Free Republic

Biden admin expands Title IX to include ‘gender identity,’ sparking conservative backlashThe Biden administration’s updated Title IX regulations extend the discrimination prohibition to encompass ‘sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.’The Biden administration published on Friday changes to the Title IX discrimination law to now include “gender identity,” setting the stage for legal fights with nearly half the states, which have passed laws to protect women and children from the transgender ideology.The newly published Title IX regulations expand the federal government’s prohibition against “discrimination” to now include under its umbrella “discrimination based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender...

Pope Francis reportedly praises pro-abortion Democrat Sen. Warnock for being ‘anchored’ in his ‘faith’Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, a liberal Protestant pastor who promotes homosexual ‘marriage’ and virtually unlimited abortion, said Pope Francis commended him for being ‘grounded in your faith.’Pope Francis reportedly praised Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock, a liberal Protestant pastor and strong supporter of abortion and homosexuality, for remaining “anchored” in his “faith.”Warnock, who has described himself as a “pro-choice pastor,” has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood, and co-sponsored the so-called “Respect for Marriage Act” that codified homosexual “marriage” in U.S. federal law, met with Francis on Saturday....

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Fernández defends Fiducia Supplicans, says Pope Francis ‘has expanded our understanding’Cardinal Fernández said Pope Francis has the ‘right’ to endorse homosexual ‘blessings’ in contradiction to Catholic teaching and that the matter is ‘close to the Pope’s heart.’VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Víctor Manuel Cardinal Fernández has defended Fiducia Supplicans, which endorses “blessing” homosexual “couples,” saying that “Pope Francis has expanded our understanding of blessings” and “he has the right to do so.”Speaking at the April 8 press conference presenting Dignitas Infinita – the latest document published by Fernández’s Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith –...

[Catholic Caucus] Tucho's Embarrassing Presentation of Dignitas InfinitaTucho Fernández began the presentation of the endless document "Infinite Dignity" on 8 April by reaffirming his support for Francis' discredited propaganda piece "Fiducia Supplicans".He amused his audience by stating that "Francis has broadened our understanding of blessings" and protesting that "there are these kinds of blessings that do not meet the requirements of those in a liturgical context" - although this theory has long been refuted.He believes that Francis has the right to invent "blessings" and sees a precedent in Francis' complete rejection of the death penalty.Tucho Fernández expressed his hope that...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Fernández’s Dignitas Infinita condemns abortion, gender theory but is silent on homosexualityIn the newly released text Cardinal Victor Fernández criticizes abortion and the rejection of gender differentiation as attacks on human dignity, while neglecting to discuss homosexuality.VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández has released his long-anticipated document on human dignity, written in line with Pope Francis’ encyclical Fratelli Tutti and modern teaching on dignity, which condemns abortion and surrogacy while notably remaining silent on homosexuality.Released via press conference April 8 – the transferred feast of the Annunciation – the new text, Dignitas infinita, aims to...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Fernández calls for change to Catholic condemnation of homosexuality as ‘intrinsically disordered’VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández issued a call for the Catholic description of homosexual acts as “intrinsically disordered” to be changed, saying a “clearer” expression would be better.Speaking at an April 8 press conference launching the Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith’s (CDF) new text Dignitas Infinita, Fernández fielded questions regarding homosexuality and the Catholic Church’s teaching on the topic. READ: Cardinal Fernández’s Dignitas Infinita condemns abortion, gender theory but is silent on homosexualityThe cardinal was asked if it is...

Vatican backtracks, approves pro-homosexual priest as theology dean at Italian collegeThe Vatican rejected Fr. Martin Lintner as theology dean at Brixen’s Philosophical-Theological College last year over his support for homosexuality, but his views remain unchanged.BRIXEN, South Tyrol (LifeSiteNews) — The Vatican has approved a priest to become dean of theology in the Philosophical-Theological College in Brixen, less than one year after the Vatican rejected him for the position over his heterodox views on homosexuality. In a series of posts April 3, it was announced that Fr. Martin Lintner would assume the role of dean of theology at Brixen’s influential Philosophical-Theological...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Grech sets out vision for ‘rainbow’ synodal ChurchThe Secretary General of the Vatican’s Synod of Bishops used an interview with a Swiss newspaper last week to lay out a vision for the Church, which addressed several contentious issues, including women’s ordination, same-sex blessings, and division among the world’s bishops. Cardinal Mario Grech. Image via Archdiocese of ManilaIn the March 21 interview Cardinal Mario Grech described that he believes synodality can help the Church move from “uniformity of thought” to “unity in difference,” while reshaping the exercise of authority within global Catholicism.As the chief organizer of the global...

Assessing ‘Fiducia Supplicans’: The First 100 DaysMarch 27 marks 100 days since the Vatican published Fiducia Supplicans, an instruction on blessings of persons in irregular unions. And while the controversy it stirred in the Church in the West has somewhat abated, opposition to the document and how it was implemented continues apace.Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, who drafted a pan-African bishops’ statement in January rejecting “blessings for same-sex couples in the African Churches,” has not relented in his criticisms, going so far as to say in a March 17 interview that the continent saw...

[Catholic Caucus] Church must rethink its 'anachronistic' sexual ethic: priestRonaldo Zacharias, a moral theologian, feels Catholic theology not helping people integrate sexuality into their personhood Father Ronaldo Zacharias (left) is pictured with Pope Francis while attending the International Congress of Moral Theology from May 13-14, 2022, at the VaticanThe Catholic Church's "established, dogmatic models of the theological approach to sexuality have become anachronistic," a moral theologian told a conference on sexuality and culture at the John Paul II Pontifical Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences in Rome.Developing a new theological ethics of sexuality is "a task for the entire church...

[Catholic Caucus] Joe Hosts a HereticPresident Biden hosted a cadre of heretics at his St. Patrick's Day party, including Fr. James Martin.Joe Biden is a heretic who eats and drinks his own spiritual death every time he unworthily takes Communion, which is all the time. So, it is unsurprising Old Joe hosted another well-known heretic, Fr. James Martin, S.J., at the White House last Sunday for St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick chased the snakes out of Ireland, and here was Old Joe allowing them to slither into the White House. Joe Biden is a heretic who eats and drinks his...

[Catholic Caucus] Austria: Bishop Promotes a "God of Diversities"Homosexual activist Wilhelm Krautwaschl, 61, aka Bishop of Graz-Seckau, Austria, is promoting a prayer to a hitherto unknown idol which he calls "god of diversity" and who created "not only man or woman - no", reports Kath.net.During Lent, his diocesan bureaucrats sent propaganda texts by email or WhatsApp.On 7 March, the text was entitled "Under the Rainbow", written by a certain Marlies Prettenthaler-Heckel, a "theologian" paid as a "consultant" for the diocesan pastoral office. Her text is as follows:"God of diversity / You make everything so beautifulThere is not only blue or...

[Catholic Caucus] A German Bishop: Words and Deeds Can Contradict Each OtherHomosexual [pseudo] blessings are the beginning of a further "development of doctrine", Monsignor Helmut Dieser, the Bishop of Aachen, Germany, told Katholisch.de (19 March).The term "development of doctrine" is often used by heretics to mean "betrayal of the faith."Monsignor Dieser says that with the text 'Fiducia Supplicans', Francis has made it clear "that action does not have to reflect doctrine one-to-one". He overlooks the fact that this is the definition of hypocrisy.For him, 'Fiducia Supplicans' indicates "indirectly" that the doctrine has a potential for "further development" [he means: disintegration]....

[Catholic Caucus] "I've gotten used to being hated," says defender of LGBT Catholics James MartinAmerican Jesuit priest James Martin is one of world's leading advocates for welcoming homosexuals in the Church and offering blessings for same-sex couples.Inside one of the many skyscrapers in the center of Manhattan, James Martin heads to his office at America, the Jesuit magazine where he is an editor. Martin's workspace is filled with objects that evoke his personal journey as a Jesuit priest who has worked with gang members in Boston as well as refugees in Kenya.Next to his computer, there's a photo of him...

[Catholic Caucus] Open Letter to Archbishop of Atlanta on the LGBTQ Scandal at Immaculate Conception Shrine NAMEADDRESS14 March 2024The Most Rev. Gregory Hartmayer (archbishop@archatl.com)Archdiocese of Atlanta2401 Lake Park Dr SESmyrna, GA 30080Your Excellency, I ask you to stop the scandal being given by personnel at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Atlanta (cf. can. 212 §2-3). Two men are being given positions of prominence who claim to be women and are being addressed by incorrect names/pronouns. At Holy Mass, the only persons who are supposed to be serving at the altar are those who are known for their good...

[Catholic Caucus] Harrison Butker calls out Cardinal Dolan’s silence on ‘transgender funeral’: Someone should be ‘fired’Harrison Butker said he was invited to go on Cardinal Dolan’s show but told Dolan he would not ‘unless something is addressed with what happened at St. Patrick's Cathedral.’NFL kicker and Super Bowl champion Harrison Butker has criticized Cardinal Timothy Dolan for his handling of the scandalous “transgender funeral” held in St. Patrick’s Cathedral.In a recent interview with EWTN journalist Montse Alvarado, Butker was asked about the letter he had reportedly sent to Dolan to express his anger at the sacrilegious display in the iconic...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Schneider likens Pope Francis’ support of homosexual ‘blessings’ to emperor without clothesThe faithful bishop accused the Vatican of using ‘mental gymnastics’ that are ‘an insult to our reason' in its promotion of blessings for gay couples.Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Astana, Kazakhstan, has exhorted Catholics to call out Pope Francis for his support of homosexual couple “blessings,” just like a child called out an emperor for being “naked” in Hans Christian Anderson’s folktale “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”In a Thursday interview with podcaster Father Daniel Maria Klimek, Bishop Schneider commented on the widespread condemnation of Fiducia Supplicans by prelates...

Coptic Orthodox break dialogue with Vatican over homosexual ‘blessings’The move comes despite a close personal friendship between Pope Francis and Patriarch Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox.. WADI EL-NATRUN, Egypt (LifeSiteNews) — The Coptic Orthodox Church has condemned same-sex blessings and suspended its ecumenical dialogue with the Catholic Church citing a “change of position” from the Vatican about homosexuality.In a statement issued March 7, the Coptic Orthodox Church announced that it would be ceasing its dialogue with the Catholic Church:After consulting with the sister churches of the Eastern Orthodox family, it was decided to suspend the theological dialogue with the...

[Catholic Caucus] Theologian rebukes Vatican News’ defense of Fiducia Supplicans: ‘Non-liturgical’ blessings don’t existVatican News editor Andrea Tornielli’s defense of homosexual ‘blessings’ ‘is deceptive and constitutes a shameless falsification, perhaps with the intention of pleasing the court,’ Monsignor Nicola Bux wrote.The prominent Vatican theologian Monsignor Nicola Bux has rejected a recent defense of Fiducia Supplicans made by the Vatican’s official news portal, saying there is no such thing as a non-liturgical blessing.“There is no such thing as a blessing that is not liturgical, when it is made by an ordained minister, who exercises the munus sanctificandi with and in the...

[Catholic Caucus] ‘Blessing’ homosexual couples ‘flings the door open’ to the demonic, exorcist’s assistant warnsKyle Clement, assistant to exorcist priest Fr. Ripperger, warned that the ‘real danger’ in blessing homosexual ‘couples’ is that ‘it affirms the soul' in mortal sin, 'this becomes a millstone moment for the priest.’Fr. James Martin gives a same-sex blessing in New York, the day after Fiducia Supplicans was published. In a multi-part interview with LifeSiteNews, Kyle Clement, assistant to well-known exorcist Father Chad Ripperger, both of whom have long experience in exorcism and deliverance ministry, explained the way in which Freemasonry is rooted in Satanism,...