Free Republic

The Loss of the Sense of Sin Is Intimately Connected to the Loss of DoctrineThe following guest post is by Dominic J. Grigio, author of The Disastrous Pontificate: Pope Francis’ Rupture from the Magisterium.During the Most Holy Mass for the Inauguration of his Pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI said something quite remarkable, ‘Pregate per me, perché io non fugga, per paura, davanti ai lupi — Pray for me, that I may not flee for fear of the wolves.’[1]The wolf is a powerful Christian symbol for wickedness and deceit within the Church, especially among those exercising pastoral leadership such as popes, cardinals,...

[Catholic Caucus] Pro-LGBT Cdl. Radcliffe urges ‘openness to novelty’ in address to extraordinary consistoryReports from inside the Vatican suggest growing unease among the cardinals after Pope Leo’s two-day gathering opened with tightly controlled group sessions led by progressive voices.Progressive and pro-LGBT Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe delivered the opening meditation at the consistory in Rome by urging cardinals to remain “in the boat of Peter” amid global crises and Church divisions while suggesting “memory and openness to novelty must coexist in the life of the Church.”On the afternoon of January 7, Pope Leo XIV opened a two-day extraordinary consistory at the Vatican,...

[Catholic Caucus] “If I Were the Bishop”The following op-ed, by guest writer Mark Rose, is in the style of Paul Harvey’s “If I were the Devil.”If I were the Bishop—if I were the successor to the Apostles, charged with the care of souls in the United States—I’d want to make the Church irrelevant. I wouldn’t do it with persecution; that only makes the faithful stronger. I’d do it with “modernization.”I’d begin by whispering that the old ways are dead. I’d convince you that we need to “update” the Church, not to convert the world, but to be liked by it....

[Catholic Caucus] BREAKING: Pope Leo appoints bishop who celebrated LGBT Mass with drag queen speakerDuring a July LGBT 'Pride' Mass, Bishop Ramón Pope Leo XIV has appointed a San Diego auxiliary bishop who celebrated an “All are Welcome” LGBT “Pride” Mass – during which a drag queen activist was permitted to speak – as the new bishop of Monterey, California. Bishop Ramón Bejarano was the celebrant of the July 13 Sunday Mass, which was organized by St. John’s “LGBTQ Ministry” and had the full backing of the Diocese of San Diego under Bishop Michael Pham, one of Pope Leo XIV’s...

[Catholic Caucus] New Orleans Catholics afraid during immigration sweeps can miss MassThe Archdiocese of New Orleans has said that Catholics who are fearful for leaving their homes can miss Mass amid immigration raids while U.S. Border Patrol agents fan out across the city in the second week of an immigration enforcement operation.Archbishop Gregory Aymond granted the dispensation for Catholics who are "rightfully afraid to participate in Mass.”The dispensation will be valid "until the individual Catholic determines it is safe to attend Mass again or this dispensation is revoked or amended," Aymond said in a letter Monday to New Orleans' Catholic...

Most modern dog breeds have small amounts of wolf ancestry from long after dogs were domesticated, according to a new study. The wolf DNA isn't left over from when dogs and wolves diverged; instead, it most likely came from interbreeding in the past few thousand years. That wolfish influence may be linked to certain characteristics, such as size and personality traits, in different dog breeds, researchers reported Nov. 24 in the journal PNAS. "Dogs are our buddies, but apparently wolves have been a big part of shaping them into the companions we know and love today," study co-author Logan Kistler,...

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...

A pair of Ice Age “puppies” preserved in Siberian permafrost for over 14,000 years have turned out to be wolves, not early domesticated dogs. A recent study of two ancient “puppies” dating back more than 14,000 years suggests they were actually wolves, not early domestic dogs as once believed. Genetic testing revealed that the cubs were sisters, around two months old. Like modern wolves, they ate a combination of meat and plants. What surprised researchers most was the discovery of woolly rhinoceros remains in their stomachs, since such a massive animal would have been a difficult target for wolves to...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland on the Cupich promotion: "This is not renewal, it is revolt!"Pope Leo XIV has appointed Cardinal Blasé Cupich of Chicago to the governing council of Vatican City. This is not a small administrative act; it is a declaration of direction. Cardinal Cupich has publicly opposed the Traditional Latin Mass, has tolerated and even celebrated politicians who advance abortion, and has consistently undermined those who defend the sanctity of life and the fullness of Catholic doctrine.My dear brothers and sisters, Today, with deep sorrow for the state of our beloved Church, I must speak. Pope Leo XIV...

[Catholic Caucus] The Unspoken Trial of the Orphaning of Our PriestsA type of bishopric anti-fatherhood has led countless priests in America to live out vocations tainted by fear, torment, and silent despair.Crisis editor Eric Sammons​ has made written ​and spoken pleas for laity calm in the aftermath of Pope Leo XIV’s odd ice-block blessing and refusal to condemn Cardinal ​Blase Cupich’s decision to award a pro-abortion politician with a lifetime achievement honor. ​Even on gasket-blowing days like yesterday, when the Chicago-native pontiff promoted his fellow Chicagoan Cupich to the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State​, Sammons’ call for calm...

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...

Conservative talkshow host Erick Erickson tore into “moron” Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday after she claimed “hate speech” did not count as “free speech” and would be targeted by her office.During an interview with former White House official Katie Miller, Bondi said, “There’s free speech and then there’s hate speech, and there is no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie, in our society.”She warned, “We will absolutely target you, go after you if you are targeting anyone with hate speech, anything, and that’s across the aisle.”

Asha, the endangered Mexican gray wolf known to wander in New Mexico, was released into the wild with her mate and puppies Thursday. The day is a long time coming for officials who kept Asha captive within a designated recovery zone, spanning New Mexico and Arizona, so she could mate and expand the population. Then, Asha ventured out of the area twice – in late-2022 and 2023. Advocates say this indicated the species is ready to roam beyond their zone. Asha eventually stayed in the area long enough to give birth to five puppies in mid-May. After this, managers said...

[Catholic Caucus] False Prophets & False ShepherdsPreface and Precis: This is a sermon warning against false prophets. The Gospel of this TLM Mass (Matthew 7:15-21) is, inexplicably, not to be found on any Sunday or Solemnity in the Novus Ordo Mass. This sermon also offers a supplementary context and commentary: Our Lord’s admonition against corrupt leadership “matures” into warnings against the ultimate false prophet (2 Cor 11:14), the antichrist (1 John 2:22, 4:3; 2 John 1:7). All humans are sinners, having character flaws or “cracks” in desperate need of divine repair, even as our society invariably needs “course correction” based...

Tom Homan Has Some Choice Words For The California Bishop Who Said Illegals Can Skip MassThe White House Border Czar dismissed the idea that immigration officers are raiding churches.WASHINGTON—Asked about a Catholic bishop in California who told illegal immigrants they no longer have to go to Sunday mass, White House Border Czar Tom Homan did not mince words.“This is BS,” he told The Daily Wire in response to news that San Bernardino Bishop Alberto Rojas issued a decree on July 8 dispensing those in his diocese from attending Mass “due to potential immigration enforcement actions by civil authorities” if they...

[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] Bishop Strickland: When wolves wear vestments – the synodal siege within the ChurchThe Cross is still here. The Eucharist is still here. But we are surrounded by hired men who abandon the sheep – or even worse, mislead them into the thorns.Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,There are moments in the Church’s history when the sheep must look up – not because of storms from the world, but because the shepherds themselves have fallen silent … or worse, have joined the wolves.St Paul once warned the Church in Ephesus with piercing clarity:“I know that, after my departure, ravening...

The Blue Book, the voter information booklet sent to voters prior to the narrow passage of Proposition 114, which began the release of gray wolves into western Colorado, indicated the wolf program would cost taxpayers $800,000 annually. Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director Jeff Davis told legislators the cost of the program in FY 2024 is over $3 million, about $2.2 million over budget. In a hearing of the joint Water Resources and Agriculture Review Committee this week, Sen. Dylan Roberts, D–Frisco, who represents the areas most impacted by wolf releases, said he understands much of that figure represents prevention and...

Ranchers say their hands are tied as reintroduced wolves—listed as endangered—are feasting on cattle instead of hunting elk and deer.. Descendants of rewilded wolves are taking a heavy toll on cattle in Northern California and Oregon, killing calves and full-grown animals and putting stress on cow-calf operations and ranchers’ pocketbooks. Because wolves are listed as an endangered species under state and federal law, ranchers are hamstrung: They can’t shoot or harass these protected predators. The penalty for killing a wolf is steep; federal law carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine, unless a rancher...