Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Madrid’s cardinal welcomes dissident LGBT group prior to annual gatheringFrom August 21 through 25, the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics will hold its fifth annual meeting to discuss 'the future of LGBTQ+ Catholics.' An international group of dissident “LGBT Catholics” preparing for an annual gathering of similar organizations was received warmly by the cardinal of Madrid this week, although the group advocates against Catholic teaching.From August 21 through 25, the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics (GNRC) will hold its fifth annual meeting. Taking place in Madrid, the event will see groups and individuals gather to discuss “the future...

[Catholic Caucus] San Diego bishop celebrates LGBT ‘All are Welcome’ Mass, allows ‘drag queen’ activist to speakSAN DIEGO (LifeSiteNews) — Auxiliary Bishop Ramón Bejarano recently celebrated St. John the Evangelist Church’s annual “All are Welcome” LGBT “Pride” Mass and allowed “Nicole” Murray-Ramirez, an LGBT “drag queen” activist and longtime San Diego City Commissioner, to speak during the Mass. Bejarano was the celebrant of the July 13 Sunday Mass, which was organized by St. John’s “LGBTQ Ministry” and had the full backing of the Diocese of San Diego under Bishop Michael Pham, one of Pope Leo XIV’s first bishop’s appointments. During...

Comedian Jon Stewart tore into CBS on Monday for canceling “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert, which the network described as a “financial” decision. Stewart, during the latest episode of “The Daily Show,” defended his friend and raised the possibility that the move could be an effort to appease President Trump, who has railed against Colbert at times on social media. “Watching Stephen exceed all expectations in the role and become the number one late-night show on television has been an undeniable great pleasure for me as a viewer and as his friend, and now Stephen has been canceled for...

[Catholic Caucus] Vatican’s Homosexual Network: Protected by the Secretariat of State“Twenty years of scandals, and the Vatican - to be more specific, the Vatican Secretariat of State - has learned nothing”, writes Phil Lawler on CatholicCulture.org (July 17).He comments on the case of Rev Carlo Capella. The priest was imprisoned in Vatican City for possessing and distributing child pornography, yet he has returned to work in the Holy See’s diplomatic service — first without an official title, and now with a formal senior designation.An official labelled the scandal as 'an act of mercy'.Lawler asks: “Mercy? Not mercy toward the teenagers...

Obama Says Fathers Aren’t Enough, Boys Need Gay and Non-Binary Friends [WATCH]Former President Barack Obama addressed speculation about his marriage and shared his views on male development and friendships during a recent appearance on “The Light Podcast,” hosted by his wife, Michelle Obama.Obama used the episode to dismiss circulating rumors about their marriage, while also focusing on what he believes are necessary influences in the lives of young men.In particular, he emphasized the importance of having gay and “non-binary” friends as a means to develop empathy and perspective.“That’s one of the things that I think a lot of times boys...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Joseph Strickland: Statement on the Lavender Mafia and the St. Gallen MafiaThe Lavender Mafia undermined the Church’s credibility through sin and scandal. The St. Gallen group weakened her witness through strategic manipulation of leadership and teaching.Editor’s note: The following was originally published on Bishop Joseph Strickland’s Substack on July 14, 2025.(LifeSiteNews) — In a recent post, I spoke of what many refer to as the “Lavender Mafia.” This term is commonly used to describe a hidden network of clergy within the Church who engage in or protect homosexual activity, form alliances based on mutual secrecy, and often...

[Catholic Caucus] German bishop suggests guidelines for blessing same-sex ‘couples,’ divorced and ‘remarried’Bishop Georg Bätzing recommended implementing heretical 'blessings' for 'divorced and remarried couples, couples of all gender identities and sexual orientations.'Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, president of the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK), recommended implementing the conference’s official guidelines for the “blessings” of same-sex “couples,” the divorced and civilly “remarried,” and other irregular unions in his diocese this week.The Diocese of Limburg published Bätzing’s recommendation to implement the heterodox “blessings” in its official diocesan journal on July 9. The bishop’s recommendation follows April announcement from the German Bishops’ Conference and...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland: Follow-up to my statement on Bishop-elect HennenMany faithful Catholics have expressed concern over my recent comments regarding Pope Leo XIV’s appointment of Fr. Thomas Hennen as Bishop-elect of Baker. I write now not to backtrack, but to clarify and deepen what must be said – for the sake of the flock and for the integrity of the Church.A bishop is a shepherd, yes – but also a watchman. And if the watchman sounds the alarm only once the wolves are already among the sheep, many souls will be devoured. The shepherd’s call must go out when...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland: No more Lavender Mafia!As bishops, we have a sacred duty to cry out to Our Holy Father: if you are serious about reform, dismantle this network of confusion.With the appointment of Fr. Thomas Hennen, bishop-elect, as bishop of Baker, Oregon, we face a troubling reality: instead of correcting the trajectory set by Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV is doubling down on it – deepening the ambiguity that has plagued the Church.Fr. Hennen is not merely a well-meaning pastor – he was intimately involved in drafting pastoral guidelines that blur the clear lines of Catholic teaching on...

[Catholic Caucus] Catholic ‘LGBT ministry’ supported by British cardinal marches in London ‘pride’ paradeLGBT+ Catholics Westminster is the official LGBT ministry of the Archdiocese of Westminster, which is led by Cardinal Vincent Nichols.A ministry of “LGBT Catholics” backed by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the archbishop of Westminster, participated in London’s annual “gay pride” parade over the weekend.The LGBT+ Catholics Westminster, the official LGBT ministry of the Archdiocese of Westminster, the country’s largest diocese, marched in the 2025 Pride in London Parade on July 5. The group promotes LGBT ideology regularly hosts “LGBT Masses,” and has participated in previous London “pride” parades.Per...

[Catholic Caucus] Fr. James Martin blasphemously compares Pete Buttigieg’s homosexual ‘parenting’ to the Holy TrinityBased on the Church's teaching against homosexual acts and same-sex 'marriage,' the Church does not permit same-sex 'couples' to adopt children.During the second episode of his “The Spiritual Life” podcast, featuring openly homosexual former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, heterodox Jesuit priest Father James Martin sacrilegiously compared Buttigieg’s “fatherhood” to the Blessed Trinity.On the June 24 podcast, Buttigieg described his “fatherhood” to his two adopted children, whom he is raising with his “husband” (the full exchange is viewable below from 34:31-37:52), prompting Martin to compare his...

[Catholic Caucus] Heterodox German bishop calls for change to traditional Church teaching on genderThe Catechism of the Catholic Church recognizes that '[e]veryone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity.'Bishop Heinrich Timmerevers of the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen has recently challenged traditional Church doctrine by questioning its stance on “gender identity.”In a recent interview covered by Katholisch.de, taken from the new issue of the “Herder Thema” series, titled “Visibly Recognized: Diversity of Sexual Identities,” Timmerevers claimed that new philosophies must be considered in the development of Church doctrine.“This requires a new way of thinking, which is expressed in Church...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo appoints Cardinal Roche, same-sex ‘blessing’ supporters to Dicastery for Consecrated LifeThe new members include 5 cardinals – including Cardinal Arthur Roche – 5 bishops, 4 priests, 4 religious women, and one lay woman.Pope Leo today appointed a rank of members to the Vatican office overseeing religious orders and the Latin Mass communities, including some cardinals who have opposed the traditional Mass and supported blessings for same-sex couples.As outlined in the Holy See Press Office bulletin on June 24, Leo XIV appointed 19 new members to the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic...

[Catholic Caucus] Jesuit university in Chile hosts ‘pride prayer’ event, blesses LGBT rainbow flagCiting Pope Francis and Fiducia Supplicans, Jesuit priest Father Rodrigo Garcia, who heads the university's student ministry, said he did not view the ceremony as controversial. Alberto Hurtado University, a Chilean Jesuit institution, recently held a “pride prayer” ceremony in which students of “diverse sexual orientations,” along with a pride flag, received a blessing.The event, said to be the first of its kind at any university in Chile, was just one of the many scheduled on campus for the university’s “Pride Week” planned this June, and has...

[Catholic Caucus] Heterodox Jesuit parish publishes blasphemous image of Trinity as female with LGBT ‘pride’ flagThe bulletin for St. Joseph and St. Therese churches in Seattle featured a mockery of Andrei Rublev's 15th-century Holy Trinity icon depicting three women sitting by a 'pride' flag.A Jesuit-run Catholic parish marked Holy Trinity Sunday by publishing a blasphemous icon depicting the Blessed Trinity as women that included an LGBT “Pride” flag.The first page of the parish bulletin for St. Joseph and St. Therese churches, dated June 15, Holy Trinity Sunday, featured a mockery of Andrei Rublev’s 15th-century Holy Trinity icon depicting three women...

New York bishop laments LGBT flag ripped from church while allowing blasphemous ‘pride’ MassBishop Douglas Lucia of Syracuse has permitted a ‘pride’ Mass featuring a ‘transgender’ female Episcopalian as the homilist even as he condemned the tearing down of an LGBT flag at the same church.The bishop of Syracuse, New York, decried the removal of an LGBTQ “pride” flag from a parish in his diocese as “unfortunate.”Over the night of June 6–7, an unidentified Catholic man ripped down a “pride” flag from All Saints Catholic Church in Syracuse, the parish website revealed.During a subsequent, blasphemous “pride” Mass at the church,...

[Catholic Caucus] Catholic man rips down, burns ‘pride’ flag from heterodox New York parishAn anonymous man, who says he is a recent Catholic convert, stole and burned a ‘pride’ flag from heretical, pro-LGBT All Saints Catholic Church in Syracuse, New York.An anonymous man has stolen and burned a “pride” flag that was flown outside an openly heterodox, pro-LGBT Catholic parish in Syracuse, New York.Over the night of June 6-7, a Catholic man, whose identity remains unknown, ripped down a “pride” flag from All Saints Catholic Church in Syracuse, New York, according to the parish website.“As noted at our masses last...

Alarming trend: 50,000 children in Germany are living with homosexual ‘couples’(LifeSiteNews) — 50,000 children in Germany are living with homosexual “couples,” showing an alarming increase over the last decade.In 2024, there were 208,000 homosexual households in Germany, and 31,000 of these had children under the age of 18 living with them, according to the German Federal Statistical Office.A total of 50,000 children are growing up in these so-called “rainbow families.” Seventy percent of these households consist of two lesbians (two “mothers”), while the other 30 percent are homosexual men (two “fathers”), according to a report by the German Tagespost.In 2016,...

Canada issues ‘Places of Pride’ stamps celebrating ‘2SLGBTQIA+’ historyThe stamps were designed by LGBT artist Tim Singleton. His Instagram page includes posts reading 'everyone has an HIV status' and 'there's no place like homo.'OTTAWA, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — While some organizations are dropping their support for LGBT causes, the Canadian government is pushing full steam ahead by releasing stamps to celebrate “pride.”On May 29, the Canada Post, a government-run organization, announced it is issuing “Places of Pride” stamps to mark “pivotal moments” in LGBT history.“Canada Post announces Places of Pride, recognizing four vital places for 2SLGBTQIA+ in Canada,” the group wrote...

[Catholic Caucus] German archdiocese issues sex ed guidelines encouraging homosexuality, transgenderism in childrenThe Archdiocese of Hamburg in Germany has published new guidelines for sexual education promoting homosexuality and transgenderism.“With a new conceptual framework for sex education in Catholic schools, the Archdiocese of Hamburg is sending a clear signal in favor of contemporary, value-oriented, and scientifically sound sex education,” the archdiocese wrote in its press release.The guidelines, entitled “Male, female, diverse: Concept framework for sex education at Catholic schools in the archdiocese of Hamburg,” will be binding for all Catholic schools in the diocese.However, the document blatantly contradicts Catholic teaching on...