By David Edwards, Raw Story, (Complicit Clergy) – “How would you respond to Pope Leo in scripture?” the reporter wondered… “So you want me to give you a theological dissertation?” Johnson replied. “Borders and walls are biblical. From the Old Testament to the New, God has allowed us to set up our civil societies and have separate nations. Immigration is not something that’s frowned upon in Scripture. In fact, it’s welcome. We’re to welcome the sojourner and love our neighbor as ourselves.” …

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Mark 6:1-6 – 1 He went away from there and came to his own country; and his disciples followed him. 2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! ….

By Mark Haas, Crisis Magazine – In free solo climbing, the climber ascends massive structures or rock faces without ropes, harnesses, or protective equipment. There is no safety net. No backup plan. One slip, one moment of fatigue, one miscalculation—and death is horrifically instant. Every movement must be perfect. Every grip must hold. The free climber lives, quite literally, seconds away from catastrophe at all times… Honnold himself has acknowledged this reality. He knows that his life hangs on his fingertips. He accepts the risk. He trains relentlessly. He remains intensely focused because he knows what is at stake.

By Auguste Meyrat, The Catholic Thing – What is a feminist? This used to be an easy question to answer. When feminism simply meant equal rights and opportunities for women, most people felt comfortable identifying as such. After all, who could be against women having the right to vote and owning property?… Even as feminists have broken glass ceiling after glass ceiling, however, it has become less clear what their goals are anymore. Worse still, the rise of transgenderism has undermined the core claims of feminism by questioning the objective reality of womanhood.

By Paul Kengor, Grace Reilly, The American Spectator – The woke NFL show is finally rivaled!… For years, the NFL has become more woke, less family-friendly, and less patriotic. This year’s halftime performer, Bad Bunny, is confirmation of this fact… Turning Point USA recognized that many Americans have had enough, so they’ve announced a rival All- American Half Time Show that will feature Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett… Watch the full episode …

By Jeffrey Mirus, Catholic Culture – Christmas seems to take a very long time to arrive, while Lent leaps out and grabs us before we have time to blink. Ash Wednesday 2026 is just a week away. So now we are called upon to reflect not on the baby in the manger but on the man whose “sweat became like great drops of blood falling down upon the ground” (Luke 22:44). The realities of the passion and death of Jesus Christ trigger in us a significantly different response than do the details of His nativity.

By Elise Winland, Zeale – A vast majority of Americans — including Democrats and ethnic minorities — favor requiring photo identification (ID) to vote, according to an analysis from CNN Senior Data Reporter Harry Enten… The data undercuts claims by some Democratic lawmakers that voter ID laws are broadly unpopular and intended to disenfranchise non-white voters… Speaking during a Feb. 3 segment on CNN, Enten cited recent Pew Research Center surveys showing 83% overall support for photo voter ID requirements. Support has remained consistently above 75% since 2018, the data suggest.

By Garrett Johnson, Catholic Exchange – Until I was given my true freedom, I didn’t clearly see the false freedom of the hedonistic lifestyle I’d been living. I was pleased to find that the Church had consistently fought for people’s freedom from its inception. One of the significant battles she was involved in when I returned was deeply personal to me: the battle over identity. I gladly joined this fight, in part, by joining the Courage apostolate and by writing and creating videos on my website.

Peters Pence Class Action, Feb. 3, 2026 – The Peter’s Pence class action lawsuit against the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) was originally filed in January 2020.  The lawsuit alleges that USCCB routinely asks Catholics throughout the country to donate money to the annual Peter’s Pence collection to “help victims of war, oppression, natural disaster, or disease,” but the money actually goes into funds which invest in such ventures as luxury condominium developments and Hollywood movies. The Plaintiff claims the USCCB is liable under theories of common law fraud, unjust enrichment, and breach of fiduciary duty.

By Jordan Boyd, The Federalist – Over the last 25 years, gunmen and gunwomen have launched around two dozen fatal attacks at Christian churches across the nation. As demonstrated by the invasion of Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota last month, even congregations that haven’t encountered an armed threat still face mounting hostility against their faith and parishioners… There’s no denying houses of worship are targets for violence. There’s also no denying that death tolls in church shootings were kept at a minimum thanks to the heroic actions of good guys with guns like Jack Wilson, Caleb Engle, and Jeanne Assam.

By Shawn Fleetwood, The Federalist – Nearly two-thirds of likely 2026 midterm election voters support deporting illegal aliens from the United States, a new poll released Monday shows… In its latest survey of 1,004 likely 2026 voters, the political polling firm Cygnal found that respondents support removing illegal aliens from America and sending them back to their country of origin by a nearly 2:1 margin (61 to 34 percent). The poll also found strong support for ICE enforcement of federal immigration laws and agreement that illegally entering the United States is a violation of such laws.. “Voters see illegal immigration as a simple question of law and order,”

By Jonathan Liedl, National Catholic Register – The cardinal-archbishop of Chicago has profoundly reshaped the American hierarchy over the past 10 years and is poised to exert a lasting influence… At an upcoming Mass in Manhattan, Bishop Ronald Hicks will become the 11th archbishop of New York. But during the Feb. 6 installation in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Chicago native will also be the latest addition to another sort of lineage… Archbishop-designate Hicks is set to become the fourth former deputy of Chicago’s Cardinal Blase Cupich to be named to a major American see in just the past 13 months. …

By James Kalb, Catholic World Report – To say that Trumpism is better politically than progressivism is not to say that it is an adequate view of politics and social life, or that it is likely, if it runs its course, to lead to a good or even sustainable society… We live in unusual times, and Donald Trump is, to put it mildly, an unusual politician… We need to understand him to deal with him, and with that in mind, I will present my own theory… What strikes me most is that Trump has distinctive ways of doing things that never seem to vary. Just as he always eats, drinks, and dresses the same, he always operates the same—he wants to make deals ….

By Chris Jackson, Hiraeth in Exile, (Substack) – On February 2, the Society of St. Pius X publicly announced that new episcopal consecrations will take place on July 1. The Superior General, Fr. Davide Pagliarani, says he requested an audience, wrote again to explain the need, received a letter from the Holy See that “in no way” answered the Society’s requests, and judged that “the objective state of grave necessity in which souls find themselves” requires the decision… The next months force the Vatican II machine to show its hand again, in public, with the same familiar pattern: thunder at Tradition, soft voices for schism, smiles for the regime in China, gentle language for Eastern separation, and a permanent allergy to precision whenever Rome’s new ecumenical theology starts contradicting itself.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Mark 5:21-43 – 21 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him; and he was beside the sea. 22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and seeing him, he fell at his feet, 23 and begged him, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” 24 And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. …