Free Republic

SSPX Barred from Marian Shrines While Interfaith and LGBTQ Events Are Welcomed In the last two weeks, the SSPX has been barred from two of Europe’s most famous Marian shrines: Lourdes and Mariazell. But interfaith prayer and LGBTQ-themed events have been welcomed... Who or what exactly is being protected here?The Irony of The Vatican’s Logic of Exclusion: When Those Who Defend the Blessed Virgin Mary Are Barred from Her Shrines There is a bitter irony unfurling in the Catholic Church in 2026, one that explicitly exposes the contradictions at the crux of its present institutional crisis. Within the span of...

Vatican Double Standard: Communists IN, Traditionalists OUTWhy does the Vatican tolerate Communist China’s state-appointed Catholic bishops while cracking down on the SSPX and the Traditional Latin Mass? Michael Matt examines the growing double standard and the disturbing ramifications for faithful Catholics. Why is the Vatican eager to tolerate bishops appointed by Communist China without a papal mandate while taking increasingly severe action against Traditional Catholic bishops of the SSPX?Michael Matt examines this contradiction alongside a series of developments affecting Traditional Catholics: reported restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass in Seattle and Pittsburgh, new pressure against the TLM in England, and...