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[Catholic Caucus] Does St. Peter’s Need Porters?Recently an egregious display of sexual perversion was allowed to desecrate St. Peter's, which could not have been possible before Paul VI's abolished the minor orders.Before 1972, preparation for the priesthood involved passing through various “minor orders.” They included porter, lector, acolyte, exorcist, and subdeacon, followed by the major orders of deacon and priest. That year, Pope Paul VI issued the apostolic letter Ministeria Quaedam, abolishing the minor orders. Lector and acolyte were reconstituted as “lay ministries.” Exorcist was recognized as a specialized ministry of certain priests. Porter was eliminated, deemed unnecessary in the...

This past Sunday, Pastor Frederick D. Haynes took the pulpit to address the murder of Charlie Kirk. And what came out of his mouth was a masterclass in double-speak: “We ain’t got nothing to do with what they just did. A white Christian gets killed, murdered, not assassinated. We’re going to tell the whole truth today. Martin King got assassinated, Malcolm X got assassinated, Medgar X got assassinated. Don’t compare Kirk to King. Ain’t no such comparison now. Let me hasten to say, let me hasten to say, I’m anti-political violence. Kirk should still be alive. I don’t agree with...

James T. Roberson III is the senior pastor of Bridge Church NYC, which is a congregation part of the Southern Baptist Convention. Roberson is tight with the North American Mission’s Board, given that the Send Network helped plant his church, and he is speaking at a Send Network event this October. During his recent sermon, he denounced the assassination of Charlie Kirk, but still managed to spend roughly half his statement (and even the following prayer) dragging the man’s name through the mud. This morning before we pray, I want to lean into some of the political tension in our...

The mayor of a Michigan city with a large Muslim population has faced backlash for telling a Christian resident he was 'not welcome' after a tense exchange over a road sign honoring a local who expressed support for Hamas. Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud made the comment after Edward 'Ted' Barham told a City Council meeting that he opposed a road sign being erected at an intersection honoring Lebanese-American journalist Osama Siblani. Siblani founded the Arab American News, the first bilingual Arab weekly paper in Dearborn. He's previously come under fire for comments sympathetic to Hamas, calling the Palestinian group 'freedom...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo XIV says synodality is key to unity in newly released interviewPope Leo XIV has spoken at length about the role of synodality in the life of the Church in a newly released interview published by Crux on 14 September.The remarks on synodality form part of a forthcoming biography, León XIV: ciudadano del mundo, misionero del siglo XXI, written by Crux senior correspondent Elise Ann Allen and to be published in Spanish by Penguin Peru on 18 September. English and Portuguese editions will follow in 2026.In the video excerpts, Pope Leo is shown seated against a wall...

[Catholic Caucus] US Bishops’ Conference Partnering with Heretical Association of PriestsThe heretical Association of US Catholic Priests (AUSCP) announced earlier this year that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBP) approached the Association, asking it to host a virtual consultation on the USCCB’s Laity Document. Public materials describe the event as a joint effort between AUSCP and the USCCB, presenting it as a continuation of synodal engagement.The AUSCP has a long history of promoting views in direct conflict with immutable Catholic teachings regarding the ordination of women, human sexual morality, the sacraments and the nature of the priesthood.In the...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’ John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine, and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” Luke 7:32–35Ecclesiastes 3 is a very popular reading for funerals. It says, “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business; End to Sex Slavery; Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media.Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(9/17/25)[Prayer]Water, Rivers, and Streams in the BiblePsalm 104:10-1810 He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. 11 They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12 The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. 13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work. 14 He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth: 15 wine...

The sad news of the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk shed light on the elephant in the world’s living room. It exposed society’s underlying hatred of anything good, especially true Christians. Let’s take a realistic look at the reason behind the hate and what the Christian response should be. Although the hatred of believers is nothing new, the crescendo of vitriol and violence is. In the coming days, much will be said about the need for civil discourse, the open exchange of ideas, and free speech, which are good things, of course. But despite our best efforts to appeal to...

17 September 2025 Wednesday of week 24 in Ordinary Time St. Bingen parish, Eibingen, Germany Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: C(I).First reading1 Timothy 3:14-16The mystery of our religion is very deepAt the moment of writing to you, I am hoping that I may be with you soon; but in case I should be delayed, I wanted you to know how people ought to behave in God’s family – that is, in the Church of the living God, which upholds the truth and keeps it safe. Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is very deep indeed:He was made...

Brett McCracken is the Senior Editor and Director of Communications at The Gospel Coalition. Every year, he posts his list of favorite movies and TV shows, often on the Gospel Coalition itself, and it is an under reported scandal that his favorite films frequently frequently contain graphic sex and nudity, both straight and gay. McCracken’s Top 20 list of favorite shows in 2021, published on the Gospel Coalition platform, featured several that were rated ‘R’ for scenes of sex and nudity; his 2022 best movies list is full of graphic sex and nudity, and mercifully, his best films of 2023′...

Lura Groen is the pastrix of All Saints Lutheran Church in Bowie, MD, and has the distinction of being the grossest clergy we’ve ever written about. She’s claimed that Jesus was trying to SEDUCE the woman at the well, said that there are lesbian angels’ who ‘consensually’ flirt with queer Christian women, and compared the mystery of the Trinity to the luridness of sadomasochism and BDSM. She’s argued that Christians are but one of many ‘brides of Christ’ because the Lord is “poly” and has ‘other lovers’ of different religions and faiths, and has promoted hook-up culture, premarital sex, and...

Welcome to the PRAYER REQUESTS thread. This daily thread is a listing of prayer requests that have been posted by Freepers to the main forum who wish to have continued prayer. Hopefully this thread will remind us to continually pray for our fellow Freepers’ cares and needs. GOD hears and answers our prayers.

Bishop Schneider on the LGBTQ+ "Pilgrimage" to St. Peter's Basilica“My reaction was a silent cry of horror, indignation, and sorrow. All true believers in the Church—both faithful and clergy—who still uphold the validity of God’s commandments and take Him seriously, should experience this provocation as a brazen slap in the face. I believe that many faithful Catholics and members of the clergy remain stunned by such a massive blow and require time to recover. An unprecedented act has taken place in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, one that may fittingly be described, in the words of Our Lord, as an...

[Catholic Caucus] The Death of Europe | Will Leo XIV visit Lampedusa? A Grave Mistake -- and the Lampedusans themselves would not be happyery few things made European Catholics more unhappy with Francis than his tone-deaf approach to the criminal enterprise bringing millions of illegal migrants to Europe, and deeply changing the demographics, religion, and criminality of vast areas of the Continent.And the main early symbol of that attitude was Francis' visit to one of the most popular destinations used by the people-smuggling gangs: the small island of Lampedusa, in Sicily. Lampedusa was, for instance, the first spot in Europe...

Bishop Eleganti: Vatican II reforms were a ‘reckless,’ ‘failed’ experimentThe Catholic Church lives or dies on the basis of liturgy. Only a return to tradition can revive the Church’s worship and faith life.Editor’s note: The following article is a critical analysis of developments in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council by Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Marian Eleganti. I was born in 1955 and was an enthusiastic altar boy in my childhood. At first I served in the old rite, always a little nervous not to mess up the Latin responses, then I was retrained in the middle of the...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Sarah: Fiducia Supplicans ‘threatens unity of the Church,’ should be ‘forgotten’Cardinal Robert Sarah blasted Fiducia Supplicans as ‘theologically weak’ and said the document should be ‘forgotten,’ warning it risks fracturing Catholic ‘unity.’Cardinal Robert Sarah has said that Pope Francis’ document allowing for same-sex “blessings” “threatens the unity of the Church” and should be “forgotten.”In a recent interview with the Italian Catholic newspaper Avvenire, the African cardinal was asked about Francis’ highly controversial declaration Fiducia supplicans, which allowed the “blessing” of same-sex couples in certain situations.“I hope that the content of Fiducia supplicans can be clarified and perhaps...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her. Luke 7:11–12Try to imagine this mother. She had been married, she and her husband had a child, they raised their child, she and her son watched her husband die, and then she watched her son die and was participating in his...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(9/16/25)[Prayer]Water, Rivers, and Streams in the Bible2 Chronicles 32:30-3130 It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and channeled the water down to the west side of the City of David. He succeeded in everything he undertook. 31 But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart.Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used...