Free Republic

If Team Biden had called out the phony reports of famine and "genocide" from the start, and fully backed Israel's defensive war, the fighting might well have ended by now, writes the Post Editorial Board. Team Biden is slamming a report that warns of famine in northern Gaza. What a difference an election makes. Team Biden is blasting claims of famine in Gaza ... Indeed, if Team Biden had called out the phony reports of famine and “genocide” from the start, and fully backed Israel’s defensive war, the fighting might well have ended by now. On the bright side: A...

Pope Francis named Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego as the archbishop of Washington, D.C., this week, a leader with a reputation for taking a progressive stance on hot-topic issues within the Catholic Church. The Vatican announced on Monday McElroy's appointment as the new archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., to replace the retiring Cardinal Wilton Gregory. As McElroy has made headlines over the years with his views on abortion, LGBT rights and immigration, the following pages highlight four things to know about Cardinal McElroy. Supports communion for pro-choice Catholic politicians The election of Democratic President Joe...

... In a podcast interview with US chat show host Joe Rogan, Mr Gibson explained his scepticism about reforms of the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s by saying: “We’ve got a pope that brought a South American idol into the church to worship.” He said a religious ceremony was performed in the presence of the idol which, he said, “constitutes an apostasy”. “It’s a falling away,” he explained at about half an hour into the two-hour interview. “The very nature of apostasy is that you have to be part of it to fall away from it. It’s an inside...

Pope Francis chose Costa Rican coffee. During the traditional Wednesday audience in Vatican City, the head of the Catholic Church expressed his appreciation for the Costa Rican coffee bean when he met with a group of 47 pilgrims from the Diocese of Ciudad Quesada. “You know you have the best coffee in the world,” Pope Francis told the group. Minutes earlier, the Bishop of Ciudad Quesada, José Manuel Garita Herrera, had given him a bag of coffee. “I told the Holy Father that I was coming with the Jubilee Pilgrimage and that I was bringing him the best coffee in...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis defends inviting transgender groups to Vatican: ‘Proximity to everybody’Pope Francis defended his regular welcoming of transgender groups at the Vatican when asked on Italy's Che Tempo Che Fa program on January 19: 'Proximity! That's the word. Proximity to everybody. Everyone.'Pope Francis has defended his regular welcoming of transgender groups at the Vatican, saying that “proximity” is key for the Church.“Proximity! That’s the word. Proximity to everybody. Everyone.” This was the answer of Pope Francis when asked on Italy’s Che Tempo Che Fa program January 19 about the warm welcome he has given to groups of transgenders...