Free Republic

The Second Vatican Council represents a departure from tradition so severe that Yves Congar, an influential figure among the architects of the revolt, once boastfully described it thus: "The Church has had, peacefully, its October Revolution." In addition to being an assault against tradition in the most general sense, however, Vatican II was also in many ways an offensive against the legacy of Pope Pius XI in particular, beginning with the events leading up to its calling. Writing in the inaugural encyclical of his pontificate, Ubi Arcano Dei Consilio, Pope Pius XI touched briefly on the possibility of reconvening the...

The global Central Banks have declared War on Cash. Historically, one of the safest things to do when the markets begin to collapse is to move a significant portion of your holdings to cash. As the old adage says, during times of deflation, "cash is king." The notion here is that cash is a safe haven. And while earning 1-2% in interest doesn't do much in terms of growing your wealth, it sure beats losing 20%+ by holding on to stocks or bonds during their respective bear markets However, in today's world of fiat-based Central Planning, cash represents a REAL...

Chelsea Clinton says she left a pro-life Baptist church when she was six years old because they taught her about abortion. The 35-year-old reportedly said she was tired of critics questioning her family's religion during a recent fundraiser for Hillary Clinton. "I find it quite insulting sometimes when people say to my mom, my dad or me that they question our faith," Clinton said. "I was raised in a Methodist church and I left the Baptist church before my dad did because I didn't know why they were talking to me about abortion when I was 6 in Sunday School....

Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)has picked up a former fundraiser for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. According to CNN, many donors are also now warming up to Cruz: Keep the Promise, the main umbrella of pro-Cruz groups, is encountering a flurry of eager donors after Cruz's victory in Iowa, sources say -- but since it does no active soliciting, it has not yet turned that newfound interest into cash in the bank account. And a separate, newer super PAC, Stand for Truth, only just hired a professional fundraiser, Kate Doner, CNN has learned. Doner was the longtime fundraiser for...

Although the Catholic Church teaches that homosexual acts are "intrinsically disordered," constitute "grave depravity," and can never "be approved," the Catholic bishops of New York State "have not taken a position" on past bills and "do not foresee taking a position" on Gov. Andrew Cuomo's new order banning private and public health insurers from covering gay conversion therapy for minors. Cuomo, a Catholic who supports homosexual marriage and abortion, made his announcement about prohibiting health care coverage for conversion (or reparative) therapy on Saturday, Feb. 6. In a press release, Cuomo's office said, "Multi-agency regulations announced today ban public and...

Norwood Thomas, 93, and Joyce Morris, 88, reunited Wednesday after more than 70 years apart.A 93-year-old World War II veteran from the United States embraced his wartime girlfriend in Australia in their reunion Wednesday after more than 70 years apart. Norwood Thomas and 88-year-old Joyce Morris laughed as they wrapped their arms around each other after Thomas flew from Virginia to the southern Australian city of Adelaide to reconnect with his long-lost love. SNIP Morris was a 17-year-old British girl and Thomas was a 21-year-old paratrooper when they first met in London shortly before D-Day. After the war, he returned...

If the Department of Labor continues to make it difficult for companies to hire American workers, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) warned, robots would take over key jobs in the economy. During a town hall in Okatie, S.C., Rubio warned that the Department of Labor was too big, too powerful, and turned into “anti-business agency” that hurt the private sector.

The Iranian regime will host a ceremony and official unveiling of its new drone, the "Shahed 129," this Thursday, which, according to Iranian state-controlled outlet Tasnim News Agency, will be attended by Nation of Islam head Louis Farrakhan. "Shahed" is Persian for "eye-witness." Tasnim News Agency indicates that Farrakhan, 82, will be the guest of honor and deliver a speech to mark the occasion. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, 67, will also be present, as will several other leaders involved in the global Islamic movement.

A woman upset about a haircut she'd gotten at a North Park barber shop on Wednesday returned a few hours later and allegedly tried to gun down the barber, who escaped harm only because the weapon jammed. Adrian Blanche Swain, 29, allegedly tried to open fire on the barber with a pistol at the barber shop in the 3900 block of 30th Street shortly before 12:30 p.m. She allegedly pulled the trigger three times to no avail, according to San Diego police Sgt. Ray Battrick. ``The gun had bullets but malfunctioned,''

Des sources rebelles au Nord d'#Alep rapportent que des troupes d'élites type #Spetsnaz participent aux combats— Anisse Al Mansour (@AnisseAlmansour) February 10, 2016

Belief in moral-watching, all-knowing, punitive gods might have helped human societies grow far beyond small, close-knit groups, a new study shows. Researchers who ran an experiment with a total of 591 people in eight different small-scale societies around the world found that people who believed their deity of choice knew about their misdeeds and would punish them were more likely to play fairly in a game where money was on the line. The findings, described in the journal Nature, hint at the integral role that certain religious beliefs may have played in the dramatic expansion of human societies.

As campaign suspensions, political fallout, and bitter recriminations rain down after the New Hampshire vote, what is the state of the race? I’ll handle the circus on the left first. Cirque du Socialisme: After the near even split of Iowa followed by Bernie Sanders’s 22-point trouncing of Hillary in New Hampshire, the red diaper pensioner should be in great shape, right? Not so fast. This being the Democratic Party, Feel the Berners have good reason to complain about rich, powerful interests gaming the system to keep them down.

Thu Feb 11, 2016 2:40pm EST Russia raises spectre of permanent or 'world war' if Syria talks fail MUNICH | By John Irish Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev raised the spectre of a permanent or a world war if powers failed to negotiate an end to the conflict in Syria and warned against any ground operations by U.S. and Arab forces. Medvedev, speaking to Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper on the eve of a security conference in Munich, said the United States and Russia must exert pressure on all sides in the conflict to secure a ceasefire. Asked about Saudi Arabia's offer...

Given continued coverage of Marco Rubio's claim that his poor performance in Saturday's debate caused his fifth-place finish in the New Hampshire Republican primary, we wanted to put some data behind the point --- that the exit poll just doesn't back him up. We've got two ways to look at it, one direct, the other indirect, and neither shows any evidence that the debate harmed Rubio in terms of vote choices. Indirectly: 47 percent of New Hampshire GOP voters said they finally decided on their candidate either on Election Day itself, or in the previous few days. Twelve percent of...

It's been hard to sit back and watch the first bi-racial president systematically dismantle our constitution over the last seven years. It's only natural for a black conservative like myself to want to see the first black Republican president reverse the course. This is why it pains me to say what I'm about to say: it's time for Dr. Carson to get out of the race if we stand any chance of nominating a constitutionalist to stop the Democrat's reign in November. Dr. Ben Carson is a successful, honorable, intelligent and godly man. Having said all of that, he will...

Losing New Hampshire by 22 points to an avowed socialist was bad enough for Hillary Clinton. But then came the news -- first reported by WaPo -- that the State Department had opened a inquiry regarding the activities of the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation during her time time as secretary of state. And bad went to way, way worse. By my count, this latest State Department inquiry makes for three active investigations by the federal government that touch directly or indirectly on the 2016 Democratic presidential front-runner. 1. The newly revealed State inquiry into the Clinton Foundation and...

"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth" (Psalm 145:18). Understanding God's omnipresence should encourage us in times of distress and keep us from sinning. It is a great comfort as a Christian to know that God is always present in me both essentially and relationally. No matter what the trial, He is there. Sometimes He might seem faraway, but He's really no further away than He's ever been. His promise to us is, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you" (Heb. 13:5). God is always...

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warned Thursday that if Arab forces entered the Syrian war, they could spark a "new world war" and urged ceasefire talks instead.

I’ve already adjusted to the reality that Trump’s going to be the nominee. Now it’s a matter of adjusting to the reality that he’s probably going to be the nominee soon, without needing a long primary to put Cruz away. Ben Carson’s here to help.I like the phrasing here: “A lot of people who continue to make donations” are telling him to stay in, whatever the polls might say, so whaddaya gonna do. "I still have millions of supporters. ... We have a lot of people who continue to make donations, and they're saying, 'Please, please, please, please don't...

Investigators with the State Department issued a subpoena to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation last fall seeking documents about the charity’s projects that may have required approval from the federal government during Hillary Clinton’s term as secretary of state, according to people familiar with the subpoena and written correspondence about it. The subpoena also asked for records related to Huma Abedin, a longtime Clinton aide who for six months in 2012 was employed simultaneously by the State Department, the foundation, Clinton’s personal office, and a private consulting firm with ties to the Clintons. The full scope and status...