Free Republic

BOMBSHELL: US Catholic Bishops Give $1 Million to Marxist MovementA new investigative report from the Lepanto Institute exposes significant financial support by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), an initiative of the US Catholic Bishops, for organizations deeply connected to socialist and Marxist movements. The report details how, under the banner of community land trusts (CLTs), millions of dollars have been funneled to groups whose founders and leaders openly advocate for socialist and Marxist ideologies. “The very concept of CLTs emerged among self-identified socialists looking to remove land from speculative markets and promote collective ownership,” said Michael Hichborn, president...

Trump border czar responds to bishops’ statement on deportationsTom Homan, the Trump administration’s border czar, responded to the nation’s bishops this week after they issued a statement in solidarity with migrant families who they said live in fear of “indiscriminate mass deportation.”The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved the statement by a vote of 216–5 at its Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore, Maryland. The bishops warned against rhetoric that “vilifies immigrants” and cited reports of parents avoiding school drop-offs, parishioners skipping Mass, and families remaining indoors because they fear detention.“So according to them,” Homan said when a reporter...

The Ernst Bros and I have talked about collaborating on an article on American muscle cars for a while. I wanted it to be different from all the “Top 10” or “Best 15” titles you see on the web. So, we decided to pick just one from the 1964-1972 era and call it the Best Muscle Car of all time.

The U.S. Conference Of Catholic Bishops Needs To Stop Apologizing For IslamIslam’s inherent disdain for non-Muslims must not intrude on the pieties of interfaith harmony, according to the USCCB.Earlier this month, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) published “Islamophobia: A Guide for U.S. Catholics on Anti-Muslim Bigotry.” Showcased on the USCCB website with a lovely Islamic design cover, this 15-page booklet exhorts Catholics to “address the disturbing phenomenon of anti-Muslim sentiment in our times.”Introduced by the co-chairs of the National Catholic-Muslim Dialogue (NCMD) — Bishop Elias Lorenzo of Newark and Imam Kareem Irfan — the USCCB declares dire need...

“Gay-Washed” Bible’s imprimatur should be withdrawn.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...

U.S. Catholic Bishops Warn of the Greatest Threat We Face: IslamophobiaTalk about poor timing! On the same day that news broke of an Islamist attack on a Catholic Parish in the Congo that left 64 dead and many wounded, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published a 15-page booklet, “Islamophobia: A Guide for U.S. Catholics on Anti-Muslim Bigotry.”The purpose of the booklet is to warn Catholics about “the rising tide of anti-Muslim sentiment.” I’m not aware of any “rising tide” of anti-Muslim bigotry in the U.S., but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a rising tide of anti-Muslim...

[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...

[Catholic Caucus] Idiocracy in the Hierarchy"Dei" is the genitive for God (Deus) in Latin. That is, "of God."It is also, coincidentally, the English abbreviation for the movement/ideology known as "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" (DEI), an affront to both God and the equality before the law that is the basis of modern Western Law. It is a complete corruption of all that is good and noble in both Christianity and the Law, and it should be abhorred by all good Catholics. And, of course, it is simply pronounced D, E, I -- not "day-ee" (as Dei is, in Latin).Anyway, this mere...

[Catholic Caucus] Should Illegal Aliens Be Dispensed From Sunday Mass Obligations?American bishops should not be excusing crime.In the early half of the 20th century, beginning in 1917, Mexico’s government began persecuting Catholics. A new constitution outlawed Catholic teaching, banned religious orders, and claimed all Church property for the government. Violent persecution within less than a decade. The priest Luis Bátiz Sainz was arrested for teaching catechism and celebrating Mass and was executed by firing squad. Miguel de la Mora, another priest, was executed while praying the rosary. Rodrigo Aguilar Alemán was arrested while celebrating Mass in secret and hanged. While...

[Catholic Caucus] Heterodox Jesuit parish publishes blasphemous image of Trinity as female with LGBT ‘pride’ flagThe bulletin for St. Joseph and St. Therese churches in Seattle featured a mockery of Andrei Rublev's 15th-century Holy Trinity icon depicting three women sitting by a 'pride' flag.A Jesuit-run Catholic parish marked Holy Trinity Sunday by publishing a blasphemous icon depicting the Blessed Trinity as women that included an LGBT “Pride” flag.The first page of the parish bulletin for St. Joseph and St. Therese churches, dated June 15, Holy Trinity Sunday, featured a mockery of Andrei Rublev’s 15th-century Holy Trinity icon depicting three women...

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Charities USA are among more than 200 non-governmental organizations named in a congressional probe for aiding immigrants its leaders call “inadmissible aliens” during former President Joe Biden’s administration. U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, R-Tenn., and Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Accountability Chairman Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., announced their investigation June 11. According to a June 11 press release, “The chairmen are examining whether these NGOs used taxpayer dollars to facilitate illegal activity, as the previous administration incentivized millions of inadmissible aliens to cross our borders — many of...

A U.S. district judge has ruled that the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) exceeded its authority when it inserted abortion accommodations into the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) — and must now remove them. KEY TAKEAWAYS: A U.S. District judge said changes made to the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act by the Biden administration were ‘unlawful’ and must be removed. The lawsuit was brought by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which had originally supported the Act as written and passed in 2023. The USCCB argued that if Congress had intended to include abortion in the PWFA in 2023,...

It's Not Just Thirty Pieces of Silver These Days, It's Billions for the Pharisee Bishops!Are the U.S. Catholic Bishops Pharisees or Shepherds?There's a story, perhaps apocryphal, about a conversation between Cardinal Ercole Consalvi, Secretary of State to Pius VII, and Napoleon Bonaparte which has the ring of truth. Apparently Napoleon told the cardinal he had the power to destroy the Church. The ironic answer from the prelate was, "If the bishops haven't been able to do it in the past 1800 years, how can you expect to succeed?"From my lifetime perspective in the 20th and now 21st century, many of...

EXPOSED: Inside the anti-Catholic agenda of the parish hymn industryWho controls the 'hymnal industrial complex'? The people reaping the profits are not just business executives. They are ideologues with a mission to reshape Catholic worship. Since the 1960s, the ancient chants and beautiful hymns that once elevated the Mass have been discarded in favor of a more “modern” sound. Organs and choirs have given way to guitars, pianos, and tambourines, a shift many faithful Catholics find deeply inappropriate. Yet few realize that this transformation is not just a matter of musical preference – it is rooted in a deliberate, anti-Catholic...

They are demanding answers. A group of conservative Catholics have issued a letter to Vice President J.D. Vance demanding answers about funding for Catholic charities, non-profits and NGOs that have received many millions in taxpayer money to dump dangerous third-world migrants into unsuspecting communities. The letter, signed by Janet Smith, Elizabeth Yore and several victims of sexual abuse by predator priests, reads as follows: “Dear Vice President Vance, We are impressed and grateful that you called upon the U.S. bishops to be transparent about how they have spent government funds to settle refugees and immigrants. Your remarks at the National...

Federal Judge Timothy McFadden, a Trump appointee to the district court in Washington, refused on Tuesday to order the Trump administration to restart money flowing to Catholic groups supporting open borders and unlimited migration into the United States. According to the Washington Times, Judge McFadden says the dispute is a contract matter that should be taken up in the Court of Federal Claims. McFadden’s order comes after the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on February 19th, challenging the administration’s decision to suspend federal funding for refugee resettlement. The move comes as...

Tuesday rally in DC to call for RICO investigation into USCCB, advocate for sex abuse victimsOn Tuesday, March 11, at 12:00pm, a rally outside the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., will call for a RICO investigation into the USCCB and expose Cardinal Robert McElroy for covering up clergy sexual abuse.(LifeSiteNews) — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEWitness Rally to Call for a RICO Investigation into USCCB and Advocate for Sex Abuse VictimsMarch 11, 2025: NoonLocation: Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C., in front on public sidewalksOrganizer: Friends of Rachel, Wes, and “Lost Immigrant Children” (an informal group)Contact: Prof. Janet...

[Catholic Caucus] Catholics ask Trump administration to investigate USCCB on immigration, sex abuseThe request calls into question the Catholic Church's 'commitment to protecting minors and the vulnerable from sex abuse' and states that 'the USCCB should not be involved in settling refugees and immigrants.'Catholics have been devastated by the Catholic Church’s record for priestly sexual abuse, for covering up that abuse, and for mistreating victims. We question its commitment to protecting minors and the vulnerable from sex abuse and believe the USCCB should not be involved in settling refugees and immigrants. We fear some money was spent for undesignated and...

State Dept. terminates USCCB migration fundsThe State Department canceled a contract with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Thursday, likely bringing to a halt a nationwide effort organized by the USCCB to provide resettlement services for refugees to the United States. The cancellation leaves uncertain the status of a USCCB lawsuit aiming to recoup millions in back payments for resettlement services, with the federal government telling a judge that the USCCB should seek payment through “available administrative channels” outside the lawsuit.In a Feb. 26 letter, U.S. State Department comptroller Joseph Kouba told the USCCB that its financial agreement for...

A federal judge on Thursday delivered a major blow to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), denying their attempt to force the Trump administration into continuing taxpayer funding for their massive refugee resettlement operations. Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, rejected the bishops’ request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) that would have forced the administration to immediately restore funding. The lawsuit, filed by the non-profit organization USCCB in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, challenged the Trump administration’s decision to cut off federal grants that fuel the mass resettlement of migrants across America—programs that have...