Free Republic

BRUSSELS, April 23, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In an astonshing display of gentleness in the face of a vile attack, the head of the Catholic Church in Belgium, excerpt Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard, remained calmly seated with eyes closed in prayer Tuesday as four topless women attacked him with shouts and curses and doused him with water. It’s not the first time the bishop has been attacked for standing up for the Church’s teachings on homosexuality and expressing his concern for those who live the homosexual lifestyle.

FULL TITLE: World war brew: J.C. Penney places huge billboard advert over Interstate Highway for kettle 'that looks just like Hitler' Retailer J.C. Penney may want to rethink the design of their new kettle after a string of customers complained it looks remarkably like Hitler. The retailer advertised the new kettle - which is exclusively available in its stores - on a huge billboard over the 405 Interstate Highway in southern California. But rather than being tempted into buying new kitchen equipment, commuters driving along the route near Culver City found themselves instantly reminded of the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler....

Since news broke that the IRS targeted conservative organizations due to their political views, some on the left have celebrated the actions. The latest to do so is Bette Midler, who took to Twitter Thursday to thank the IRS for going after the small government movement, Twitchy reported. "The IRS overtaxing The Tea Party? I never thought I'd say this to the IRS - THANK YOU! THANK YOU FOR DENYING 501C-4 to any group who hates," she wrote. Some of her followers expressed support for her position.

When Cardinal Bergoglio was first chosen as Pope, my immediate reaction was that, although he would probably not tamper with the Church’s views on sexual issues, he would likely move it to the left in terms of economic rhetoric. I based that to some small degree on his choice of name: Saint Francis is something of a favorite of progressives in the Church due to his vow of poverty and his love of animals. But even more important to me was the intellectual milieu out of which he came: Argentine populism, and his own public statements as a cardinal in...

Husband Bill says, "Relax." Let his wife enjoy a bit of a private life for the first time in two decades. But as far as the pollsters are concerned, the 2016 race is underway. And Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is certainly acting like he's in the race. The latest poll out of Iowa has former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton beating Florida Sen. Marco Rubio handily (48 vs. 37 percent), but could face a tougher race against Senator Paul (46 vs. 42 percent), according to a new poll by Quinnipiac University.

(Vatican Radio) “Doing good” is a principle that unites all humanity, beyond the diversity of ideologies and religions, and creates the “culture of encounter” that is the foundation of peace: this is what Pope said at Mass this morning at the Domus Santae Martae, in the presence of employees of the Governorate of Vatican City. Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, concelebrated at the Mass. Wednesday’s Gospel speaks to us about the disciples who prevented a person from outside their group from doing good. “They complain,” the Pope said in his homily, because they say, “If...

Kaitlyn Hunt, an 18-year-old high school student in Sebastian, Fla., is facing charges and has been expelled from school for having a same-sex relationship with a 15-year-old classmate, CBS Tampa Bay reports. PICTURES: Fla. teen charged over underage same-sex relationship Hunt is charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious battery of a child 12 to 16 years of age after the other girl's parents called authorities when Hunt, a senior at Sebastian River High School, turned 18, according to the station.

Under President Obama, “justice” is anything but blind. Neither is it deaf. In fact, based on recent revelations, it appears to be watching your every move and listening to your every word. Still, if you happen to be a federal employee, now it’s even listening for your silence. The only thing this Obama White House seems to generate is scandal. Well, here’s yet another to add to the growing list. In addition to the Benghazi cover-up, IRS targeting of political dissenters and the illegal seizure of media phone records, whistleblowers within DOJ have contacted Liberty Counsel to express grave concerns...

iera Wilmot got good grades and had a perfect behavior record. She wasn't the kind of kid you'd expect to find hauled away in handcuffs and expelled from school, but that's exactly what happened after an attempt at a science project went horribly wrong. On 7 a.m. on Monday, the 16 year-old mixed some common household chemicals in a small 8 oz water bottle on the grounds of Bartow High School in Bartow, Florida. The reaction caused a small explosion that caused the top to pop up and produced some smoke. No one was hurt and no damage was caused.

CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) - FOX19 has exclusively learned that as many as four people may be the first Cincinnati Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees to face disciplinary action, and possibly even criminal charges, for allegedly targeting Tea Party and Liberty groups applying for non-profit status. On Wednesday, the IRS announced that it has pin-pointed two employees at the agency's Cincinnati office for being 'primarily' responsible. (Snip) One of FOX19's two sources went on say that these four IRS workers claim "they simply did what their bosses ordered". Keep in mind, as FOX19 reported on Tuesday, the report by the Office...

New Zealand became the 13thcountry to legalise same sex marriage two weeks ago. This week the Anglican Bishop of Auckland is being taken to the Human Rights Tribunal over allegations he is discriminating against a gay man who wants to become a priest. Right Reverend Ross Bay (pictured) has been accused of preventing a gay man entering the Anglican Church's training or discernment programme for priests because he is unmarried and in a sexual relationship with his male partner. Bay denies the allegation. The complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he had been signalling his desire to...

Since his owner died over two months ago, Tommy the dog has not missed a single mass in the small church in southern Italy where his mistress's funeral was held, Italian media said last month. When the bells of the Santa Maria Assunta church begin to toll each afternoon in San Donaci near Brindisi, the 12-year-old German Shepherd sets off from the village to get himself a front row seat next to the altar, Il Messaggero newspaper said.

In the things that I have covered in the last 40 years I would say this is top 5. Maybe number 2. And possibly number 1 in importance. Number 1 is clearly the World Trade Center Bombing. But because, and I want you to listen to me carefully for the next 20 minutes.. This is very very important. What we do going forward from here will determine the fate of our nation. Make no mistake this story is number 2 because of what I know. What we do will make this the most important story of our lifetime. What's happening...

March 27, 2013 VATICAN CITY (RNS) Three days after Pope Francis appealed for greater inter-religious dialogue between Catholics and Muslims, a high-profile Italian Muslim who converted to Catholicism and was baptized by Pope Benedict XVI announced that he will leave the church to protest its soft stance against Islam. Egyptian-born Magdi Cristiano Allam, 61, a prominent journalist and outspoken critic of Islam, publicly entered the Catholic Church on March 22, 2008, during an Easter Vigil service, receiving baptism directly from Benedict. After his conversion, Allam founded a small right-wing political party that lost badly in Italy’s general elections last April....

For all the Obama-era talk of decline, there is at least one reason why America probably won't, at least not quite yet. "Peak oil" and our "oil addiction" were supposed to have ensured that we ran out of either gas or the money to buy it. Now, suddenly, we have more gas and oil than ever before. But the key question is: Why do we? The oil and gas renaissance was brought on by horizontal drilling and fracking that opened up vast new reserves either previously unknown or considered unrecoverable. Both technological breakthroughs were American discoveries, largely brought on...

The Marine Corps Times recently published a handful of articles in regard to opening Infantry Officer Course (IOC) to females and the possibility of integrating women into the infantry community. In mid-April the Commandant directed the “integration” of the first wave of female officers into IOC this summer following completion of The Basic School (TBS). This action may or may not pave the way for female Marines to serve in the infantry as the results remain to be seen. However, before the Marine Corps moves forward with this concept, should we not ask the hard questions and gain opinions of...

The Atheists Humanists Agnostics (AHA) club sent out a campus-wide e-mail announcing the program on Tuesday and promising a “full-out romp against why one of the most beloved people of the century, Mother Teresa, is as Hitchens put it… ‘a lying, thieving Albanian dwarf.’” Mother Teresa is widely known for founding the Missionaries of Charities, a charity tasked with aiding the poor. She was beatified in 2003 by Pope John Paul II, a step toward possible sainthood.

A well-known Bible-code researcher has bad news for Barack Obama, as he claims hidden texts in the Holy Bible indicate Mitt Romney will be America’s next president. Moshe Aharon Shak, an orthodox Jew and author of “Bible Codes Breakthrough,” has produced a series of videos on YouTube with his modern analysis of Scripture. For those not familiar with Bible codes, they are said to be secret messages embedded in the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament.

Romney wins on Jobs, Economy, Taxes, and Deficit

Remember when Jimmy Carter beat Ronald Reagan in 1980? Washington Post admits polling was "in-kind contribution"; New York Times agenda polling. Dick Morris is right. Here's his column on "Why the Polls Understate the Romney Vote." Here's something Dick Morris doesn't mention. And he's charitable. Remember when Jimmy Carter beat Ronald Reagan in 1980? That's right. Jimmy Carter beat Ronald Reagan in 1980.