Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Head of German Bishops demands rainbow flag be hung in German ParliamentRainbow flag at the Bundestag? Julia Klöckner counters Bätzing's criticismBishop Georg Bätzing had said he would have liked to see the rainbow flag at the Bundestag. The President of the Bundestag poses a counter-question.President of the Bundestag Julia Klöckner (CDU) rejects Bishop Georg Bätzing's criticism of the handling of the rainbow flag in the Bundestag. "The bishop's regret is astonishingly selective. Did the Vatican or did all bishoprics raise a rainbow flag on Pride Day?" she asks in the weekly newspaper "Die Zeit."Bätzing, the chairman of the...

[Catholic Caucus] New TLM Suppression: Diocese of Austin axes scheduled Latin Mass at Texas A&M UniversityNews sent by our friends at Texas A&M in College Station:College Station, Texas – In a stunning intervention, the Diocese of Austin has forced the cancellation of a scheduled Traditional Latin Mass at Texas A&M University, silencing one of the most vibrant and growing expressions of Catholic faith among young people in America.The Mass was to be celebrated by a chaplain traveling from the Diocese of Victoria. On the evening before the liturgy, this priest was told by his Victoria bishop that he had received...

[Catholic Caucus] Spanish bishops reject conversion practices amid LGBT outreachThe bishops of Spain have publicly rejected so-called “conversion” practices for people who identify as homosexual, in a move that has drawn both praise and criticism within the Catholic world.On 19 September, the Madrid-based homosexual association CRISMHOM published a statement thanking Cardinal José Cobo of Madrid and Bishop José Antonio Satué of Málaga for their support.The message, carried by ReligionDigital.org, described both prelates as “doorkeepers who open their arms to welcome rather than impose a conversion in which we renounce the gift of the rainbow with which we have been blessed.”The...

[Catholic Caucus] ‘Dispose after reading,’ Archbishop Weisenburger’s history of cover-up for clerical sexual abuseDetroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger has a history of concealing clerical sexual abuse, according to revelations of a Church-commissioned investigation that examined the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, where Weisenburger served 16 years as Vicar General.As Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City from 1996 to 2012, Weisenburger not only wielded immense influence—but used it to suppress accountability for priestly sexual abuse of minors. Investigators discovered that he routinely instructed staff to “destroy after reading,” oversaw the mass deletion of his own emails following his departure, and even...

[Catholic Caucus] US Bishops’ Conference Partnering with Heretical Association of PriestsThe heretical Association of US Catholic Priests (AUSCP) announced earlier this year that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBP) approached the Association, asking it to host a virtual consultation on the USCCB’s Laity Document. Public materials describe the event as a joint effort between AUSCP and the USCCB, presenting it as a continuation of synodal engagement.The AUSCP has a long history of promoting views in direct conflict with immutable Catholic teachings regarding the ordination of women, human sexual morality, the sacraments and the nature of the priesthood.In the...

[Catholic Caucus] German Bishop Opposes Using the Bible to Condemn HomosexualityThe Bishop of Mainz, Germany, has spoken out against using Biblical passages as a reason to oppose homosexuality.Bishop Peter Kohlgraf made his statements during an interview on the television show “SWR Democracy Forum in Hambach Castle,” broadcast by Südwestrundfunk (SWR), a TV channel in western Germany, reported Katholisch.de. Bishop Peter KohlgrafKohlgraf said that one “cannot simply derive timelessly valid, eternal truths” in Biblical passages about homosexuality. The topic of the show was “Taboos in our society – between morality, power, and the media.”“I don’t take a single sentence from the...

[Catholic Caucus] Why the ‘good bishops’ keep disappointing the faithfulCatholic World Report has done a great service to readers today, by dipping into the magazine’s archives and posting an article by the late, great James Hitchcock, Conservative Bishops, Liberal Results. Originally published in the May 1995 issue (when I was serving as editor), the article explores a phenomenon that still puzzles many faithful Catholics. Why is it that so many good bishops—bishops who have the enthusiastic support of Catholics loyal to the perennial traditions of the Church—fail to bring about any discernible changes in the actual working of their dioceses?...

[Catholic Caucus] Idiocracy in the Hierarchy"Dei" is the genitive for God (Deus) in Latin. That is, "of God."It is also, coincidentally, the English abbreviation for the movement/ideology known as "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" (DEI), an affront to both God and the equality before the law that is the basis of modern Western Law. It is a complete corruption of all that is good and noble in both Christianity and the Law, and it should be abhorred by all good Catholics. And, of course, it is simply pronounced D, E, I -- not "day-ee" (as Dei is, in Latin).Anyway, this mere...

[Catholic Caucus] Do Not Be Conformed to the World…or to Church LeadersWhen the culture is benign, being a conformist works. But in a malignant culture, where the devil roams freely at the highest levels, beware conformity; it can kill body and soul.The word of the day for Catholics is “unity.” For the sake of it, entire congregations are ghettoized (TLM), bishops exiled (Strickland), faculties gutted (Sacred Heart), and dioceses fractured (Charlotte). Strange to think that the peculiar synodality project is more or less based on giving every wayward lifestyle and viewpoint a podium but the faithful who have dedicated their...

[Catholic Caucus] LEAKED AUDIO: Cardinals and Bishops caught supporting sexually deviant priest group at AUSCPBreaking news just released by our friends at the Lepanto Institute. Founder and president Michael Hichborn has been after this group called the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests (AUSCP). But let me first give you that list of cardinals and bishops who Hichborn is literally taking down with this audio:Cardinal Blase Cupich (Chicago)Cupich is a frequent attendee and presenter at the AUSCP’s annual assemblies, showing high-level episcopal support.Cardinal Wilton Gregory (Washington, D.C.)Gregory has also served as a speaker at AUSCP gatherings, adding his considerable prominence to...

[Catholic Caucus] Heterodox priests condone immoral sexual behavior at annual retreat: leaked audio'The ideas and teachings floated in this conference are sure to lead souls to Hell,' remarked Michael Hichborn of the Lepanto Institute.A leaked audio recording of a heretical clergy group’s annual meeting reveals that its retreat leader, a theology professor, downplayed or heretically denied the gravity of an array of serious sins, including masturbation, fornication, and receiving Holy Communion while in grave sin.The Lepanto Institute recently shared audio clips from the 2025 annual meeting of the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests (AUSCP), a dissident group that was refused...

[Catholic Caucus] Valence: Faithful Occupy Notre-Dame Church After FSSP ExpulsionSince early summer, around 300 Catholics of the Mass in the Roman Rite have occupied the church of Notre-Dame in Valence, reports Paix-Liturgique.org (August 13).The community was previously served by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), but was abruptly deprived of its priests by Bishop François Durand. He announced that sacraments, catechism, and weekday Masses would cease this autumn.Outside the church, banners read: "We are not puppets, but Christians," and "Removing the traditional Mass is a grave mistake."The faithful keep watch day and night, pray the rosary each evening, and...

[Catholic Caucus] New Mexico archbishop reinstates priest who lived in homosexual ‘partnership’ for a decadeDespite a decade in a registered homosexual ‘partnership’ and open LGBT activism, Fr. Steve Rosera now holds key roles under Abp. Wester in Santa Fe, including judgement over annulments.(Lepanto Institute) — Archbishop John Wester, the local ordinary for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, reinstated the faculties of a priest who spent ten years in San Francisco as a registered “domestic partner” to another man.According to Father Steve Rosera’s official bio, Abp. Wester reinstated him to the priesthood on January 20, 2021. The official Archdiocese...

[Catholic Caucus] The Purging of Faithful Catholics ContinuesLast month, Detroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger severely restricted the celebration of the traditional Latin Mass in his archdiocese—an archdiocese that has had some of the most flourishing Latin Mass communities in the country, if not the world. Not content, however, with one act of pettiness, this week Archbishop Weisenburger decided to double down on his attack on faithful Catholics, expanding beyond the typical traditionalist punching bags to target established and well-respected seminary professors. On Wednesday night, news broke that Dr. Ralph Martin and Dr. Eduardo Echeverria had been removed from their positions as...

[Catholic Caucus] GOODBYE, GOOD PROFS AND STRAIGHT SEMINARIANSThe Unaddressed Motive Behind Weisenburger’s FiringsMany articles have appeared recently about Sacred Heart Seminary faculty members who were fired by Detroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger. Aware of Weisenburger’s record of covering up sex abuse which helps prelates get promoted in a Church controlled by the Lavender Mafia, I mentioned him in a February 14, 2025, article, “Pope and Bishops Have No Moral Credibility to Confront Trump.” I maintained, “The appointment of anti-border patrol Tucson Bishop Edward Weisenburger to the Archdiocese of Detroit is remarkably similar to the appointment of San Diego Cardinal Robert McElroy...

[Catholic Caucus] German priest quits diocese over Fiducia supplicans implementationAn 86-year-old German Catholic priest has publicly cut ties with his diocese in protest at its embrace of Fiducia supplicans.Father Winfried Abel announced in an open letter that he will no longer identify as a priest of the Diocese of Fulda, northern Germany. The diocese is led by Bishop Michael Gerber, who supports women’s ordination, married priests, and blessings for same-sex unions.Fr Abel cited the diocese’s official support for a local “Christopher Street Day” gay pride parade and new Church policies permitting blessings for homosexual unions as reasons for his decision.Fr...

[Catholic Caucus] German bishops looking to promote gender ideology in schoolsA 20-page document says Germany's Catholic schools should respect and make more visible students who are 'non-binary' and 'non-heterosexual.' The heretical German bishops are planning to introduce guidelines for Catholic schools promoting radical gender ideology without questioning its horrendous consequences for children.The German Catholic News Agency (KNA) reports that the Catholic bishops, or more precisely, their school commission headed by Bishop Heinrich Timmerevers, are preparing a 20-page document on “sexual diversity” for Catholic schools.The paper says schools should respect and make more visible students who are “non-binary” and “non-heterosexual.” It...

[Catholic Caucus] False Prophets & False ShepherdsPreface and Precis: This is a sermon warning against false prophets. The Gospel of this TLM Mass (Matthew 7:15-21) is, inexplicably, not to be found on any Sunday or Solemnity in the Novus Ordo Mass. This sermon also offers a supplementary context and commentary: Our Lord’s admonition against corrupt leadership “matures” into warnings against the ultimate false prophet (2 Cor 11:14), the antichrist (1 John 2:22, 4:3; 2 John 1:7). All humans are sinners, having character flaws or “cracks” in desperate need of divine repair, even as our society invariably needs “course correction” based...

[Catholic Caucus] The Detroit PurgeThe massive loser annointed by Cupich (and accepted by Francis) to ruin Detroit, Edward Weisenburger, has reached a new phase in his Stalinist conquest of the Archdiocese.First, as Stalin, he found a minority to bully and persecute: the Trads are the Kulaks, who had to be frozen out and, if not outright eliminated, ghettoized. Which was what was done with the most massive culling of diocesan Traditional Latin Masses in the United States. The Traditionalists were the canary in the mine.Symbolic action was then taken against those who were completely part of the establishment, but had...

[Catholic Caucus] Detroit archbishop fires renowned conservative professors from Sacred Heart Seminary'The firing of Ralph Martin and Eduardo Echeverria from Sacred Heart Seminary … is an act of a thin-skinned, petty tyrant,' said Eric Sammons, editor-in-chief of Crisis Magazine.Current and former colleagues and students of conservative Professors Ralph Martin and Eduardo Echeverria were shocked and dismayed to learn on Thursday of their firing from Sacred Heart Seminary (SHS) by Detroit’s progressive new prelate, Archbishop Edward Weisenburger.Last month, Weisenburger came under fire for eliminating nearly all public celebrations of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) and prohibiting ad orientem in the Novus...