Free Republic

[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“Gay-Washed” Bible’s imprimatur should be withdrawn.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 But I found his responses unpersuasive, and I still think the imprimatur should be withdrawn, for the reasons below.First, a recap for readers unfamiliar with the issue.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...

One summer morning my husband and I stepped into a Catholic hospital through a main entrance we both knew well. It was where he was born, where he practiced almost daily as a family physician for 35 years, where we returned to countless specialist visits, outpatient appointments, palliative care meetings with dear friends, and the joy of welcoming babies in the maternity ward. For us, the hospital was a constant holy presence, an unwavering witness to the dignity of life. But this visit brought something unexpected into view. On the left wall, a new mural of muted mountains and shoreline...

Dame Sarah Mullally was named the first female archbishop of Canterbury last week, and received immediate criticism over her apparent support for abortion. Key Takeaways: * The Church of England announced its first female archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally. * Mullally has made comments that indicate support for abortion despite the Anglican Church's pro-life stance. * She has been criticized for "scandalous views on abortion" and has also said she believes in "choice" for parents of preborn children with Trisomy 18. The Details: The Church of England has maintained a largely pro-life stance, believing that abortion should be allowed in...

A top Catholic bishop decried the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of a new generic version of the abortion drug mifepristone as a “shocking inconsistency” that endangers women and facilitates the “killing of more children,” urging a swift reversal amid a pending federal safety review. The FDA’s Octover 1 approval of the generic from Evita Solutions LLC — a company whose mission is to “normalize abortion” and make it “accessible to all” — comes as chemical abortions now account for 63% of all abortions in the United States, according to recent data, killing millions of babies Pro-life advocates warn...

[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] Pope Leo and the Death Penalty CharadePopes since John Paul II have created the impression in the minds of many Catholics—and many outside the Catholic Church—that the Church believes the death penalty to be intrinsically immoral.The pontificate of Leo XIV has just passed its first real milestone: its first media controversy. The recent friction over Pope Leo’s comments concerning the Cardinal Archbishop of Chicago and his plans to award Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois an honor for his efforts on behalf of immigrants, despite supporting abortion throughout his career, probably mark the end of a “honeymoon” period for...

[Catholic Caucus] Heterodox German bishop criticizes public act of reparation for Vatican LGBT ‘pilgrimage’Auxiliary Bishop Ludger Schepers of Essen, Germany, the queer representative to the German Bishops' Conference, has a history of promoting the LGBT movement.Pro-LGBT Auxiliary Bishop Ludger Schepers of Essen, Germany, who serves as the queer representative of the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK), slammed in a recent interview the four bishops who recently made a public act of reparation for the Vatican LGBT pilgrimage during this year’s Catholic Identity Conference (CIC).In an interview with the German Catholic News Agency (KNA) published October 10, Schepers called the act of...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo meets Cardinal Fernández in sign of doctrinal continuityPope Leo granted a private audience to Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández on Friday, October 10, in what is understood to be his ninth official meeting in his role as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.The meeting with the Cardinal, who was a key ally of Pope Francis, shows continuity at the heart of the Vatican between the two papacies. According to InfoVaticana.com, Cardinal Fernández “is close to Pope Leo XIV, who has chosen to keep him in his position at the head of the doctrinal...

A recently ordained Baptist minister at a Wisconsin church has sparked outrage among pro-life advocates by declaring that unborn babies should be killed through abortion to spare them from a world that supposedly “dislikes them because they simply exist.” Kurt Kaufman, who leads the Federated Church of Green Lake, made the remarks in an interview that surfaced on social media this week, arguing that abortion not only safeguards the mother’s life but also shields children from the trauma of being “forced to be born” into unsupportive homes – even though that’s a false notion. “Being in favor of reproductive rights,...

A denomination founded as a theologically conservative alternative to the United Methodist Church has grown to include 6,000 member congregations worldwide.The Global Methodist Church, which was launched on May 1, 2022, announced on its Facebook page last Friday that it had reached the 6,000-member church milestone.“That's 6,000 pulpits preaching the Gospel,” stated the GMC. “6,000 altars where hearts are renewed. … 6,000 congregations worshiping in a variety of nations and languages.”“Join us in praying for the movement as we continue to welcome existing churches and plant new ones to spread the love of Christ to our communities and beyond.”The formation...

Georgetown Has Declared War on Catholicism"The mask is off" aptly describes Georgetown Law professors' obscene distortion of the Catholic Faith to secure legal protections for DEI as a religion.Georgetown Law professors William Treanor and Amy Uelmen have crafted a remarkably dishonest defense of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, disguising radical left-wing ideology as Catholic tradition. Their recent essay in America magazine represents not scholarly analysis but pure propaganda, a cynical attempt to baptize secular progressivism with holy water while hoping no one notices the fundamental contradiction. The audacity of their argument is staggering. These professors claim that opposition to DEI...

[Catholic Caucus] Jubilee: LGBT “Pilgrimage” Received with InsigniaDiane Montagna, on her X account, describes herself as an American journalist based in Rome and accredited to the Holy See. She has conducted a series of interviews with Bishop Athanasius Schneider for the publication of the book Christus vincit, The Triumph of Christ over the Darkness of Our Time, and is the executive director of the website The College of Cardinals Report.On the occasion of the LGBT “pilgrimage” that took place for the Jubilee Year in St. Peter's in Rome on September 6, 2025—officially organized by several associations, particularly by "Tenda di...

[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] Indian bishops’ platform celebrates ‘transgender’ professor at Catholic university: ‘Momentous stride’Catholic Connect, an official platform run by the Indian Catholic bishops’ conference, praised the hiring of the first ‘transgender’ professor in Tamil Nadu at a Jesuit university, calling him a ‘changemaker.’ An interview published last week by Catholic Connect, an official platform run by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), with Dr. N. Jency, a male who identifies as a “transgender female,” celebrating the fact that he has been hired as the first “transgender” professor in the Tamil Nadu region of India.In the interview transcript, published October...

[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] Cardinal Müller: Synod on Synodality an ‘attempt to transform’ Church into ‘secular, worldly institution’The German prelate warned in a preface to 'The Trojan Horse in the Catholic Church' about the dangers of the synodal process, which he said is similar to the one in Germany. In a foreword to The Trojan Horse in the Catholic Church, a new book by Father Enoch on the Synod on Synodality in Rome, Cardinal Gerhard Müller issues a strong critique of this process that has been taking place now for several years. Having participated in both the 2023 and 2024 synods, he...

[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] LGBT activists praise Spanish bishops for rejecting ‘conversion therapy’Cardinal Cobo and Bishop Satué were praised for advancing pro-LGBT language that omits the Catholic Church’s call for chastity.A Christian activist group has praised two Spanish bishops for their pro-LGBT stance and for rejecting so-called “conversion therapy.”The Madrid-based Christian Homosexual Organization (CHRISMHOM) praised Cardinal José Cobo of Madrid and Bishop José Antonio Satué of Málaga for their pro-LGBT remarks and apparent deviation from Catholic teaching on the matter of homosexuality.CHRISMHOM cited recent statements by the two bishops as evidence of their support for the LGBT agenda.As LifeSiteNews reported in August,...