Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Kraków was John Paul II’s diocese. Now a trans activist helps plan its future 'I am changing the Church from inside,' said the trans activist, a formerly married father of one. Pope John Paul II’s Polish diocese is embracing gender ideology, even going so far as to welcome a gender-confused “trans” activist into its synodal process.The Archdiocese of Krakow released its Report of Synodal Work, marking the conclusion of the first stage of the Second Pastoral Synod. Both were influenced by 54-year-old trans activist Maria Minakowska (born Marek Jerzy Minakowski). The document proposes creating pastoral “safe havens” for...

There’s a list of celebrities supporting Mark Ruffalo after the “Avengers” star’s latest anti-Israel bombast. Gina Carano might have settled for just one A-list defender. Or even a D-list dweller. Ruffalo’s chronic anti-Israel rhetoric finally caught up with the 58-year-old actor. Several Jewish groups chastised his recent anti-Paramount merger rhetoric wrapped in what some called antisemitic tropes. “Larry Ellison will own most of ‘Para Bros.’ Larry is a classic Oligarch. They are crushing workers and consolidating the wealth of the world for their own power and concentrated dominance.”

SSPX Barred from Marian Shrines While Interfaith and LGBTQ Events Are Welcomed In the last two weeks, the SSPX has been barred from two of Europe’s most famous Marian shrines: Lourdes and Mariazell. But interfaith prayer and LGBTQ-themed events have been welcomed... Who or what exactly is being protected here?The Irony of The Vatican’s Logic of Exclusion: When Those Who Defend the Blessed Virgin Mary Are Barred from Her Shrines There is a bitter irony unfurling in the Catholic Church in 2026, one that explicitly exposes the contradictions at the crux of its present institutional crisis. Within the span of...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo approves his seventh bishop for Chinese Communist ‘Catholic’ church The Vatican reported that the new bishop of Datong was appointed ‘under the framework of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China.’A bishop of Datong was consecrated in China today with the approval of Pope Leo XIV under the controversial Vatican-China deal. Pope Leo XIV appointed Paolo Liu Honggang Bishop of Datong in Shanxi, China, on August 10, “following the approval of his candidacy under the framework of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China,”...

SSPX is actually more faithful to Vatican II than the Vatican itselfLeo XIV and his Vatican actually reject certain key portions of Vatican II — on doctrinal development and ecumenism — that the SSPX accepts. When Leo XIV condemned the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) for refusing “to accept certain fundamental elements of the Church, beginning with various points of the Second Vatican Council,” most Catholics might have inferred that the pope considered complete acceptance of the teachings of Vatican II to be an essential requirement of the Faith. As such, it could come as a surprise to many...

Suicide is Canonized, Another Latin Mass is Banned, and an Openly “Gay” Priest Gives Lectures on “Living Queer.” Meanwhile the SSPX is in “Schism.”A suicide memorial, Lutheran worship in a Catholic sanctuary, a suppressed Latin Mass, and the boundaries of Leo XIV’s open-door ChurchChicago’s Pastoral CanonizationOn June 26, the Archdiocese of Chicago dedicated a memorial called At Peace near the main entrance of Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois. The memorial offers families affected by suicide a place for prayer, remembrance, and mourning. Bishop Lawrence Sullivan described it as a visible sign that grieving families remain within God’s loving...

Bishop who warns against going to SSPX Masses took part in interfaith Hanukkah ceremonyThe bishop of the Diocese of San Angelo, Texas, warned Catholics not to attend Masses offered by the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) after the announcement of its bishops’ excommunications even though the San Angelo prelate has himself participated in an interfaith Hanukkah ceremony, an objectively immoral act.Bishop Michael J. Sis issued a letter on Monday reiterating the Vatican’s claim regarding the SSPX: that priests of the SSPX “unlawfully administer the sacraments” and that “the sacrament of penance administered by them and marriages witnessed by them...

Écône: A Sign of Contradiction? - by Côme de Prévigny Écône: A Sign of Contradiction?by Côme de Prévigny*It has been repeated with evident satisfaction over the past few days: "The matter is settled. The schism is consummated. There is nothing more to expect from the SSPX." Very well. Granted. We should have turned the page by now. And yet the file stubbornly refuses to close and continues to occupy a prominent place in the news.The extraordinary shockwave that has shaken social media and Catholic circles reveals, on the contrary, an affair far from resolved. Episcopal consecrations without a pontifical mandate...

The United Nations International School, a private school for the children of employees of the global body, canceled an end-of-year school dance after students wrote antisemitic and homophobic messages in each other’s yearbooks. The incident occurred during yearbook distribution to M4 students, the school’s eighth-grade class, last week. Administrators at the school were alerted by the early afternoon that hate speech, including swastikas and antisemitic and homophobic remarks, had been written in the autograph sections of multiple yearbooks, according to emails sent to parents and staff, which JNS viewed. The school immediately confiscated as many yearbooks as it could and...

Vatican Threatens SSPX Excommunication Ahead of Consecrations, Faces Double Standard AccusationsA new rupture between Rome and the SSPX may be imminent as the Vatican reportedly prepares excommunications over unauthorized episcopal consecrations. Yet at the same time, Pope Leo XIV’s meeting with a female Anglican “archbishop” is fueling accusations of theological double standards. Is the Church witnessing a replay of 1988—or something even more consequential?The grapevine from the Eternal City has it that the Vatican is allegedly intent on SSPX excommunication (of it’s bishops and priests) over the upcoming July 1 episcopal consecrations without papal approval, reeking of Pope John Paul...

South Africa Now Hunting Down African Immigrants, Asking Them To Leave.

Priest: ‘Too many in the Church’ would rather condemn the SSPX instead of abortion, sodomyThe Vatican/SSPX dispute is an unfortunate situation for sure. But is it an intrinsically evil act to ordain bishops without the Pope's approval?I get most all of my news regarding the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals from an old married couple at the nursing home. When I pop in they are almost always glued to the TV, watching sports.On a recent visit I was somewhat surprised when the topic of religion came up before athletics. Before we started in about the Chiefs’ backfield or the Royals’...

The House on Wednesday batted down an effort from Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) to publicly release all reports on file with the House Ethics Committee on investigations into members of Congress regarding allegations of sexual harassment of staff or of a sexual relationship with a member of their staff.In a 357-65-1 vote, the chamber moved to refer the matter to the House Ethics Committee — a move that essentially kills the effort. Thirty-eight Republicans and 27 Democrats voted against referring the resolution to the panel. *** The resolution directs the Ethics Committee to make public, within 60 days after adoption,...

[Catholic Caucus] Op-Ed: Will the SSPX Reach an Agreement with Pope Leo XIV?The announcement of new episcopal consecrations within the Society of Saint Pius X, followed by a swift reaction from the Vatican, raises a question that has been returning for nearly four decades: can the "Lefebvrists" and the Pope reach a lasting agreement? This time, however, the context is entirely different from that of 1988—both doctrinally and ecclesially.The answer is yes—at least in the sense in which I pose the question. The title must be journalistic and provocative, but in reality the issue goes far deeper than a simple...

“But, as you know, it is not a crime to party with Mr Epstein,” Blanche told Ingraham. “And so, as horrible as it is, it’s not a crime to email with Mr Epstein. Messages from billionaire Elon Musk asked Epstein when his wildest party would be and discussed visiting his notorious island, with the phrase “girls FTW!” included in one email.

A long line of left-wing celebrities and members of the Hollywood elite have jumped to their social media to decry ABC’s decision to shelve comedian Kimmy Kimmel after her spread disinformation about Charlie Kirk’s killer on his ratings-challenged late-night show. None of these supposed “free speech” advocates spoke up when conservatives were cancelled for far less. Several celebrities, comedians, and others who still have an X account, blasted ABC’s decision and urged people to stand up for the biased, far-left, late-night talk show host. Two members of the Hollywood elite decried this supposed attack on Kimmel’s free speech and both...

It turns out that Mexicans are as happy about US citizens legally moving to Mexico as US citizens are about Mexicans illegally crossing the border to live in the United States. Sure, Americans are bringing their money--not asking the government to pick up the tab for their lifestyles--but the influx is apparently raising housing prices and diluting Mexican culture. If you are in the United States illegally and wish to join the next protest in Mexico City, use the CBP Home app to facilitate your departure. https://t.co/P2vKuhbp65— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 6, 2025Now that's a twist I bet you didn't...

Liberalism is dead and liberals killed it.. A handful of years after they cheered a president flanked by armed soldiers declaring half the countries to be enemies of the state, liberals are denouncing President Trump as a dangerous authoritarian. The misinformation censors of yesteryear have suddenly discovered that they love free speech and the men who filled D.C. with federal troops worry about the right to protest. This born-again liberalism fools absolutely no one except the fools virtue signaling it. The majority of liberals cast aside liberal values, they learned to deplore meritocracy, fair play, freedom of speech and all...

Talk about unintended consequences! In 2023, Maryland Democrats voted to stick it to the Catholic-Church by lifting the statute of limitations on suing for child sexual abuse after an investigative report of the Archdiocese of Baltimore showed over 600 children had been abused there since the 1940s. Now, this might have been well intentioned, but it was also a clear attempt, and a successful one, to damage the Catholic Church in Maryland. But while the lawmakers were busy high-fiving the destruction of those awful Catholics, they ended up stepping in their own trap. Much to their chagrin, they had forgotten...

The False Teachers: Ellen G. WhiteA few weeks ago I set out on a new series of articles through which I intend to scan the history of the church—from its earliest days all the way to the present time—to examine some of Christianity’s most notorious false teachers. Along the way we will visit such figures as Arius, Pelagius, Fosdick, and even a few you might find on television today. We continue this morning with a false teacher—the first woman in the series—who has around 18 million followers in the world today.Ellen G. White