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[Catholic Caucus] Cdl. Marx’s same-sex ‘blessing’ guide made ‘in consultation with Rome,’ heterodox theologian claimsLay theologian Thomas Söding said he sees ‘no contradiction’ between Pope Leo XIV and Cdl. Marx, asserting the German blessing guidelines preserve a distinction from sacramental marriage.A German theologian and vice-president of a Catholic lay organization has claimed that Cardinal Reinhard Marx implementing same-sex “blessings” in Germany was done “in consultation with Rome.”Thomas Söding, the vice-president of the heterodox Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), was asked about Pope Leo XIV’s response to Marx implementing “blessings” for “couples of all gender identities” in an interview with...

The early Church of course experienced its own racial and ethnic divide, that between Jew and Gentile. As both were coming into the Body of Christ suspicion and prejudice degenerated into polarization and condescending labeling, which Paul addressed in Ephesians 2. “You who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” (2:13-14). Reconciliation to Christ meant that now “the other” was to become a friend, brother or sister. New levels of respect, appreciation...

On April 26, 1986, a reactor exploded at the Soviet-run Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located some 90 kilometers north of Kyiv in Ukraine, killing 31 people immediately and another 15,000 over the next several years from radiation poisoning. In his appeal, Pope Leo warned about the risk of using increasingly powerful technologies. He expressed his hopes that discernment and responsible decision-making may be carried out regarding nuclear energy. “I hope that at all levels of decision-making, discernment and responsibility may always prevail, so that every use of atomic energy may be at the service of life and peace,” said the...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland responds to Pope Leo’s remarks on homosexual ‘blessings’The recent emphasis on distinguishing between 'formal' and 'informal' blessings, as referenced in Fiducia Supplicans, has led to widespread confusion among the faithful.Editor’s note: This statement by Bishop Joseph Strickland was posted to his X account. LifeSiteNews is republishing it with permission.(LifeSiteNews) — I ask again, are we thinking with the mind of Christ…or with the mind of the world?In response to recent remarks concerning moral priorities and the blessing of those in irregular unions, I offer this clarification for the good of the faithful.The Church, entrusted with the...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men,...

There are, in this fallen world, many mutually contradictory terms, things like “jumbo shrimp,” “trans women,” “pregnant men” and above all, “progressive Christianity.” That’s not to suggest that political progressives can’t have at least a semblance of Christian faith, only that their secular, political faith inevitably tends to overrule Christianity, which is why many of our mainline denominations are split asunder. One side insists that God, and His Word, are eternal, everlasting, unchanging. The other side doesn’t. After all, if the Constitution is a “living” document, changeable—or ignored—at the whim of Democrats, why not God? That’s a question little asked...

A celebration is rising in one of the most haunting places on earth--and for many watching, it feels less like progress and more like a warning echoing from the past. In early June 2026, thousands are expected to gather along the shores of the Dead Sea for "Pride Land," a four-day festival billed as the largest LGBT celebration the Middle East has ever seen. Organizers promise a temporary "Pride City" in the Judean Desert-- complete with hotels, beach venues, music stages, and even family-friendly programming. Israel's official government channels have promoted it with a striking phrase: "Pride rises at the...

Pope Leo XIV clarified April 23 that the Vatican does not support formalized blessing ceremonies for people in same-sex relationships, responding to a question about German Cardinal Reinhard Marx’s plan to introduce such rituals in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. The Pope’s remarks came during an in-flight press conference while returning to Rome after his 11-day apostolic journey across Africa. Asked by a German reporter about Cardinal Marx’s decision, Pope Leo said the Vatican “has made it clear that we do not agree with the formalized blessing of couples, in this case, ‘homosexual couples,’ as you asked, or couples...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo XIV affirms informal blessing for homosexual couples and downplays sexual sinPope Leo affirmed the position outlined in Fiducia Supplicans of informal blessings for those in homosexual unions while opposing a ‘formalized blessing,’ as proposed by German Cardinal Marx.On a return flight from Africa Thursday, Pope Leo XIV responded to a question about the Church in Germany issuing formalized blessings for homosexual couples, saying that the Vatican has objected. He made it clear, however, that the impromptu blessings of homosexual couples and couples in adulterous unions was still permitted as the Vatican document Fiducia Supplicans teaches, contrary...

The Baptist General Convention of Texas (Texas Baptists) is launching a formal review of its 140-year relationship with Baylor University following concerns over a student-organized event featuring LGBT advocates, including the president of the Human Rights Campaign.On Friday, Texas Baptists Executive Director Julio Guarneri sent an email to the convention’s constituency stating that hosting speakers who are Christian, identify as gay and practice LGBT advocacy at a university-approved event is inconsistent with the convention’s views.“While we value the deep, historic bond Baylor University and Texas Baptists have shared for 140 years, and the present ministry taking place on campus through...

Much of ancient Israel’s plight, well documented throughout the Old Testament, was its insatiable thirst for pagan nature worship. This of course was in direct violation of the first two commandments of the Mosaic Law which commanded Israel not to worship any other false god or idol (Exodus 20:3-4). The reason why Israel was forbidden to worship other gods, the natural created order, and idols, was given in Genesis. Genesis 1 presents to the reader an ultimate Creator who made the universe out of nothing through His omnipotent spoken word, and then climaxed the creation process with the making of...

Donald Trump’s Truth Social post against Pope Leo is unprecedented in the history of the presidency and papacy. No president has ever made such a statement, even as previous popes urged peace during wartime and opposed specific U.S. interventions. Our Aubrey Harris noted examples going back to Pope Benedict XV and World War I. Others are detailing examples from throughout the 20th century. They’ve continued into this century. In recent times, President George W. Bush felt no compulsion to publicly denounce Pope John Paul II when the sainted pontiff opposed the U.S. war in Iraq — a war that Donald...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Marx implements Fiducia Supplicans ‘blessings’ for ‘couples of all gender identitiesMarx is calling on priests and full-time staff in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising to implement his ‘blessing’ guidelines for homosexuals, gender-confused people, and the divorced and ‘remarried.’Following Pope Francis’ Fiducia Supplicans, Cardinal Reinhard Marx has introduced heterodox guidelines for the “blessing” of homosexual and other “couples” in sinful relationships in his archdiocese.According to a report by Die Tagespost, Marx has called on priests and full-time staff in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising to implement the controversial guidelines “Segen gibt der Liebe Kraft,” which allows...

<p>On April 16, during the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Bamenda, Cameroon, Fon Fru Asaah Angwafor IV, the tribal leader of the Mankon community, spoke about polygamy. He made the remarks during an interreligious peace meeting in the cathedral.</p>

The UCC is a really interesting denomination because it was once a genuine powerhouse in American Protestantism. The UCC was formed in 1957 through a merger of two older traditions—the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church. And for the record, Congregationalism mattered a lot in early American history. In The American Religious Landscape, I make the point that Congregationalists likely represented the single largest religious tradition during the Revolutionary era. Today, the UCC is best understood as a mashup of Congregational polity—especially its strong emphasis on local church autonomy—and German Reformed theology. It’s one of the so-called...

Richard Dawkins casts the Old Testament God as: "arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction - a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully." (The God Delusion) Dawkins’ description is extreme and one sided, but even Christians struggle...We know that he is the God of life not death, creation not violence, mercy not destruction... Christians take several approaches to the violence of the Old Testament. 1. We can reject the depictions of God here as inconsistent with God as revealed in Jesus...However, this approach is to be rejected because...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men,...

Dear brothers and sisters, Your prayer is an expression of that faith which, according to the words of Jesus, moves mountains (cf. Mt 17:20). Thank you for accepting this invitation to gather here at the tomb of Saint Peter and in so many other places around the world to pray for peace... In the context of the 2003 Iraq war crisis, Saint John Paul II, a tireless advocate for peace, said with deep emotion: “I belong to that generation that lived through World War II and, thanks be to God, survived it. I have the duty to say to all...

How would you live if you knew when you were going to die? I sat down with the former Republican senator Ben Sasse to hear how he is facing his own mortality after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis. For Sasse, cancer brings pain, but also clarity, sharpening his focus on the state of our politics, his wife and three children, and the God he expects to shortly meet.

[Catholic Caucus] German bishop says homosexuality is ‘part of God’s plan of creation,’ attacks gender rolesPro-LGBT Bishop Ludger Schepers argues support for patriarchy is a kind of ‘discrimination’ and warns a return to traditional gender roles represents a ‘threat to freedom and equality.’ A German bishop has raved against “patriarchy” and traditional gender roles while claiming sexual and gender “identity” is part of God’s design for humanity.Ludger Schepers, auxiliary bishop of Essen and “Queer affairs representative” of the German Bishops’ Conference, lamented in comments to the Catholic press agency KNA that the Church has “not only tolerated but actively promoted”...