Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] WATCH: Fr. James Martin Twists Sodom and Gomorrah Into A Story About MigrationAnthony Stine exposes how Fr. James Martin is attempting to rewrite scripture. According to Genesis 19, God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah due to the practice of homosexuality. Ezekiel 16:50 adds that a sin of Sodom was that they did “detestable things.” The Hebrew word translated “detestable” refers to something that is morally disgusting. It is the same word used in Leviticus 18:22, where homosexuality is an “abomination.” Jude 1:7 also weighs in: “Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and...

[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...

[Catholic Caucus] Germany approved guidelines for promoting ‘Fiducia supplicans blessings’ during Sede VacanteCoincidence. Or not. But in the midst of the Sede Vacante, on April 23, the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK) and the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) jointly published a pamphlet titled, “Blessings Strengthen Love. Blessings for Couples Who Love Each Other.”According to the German Episcopate, this document adopts “guidelines for pastoral workers on the practice of blessing couples not married by the Church.”“The Church recognizes and offers support to couples united in love,” the document states.“Therefore, the practice, already developed in many places, of accompanying divorced couples...

The outspoken senior pastor of Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, Mark Driscoll, has drawn the ire of pro-life activist and Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins for calling Christian stay-at-home dads "worse than a non-Christian." In a strong rebuke on X Sunday night, Driscoll invoked 1 Timothy 5:8, declaring: "A Christian man who doesn't work is worse than a non-Christian. This includes you, stay-at-home dads." According to 1 Timothy 5:8, "Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." On Tuesday afternoon, Hawkins,...

…Those who take the side of Israel at times will go to the extreme of almost idolizing Israel, where Israel can do no wrong, and praising every move that Israel makes without considering the fact that Israel is not a country run by God-fearing people, nor is it a country that looks to God for direction. On the other side, there are those in the Church who go to the other extreme and blame Israel for every bad thing happening in the world today. Many of these people are calling to boycott Israel in all areas including cutting relations with...

[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...

LifeSiteNews) — A pro-abortion pastor and elected Democrat has called the fight to protect abortion the “sacred choice of every soul,” as part of a new Planned Parenthood initiative. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia (PPAV) has enlisted five Democrats in the Virginia legislature for its “Bros for Repro” campaign to “amplify the voices of men who champion [so-called] reproductive rights and bodily autonomy” through grassroots lobbying and public speaking. The campaign is meant to help elect more Democrats to advance a proposed amendment to the Virginia Constitution establishing a state-level “right” to abortion. Among the participants is state Del. Joshua...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Müller to German bishops: Same-sex ‘blessings’ are ‘diametrically opposed’ to will of GodCardinal Müller said that Christians naturally understand that lifestyles contrary to Christian ethics 'are not blessed by God.'Cardinal Gerhard Müller said that same-sex “blessings” are “a deception” and are “diametrically opposed” to the will of God.In an article published in the German Catholic newspaper Die Tagespost, Cardinal Müller reiterated his critique of so-called same-sex “blessings” in response to two German bishops implementing the heterodox practice in their dioceses.READ: German bishop suggests guidelines for blessing same-sex ‘couples,’ divorced and ‘remarried’“When the Pharisees asked Him the trick...

[NUMEROUS TWITTER/X POSTS AT LINK] Did you know the Bible says not to judge? Apparently it's the only thing the Bible has to say about anything! That was a real post from Chip Gaines of HGTV fame after people learned his new reality show would feature two gay dudes and the boys they adopted. When people started asking why he was platforming sin, Chip threw out a Bible verse out of context: We helpfully tried to respond to Chip, since he has a lot of faithful Christians who have followed his life and career over the years … but he...

[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] Will Leo weigh in on France's criminal chancellor?Only the pope can overrule the Archbishop of Toulouse. Will he do it?A French archbishop is standing by his decision to appoint as chancellor a priest who was convicted of raping a 16-year-old boy, and who spent four years in prison for the offense While Archbishop Guy de Kerimel of Toulouse argues that appointing the priest to a prominent archdiocesan position is an act of mercy, Catholics in France and the U.S. seem skeptical, with some asking why Fr. Dominique Spina is eligible for any diocesan assignment at all.And as the...

[Catholic Caucus] Priest, convicted of child pornography, re-integrated into the Vatican CuriaCarlo Capella, convicted of child pornography, reintegrated into the Vatican CuriaCarlo Alberto Capella: the exemplary reintegration of a Vatican pedophileIn June 2018, InfoVaticana reported the five-year prison sentence of priest Carlo Alberto Capella for possession and exchange of child pornography. Capella, a former diplomat of the Holy See in Washington, was not only not extradited—as requested by US authorities—but, after his return to Rome, he enjoyed freedom of movement within the Vatican for months before his belated arrest. Today, seven years later, we discover that this criminal's reintegration did...

*** In 2025, lawmakers in several states introduced resolutions that urged the Supreme Court to overturn the 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which established same-sex civil marriage nationwide. The North Dakota House and the Idaho House passed resolutions, but both efforts failed when sent to their respective state senates. In most states, the resolutions died in committees. The limited success was in legislative chambers with overwhelming Republican supermajorities. The Idaho House, for example, has a 61-9 Republican majority and passed the resolution in a 46-24 vote. The North Dakota House, with its 81-11 Republican majority, adopted the resolution more...

What Does Pope’s New Bishop Appointment Tell Us About Future of LGBTQ+ Ministry?Since the beginning of Pope Leo XIV’s papacy, very little has been known about the pope’s approach to LGBTQ+ issues. However, Leo’s latest episcopal appointment may provide insight into the pontiff’s leanings on LGBTQ+ pastoral care. The appointment of Fr. Thomas Hennen as Bishop of the Diocese of Baker, Oregon, is Leo’s first episcopal selection who has some sort of record on LGBTQ+ issues. Hennen, a priest of the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, is only 47, and will become the youngest bishop to lead a U.S. diocese.A Religion...

Pope Leo XIV Appoints Pro 'Fiducia-Supplicans' Bishop – For AfricaPope Leo XIV appointed Rev Michel Guillaud on July 11 as Bishop of Constantine–Hippone, Algeria. It is the historic diocese of St Augustine (354-430).Born in 1961 and ordained as a priest in the Diocese of Lyon in 1990, he dedicated his ministry to Arabic and Islamic studies.He arrived in Algeria in 2006 and was assigned to the Diocese of Constantine.Since 2015, he has served as Secretary of the Regional Episcopal Conference of North Africa (CERNA).In this role, he co-worked a notable statement aimed at challenging the narrative that Africa as a...

[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...

The wife of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says she is filing for divorce from the polarizing political figure, citing “biblical grounds” for her decision. Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton took to her official X account on Thursday afternoon to announce that she filed for divorce after 38 years of marriage. “I believe marriage is a sacred covenant and I have earnestly pursued reconciliation. But in light of recent discoveries, I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children, or Ken to remain in the marriage,” she tweeted. “I move forward with complete confidence...

[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] Toulouse, France, archbishop names rape-convicted priest as chancellorThe archbishop of Toulouse, France, has drawn fierce criticism for appointing a priest previously convicted of raping a 16-year-old boy to serve as diocesan chancellor, sparking outrage from victims’ advocates and the local Catholic community.Archbishop Guy de Kerimel named Father Dominique Spina as chancellor and episcopal delegate for marriages, effective Sept. 1, according to a decree published June 2 on the archdiocese’s website. The appointment became public knowledge on July 7, when the regional newspaper La Dépêche du Midi broke the story.Spina was convicted in 2006 by the Tarbes Court of...