Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Bergoglio’s Bistro: Dinner And Drinks in Santa Maria MaggioreFrancis sells food and drinks in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and offers to host parties there in 2024.The price list for "private visits" has been sent to tourist guides and travel agencies. Gloria.tv has obtained the list.A special offer is a visit before or after the opening hours of the Basilica to experience sunrise and sunset. Groups of up to 30 people pay €1000, and up to 120 people pay €1,750. The sacristy and crypt are open for an additional €150.Breakfast is €25, happy hour and 1 drink...

According to a confirmed report from TMZ, Kanye West and Joel Osteen are going to o one bigger than Lakewood Church. The best part is that the date is already set; May 2, 2020, Joel and Ye are set to take over the home of the Bronx Bombers. The event is an installment of Osteen’s “America’s Night of Hope”, which will take place in several cities across America. Joel will do a sermon and Yeezy and his church choir will bring the noise, very similar to their tag team performance in Houston. It’s Joel’s third time doing his Night Of...

The idea of Purgatory as an intermediary state between Heaven and Hell is one of the most misunderstood and occasionally ridiculed aspects of Catholic doctrine. Though it is common for Protestants and even some Catholics to assume that Purgatory has no foundation in Sacred Scripture, that claim is actually false. The need for Purgatory developed from a close reading of Scripture by the Fathers of the Church, and the concept has a provenance stretching back to the earliest days of the Church. Furthermore, it has come to my attention recently that the Orthodox have a similar understanding of the need...

This is not about President Trump. It is about us. About our behavior as followers of Jesus. About our words. About our attitudes. About our priorities. It seems that many of us have lost sight of what it means to be Christian, as if anything now goes in the name of Jesus. It seems that many of us now justify almost any kind of ugly rhetoric, as long as it is in the name of country and of God, seemingly in that order. What has become of godly speech? Of civility? Of graciousness? Of respect? When did God send out...

... The new U.S. report, as well as a United Nations report issued in October, instead aim at frightening the public—exactly the approach that so manifestly has failed to move the needle for 35 years. Maybe it’s because voters are skeptical of doom-mongering. Maybe they have grown fatalistic about climate change. Or maybe, reflecting the folly of climate campaigners, they’ve gotten a message that acting on greenhouse gases requires giving up prosperity. Reporting Sunday on the French fuel-tax demonstrations, the New York Times noted: “Many in the crowd said that they did not disdain the government’s environmental goals, but that...

WHITEFIELD, New Hampshire - Ted Cruz challenged Donald Trump directly by name for the first time on the campaign trail - despite his refusal for months to engage in a "cage match" with the GOP frontrunner. "There are many people that are observing this race nationally [who say it] is coming more and more down to a two-man race between me and Donald Trump," Cruz said. "And we're at the phase in the race where the voters are beginning to look very, very carefully at the records of the candidates." Cruz has consistently avoided attacking or questioning Trump. But on...

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks to a crowd gathered at Prime Time Restaurant in Guthrie Center, Iowa, on Monday, Jan. 4, 2016. (Photo by Rebecca F. Miller) A super PAC supporting Ted Cruz is making its biggest investment yet in television advertising, reserving $2.5 million of airtime in Iowa and South Carolina with less than two weeks until the first nominating contests begin. The effort also comes as the U.S. senator from Texas wades deeper into a battle with billionaire Donald Trump that is expected to grow more contentious in the run-up to the Iowa caucuses — and possibly require...

After being wooed by virtually all the major GOP contenders, the 82-year-old Adelson was believed to be close to announcing his backing of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio shortly after the Dec. 15 Republican debate .. an event that, conveniently enough, is being held at the Venetian Las Vegas, a hotel Adelson owns. That scenario, however, has run into resistance from a surprising source: Miriam Adelson, the megadonor's strong-willed and equally hawkish wife. An Israeli..born physician, Miriam Adelson has become enamored of late with Ted Cruz, according to four Republican sources close to the couple. The Texas senator has impressed her...

Handicapping The Collapse Stock-Markets / Global Debt Crisis Mar 09, 2012 - 12:36 PM By: Jim Willie CB Scattered diverse and almost uniformly unfavorable and dangerous events are unfolding, as the global economy and financial structure undergoes the equivalent of endless earthquakes and bombardment of solar emissions. Reporting is difficult, since information is distorted toward the sunny side. Events are moving fast, as quickly as the danger level is rising. As conditions worsen, the hype and spin has risen almost out of control. The political machine, tied at the hip to the banking apparatus, has ramped up the growth story...

Obama chooses his words to dodge any deeds Irwin Stelzer: American account Veni, vidi, dixi. That about describes President Obama’s week. Five, count them, five Sunday morning talk shows, a comedy talk show on Monday, followed by talks at an international conference on climate change, at the UN General Assembly to apologise for America's sins before he moved into the Oval Office, at a session on nuclear disarmament, at the Security Council, and at the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh. To be followed by talks with the Iranians, on their terms, later this week. On the global warming front the president...

It hasn’t generated a lot of headlines, but in the world of religion and politics, it’s a pretty big deal. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, recently asked six high-profile, hyper-wealthy Pentecostal televangelists for their financial records, under the suspicion that they’re using their ministries for personal gain. (Imagine that.) Not surprisingly, most of the televangelists’ ministries have been loath to cooperate with the inquiry. One in particular is pledging a holy war. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has gone after more than a few iconic nonprofits during his tenure atop the Finance Committee, including...

An Atlanta megachurch took in $69 million in 2006, according to a financial statement the church's minister released in response to a Senate investigation into him and five other well-known televangelists. The Rev. Creflo Dollar disclosed the World Changers Church International's financial information to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, but said the money he spends is his own. Dollar said his income comes from personal investments, including businesses and real estate ventures. But the church gave him a Rolls Royce, which he mainly uses for special occasions, he said. "Without a doubt, my life is not average," he said. "But I'd like...

Monday of Holy Week "Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers" ( Blessed Apostle Saint Mark 11:17 ). The events of Jesus' final week appear to be accounted for by the Gospel writers within the clear context of either Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. The exact timing of what happened on subsequent days, however, appears less certain. Monday >Following Mark's chronology, the day after his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus left Bethany for a return visit to the Temple precincts. Along the...

Religious Right Power Brokers The Top Ten by Rob BostonThe United States is home to dozens of Religious Right groups. Many have small budgets and focus on state and local issues; the most powerful organizations conduct nationwide operations, command multi-million-dollar bank accounts and attract millions of followers. They have disproportionate clout in the halls of Congress, the White House and the courts, and they wield enormous influence within the political system.What follows is a list of the nation’s Top Ten Religious Right groups, as determined by publicly available financial data and political prominence. (For budgetary data, Church & State used...

It’s the kind of controversy that I pray will turn into a productive conversation among black people of faith. Last weekend, James H. Cone, a prominent theologian who has used the teachings of compassion for the downtrodden espoused by Martin Luther King Jr. to shape a generation of black ministers, decided to sit out graduation ceremonies at the Interdenominational Theological Center after officials invited Bishop Eddie Long to speak at its commencement. A number of students had also threatened to boycott the ceremony as well. Long is senior pastor at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, an Atlanta church that boasts...

Impeachment of Federal Judges by David Barton The Founders' intent for impeachment was to protect the fundamental principle of “the consent of the governed.” The Constitution carries no title but “We the People,” and impeachment removes from office those officials who ignore that standard. (Recall that the Constitution does not guarantee a federal judge his position for life, but only for the duration of “good behavior.” Art. III, Sec. 1) For this reason impeachment was used whenever judges disregarded public interests, affronted the will of the people, or introduced arbitrary power by seizing the role of policy-maker. Previous generations used...

The full 9th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals (composed of 28 judgeships) recently upheld the wildly unpopular 2-1 ruling of its smaller three judge panel, agreeing with Sacramento atheist Michael Newdow that it was unconstitutional for students to recite the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. Judge Stephen Reinhardt, concurring in the full 9th Circuit order, explained: We may not – we must not – allow public sentiment or outcry to guide our decisions. . . . Any suggestion, whenever or wherever made, that federal judges should be encouraged by the approval of the majority or deterred by...

This year marks 225(older, but timeless article) years since our Founding Fathers gave us our National Birth Certificate. We continue to be the longest on-going Constitutional Republic in the history of the world. Blessings such as these are not by chance or accidental. They are blessings of God. On July 2, 1776, Congress voted to approve a complete separation from Great Britain. Two days afterwards — July 4th —the early draft of the Declaration of Independence was signed, albeit by only two individuals at that time: John Hancock, President of Congress, and Charles Thompson, Secretary of Congress. Four days later,...

CBN.com – Conservatives say the Supreme Court's sodomy ruling is just one more example of judicial activism in the courts, that the Court has gotten too powerful and is creating new laws instead of ruling on the existing ones. David Barton is an expert on U.S. history, and he says the High Court is exercising powers that the Founding Fathers never intended. CBN’s Pat Robertson recently spoke with David Barton on "The 700 Club." PAT ROBERTSON: The Supreme Court, ladies and gentlemen. The eyes have been focused on the Supreme Court. Recent rulings by the court have shown how easily...

Did you know that several Republican leaders in Texas have been issuing apologies for slavery and bigotry on behalf of our party? They are and it includes our immediate former Republican Party of Texas Chairman Susan Weddington.Democrat liberals do this sort of thing all the time when pandering and race hustling to Jesse Jackson and his following for votes, but to see this sort of stuff from Republican leaders seems unbelievable.Since this story is so far fetched many have experienced disbelief in it at first. But rest assured, it happened and here is the evidence that could be assembled from...