...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Müller criticizes bishops banning Latin Mass, says they should focus on ‘salvation of souls’Cardinal Müller said it is ‘very problematic’ for bishops to crack down on the traditional Mass and that they are ‘not interested first in the salvation of the people.’ Cardinal Gerhard Müller, during a Q&A session at the 2025 Call to Holiness Conference in Michigan with exorcist Father Chad Ripperger, asserted that it is “problematic” and “not pastoral” for bishops to place restrictions on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM).Cardinal Müller was responding to a question about why the Church gives the...

BOMBSHELL: US Catholic Bishops Give $1 Million to Marxist MovementA new investigative report from the Lepanto Institute exposes significant financial support by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), an initiative of the US Catholic Bishops, for organizations deeply connected to socialist and Marxist movements. The report details how, under the banner of community land trusts (CLTs), millions of dollars have been funneled to groups whose founders and leaders openly advocate for socialist and Marxist ideologies. “The very concept of CLTs emerged among self-identified socialists looking to remove land from speculative markets and promote collective ownership,” said Michael Hichborn, president...

Trump border czar responds to bishops’ statement on deportationsTom Homan, the Trump administration’s border czar, responded to the nation’s bishops this week after they issued a statement in solidarity with migrant families who they said live in fear of “indiscriminate mass deportation.”The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved the statement by a vote of 216–5 at its Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore, Maryland. The bishops warned against rhetoric that “vilifies immigrants” and cited reports of parents avoiding school drop-offs, parishioners skipping Mass, and families remaining indoors because they fear detention.“So according to them,” Homan said when a reporter...

The Ernst Bros and I have talked about collaborating on an article on American muscle cars for a while. I wanted it to be different from all the “Top 10” or “Best 15” titles you see on the web. So, we decided to pick just one from the 1964-1972 era and call it the Best Muscle Car of all time.

[Catholic Caucus] Leo poised to grant ‘generous’ exemptions to Traditionis custodes, UK bishops told“Leo will ask Cardinal Arthur [Roche, prefect of the dicastery] to be generous.”Sources close to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales told The Pillar that Pope Leo appears poised to grant widespread exemptions to Traditionis custodes, without revoking the motu proprio itself. Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, apostolic nuncio to Great Britain, gave a recent address to the plenary assembly of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, informing the bishops that the Vatican would “be generous” when asked to dispense from the restrictions to...

[Catholic Caucus] What to make of the Italian bishops document on homosexual and transgender lifestylesContinuing months of controversy, the Italian bishops have overwhelmingly approved a document that many argue expresses official support for homosexuality and transgender lifestyles.Much like the Synod on Synodality, the Italian Bishops’ Conference’s multi-year synodal assembly has been marked by controversy over LGBT-related issues.The four-year synodal process convened by the bishops’ conference (known in Italian as the CEI) culminated in a late October vote to overwhelmingly approve the final document. The CEI is led by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi.That vote, originally scheduled for the spring, was delayed until...

[Catholic Caucus] Italian bishops call for ‘research’ into female diaconateThe least-supported proposal that still received approval at the Italian bishops' synod calls for 'research projects' to explore the question of the female diaconate.Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi leaves the Vatican after a College of Cardinals' meeting on April 30, 2025 in Rome, ItalyAs far as the Italian bishops are concerned, the issue of a female diaconate is still on the table.On October 25, the Italian Synod approved a final document of proposals in which the synod affirmed its support and called for research into the issues addressing the ordination of women...

The U.S. Conference Of Catholic Bishops Needs To Stop Apologizing For IslamIslam’s inherent disdain for non-Muslims must not intrude on the pieties of interfaith harmony, according to the USCCB.Earlier this month, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) published “Islamophobia: A Guide for U.S. Catholics on Anti-Muslim Bigotry.” Showcased on the USCCB website with a lovely Islamic design cover, this 15-page booklet exhorts Catholics to “address the disturbing phenomenon of anti-Muslim sentiment in our times.”Introduced by the co-chairs of the National Catholic-Muslim Dialogue (NCMD) — Bishop Elias Lorenzo of Newark and Imam Kareem Irfan — the USCCB declares dire need...

[Catholic Caucus] German Bishops Publish Homosexual Handbook for Catholic SchoolsOn 30 October, the German Bishops’ Conference published a guide urging Catholic schools to incorporate homosexual ideology. The title is: 'Created, Redeemed and Seduced Loved: Visibility and recognition of sexual identity diversity in schools”. In it, the bishops adopt the vocabulary and assumptions of gender ideology (queer, non-binary, cis, heteronormativity). They blaspheme that God willed homosexual lifestyles. Main problematic quotes, shortened for clarity.- The primacy of love orders all other perspectives – including sexual-moral ones.- Being loved in creation and redemption applies to the human person in all his or her...

“Gay-Washed” Bible’s imprimatur should be withdrawn. Here’s why.I am grateful to OSV News for reporting on my concerns about the USCCB’s granting of an imprimatur to the New Revised Standard Version updated edition (NRSVue) Bible. I appreciate USCCB Scripture scholar Father Pablo Gadenz responding directly to my concerns. But I found his responses unpersuasive, and I still think the imprimatur should be withdrawn, for the reasons below.First, a recap for readers unfamiliar with the issue. The updated edition of the NRSV, the flagship Bible of Mainline Protestantism, was published in 2022. Protestant Scripture scholar Robert A.J. Gagnon (who literally wrote...