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[Catholic Caucus] Father Belda, key figure in Zanchetta affair, is Pope’s delegate to Pope Francis Memorial FoundationDesde la Fe, published by the Archdiocese of Mexico City, has announced the November 1 launch of the Pope Francis Memorial app under the auspices of the archdiocese and an eponymous foundation.Father Javier Belda Iniesta, Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta’s canonical advocate, is the pontifical delegate to the foundation; he discussed the app’s launch at a press conference.The app, according to the archdiocese, is “a global initiative that seeks to preserve the memory of the deceased and support the vulnerable elderly.” Users of the app can...

[Catholic Caucus] Vatican unveils Jubilee Year mascot ‘Luce’ created by pro-LGBT artistThe Vatican unveiled ‘Luce’ on Monday, a mascot created by Italian pro-LGBT artist Simone Legno designed for the 2025 Jubilee Year which aims to connect with young Catholics through ‘pop culture.’The Vatican has unveiled an official animated mascot for the upcoming Jubilee Year 2025 in an apparent attempt to appeal to more young people.Revealed at a press conference Monday, the mascot is a female pilgrim named Luce (light) who has blue hair and wears a yellow raincoat, muddy boots, carries a staff, and, most notably, a rainbow-colored rosary around...

The “appalled” Archbishop of San Juan, Puerto Rico, has demanded a direct apology from Donald Trump over comments made about the island territory by a comedian and podcaster at the former president’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday. Roberto Octavio González Nieves posted an open letter to Trump describing his shock and anger after hearing the comments made by Tony Hinchcliffe on stage. The letter was posted in both English and Spanish. “There’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” Hinchcliffe said Sunday to an unimpressed crowd....

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Fernández Says Female Diaconate Will be Studied ‘More Intensively’Cardinal Victor Fernández, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, announced that the female diaconate will be the subject of a more in-depth study under the impetus of the proposals sent to the commission assigned to this task. He also stated that this question, although Pope Francis considers it not “mature,” is not a “closed issue.”To delve deeper into the differences between holy orders and authority in order to be able to entrust laywomen with leadership functions in the Church is, according to Fernández, the...

Evangelicals have expressed "disbelief" at comments made by the Archbishop of Canterbury in which he claimed that gay sex is not sinful if it is within a committed relationship. Archbishop Justin Welby made the comments on "The Rest is Politics" podcast hosted by former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell and former Tory MP Rory Stewart. Campbell used the podcast to pose a similar question to one he had asked Archbishop Welby in a 2017 interview for GQ magazine about whether he believed gay sex was sinful. Asked if he now had a "better answer" to that question, Welby said he...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis said he will consider ‘openness’ to ‘transgender people’ when naming new US bishops: reportPope Francis allegedly ‘said that when he appoints new bishops in the US he will consider their openness to [so-called] transgender people as a criteria,’ according to a member of a meeting between Francis and the LGBT activist group New Ways Ministry.Two people who participated in Pope Francis’ private meeting with New Ways Ministry on Saturday have attested that the Pope committed to consider “openness to transgender people” as a criteria for appointing new U.S. bishops.According to Deacon Raymond Dever, who was cited...

[Catholic Caucus] Top Jesuit supports ‘LGBTQ Catholics’ event held at order’s headquarters in RomeFather Johan Verschueren, the general counsellor and delegate for the Interprovincial Houses and Works of the Society of Jesus in Rome, expressed his support for the “LGBTQ Catholics” event held recently at the general house of the Society of Jesus in the Eternal City.Within the context of the Synod on Synodality, the Jesuits hosted an event Oct. 8 in which a group of LGBTQ-identifying people (lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transsexuals, and queer) shared their testimonies and requested greater participation in the ecclesial community.Verschueren expressed to ACI Prensa, CNA’s...

Tim Walz' wife is spending her time on the campaign trail reading gay books to kids about gay dads taking care of their cats in case you were wondering. An excerpt from the book Walz' wife was reading to children shows them all riding the gay dad while he puts a vacuum cleaner up to his mouth. I'm sure it's nothing. From: Bathe the Cat.

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Tobin says synodality implements Pope Francis’ ‘program’ for the ChurchWith ‘Amoris Laetitia, Fratelli Tutti, Laudato Si’,’ Pope Francis has ‘distilled wisdom’ from previous synods, opined Cardinal Joseph Tobin at a Holy See press briefing today.Newark’s Cardinal Joseph Tobin has linked some of Pope Francis’ more controversial texts, such as Amoris Laetitia, to the Synod, saying that synodality is a key part of Francis’ “program” which makes the Church “live and act” differently.With “Amoris Laetitia, Fratelli Tutti, Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis has “distilled wisdom” from previous synods, opined Cardinal Tobin at a Holy See press briefing today.Tobin drew...

German Catholics Shrug at the Pope’s HeresyAbove: Pope Francis greets Bishop Georg Bätzing, president of the German bishops’ conference, during an audience at the Vatican June 24, 2021. CNS photo/Vatican MediaThe internet tells me that Anglophone Catholics are engaged in a heated debate as to whether or not Pope Francis has committed heresy in Singapore. I don’t claim to know what is inside the man’s mind. Usually, in such cases, I try to find a non-heretical, though certainly not acquitting, interpretation of the Pope’s words and leave the rest up to God. Some would accuse me of popesplaining, and frankly:...

Pope Francis said on Sunday victims of Catholic clergy sexual abuse in Belgium deserved more financial compensation, calling the amounts allocated to them so far "too small". On the flight back to Rome from Belgium, where the pontiff was pressed by the country's political leaders for more concrete actions to address clergy abuse, Francis also reiterated the Catholic Church's commitment to helping survivors. "We must take care of those who have been abused, and punish the abusers," he said. Francis was urged in Belgium by both King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to do more to help abuse...

U.S. Rep. Colin Allred has signed a letter urging the removal of provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act that restrict funding for transgender surgeries and LGBT activities in the military. The Hill reported that in June, Congress passed the NDAA with provisions that would restrict access to funding for gender mutilating surgeries as well as certain LGBT activities such as drag shows for military members and their families. In a letter to the House and Senate Committees on Armed Services, 160 Democrats, including Allred, called for the removal of these provisions, citing, “If service members are concerned for their...

[Catholic Caucus] Vatican Newspaper Publishes Gay-Positive Essay from Synod’s Spiritual AssistantParticipants in the Synod on Synodality’s General Assembly are on retreat Monday and Tuesday to prepare spiritually for their deliberations, which formally begin October 2nd. Throughout the month-long assembly, the delegates will be guided by two spiritual assistants , one of whom recently made some LGBTQ-positive remarks.Pope Francis has appointed Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, OP, and Mother Maria Ignazia Angelini, OSB, to be the Synod’s spiritual assistants. Radcliffe, the former head of Dominicans worldwide, has been welcoming of LGBTQ+ people for decades. Most recently, he wrote on these issues for the...

The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted unanimously Friday to revoke the tenure of a former campus chancellor who was fired after making pornographic films, rejecting his wish to remain a communications professor. Joe Gow, who had served as chancellor of UW-La Crosse for nearly 17 years, argued last week that he should be allowed to retain a teaching position on campus. But university attorneys argued he was unethical, violated terms of his employment contact, damaged the reputation of the university and interfered with its mission. The regents met in closed session Friday morning before voting in public to...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal McElroy’s Diocese of San Diego orders homeschool groups removed from parishesThe Diocese of San Diego, led by heterodox Cardinal Robert McElroy, has banned homeschooling groups from using any diocesan parish properties. A diocesan memo states that such groups 'can undermine the stability of nearby Catholic schools.'The Diocese of San Diego, led by the heterodox Cardinal Robert McElroy, issued a new policy earlier this month that bars homeschooling groups from using any diocesan parish properties.The new policy, which took effect September 1, prohibits the use of parish facilities by homeschool, private school, and charter school programs, according to...

[Catholic Caucus] Francis Appoints Another Homosex Activist to Congregation for the Doctrine of the FaithFrancis named Don Maurizio Chiodi on September 23 among a long list of new "advisors" to the Congregation against the Doctrine of the Faith.Chiodi is a homosexual activist who believes that homosexual acts and contraception can sometimes be "morally good" (sic). In his words: Homosexual sins can be "the most fruitful way" for homosexuals "to enjoy good relationships".Don Chiodi is a priest of the Diocese of Bergamo, Italy, and member of the Pontifical Academy Against Life since 2017.

[Catholic Caucus] James Martin: Synod Delegates Called Homosexual Sin Disgusting, Repulsive, Unnatural and SickHomosexual activist James Martin SJ published a propaganda article on Outreach.faith (September 18) for Francis' upcoming ex-synod. He claims to be reflecting on what he learned at the ex-synod from October 2023. His main points.- In October 2023, "many" synod delegates were opposing homosexual sins.- Martin allegedly heard "strong language" against homosexual sins. The terms "disgusting," "repulsive," "unnatural," and "sick" were regularly used in conversations.- One delegate in a plenary session referred to homosexuality as a "Western ideology".- Some delegates said that homosexual people either do not...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis personally invites pro-LGBT Fr James Martin, Cardinal Cupich to October SynodPope Francis' personal picks for the Synod remain largely the same this year as last year, including controversial figures such as Cardinals Blase Cupich, Jozef De Kesel, Wilton Gregory, Robert McElroy and Father James Martin, S.J.The Vatican’s press office released details of the upcoming Synod on Synodality starting later this month, which, like last year, includes a list of heterodox attendees invited by Pope Francis.While the Synod begins on Monday, September 30, with all participants taking part in a two-day retreat, meetings do not begin in...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop John Stowe to Receive New Ways Ministry’s “Bridge Building Award” for LGBTQ+ EffortsNew Ways Ministry is proud to announce the presentation of our Bridge Building Award to Bishop John Stowe, OFM, Conv., in recognition of his compassionate ministry, courageous witness, and inspiring leadership on behalf of LGBTQ+ Catholics.The award will be presented at a ceremony on Friday, November 15, 2024, where Bishop Stowe will deliver remarks and a reception will follow. (More details on the time and location of the event are below.)Bishop John Stowe, OFM, Conv.Bishop Stowe was named bishop of the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky...

Pope Francis on Friday criticized both former U.S. President Donald Trump over his plan to deport millions of immigrants and Vice President Kamala Harris over her stance supporting abortion rights. Asked about the U.S. presidential election on his flight back to Rome from Singapore, the pope said not welcoming migrants is a “grave” sin, and likened having an abortion to an “assassination.” He said U.S. Catholics would have to “choose the lesser evil” when they vote in November, without elaborating. Francis was speaking in a press conference with journalists after a demanding 12-day tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania. Although...