Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis tells CBS’ ‘60 Minutes’ that U.S. conservative Catholics have ‘suicidal attitude’Pope Francis blasted critics of his 11-year pontificate Sunday, saying conservative Catholics manifest “a suicidal attitude.”“We could not divide the world into conservatives or non-conservatives and those are ideological divisions that are no good at all,” he added.... In August 2023, during a meeting with Jesuits in Lisbon, Portugal, Francis said a “reactionary attitude” among some American Catholics was “useless,” saying they “need to understand that there is an appropriate evolution in the understanding of matters of faith and morals.” Critics would say the Argentinian-born pontiff,...

[Catholic Caucus] Catholic diocesan hermit approved by Kentucky bishop comes out as transgenderDiocesan hermits by nature don’t get much attention. A small subset of religious persons, hermits mostly spend their lives engaged in quiet prayer.Brother Christian Matson, a Catholic diocesan hermit in Kentucky, has spent years doing just that. His monk’s habit might catch his neighbors’ eye, but he is known in the town where he lives primarily through his work with the local theater.But recently Matson decided that his faith compels him to make a little more noise than usual.“This Sunday, Pentecost 2024, I’m planning to come out publicly...

Has the definition of Premillennialism changed in the past few decades? I ask this because during the past several years, a few pastors told me they were Premillennial, but they didn’t adhere to a futuristic interpretation of the book of Revelation or the restoration of a kingdom to Israel. For me, Premillennialism has always signified a belief in Jesus’ return to earth after a literal seven-year Tribulation at which time He will setup His thousand-year rule over the nations of the earth, which certainly includes a gloriously restored Israel. What’s causing the shift away from these beliefs that were a...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Fernández: With new norms it will be easier to decide on MedjugorjeThe Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith responds to journalists about the "Medjugorje case" during the press conference presenting the new norms for discerning presumed supernatural phenomena."Regarding Medjugorje, no conclusion has been reached yet, but with these guidelines, we believe it will be easier to proceed and reach a conclusion," said Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, during the press conference presenting the new norms for discerning presumed supernatural phenomena. Responding to a journalist's...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis says ‘conservative’ bishops have ‘suicidal attitude’ during 60 Minutes interviewCertain of the U.S. episcopate have been notable in defending elements of Catholic teaching, often in seeming juxtaposition to Francis’ own stance – including such men as Bishop Joseph Strickland and Cardinal Raymond Burke.Pope Francis with Norah O'Donnell.Pope Francis has described “conservative” bishops as having a “suicidal attitude” due to being closed “inside a dogmatic box.”“A Conservative is one who clings to something and does not want to see beyond that,” Francis said in response to a question about “conservative bishops in the United States” the CBS...

One hundred fifty-seven Christian leaders representing different streams of Christianity in the United States, wrote a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden, under the banner of American Christian Leaders for Israel (ACLI), to express their disappointment with recent actions by his administration towards Israel. In the letter, the leaders warned that these actions would embolden the mutual enemies of both Israel and the United States and encouraged Biden to make “a course correction.” Among the actions the leaders specified were: Holding Israel responsible for all civilian casualties in Gaza, despite Hamas being the official government of the people there. Repeatedly...

For centuries, the Vatican has been carefully guarding their most precious secrets. In recent years, that has been especially true regarding what they know about UFOs, aliens and the mysteries of the universe. So why have they chosen this exact moment in history to publicly talk about these things? The press conference at the Vatican on Thursday is the very first time that the Vatican has held a press conference about UFOs, aliens and “apparitions” since 1978. So this is a really big deal. It is being reported that the Vatican has decided to issue new guidelines “on aliens and...

The Vatican’s Gamble With Beijing Is Costing China’s CatholicsNo pope has ever set foot in China, but 10 years ago, Francis came the closest. On a flight to South Korea in August 2014, he became the first Vicar of Christ to enter Chinese airspace. Apparently that wasn’t enough. “Do I want to go to China?” Francis mused a few days later to those of us journalists accompanying him on his flight back to Rome. “Of course: Tomorrow!”Francis has been more conciliatory to the People’s Republic than any of his predecessors. His approach has brought some stability to the Church in...

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Advocates for victims of abuse at Missouri boarding schools on Monday urged the state’s attorney general to launch an investigation, work with local prosecutors and take other steps aimed at stemming the tide of abuse. Three Christian boarding schools in southern Missouri have shut down since 2020 amid wide-ranging abuse allegations levied by current and former students. Several people affiliated with those schools are facing criminal charges. Advocates who worry that more abuse is going unpunished gathered Monday outside Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s St. Louis office to demand action. “This is a structural problem,” said...

It’s getting harder and harder to ignore the shenanigans that these prosperity charlatans continue to perpetrate, especially with the latest revelations about the extravagant misuse of ministry funds and assets in false prophet, Joni Lamb’s ministry. For the life of me, I cannot wrap my head around the fascination with such people—they contribute absolutely nothing to the body of Christ. According to an investigation by the Trinity Foundation, Lamb has been using Daystar Television Network’s ministry jet for personal jaunts to visit her fiancé (now husband) and to their new condo. The cost of these trips? An eye-watering $769,220. To...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Hollerich again falsely claims Catholic teaching on male-only priesthood ‘can be changed’Pope St. John Paul II declared in his 1994 apostolic letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis that it is ontologically impossible for women to be ordained to the priesthood.Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich has falsely claimed that the Church could change its teaching on a solely male priesthood and open the door to female ordinations.In an interview with the Swiss outlet kath.ch, Hollerich, who is the relator general of the Vatican’s Synod on Synodality, said that the Church’s rejection of female ordinations “is not an infallible doctrinal decision.”When asked by the...

[Catholic Caucus] Vatican issues new norms on alleged visions, refusing to rule on supernatural origin of eventsThe updated procedures for determining the authenticity of alleged visions, approved by Pope Francis, reject declaring such events as being of supernatural origin, at most determining them as ‘free from error.’Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández has issued new norms to assess and determine the authenticity of alleged visions, outlining a process which pulls power back to the Vatican and sets up the strong likelihood of confusion among the faithful. On May 17, the prefect of the Dicastery (formerly Congregation) for the Doctrine of the Faith...

Pope Francis said his conservative critics within the Roman Catholic Church in the United States are trapped in a "suicidal attitude," according to an interview with CBS. During the April 24 interview with "60 Minutes" that will air this Sunday, Pope Francis was asked his thoughts on the conservative backlash against his papacy, with many of his critics being American clergy members. Pope Francis responded by saying a conservative is someone who "clings to something and does not want to see beyond that." "It is a suicidal attitude," the pontiff said, according to a brief transcript excerpt made available by...

In corporate America today, there’s a permission structure in place to attack, defame, and destroy anyone who dares to be publicly Christian.It didn’t take long for the NFL to come out and condemn recent remarks from Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, saying his views, given during a commencement speech at Benedictine College over the weekend, “are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”What horrible, non-inclusive things did the 28-year-old Butker say? He committed the crime of giving public witness to his faith, espousing...

Pope Francis: ‘Path to climate resilience impeded by short-term greed’The Pontifical Academies of Science and Social Sciences is hosting a three-day summit in the Vatican that brings together mayors, governors, and experts to explore the theme: “From Climate Crisis to Climate Resilience.”Pope Francis held an audience with participants in the summit on Thursday, the second day of the event.In his address, the Pope lamented the worsening data regarding climate change, calling for urgent action “to protect people and nature.”As developing nations suffer more directly the effects of climate change, he asked the political leaders from various nations whether “we are...

[Catholic Caucus] Vatican invites Gavin Newsom, other pro-abortion, pro-LGBT Democrats to speak at climate eventMassachusetts Gov. Maura Healy, a pro-abortion ‘partnered’ lesbian who supports child ‘sex changes,’ will give a keynote address at the Vatican climate summit, where far-left California Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will also deliver speechesThree of the nation’s most radical, far-left governors – all of whom identify as Catholic despite their staunch pro-abortion and pro-LGBT stances – have been invited by the Vatican to participate in the Holy See’s summit on “climate change” this week.Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the conference,...

A 600-year-old church in southern Germany drew some 1,200 people to a Taylor Swift-themed worship service on Sunday, local media reported. Heidelberg’s famous Church of the Holy Spirit, originally Catholic and now Protestant, hosted a liturgical service bearing the title “Anti-Hero — Taylor Swift Church Service,” in an effort to attract younger people, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported. “The Church of the Holy Spirit has always been a place of encounter and exchange,” said Heidelberg Pastor Christof Ellsiepen. “That’s why a pop-music religious service fits so perfectly. With it, we are giving space to the questions and issues that occupy the...

SÃO PAULO, Brazil (RNS) — Conservative Christians are accusing the pop star Madonna, who gave a free concert on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach May 4, of including satanic rituals in the show, with catastrophic consequences for Brazil. The concert, the last stop on Madonna’s The Celebration Tour, drew more than 1.6 million Brazilians and fans from neighboring countries and was aired in its entirety on Rede Globo, the national TV network. Besides a diverse cast and some sexual play that LGBTQ+ Brazilians and other minorities said spotlighted their communities, the show projected images of Brazilian human rights icons, including...

A former gym teacher reached a settlement with a California public school district, after claiming she was wrongfully fired when she refused to lie to parents about their child's pronoun preference and hide her religious beliefs. Jessica Tapia will receive $360,000 from the Jurupa Unified School District after she was fired in 2022 and accused of proselytizing during class. The teacher said the district accused her of not calling a student by their preferred pronouns, but denies ever being asked by a student to do so in the first place. She claimed the district directed her to refer to students...

Mica Miller's pastor husband sent a series of disturbing text messages intimidating and threatening his wife and her family during a bitter argument, nearly two years before their marriage broke down, DailyMail.com can reveal. John-Paul Miller, 44, even warned that he was on his way to her sister's home 'armed' and 'ready' in November 2022 – bombarding them with bizarre texts in the early hours. The messages, posted online by Mica's sister Sierra Francis, come after Mica, 30, was found dead in Lumber River State Park in North Carolina on April 27 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was revealed...