Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis personally invites pro-LGBT Fr James Martin, Cardinal Cupich to October SynodPope Francis' personal picks for the Synod remain largely the same this year as last year, including controversial figures such as Cardinals Blase Cupich, Jozef De Kesel, Wilton Gregory, Robert McElroy and Father James Martin, S.J.The Vatican’s press office released details of the upcoming Synod on Synodality starting later this month, which, like last year, includes a list of heterodox attendees invited by Pope Francis.While the Synod begins on Monday, September 30, with all participants taking part in a two-day retreat, meetings do not begin in...

The nonprofit group Men Having Babies has held its annual conference in the Miami area since 2018.An organization that helps gay men become fathers through surrogacy is rethinking its future in Florida after receiving a flood of anti-LGBTQ hate. Back in 2017, the international nonprofit Men Having Babies (MHB) chose the Fort Lauderdale area to host one of its eight international gay parenting conferences. The group has since held six of its annual conferences in the state. But while gearing up for its annual Florida Surrogacy Conference & Expo, scheduled for October 4–5 at the Pride Center at Equality Park...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop John Stowe to Receive New Ways Ministry’s “Bridge Building Award” for LGBTQ+ EffortsNew Ways Ministry is proud to announce the presentation of our Bridge Building Award to Bishop John Stowe, OFM, Conv., in recognition of his compassionate ministry, courageous witness, and inspiring leadership on behalf of LGBTQ+ Catholics.The award will be presented at a ceremony on Friday, November 15, 2024, where Bishop Stowe will deliver remarks and a reception will follow. (More details on the time and location of the event are below.)Bishop John Stowe, OFM, Conv.Bishop Stowe was named bishop of the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky...

The Human Rights Campaign initially focused its report card, named the Corporate Equality Index, on ensuring that gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer employees did not face discrimination in hiring and on the job. Just 13 companies received a perfect score in 2002. By last year, 545 businesses did even though the requirements have expanded. But the scorecard itself has come under attack in recent months by conservative activists who targeted businesses as part of a broader pushback against diversity initiatives. Ford, Harley Davidson and Lowe’s are among the companies that announced they would no longer participate in the Corporate...

[Catholic Caucus] In San Diego, Bishop Apologizes to LGBTQ+ Community During Pride MassIn a hopeful sign for LGBTQ+ ministry, six parishes in the Diocese of San Diego celebrated an “All Are Welcome” Mass this summer. At the liturgy, a local bishop apologized to the LGBTQ+ community on behalf of the church and encouraged greater love and inclusion.The Mass, hosted by St. John the Evangelist Church’s LGBTQ Ministry, was held during Pride Month in June. Bishop Ramón Bejarano, an auxiliary bishop in the diocese, presided over the liturgy, joined by seven priests and two deacons as concelebrants.Beginning in song with the...

An amateur Australian soccer team has stirred controversy after the squad, which includes five transgender women, dominated a women-only tournament and claimed the $1,000 prize, according to a report. The Sydney-based Flying Bats FC went undefeated during the four-week tournament, including one game in which one of the transgender women scored six goals en route to a 10-0 beatdown, the Daily Telegraph reported. Some parents pulled their daughters from matches over safety concerns, officials from other soccer clubs in the North West Sydney League told the paper. They believe the Flying Bats, who are backed by Pride Football Australia, should...

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - The chief of the National Guard Bureau, Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, awarded the Alaska National Guard the National Guard Excellence in Diversity Award for its diversity and inclusion efforts. The award, bestowed July 31, began in 2019 and has five categories. It’s presented annually to states and territories, units and individuals who consistently and significantly contribute to diversity and inclusion initiatives and build measurable milestones to achieve success. Alaska won in the “Exemplary States and Territories” category. In a letter to AKNG leadership announcing the award before he retired, Hokanson said: “The dedication of the...

A brief discussion of Dr. Jordan B. Peterson’s court case regarding freedom of speech in Canada. The College of Psychologist’s is forcing mandatory “social media re-training” in order for Jordan to keep his license, after a dozen or so complaints were submitted online about his tweets and Joe Rogan podcasts. The Supreme Court has ruled against his appeal, ruling that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms has no force against the mid level bureaucrats who rule the professional colleges and regulatory boards. This is a blow to all working professionals in Canada who value freedom of speech, to say...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Saturday again decried two gold medalist Olympic athletes, falsely labeling the female boxers as men. Trump made the comments while speaking at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and pledging to “keep men out of women’s sports,” turned his attention to the recently concluded Olympic Games and the case of two athletes who became the subject of international scrutiny regarding misconceptions about their gender. Trump has long criticized transgender people as part of his rallies and focused specifically on transgender athletes, using language about gender identity that LGBTQ+ advocates say is wrong and...

Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson has agreed to attend social-media training as mandated by the College of Psychologists of Ontario, the governing body for the profession in that province. In 2022, the college determined that Peterson, who has gained international fame for his refusal to bow down to transgender ideology and other left-wing causes of the moment, must attend such training or lose his license. “Degrading” Social-media PostsThe college determined that Peterson’s posts on social media, particularly those concerning transgenderism, could be viewed as “degrading.” They noted a post directed against a former city councilor in which Peterson declared that person’s...

Cardinal Gregory praises, celebrates Mass for Fr. James Martin’s LGBT event with heretical speakersCardinal Gregory of DC offered Mass for Fr. James Martin’s ‘Outreach’ conference, which includes pro-LGBT speakers and is organized by Martin’s LGBT activist group that promotes ‘Pride Month,’ homosexual ‘marriage,’ and transgenderism.Archdiocese of Washington, Facebook, Creative CommonsWASHINGTON D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — Addressing participants of Father James Martin’s pro-LGBT “Outreach” conference, D.C.’s Cardinal Wilton Gregory said the heterodox event is aimed at “becoming a more inclusive family of faith.”“In many respects you are engaging in an act of synodality – the vision and invitation proposed by Pope Francis that...

IOC President Thomas Bach said Saturday the “hate speech” directed at boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting at the Paris Olympics is “totally unacceptable.” “We will not take part in a politically motivated … cultural war,” Bach said at a news briefing Khelif of Algeria and Lin of Taiwan have been subjected to days of global scrutiny about their gender. Both women were disqualified at the 2023 world championships. The Russian-led International Boxing Association — which has been banished from the Olympics by the IOC in a yearslong dispute — removed them from the worlds 16 months ago in India...

Kamala Harris made a polarizing cameo on the season nine finale of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars as she urged viewers to make their voices heard at the polls. While making history as the first-ever sitting Vice President of the United States to appear on Paramount+ series' popular reality series, the politician, 59, reminded Americans of the big issues at stake in the 2024 election. In her first campaign ad, which featured Beyoncé’s hit song Freedom playing in the background, Harris showed her support for LGBTQ+ individuals by featuring footage of her among a crowd waving Pride flags. She, then,...

[Catholic Caucus] Fatima shrine rules out removal of Rupnik mosaic amid growing pushback against his artThe decision by the Shrine of Fatima to unquestioningly preserve Fr. Rupnik's work comes as other Catholic sites are beginning to cover or remove the images. Authorities at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal have ruled out removing the mosaics made by discharged priest Father Marko Rupnik, though they have suspended use of his images in promotional materials. In a statement issued to OSV News and subsequently to LifeSiteNews, a spokeswoman for the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima provided clarity on...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Gracias: "Francis Especially Concerned About Homosexuals"The "pastoral outreach" [meaning: capitulation] to homosexual groups will "not be ignored", even though the working document for the October synod omits the propaganda terms "homosexual", "orientation", or "LGBT", Cardinal Oswald Gracias, 79, of Mumbai, India, told CruxNow.com (13 July).He believes in an "inclusive Church, which means everyone [except Catholics]", adding that Francis has been "particularly concerned" about "people of different sexual orientation".The cardinal has been homosexual activist but in this recent interview he is unusually cautious about normalising homosexuality.He referred to "the global complexity of the Catholic Church": "Our Indian situation,...

Cardinal Hollerich: ‘If women do not feel comfortable in the church, we have failed.’The working document, or instrumentum laboris, for next October’s meeting of the Synod of Bishops is “taking up again” the teaching of the Second Vatican Council on the church by focusing on the missionary responsibility of all the baptized in the synodal church. That is what Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the relator general for next October’s synod, said in this exclusive interview with America’s Vatican correspondent.He emphasized the importance of the working document’s attention to affirming and promoting the role of women in the church in the 21st...

The case concerned a Russian transgender man whose two foster children were removed from his home on account of his gender identity and transition. The European Court of Human Rights addressed issues under Article 8 regarding family life. The case involved the termination of custody and a foster care agreement of a trans man (and his husband) caring for two minors, due to his diagnosis of “transsexualism” and change of gender identity. The Russian authorities primarily based their decision on the fact that under Russian law it is impossible for same-sex couples to be foster parents. Also, they cited societal...

[Catholic Caucus] How the Gill Foundation funds the undermining of Church moral teachingAmbassador Scott Miller and his “husband” Tim Gill have now apparently shifted their focus to directly challenging Catholic teachings through providing huge grants to New Ways Ministry.Sister Jeannine Gramick, SL, co-founder of New Ways Ministry, and colleagues meet with Pope Francis on October 17, 2023.George Soros’ Open Society Institute is often blamed for providing funding to faux Catholic organizations—like the now-defunct Catholics United and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good—in an effort to marginalize Catholic teachings on moral issues including abortion and LGBTQ issues. But a more...

[Catholic Caucus] Vatican confirms third study group is looking at issue of ‘female diaconate’Cardinal Mario Grech, a supporter of ‘ordaining’ women to the diaconate, said Pope Francis has tasked the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith of looking into the theme of ‘female deacons.’VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — It was revealed today that a papally-appointed study group examining the issue of the “female diaconate” is comprised of members of the Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).Fielding questions after a Synod on Synodality press conference, Cardinal Mario Grech noted that Pope Francis has tasked the CDF to...

President Biden was in New York Friday for the grand opening of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center on the 55th anniversary of the historic riots that birthed America’s gay rights movement. The 81-year-old, still licking his wounds after his abysmal performance during Thursday’s presidential debate with Donald Trump sent shockwaves across the country, was joined by Gov. Kathy Hochul and legendary musician Elton John at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. The 1969 Stonewall Riots “marked a turning point for civil rights in America and inspired the hearts of millions of people around the world,” Biden said, adding that...