Free Republic

Despite not being a member of the European Union, Switzerland is under intense pressure from Brussels to raise taxes as companies flee high-tax EU welfare states in favor of more business-friendly Swiss cantons. And if the nation refuses to bow down soon, so-called “eurocrats” are threatening retaliation. The Swiss government has been in discussions with EU bosses for over a year regarding Switzerland’s non-compliance with the “EU Code of Conduct for Business Taxation.” The EU’s goal, according to the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, is to eliminate what the supranational regime in Brussels calls “harmful tax practices” — low taxes which attract...

Even casual observers of legendary actor/director/racing enthusiast and professional driver/philanthropist Paul Newman can tell you that amongst his widely varied personal interests, the boy liked his cars... and particularly the fast ones. The late-great movie star also possessed an independent streak that contributed to his aura and celebrity appeal, thus in the wake of initial Hollywood success of the early 1960s -starting with 1963's The Hustler- the free-thinking Newman went and got himself not a new Cadillac convertible, Rolls, or Ferrari... but a cherry-red 1963 VW Beetle Convertible.  He was soon recruited by VW's agency in the US to pose in ads with...

Dear Friend in Christ, In 2011, what if Catholic college students nationwide resolved to spend time in Eucharistic Adoration? With your prayers and support, The Cardinal Newman Society is prepared to launch our fourth year of leading Catholic college students to Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. The Cardinal Newman Society is nearing completion of a powerful new video to lead young people to Eucharistic Adoration . . . and we continue to sponsor the Vatican’s Eucharistic Miracles of the World exhibit on college campuses. This work is essential to our mission of renewing authentic Catholic education.  The Eucharist must be...

Today many people have trouble with the truth i.e. both with a little "t" and a capital "T." When it is spelled with a lower case "t," it represents the dictionary definition: 1. Conformity to fact or actuality.2. A statement proven to be or accepted as true.Spelled with a capital "T," it represents Jesus as He answered the Apostle Thomas in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life."Modern atheists seem to be enjoying the limelight (no pun intended) especially in England as they attack Pope Benedict XVI for the beatification of the famous convert John Henry...

Three Lessons from Newman From Pope Benedict XVI's meditation at the prayer vigil in Hyde Park yesterday evening: Here is the first lesson we can learn from his life: in our day, when an intellectual and moral relativism threatens to sap the very foundations of our society, Newman reminds us that, as men and women made in the image and likeness of God, we were created to know the truth, to find in that truth our ultimate freedom and the fulfilment of our deepest human aspirations. In a word, we are meant to know Christ, who is himself “the way,...

Pope Benedict in England: Basic Things You Need To Know So you just discovered that the Pope is in England. If you're Catholic and you're just tuning in, you're probably wondering about this because it's in all the news. If you're not a Catholic, you're probably also wondering why it's getting so much news coverage. Here's just a little guide to give you some inside baseball. But first a clip of his arrival. . .   Video embedded -- embed http://www.youtube.com/v/MNLI9YwnF2c&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" 1. Popes Have Seldom Visited England The only visit to England by a modern-day Pope was made by John...

LONDON (CNS) -- Catholic officials are investigating claims that a severely deformed baby was born in a perfectly normal condition after the child's mother prayed to Cardinal John Henry Newman for a miracle. Andrea Ambrosi, the Vatican lawyer in charge of Cardinal Newman's cause for canonization, has revealed in a BBC program to be broadcast Sept. 18 that he hopes the inexplicable healing may be the miracle needed to canonize Cardinal Newman as Britain's next saint. Pope Benedict XVI will beatify Cardinal Newman at a huge open-air Mass in Birmingham's Cofton Park Sept. 19, the last day of his four-day...

A WANNABE warlock has revealed plans to open OCCULT centres in Birmingham and Coventry during the Pope’s visit.Former parliamentary candidate Magnus Lynius Shadee also wants to pray at Cardinal Newman’s grave in a move that is sure to infuriate the Vatican.The occultist says the centres are at a secret location near Cofton Park in Birmingham and another venue in Coventry.Shadee, 65, said: “I’ve always intended to open an occult centre in the cities and the Pope’s visit simply brought forward the date. The Vatican will probably be none too happy with the idea though.‘‘I will also visit Cardinal Newman’s grave...

Because there is typically no such thing as a pulpit in the Byzantine Churches, the priest or deacon who is to preach usually stands on the soleas in front of the Royal Doors, without notes or text, and preaches extemporaneously. Likewise, the Evangelion of the Byzantine Liturgikon is an annual one, without cycles for alternate years; and the temptation to drift far from the Scriptures of the day into less appropriate subject matter, rather than explore ever new and deepening mysteries in the passages provided, is often difficult to resist. The purpose of this web site is to present my...

Cardinal John Henry Newman and Pope Benedict XVI. London, England, Mar 16, 2010 / 11:12 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In a joint press conference on Tuesday, the U.K. Government and the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Scotland, England and Wales welcomed Pope Benedict's upcoming visit, calling it an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen ties between the country and  the Holy See. The Sept. 16-19 papal visit, which is the first ever to take place in the U.K., was formally announced by Queen Elizabeth II on March 16. The Pope's itinerary includes not only a formal reception by Her Majesty The Queen but...

Vote of Confidence A huge black turnout in November 1992 altered Chicago's electoral landscape—and raised a new political star: a 31-year-old lawyer named Barack Obama. By Gretchen Reynolds A huge black turnout in November 1992 altered Chicago's electoral landscape-and raised a new political star: a 31-year-old lawyer named Barack Obama. In the final, climactic buildup to November's general election, with George Bush gaining ground on Bill Clinton in Illinois and the once-unstoppable campaign of senatorial candidate Carol Moseley Braun embroiled in allegations about her mother's Medicare liability, one of the most important local stories managed to go virtually unreported: The...

Obama’s statement that abortions will not be paid for with federal money is a bold-faced deceptionWashington, DC – President Barack Obama made the statement during last evening’s address on Health Care Reform that before a joint session of Congress that was meant to deceive the American people on the matter of tax-payer funding of abortions. Obama stated, “One more misunderstanding I want to clear up – under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place.” “Every fact-checking organization tells us that this is just not true. The reality is...

Fr. Chavasse, postulator for Cardinal Newman's cause/ John Henry Cardinal Newman Birmingham, Ala., Jul 12, 2009 / 06:27 am (CNA).- The beneficiary of a Vatican-approved miracle attributed to the intercession of Servant of God John Henry Cardinal Newman says an EWTN show inspired him to pray to the saint for the healing of his back injuries that could have paralyzed him. His use of a relic of the cardinal may also be linked to a second miracle.John “Jack” Sullivan had awoken to excruciating pain in June 2000. A CT scan revealed that all or most of the vertebrae and...

Pope Benedict XVI today announced the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman. The declaration means that the Anglican vicar, who shocked Victorian England by converting to Catholicism, will be given the title 'Blessed'. It also puts Newman just one stage away from becoming the first English saint in about 40 years.

Portrait of Cardinal Newman. (CNS) A papal decree announcing the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman is imminent and will most likely be made before the Vatican closes for its summer break in August, the Register has learned. Last month, the Vatican’s medical board concluded a miracle attributed to Cardinal Newman’s intercession was due to inexplicable causes. Deacon John Sullivan, 70, of Marshfield, Mass., was healed of severe back pain in 2001 after praying to the 19th-century English theologian. Deacon Sullivan was prompted to ask for Cardinal Newman’s intercession after watching an EWTN program on Cardinal Newman’s beatification process. Now,...

Conservatives clearly have more than enough reason to worry because all of the praise being heaped on her by New Hampshire Democrats suggests she won't be as reliable as the least dependable of the GOP's current sitting Senators. Newman, after all, endorsed Lynch when he first sought the governorship in 2002 against the sitting governor, Republican Craig Benson. And she has described herself as a "reasonable Republican" - not exactly the kind of self-identification that suggests she has an altogether favorable impression of her own party. Lynch's selection of Newman, who has already indicated she will not seek a full...

J. Bonnie Newman, the woman poised to become New Hampshire's newest senator, has spent 40 years moving among high-profile jobs in politics, academia and the business world. But even for her colleagues and admirers, the precise contours of Newman's personal politics are unclear. Newman, a 63-year-old Republican, has never run for public office, never cast a legislative vote, never outlined a campaign platform. Colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, describe her as a nonideological problem-solver - with a wicked sense of humor and a serious golf habit. They praise her work ethic and her ability to bring together people of differing...

Bonnie Newman announced as the replacement for Senator Gregg.

A forensic archaeologist has raised fresh questions over why no remains were found in the grave of an English cardinal in line to become a saint.It comes just days before artefacts owned by Cardinal John Henry Newman go on display ahead of his possible beatification.Tens of thousands of mourners lined the streets of Birmingham in 1890 as Cardinal John Henry Newman's body was carried eight miles to its final resting place. Some 118 years later the Vatican ordered his remains be dug up. Roman Catholic leaders in Birmingham were asked to exhume his body by the Vatican as part of...