By Thomas Edwards, The Catholic Herald – Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza was struck in an Israeli raid this morning. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Eminence Cardinal Pizzaballa, confirmed the attack in a post on X… there were no casualties, though several people were injured, including the parish priest, Fr Gabriel Romanelli, who used to update Pope Francis daily on the situation in Gaza. Speaking to Vatican News, Cardinal Pizzaballa said: “What we know for sure is that a tank – the IDF says by mistake, but we are not sure about this – hit the church directly, the Church of the Holy Family, the Latin church.”

By Loreto Xavier, OnePeterFive – During the month of June 2025, our family continued our journey into the Sacred Heart of our Lord and King. The Saturday after the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a group of twenty family friends gathered in our home chapel for the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary along with the annual renewal of consecration to them. Our Latin Mass priest led the ceremony, with a hearty Indian meal following.

By Philip Roberts, The Daily Signal – A conservative grassroots organization launched a major campaign Wednesday to rally Americans around the nation’s founding principles ahead of next year’s 250th anniversary… Americans for Prosperity’s “One Small Step” campaign “will be a bold, multi-year initiative to build a movement to defend our founding principles and reignite the American Dream,” the organization said. The campaign will feature stories of American entrepreneurs and inventors “to build a movement to defend our founding principles and reignite the American Dream.”

By Patrick J. Passmore, CNA – One in 6 unborn children’s lives now end in abortion in the Republic of Ireland, according to the Irish Department of Health statistics, which reports 10,852 abortions in 2024 — the highest number on record since the law changed in 2019 following the 2018 referendum… Pro Life Campaign spokesperson Eilís Mulroy speaking to CNA said: “That’s a truly horrifying figure, and it’s the opposite of what senior politicians promised the public would happen if they voted for repeal in 2018,” she added.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Matthew 11:28-30 – 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

By Elise DeGeeter, Catholic Vote – President Donald Trump dismissed renewed speculation over Jeffrey Epstein’s death, calling it a “hoax” driven by Democrats and distancing himself from supporters who continue to raise concerns about the convicted sex offender… In a July 16 Truth Social post, Trump referred to the controversy as “the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax,” criticizing those who “have bought into” it.

By Franciscan Media, July 17 – Francis came from a leading family in Andalusia, Spain. Perhaps it was his popularity as a student that enabled Francis in his teens to stop two duelists. He entered the Friars Minor in 1570, and after ordination enthusiastically sacrificed himself for others. His care for the sick during an epidemic drew so much admiration that he became embarrassed and asked to be sent to the African missions. Instead he was sent to South America in 1589.

By Rep. Josh Brecheen, New York Post – Catholic NGOs received over $3 billion during the Biden administration to aid in the illegal invasion of the United States… When violent riots erupted across Los Angeles in defiance of President Trump’s efforts to enforce federal immigration law, the uprising was not as spontaneous as open-borders politicians would have you believe… Far-left non-governmental organizations, including the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), helped provide transportation and services to those going to the protests in support of illegal immigration, many of which quickly devolved into brutal attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

By Margot Cleveland, The Federalist – Federal judge James Boasberg advised Chief Justice John Roberts and some two dozen other judges that his D.C. colleagues were “concern[ed] that the Administration would disregard rulings of federal courts leading to a constitutional crisis,” according to a memorandum obtained exclusively by The Federalist. That Judge Boasberg and his fellow D.C. District Court judges would discuss how a named Defendant in numerous pending lawsuits might respond to an adverse ruling is shocking. …

By Elise DeGeeter, Catholic Vote – Israel said July 16 it carried out strikes on Syria’s Defense Ministry HQ in Damascus in response to attacks on the Druze community in southern Syria. Hours later, Sec. of State Marco Rubio announced on X that all parties involved had agreed to “specific steps” to end the violence… “The IDF continues to monitor developments and the regime’s actions against Druze civilians in southern Syria,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on X. “In accordance with directives from the political echelon, the IDF is striking in the area and remains prepared for various scenarios.”

By Michael Pakaluk, The Catholic Thing – What is the meaning of life? I shall tell you… That life should have “meaning” is a distinctively modern concern.  In the classical world, it was enough if a life were good, successful, and reasonable.  We all strive for happiness, it was said: what could “meaning” possibly add?… In the classical outlook, however, it was taken for granted that any natural reality, such as human life, inherently has a telos (i.e., an end towards which it tends).

By Scott McKay, The American Spectator – BATON ROUGE — A man claimed he was unfairly fired from his job after he refused to use the pronouns that another employee said they used.
Luke Ash, a former library employee and pastor, said he knows that what he did was against the library’s code of conduct for employees, but he says calling his co-workers by the pronouns they identify with would be against his own beliefs… Ash worked at the library for fewer than six months. He was fired Thursday after having a conversation with a co-worker about another co-worker. In the conversation he refused to refer to the second co-worker by their proper pronouns.

By Craig Bannister, MRC TV – “Changing birth certificates for desired genders is falsifying records,” Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said, announcing that he is filing motions to intervene in cases where Indiana trial courts have ordered the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) to change the designation of sex on birth certificates to reflect preferred gender identities… “One should have no more ability to change the listed sex on a birth certificate years after the fact than to change the newborn’s listed length or weight,” Rokita explained in his office’s press release.

By Elise DeGeeter, LifeNews – In a closely watched case, the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld West Virginia’s ban on the abortion drug mifepristone, marking a major legal win for the state’s pro-life stance and reinforcing state authority in the post-Dobbs era… The July 15 ruling came in response to a challenge by GenBioPro, a Nevada-based manufacturer of mifepristone, which argued that the FDA’s approval of the drug should override the state ban. The court rejected that claim in a 2-1 decision, affirming West Virginia’s authority to regulate abortion within its borders.

By Raymond Ibrahim, The Stream – On July 16, 1212, atop the windswept plains of Las Navas de Tolosa, Christendom and Islam clashed in one of the most consequential battles of the Middle Ages — an event that shattered an empire, galvanized a continent, and echoes still in the political currents of modern Spain and among Islamist terrorists who vow vengeance for it… It had been 500 years since the armies of Muhammad first crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and began their conquest of Iberia in 711. In their wake, most of the peninsula fell under the crescent.