Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Curia cardinal hits back over Vatican seating ‘snub’ for transgender activistsCardinal Konrad Krajewski has responded to claims that transgender activists were intentionally excluded from Pope Leo XIV’s top table at the Vatican’s Jubilee Lunch for the Poor. A group of 48 individuals who identify as “transgender women” attended the annual “Lunch for the Poor” at the Vatican on Sunday alongside Pope Leo XIV, with none being seated at the Pope’s main table. In 2023 and 2024, two individuals identifying as “transgender women” were selected to dine at the head table. The arrangement this year prompted some secular newspapers...

[Catholic Caucus] A Vatican II & Francis Moment: Homosexual TV Presenter is Confirmed in NYC Church in the presence of his "husband""Gio" Benitez, an openly homosexual television presenter with ABC News, was confirmed yesterday at the problematic Saint Paul the Apostle parish church in Manhattan -- there was a mass of Paul VI celebrated by homosexual-adjacent homosexuality-promoting Jesuit James Martin, and in the presence of the "husband" of Mr. Benitez, as it can be seen in the video below. These are the fruits of the general looseness of spirits promoted by Vatican II and especially of Francis-approved document on blessings,...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo XIV meets with ‘married’ homosexuals at VaticanThe two homosexual men, one of whom is the founder an AI company, were granted an audience with Leo as part of a delegation of Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez.Pope Leo XIV recently met with two “married” homosexuals during a private audience.“When Brian mentioned to the pope that we are married [sic], we both felt received with warmth and kindness,” wrote Alex Capecelatro, CEO of Josh.ai, on Facebook. He posted pictures of their audience with Leo, which they were granted as a delegation of Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles.Capecelatro...

[Catholic Caucus] What to make of the Italian bishops document on homosexual and transgender lifestylesContinuing months of controversy, the Italian bishops have overwhelmingly approved a document that many argue expresses official support for homosexuality and transgender lifestyles.Much like the Synod on Synodality, the Italian Bishops’ Conference’s multi-year synodal assembly has been marked by controversy over LGBT-related issues.The four-year synodal process convened by the bishops’ conference (known in Italian as the CEI) culminated in a late October vote to overwhelmingly approve the final document. The CEI is led by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi.That vote, originally scheduled for the spring, was delayed until...

Gio Benitez, Openly Gay ABC News Weekend Anchor, Joins Catholic Church and Reaffirms Faith with Husband by His Side“I found the Ark of the Covenant in my heart, stored there by the one who created me … exactly as I am," Benitez wroteNEED TO KNOWGio Benitez, an openly gay ABC News anchor, joined a Catholic church in New York City and celebrated his confirmation mass on social mediaHe said that the special moment was partly inspired by learning more about the late Pope Francis's "legacy of inclusivity"Benitez's husband, Tommy DiDario, served as his sponsorGio Benitez, an ABC News anchor who...

[Catholic Caucus] Fr. Nicola Bux on the Church in Italy and Homosexuality: "The Church cannot change Revelation."Those pastors who argue for the need to change teaching on homosexuality and other moral issues should be reminded that “the Church does not have the authority to change ‘even one iota or one sign’ ” of Revelation, of which the Catechism is a faithful interpreter. The Catechism can “change,” or develop, only in the sense of advancing understanding of the doctrine, but without distorting it. La Bussola interviews Fr. Nicola Bux.On Friday evening, October 24, in Rome, in the Basilica of San Lorenzo...

[Catholic Caucus] German Bishops Publish Homosexual Handbook for Catholic SchoolsOn 30 October, the German Bishops’ Conference published a guide urging Catholic schools to incorporate homosexual ideology. The title is: 'Created, Redeemed and Seduced Loved: Visibility and recognition of sexual identity diversity in schools”. In it, the bishops adopt the vocabulary and assumptions of gender ideology (queer, non-binary, cis, heteronormativity). They blaspheme that God willed homosexual lifestyles. Main problematic quotes, shortened for clarity.- The primacy of love orders all other perspectives – including sexual-moral ones.- Being loved in creation and redemption applies to the human person in all his or her...

[Catholic Caucus] Synodal Apostasy About to Claim its Next VictimNow the spirit of synodality, Satan’s shadow version of the Holy Ghost, seems to be on the verge of ruining another former Catholic country.It is safe to say that through the process of synodality, the German Catholic Church finds itself in full-blown apostasy and tottering on the brink of schism.If not schism from the Post-Conciliar “Church”, then from the One Christ founded.And now the spirit of synodality, Satan’s shadow version of the Holy Ghost, seems to be on the verge of ruining another former Catholic country.On October 25, 2025, the Third...

Turning Point USA chapter denied official status by Loyola University New Orleans student governmentStudents paint Charlie Kirk as bigot in opposition of new chapterA student government body at Loyola University New Orleans has denied a newly-formed chapter of Turning Point USA the ability to become an official student organization on campus."Breaking: Turning Point USA was denied the ability to charter as an organization affiliated with Loyola University New Orleans at the Oct. 15 Student Government Association senate meeting," according to a one-sentence story from the school's newspaper, The Maroon.The denial means that the chapter will not have access to school...

[Catholic Caucus] Chicago priest removed from parish over alleged homosexual grooming of seminariansFather Xamie Reyes, a parish pastor, faces accusations of sexual misconduct against seminarians in the Archdiocese of Chicago, where Cardinal Blase Cupich has presided over a pro-LGBT culture.Father Xamie Reyes, a priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago, has been removed from his parish after being accused of sexual misconduct and grooming seminarians, heterodox Cardinal Blase Cupich announced last week.In an October 18 statement, Cupich announced that Fr. Reyes, who had been the pastor of Little Flower Parish in Waukegan since 2019, was removed from that position pending an...

[Catholic Caucus] Italian synodal document gets new vote after standoff in AprilA previous attempt to vote on the document was met with opposition from critics who said it was too vague on LGBT issues and women's ordination.The Italian synodal assembly is set to vote Saturday on a summary document of the country’s three-year synodal process, after the last attempt to bring the document to a vote in April ended in a standoff. The previous attempt at a vote was halted after progressive members of the assembly reportedly threatened to oppose the text, saying it did not adequately discuss the topics...

[Catholic Caucus] New Georgetown University president: ‘I reject the Church’s teachings on homosexuality’‘Every Catholic educator should vigorously oppose what this man embraced,’ Patrick Reilly of the Cardinal Newman Society told LifeSite. ‘Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep, but Georgetown is leading lambs to the slaughter.’The incoming president of Georgetown University has said he repudiates the Catholic Church’s teachings on homosexuality. He also appeared to criticize the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade.The nominally Catholic, Jesuit university in Washington, D.C., recently announced its selection of Eduardo Peñalver as its new president, to start next year. Peñalver is currently the...

“Gay-Washed” Bible’s imprimatur should be withdrawn. Here’s why.I am grateful to OSV News for reporting on my concerns about the USCCB’s granting of an imprimatur to the New Revised Standard Version updated edition (NRSVue) Bible. I appreciate USCCB Scripture scholar Father Pablo Gadenz responding directly to my concerns. But I found his responses unpersuasive, and I still think the imprimatur should be withdrawn, for the reasons below.First, a recap for readers unfamiliar with the issue. The updated edition of the NRSV, the flagship Bible of Mainline Protestantism, was published in 2022. Protestant Scripture scholar Robert A.J. Gagnon (who literally wrote...

[Catholic Caucus] Leo XIV Praises a Priest Who Fantasized About Boys—and Calls Him a ProphetIn today’s Vatican, the man who wrote of “taking boys to bed” is exalted as holy, while the Mass of the Saints is treated as a threat.A Church That Blesses DisorderIn Germany, Bishop Helmut Dieser of Aachen has formally authorized blessings for “all couples who love each other,” regardless of marital status or sexual orientation. The decree, drawn from the German bishops’ document Segen gibt der Liebe Kraft, makes such ceremonies part of diocesan pastoral life.Hiraeth In Exile is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts...

[Catholic Caucus] Pilgrimage of Blasphemy Desecrated St. Peter's BasilicaI used to think that abortion was the moral evil that would destroy us. While it's certainly a grave moral evil, I now believe that what will destroy us if we don't change is homosexuality, transgender insanity and all the other alphabet disordered depravities. They not only attack marriage and the family; they attack reason itself. They also involve blasphemies against God who supposedly created people in the "wrong bodies." What an insult to the creator. These poor deluded individuals need our prayer and sacrifices big time! Sadly, the pope seems oblivious...

[Catholic Caucus] Austrian bishop appointed by Francis hires homosexual ‘married’ man as personal secretary An Austrian bishop has appointed an openly homosexual and civilly “married” man as his personal secretary.As a report by the blog Novus Ordo Watch revealed, Bishop Johannes Freitag, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Graz-Steckau, has hired Domenik Kainzinger-Webern as his private secretary. Freitag was appointed auxiliary bishop of Graz-Steckau on January 31, 2025, by Pope Francis.A picture on Kainzinger-Webern partner’s Instagram profile shows the two of them commemorating their fourth “wedding” anniversary. A picture on the website of Salinenmusik Altaussee documents their ceremony, which took...

[Catholic Caucus] Fr. James Martin is dead wrong: Homosexuality, gender confusion don’t have to last a lifetimeWhat Fr. Martin insists he knows to be true is at odds with countless stories of men and women who have been and continue to be set free from homosexuality and gender confusion.Father James Martin, S.J., is a dangerous voice within the Catholic Church. He wants to deprive those who experience unwanted same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria from receiving the help they crave. He would prefer to keep men and women, boys and girls, enslaved in lives from which they seek freedom.Commenting on yesterday’s...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Zen condemns LGBT ‘pilgrimage’ in St. Peter’s Basilica: ‘Offense against God’'This was not a Jubilee pilgrimage (where believers renew baptismal vows, repent sins, and commit to reform),' said the emeritus bishop of Hong Kong.Cardinal Joseph Zen has denounced the LGBT pilgrimage in the Vatican and joined the calls of other bishops to do reparation for the desecration of St. Peter’s Basilica.In a Chinese-language statement published on Wednesday, Zen wrote: “Recently, news emerged that an LGBTQ+ organization arranged an event for the Holy Year, where participants entered St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to pass through the Holy Door.”WATCH:...

[Catholic Caucus] Catholics invited to make reparation this weekend for ‘abomination’ of Vatican LGBT eventFour bishops will lead an act of reparation and a rosary in atonement for a sacrilegious pilgrimage that saw thousands of so-called 'LGBT Catholics' process into St. Peter's Basilica.Michael Matt, editor of the Remnant newspaper, is inviting Catholics across the globe to join attendees of this weekend’s Catholic Identity Conference (CIC) in Pittsburgh in making an act of reparation and reciting the holy rosary in reparation for the abomination that took place at the Vatican during the recent LGBT pilgrimage.Matt invites the faithful to join Bishop...

Pope Leo XIV raises pro-LGBT UK archbishop to key Vatican rolesAbp. Bernard Longley, tied to the controversial Soho 'LGBT Masses' and synodal LGBT 'outreach,' has been granted a third Vatican role under the new Pope’s agenda.Pope Leo XIV has promoted a bishop who has supported LGBT-themed liturgies to a consulting position within the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, part of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity under Cardinal Kurt Koch.Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham, England, has received three Vatican appointments since June, despite his long record of support for initiatives in the Church that stand in contradiction to...