Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] New Coke, New Mass: What's the Lesson?It's been observed that the secular Coca Cola Company has been much more astute about what they are producing than has the hierarchy of the Catholic Church!Consider. Recall that many years ago now a huge ad campaign was conducted by the soda company for putting out what they themselves labeled on the cans and bottles the NEW COKE.This was supposed to capture the imagination of the whole world. The revered Coca Cola Company has now improved their famous soda and even more folks will want to drink their product.It didn't take long...

Tucker Carlson interviews Shroud of Turin expert, proving the resurrection of Jesus is realProtestant Bible scholar and author Jeremiah Johnston explained in detail why the famous Shroud of Turin was Jesus Christ's actual burial cloth.Tucker Carlson interviewed a Bible scholar who highlights the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, proving Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.In a recent interview with Carlson, Protestant Bible scholar and author Jeremiah Johnston explained in detail why the famous Shroud of Turin was Jesus Christ’s actual burial cloth and how it proves the resurrection.Johnston said that the shroud, which has been extensively studied, shows “pre-mortem and...

[Catholic Caucus] Women Deacons? Here’s Why NotThere are many in the Church who consider the ordination of women as deacons to be an unsettled question and are hopeful that the Church will admit women to the diaconate soon. This is an unfounded hope.Who can be an icon of Christ? The question haunts me. Documents of the Second Vatican Council teach that all good people who are part of the Church…all these good people relying on the exquisite promise of Christ’s resurrection are the Body of Christ. It would stand to reason, then that ‘all good people’ means precisely that. ‘All...

The treaty is between a Neo-Assyrian king and an Aramean king in Northern Syria (Arpad). It dates from about the 8th century BCE. The Neo-Assyrian king is Assur-nerari V. The Aramaean king is Mati’-ilu. In the treaty, the sovereign figure, Assur-nerari V, demands the support of subordinate figure, Mati’-ilu and his kingdom. In order to cement the treaty, they bring out a lamb: “[This lamb] has been brought to conclude the treaty of Aššur-nerari, king of Assyria with Mati’-ilu.” The text, though, is careful to note that the lamb is not for sacrifice or a basic meal; rather, the lamb...

The Miracle That Gave the Miraculous Medal Its NameAlphonse and Theodore Ratisbonne were born in 1802 and 1814, respectively, into a prominent banking family in Alsace, France. The Ratisbonne family was a nominally Jewish household that seemed focused on worldly success, and it would seem that such success was expected of both Theodore and Alphonse. However, at age 22, Theodore met Louise Humann, a devout Catholic and catechist. Under her guidance, he studied the New Testament and other Scriptures and was baptized Catholic in the year 1826. He went on to be ordained a priest just four years later.Theodore’s conversion...

How Liberals Gaslighted Traditional Catholics 50 Years AgoSo many putative leaders of the Catholic Church have no problems with the Synod on Synodality, Fiducia Supplicans, or widespread cafeteria-Catholicism but are wholly supportive of Rome’s persecution of Traditional Catholics through Traditionis Custodes and other measures. This, of itself, tells us that many influential figures promoting the Vatican II revolution are gaslighting us.In his August 2, 1975 letter to Libre Belgique, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre sought to defend himself against certain criticisms related to his adherence to what the Catholic Church taught and practiced prior to Vatican II:“The repeated attacks in your columns...

Most of us probably know the story of Abraham and Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian maidservant. She became Abraham’s second wife and bore his first son, Ishmael. Conflict and jealousy arose within the family, which led to Ishmael’s banishment, not only from Abraham’s household but also from his father’s inheritance. And yet, the Lord said, “And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation” (Genesis 17:20, NKJV). Ishmael’s prodigy was not the recipient of the...

Pope Leo needs to reaffirm that the Church is the true Israel of GodSince the New Covenant, theologies which justify taking lands without divine mandates, along with the accompanying ethnic cleansing and war crimes, are akin to Christian apostasy.The Ninth station in the Via Dolorosa is where Jesus falls for the third time. Jerusalem, Israel (Catholic 460) — [Editorial note: The following essay is the reprint of an introduction to a three-part essay explaining why the state of Israel, founded in 1948, has never had a divine mandate, or authentic theological claim, to the occupied Palestinian territories. The author rejects...

For many years I have appreciated and enjoyed the Vision series – a sequence of biographical novels about the lives of the saints and Catholic heroes written especially for younger readers. The series commenced in the hoary antiquity of the 1940s and has continued over the decades, featuring a variety of authors—some of whom, like Louis de Wohl for example, were writers of supreme talent. Several of the books in the series have been reviewed by your humble blogger over the years, among them books on Saint Helena, Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, and Saints Louis and Zelie Martin. The last...

[Catholic Caucus] Leo XIV Relativizes Miracle: Christ Invited Deaf-Mute to "Choose" to Speak AgainPope Leo XIV spoke at yesterday’s general audience about the man in Mark 7 who cannot speak or hear: "Just as it can sometimes happen to us, perhaps this man chose not to speak anymore because he did not feel understood; he chose to shut off every voice because he had been disappointed and wounded by what he had heard," Leo XIV said.He sounded literally like Francis: "Before anything else, Jesus offers him silent closeness, through gestures that speak of a profound encounter: He touches this man’s...

According to Islamic sources, before the advent of Islam, Ubayd-Allah ibn Jahsh was a follower of a monotheistic sect called Hanif. He was among the few individuals who rejected Arabian idolatry to seek the true God of Abraham. When Muhammad started preaching his new religion, Ubayd-Allah embraced Islam and became one of the first Muslims. He was a son of Jahsh ibn Riyab and Umama bint Abdulmuttalib, hence a first cousin of Muhammad. He was also a brother of Zaynab bint Jahsh, one of the wives of Muhammad (whom he married after her divorce from his own adopted son!). According...

A recent analysis by Catholic commentator Phil Lawler points to a sobering conclusion: The dramatic drop in Mass attendance across the Western world can be traced to the Second Vatican Council. In a July 28 article for Catholic Culture, Lawler cited new research from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) that challenges long-held assumptions in the ongoing debate over whether the Second Vatican Council or broader cultural trends caused the decline in Catholic practice.“Throughout the Western world, Catholic Mass attendance has declined dramatically since Vatican II. That is an established fact,” Lawler stated. The new NBER working paper, “Looking...

His Predecessor of the same name, Leo XIII, created John Henry Newman Cardinal. Today, Leo XIV proclaimed him Doctor of the Church. From the Bollettino (in Italian). On July 31, 2025, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience His Most Reverend Eminence Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. During the same audience, the Holy Father confirmed the affirmative opinion of the Plenary Session of Cardinals and Bishops, Members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, regarding the title of Doctor of the Universal Church, which will soon be conferred on Saint John...

[Catholic Caucus] Jesuit leader Fr. Arrupe was warned of abuse allegations against priest candidate. He was still ordainedPedro Arrupe, the late, former worldwide leader of the Jesuit religious order and a candidate for Catholic sainthood, acknowledged in records produced as part of a New Orleans court case that he was warned that one of the group's aspiring priests had been accused of sexually abusing two minors and acknowledged making sexual advances on a third.The man was ultimately ordained and there is no indication in records in the court case in Louisiana that Arrupe took steps to prevent him from becoming...

[Catholic Caucus] Conclusion of Major New Economic Research Paper: "Vatican II, in 1962-1965, triggered a decline in worldwide Catholic attendance relative to that in other denominations." From the summary of a major new paper just published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), in Cambridge, Massachusetts, authored by some of the greatest names in Economic research, including the famous Dr. Barro, of Harvard University, Dr. Dewitte, of the University of Oxford, and Dr. Iannaccone, of Chapman University:Looking Backward: Long-Term Religious Service Attendance in 66 CountriesRobert J. Barro, Edgard Dewitte & Laurence IannacconeIssue Date July 2025The attendance rate at religious...

The Great Disappointment describes an episode in Seventh-day Adventist history when followers of William Miller (1782—1849) became bitterly disillusioned after his 1843 and subsequent 1844 predictions for the second coming of Christ failed to come to pass. William Miller was a farmer and army captain who served in the War of 1812. In 1816, Miller converted from Deism to Christianity and began to study the Scriptures. Eventually, in 1833, he became a licensed Baptist minister. After fourteen years of Bible study focused mainly on the books of Daniel and Revelation, Miller believed that he had uncovered the key to Daniel’s...

[Catholic Caucus] The Miracles of the Rosary & Marian Apparitions (Miracles pt. 7)This article is the seventh in a 10-part series that will explore miracles as proof of the truths of Catholic doctrine. In this installment, we consider some of the numerous miracles attributed to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary including those attributed to the Holy Rosary as well as some of her many apparitions on earth.Father John Hardon defines a miracle as follows: “A sensibly perceptible effect, surpassing at least the powers of visible nature, produced by God to witness to some truth or testify to someone’s sanctity.” Along...

Imagine yourself in a 13th-century North African prison where you are being held for refusing to renounce your Catholic faith. Conditions are cruel, and you are losing hope of seeing your family again. You wonder if it wouldn’t be so bad to convert to Islam. Then an angel in white appears at your cell with the jailor, who unlocks the door. All at once, you are free to return to your home in Spain. The angel is a monk from the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy (also known as the Order of Mercy or the Mercedarians), who...

[Catholic Caucus] Vatican document leak reignites Latin Mass debateDocuments have emerged, in what appears a leak at the Vatican, which indicate that the majority of Catholic bishops did not support the move by Pope Francis to restrict the Latin Mass.The texts from the Vatican’s doctrine office were posted online on Tuesday by the Vatican correspondent Diane Montagna, who has followed the Latin Mass dispute since Traditionis Custodes, the apostolic letter issued motu proprio by Pope Francis in 2021 that restricted the celebration of the Tridentine Mass of the Roman Rite.It reversed Pope Benedict XVI's previous permission for the Latin Mass...

Can I promote a book I wrote in this forum? I wrote a book describing how one can date many events during the life time of Jesus, and I am thinking of writing weekly posts describing each event (for example the conception of Virgin Mary by Hanna, the birth of Jesus Christ, the crucifixion if Jesus Christ, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the transfiguration, the martyrdom of Stephen etc. each in an individual post in this forum. Basically excerpts from my books. Is it allowed? Would you guys and gals be interested?