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[Catholic Caucus] LEO IS FOLLOWING FRANCIS’ ABUSE COVER-UP PLAYBOOKDiarmuid Martin, after completing his studies for the priesthood in Ireland in 1969, worked in a Dublin parish before being sent to Rome for further studies in moral theology. Even though we were both pursuing licentiate degrees at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), we didn’t meet in class. Rather, we met through a common friend, Swiss Guard Wachtmeister Hans Roggen. After attending my diaconate ordination at the North American College in 1973, Diarmuid returned to Ireland only to come back to Rome in 1976 to spend most of his...

Pope Leo made one of his clearest public interventions yet on immigration policy, telling journalists outside the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo that defending the dignity of migrants should never be confused with advocating for open borders. His remarks, delivered spontaneously in response to questions from journalists the evening of Nov. 18, came after questions about the ongoing immigration debate in the U.S. and the recent pastoral message released by the U.S. bishops. The Pope praised the bishops’ moral leadership while simultaneously drawing a clear line: affirming the rule of law and the legitimate authority of governments is not...

Pope Leo XIV met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for the first time on Thursday, and the two men discussed the urgent need to provide assistance to civilians in Gaza and to pursue a two-state solution to end the conflict in the region. The meeting, which lasted about an hour and was described as “cordial” in a brief Vatican statement, comes nearly a month after the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement came into effect in the Gaza Strip. The pope and Abbas had not met in person previously. They had spoken over the phone in July to talk about developments in the conflict...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo’s Vatican quadruples down on support for the green agendaDuring his first five months in office, Pope Leo XIV has indeed continued the green legacy of his predecessor, Francis.The Vatican is quadrupling down on its support for the green agenda.Last month, the Holy See submitted to the United Nations its plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions by 28 percent over the next decade.Among other things, the plan, which is part of the Church’s obligation to the Paris Climate Accords – which the Trump administration withdrew from earlier this year – will include developing a 1,000-acre solar panel...

... The elevation of environmentalism to the level of doctrine, the pseudo-pagan deification of the earth and the implication that those who do not believe in the environmental movement are heretics who need to undergo a conversion “that transforms both personal and communal lifestyles” which he equated to a conversion to Christianity and the claim that failure to participate in made it impossible for anyone to call themselves “disciples of Jesus Christ” were radical positions, but the real radicalism lay in the infrastructure of leftist political organizing. Pope Leo’s attacks on ‘climate blasphemy’ were accompanied by a meeting with “environmental...

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Leo urged the world's Catholics to help immigrants in his first major document, which was released on Thursday and invoked one of the late Pope Francis' strongest criticisms of U.S. President Donald Trump's anti-immigration policies.Leo's document, known as an apostolic exhortation, is focused on the needs of the world's poor. It calls for widespread changes to the global market system to address rising inequality and to help people living paycheck-to-paycheck.The 104-page text started as a writing project by Francis, who was unable to complete it before his death in April after 12 years leading the global...

[Catholic Caucus] Holy Rosary: Leo XIV celebrates Vespers ad orientem in Domus Australia It was the first "ad orientem" celebration by Leo XIV as pope, and it took place during his visit to Domus Australia (the pilgrim house established by the bishops of Australia in Rome) yesterday. The notes below are by a friend:Yesterday, Monday 6 October, Pope Francis celebrated Vespers in commemoration of Our Lady of the Rosary "ad orientem". It was held in the church of Domus Australia in Rome.A few remarks:1. The papal ceremonial master was Msgr. Marco Agostini, who is well known in traditional circles (see...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo’s scandalous abortion remarks could help Democrats: here’s howFor decades faithful American clergy and lay groups have fought to ensure that abortion is considered a preeminent moral evil. Pope Leo's comments effectively undo all of that.While a handful of Catholics on social media seem to be downplaying Pope Leo’s scandalous remarks about abortion and immigration, the sad reality is that his comments will actually have far-reaching consequences that will enable pro-abortion politicians in the U.S. continuing to promote their diabolical agenda.For decades faithful clergy and Catholic lay groups have fought to ensure that abortion is considered a...

Pope Leo XIV continues to make thinly veiled jibes against the Trump administration’s stance against illegal immigration.Speaking in front of thousands of pilgrims at St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Leo warned that migrants must not be treated with “the coldness of indifference or the stigma of discrimination.”Without singling out any country in particular, Leo said that Catholics should “open our arms and hearts to them, welcoming them as brothers and sisters, and being for them a presence of consolation and hope.”Leo explained that the church was living through a “new missionary age” that tasked its members with providing “hospitality and...

VIDEOSee if you can spot a cameo appearance by The Terminator as Pope Leo and New Age pagans bless a chunk of ice. This video concludes with a chunk of ice turning the tables and blessing all of us in the best way possible.

It's a matter of logic. If you're not pro-life if you oppose abortion but support the death penalty, then you're not pro-life if you oppose the death penalty but support abortion. But it's not clear that Pope Leo embraces that logic. And no one on the panel on today's CNN This Morning did Substitute host Erica Hill kicked off the conversation by playing a clip of Pope Leo expressing support for Dem Sen. Dick Durbin. He was scheduled to receive a "Lifetime Achievement" award for his pro-immigrant stance. Some bishops opposed the award given Durbin's staunch support of abortion. In...

[Catholic Caucus] The Brew: Pope Leo Smothers Pro-Lifers in the ‘Seamless Garment.’Well, the mystery man has taken off his disguise. Like traumatized children who hope that their mama’s new boyfriend won’t beat them as much as the last one, Catholics greeted the new man called “Il Papa” with hope. And indeed Leo XIV is a big improvement in some ways over Pope Francis. Leo doesn’t seem to be a sociopath, and is probably even a theist.But as we reported yesterday, Leo’s latest public statement has given away that he embraces one of the most detestable heresies in Church history since...

[Catholic Caucus] Pro-Abortion Senator Dick Durbin “Overwhelmed” By Pope Leo XIV's DefenceOn Wednesday, pro-abortion Senator Dick Durbin told NBC News that he was "overwhelmed" by the support he received from Pope Leo XIV.Durbin was scheduled to receive a "Lifetime Achievement Award" from Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich in November. However, he declined after facing clear backlash from Catholics, including a few US bishops.Durbin said he was allegedly surprised by "the level of controversy" and "shocked" by Leo XIV's defense: "It's amazing to me. It’s quite a moment. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t know it was going to happen."On Tuesday, Leo...

Pope Leo XIV criticized those who question the prevailing narrative on climate change during a recent gathering in Rome.The pontiff slammed those who “ridicule those who speak of global warming” and affirmed the efforts of his predecessor, Pope Francis, according to The Guardian.Leo presided over the 10th-anniversary celebration of Francis’s landmark ecological encyclical, Laudato Si (Praised Be), at a global gathering south of Rome. The encyclical cast care for the planet as an urgent and existential moral concern and launched a global grassroots movement to advocate for caring for God’s creation and the peoples most harmed by its exploitation.Leo told...

Despite being Jewish, I am a fan of the Catholic Church, as all students of history and lovers of the West should be. Despite missteps over the two thousand years of its existence (as must be true of all human institutions), the Church has been a positive force in the world. After all, beginning in 33 AD, the Church laid the foundation for the best of Western society.Sadly, the current Pope doesn’t seem to be as big a fan of the Church as I am, given how he’s systematically gnawing away at its core values. His latest assault is a...

This week, President Trump unveiled his 20-point plan for peace in Gaza. Several Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt, support the agreement. The world is still waiting to see if Hamas will accept the deal.If Hamas doesn't agree to the deal, President Trump warned that Israel will have the "full backing" of the US to "do what you have to do" and end Hamas.President Trump's peace plan has another ally now: Pope Leo XIV.Speaking to journalists tonight in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo XIV praises President Trump’s Peace Plan for Gaza,...

Pope Leo XIV has hit out at those who minimise the "increasingly evident" impact of rising temperatures in his first major statement on climate change. Reiterating the words of his predecessor Pope Francis, the new pontiff lambasted critics who "ridicule those who speak of global warming". The Pope's remarks, at a speech in Castel Gondolfo near Rome, will be seen as an implied criticism of US President Donald Trump, who last month called climate change a "con". Pope Leo also called for greater action from citizens the world over on climate change, saying there was no room for indifference or...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo says Latin Mass question ‘very complicated’'Obviously, between the Tridentine Mass and the Vatican II Mass, the Mass of Paul VI, I’m not sure where that’s going to go,' he said during his first long-form interview as Pope.Speaking directly about the traditional Latin Mass, Pope Leo XIV expressed openness to meeting with advocates, adding the topic is “very complicated.”During the first long-form interview given by the new Pope, Leo XIV conversed with Crux about a wide variety of topics, including the traditional liturgy or Latin Mass, the Sino-Vatican deal, LGBT topics, Synodality, Vatican finances and reforms, and...

[Catholic Caucus] Exclusive: Cardinal Gambetti says we’re waiting on the Pope to decide on the Latin MassThe Catholic Herald has secured an exclusive response from Cardinal Gambetti on the future of the Traditional Latin Mass. The young curial cardinal, regarded by many as a handpicked protégé of Pope Francis, offered a brief but telling reply. The Catholic Herald asked the Cardinal whether we could inquire about the Traditional Latin Mass and its future status. He responded: “Better not answer that. I have been told that we will wait for the Holy Father to decide.” The remark is notable for its...

ROME (AP) — Traditionalist Catholics celebrated news Monday that the Vatican under Pope Leo XIV had given them permission to celebrate the old Latin Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica during their upcoming pilgrimage.U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke, a figurehead of the conservative and traditionalist wing of the church, will celebrate the Mass on Oct. 25, the pilgrimage organizers said.The development was significant, given Pope Francis had alienated many traditionalists and conservatives with his yearslong crackdown on the ancient liturgy. His reform greatly restricted its celebration globally and at the Vatican, and fueled conservative opposition to his pontificate.Burke, who became a high-profile...