News

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 14:1-6 – “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ….

By Jules Gomes, The Stream – “If Bach is not in Heaven, I am not going,” William F. Buckley, the iconic conservative writer, political commentator, and host of the talk show Firing Line once said… Is there a more quintessentially Buckleian paradox than this? William Frank Buckley, a devout Catholic, beatifying Johann Sebastian Bach, a dyed-in-the-wool Lutheran?…

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – America is aborting away its future. There’s no more glaring example of that than the fact that the fertility in the United States has hit a record low… According to newly-released data from the Centers for Disease Control, America’s total fertility rate dropped to 1.62 births per woman last year, a 2% decline from the year before. That figure is below replacement rate, which means that Americans are not having enough children to replace people who are dying.

By Robert Lazu Kmita, Remnant Columnist, The Remnant – On the evening of Saturday, September 9, 1846, two young shepherds, Mélanie Calvat (14 years old) and Maximin Giraud (11 years old), encountered a wondrous and luminous Lady in tears: the Holy Virgin Mary. Deeply saddened, the Queen of the Universe conveyed a message to them addressed to all. Her unforgettable words mentioned the “strong and heavy” hand of her Son that she could no longer hold back. The cause was the sins of humanity: the violation of the commandment to attend Sunday and holy day Mass ….

By Oliver Oliveros, Catholic Exchange – Admittedly, it will take more than a moral attitude to prevail over lust. It is a mistake to look at it solely as a flaw in human behavior. One must also see that there is an adversary who plans for our demise… Growing up in Catholic school, the concept of spiritual warfare was treated as an afterthought. Yet, many saints and the church fathers discussed it, and it was certainly an important part of our Savior’s ministry. But because of the oversight, I had the naïve idea that as long as you were not possessed, you did not have to worry about the demonic realm.

By Michael Haynes, PerMariam – Giving forthright comments on a number of current issues in the Catholic Church, Cardinal Raymond Burke condemned the practice of giving Holy Communion to pro-abortion politicians, as well as noting that the traditional Mass is in a state of “persecution.”… “This is what is referred to as scandal,” he said April 23, commenting on the practice of pro-abortion politicians receiving Holy Communion.

By Michael Warsaw, EWTN News – Another Tax Day has come and gone, but a big taxation question in Wisconsin remains unresolved, in the wake of a recent ruling that Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Superior isn’t religious enough in the eyes of the state’s Supreme Court to qualify for a religious tax exemption… The nonprofit organization, called Catholic Charities Bureau (CCB), provides a host of social services, including job training and housing support for people with mental and physical disabilities.

By Eddie Scarry, The Federalist – Marc Santora, a NY Times reporter based in Kyiv, did a decent job admitting this little problem on Wednesday’s episode of “The Daily” podcast: “What this package doesn’t do,” he said, “is tell us the path forward for how Ukraine can achieve what they really want, their ultimate goal, which is driving the Russians from their land and securing the kind of victory that is both lasting and just in their minds.”… As of just a few weeks ago, the U.S. had dedicated nearly $115 billion to Ukraine. Now, following Speaker Mike Johnson’s little chat with Biden White House officials … that number has ballooned to around $175 billion — and counting!

By Kennedy Hall, Crisis Magazine – Why is this the case? Why would someone like Candace Owens convert to Catholicism, and in such a public way? Of course, I do not know Owens, and I will not pretend here to psychologize or offer any insight into her personal reasons. However, I believe her religious trajectory—something she has been public about—offers some insight into why someone like her, or anyone for that matter, would convert to the Church of Rome despite the myriad problems in the Church today. …

By Susan Ciancio, Catholic World Report – We live in a “you do you” world in which fewer and fewer people have the courage to stand up for anything they believe. And society has us thinking that this selfish mentality is a good thing… Merriam-Webster defines scandal as “malicious or defamatory gossip,” a “disgrace,” or “a circumstance or action that offends propriety or established moral conceptions.”… “Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil,” states the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “The person who gives scandal becomes his neighbor’s tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death.”

By Franciscan Media – Central America claimed its first saint with the canonization of Pedro de San José Betancur. Known as the “Saint Francis of the Americas,” Pedro de Betancur is the first saint to have worked and died in Guatemala… Pedro very much wanted to become a priest, but God had other plans for the young man born into a poor family on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. ..

By Gene Gomulka, Complicit Clergy – Similar to World War II Germany when so many members of the clergy – bishops, priests, pastors – were silent amidst the atrocities committed by Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi), so too today are many bishops and priests silent in denouncing Biden and the Democratic Party for its support of practices condemned by the Catholic Church.

Written by Deacon Joey Carrion, Retired from active ministry in the Archdiocese of Miami – Dear Bishops: We’re tired! .. We’re tired… of going to Mass each Sunday yearning for the Word of God, and returning home emptier than we left. .. We’re tired… of hearing you preach about the need for a Eucharistic Renewal, and yet you can’t agree amongst yourselves that giving Holy Communion to openly pro-abortion politicians is a sin. ….

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 13:16-20 – Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. I am not speaking of you all; I know whom I have chosen; it is that the scripture may be fulfilled, `He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ ….

Happy Thursday!.. Today’s Brew starts off with a massive day for the Supreme Court, as justices are set to hear arguments in a case that will directly affect the 2024 election… SCOTUS Hearing Arguments on Trump Presidential Immunity… All eyes are trained toward the District of Columbia this morning as the High Court hears arguments over whether former President Donald Trump had presidential immunity for his actions questioning the integrity of the 2020 Election. ….

By Michael Pakaluk, The Catholic Thing – When the eclipse of the sun coincided with the Annunciation on April 8, many Catholics rightly recalled that Mary is traditionally likened to the moon, an image well expressed by Fulton Sheen (The World’s First Love): God, Who made the sun, also made the moon. The moon does not take away from the brilliance of the sun. The moon would be only a burnt-out cinder floating in the immensity of space were it not for the sun. All its light is reflected from the sun. The Blessed Mother reflects her Divine Son; without Him, she is nothing. With Him, she is the Mother of Men.

By Emily Mangiaracina, LifeSite News – Pope Francis reportedly praised Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock, a liberal Protestant pastor and strong supporter of abortion and homosexuality, for remaining “anchored” in his “faith.”… Warnock, who has described himself as a “pro-choice pastor,” has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood, and co-sponsored the so-called “Respect for Marriage Act” that codified homosexual “marriage” in U.S. federal law, met with Francis on Saturday.

By Katelynn Richardson, Daily Caller – Prosecutors in Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s office offered new transparency not only to the public, but seemingly also Trump’s defense attorneys on Tuesday when, one year after indicting (Trump), they finally pulled back the curtain to reveal the motivating crime in their case: a violation of state election law. Former federal prosecutors told the Daily Caller.. Bragg’s lack of clarity is unfair to the defense, who can’t prepare to argue against a charge they don’t know, and unlike what they’ve seen before… “I don’t recall ever having a trial where the defense didn’t know what the government was trying to prove,” former federal prosecutor Jonathan Fahey told the DCNF, likening Bragg’s approach to a “trial by ambush.”

By Matthew McDonald, EWTN News – Father Justin, we hardly knew ye … Less than two days after debuting an artificial intelligence (AI) priest character to overwhelmingly negative reviews, Catholic Answers has given “Father Justin” the virtual heave-ho… The lay-run apologetics and evangelization apostolate, based in El Cajon, California, told the Register that it will replace him on its app with a lay character named “Justin” within a week.

By Kyle Seraphin, The Federalist – In light of the FBI’s anti-Catholic ‘Richmond memo,’ the true new resistance is everyday churchgoing folks with families… Betrayal. If I could sum it all up in one word, it would have to be “betrayal.”.. “This is what being stabbed in the back feels like,” I thought to myself on that winter day when I first laid eyes on the FBI’s anti-Catholic “Richmond memo.”… My reaction was predictable. I am Catholic, and I thought it was appalling, plain and simple.

By Msgr. Richard C. Antall, Crisis Magazine – I think that one aspect of the declaration has been ignored. That is its naiveté about a supposed consensus of moral thinking. In paragraph seven, it reads: “There is widespread agreement today on the importance and normative scope of human dignity and on the unique and transcendent value of every human being.” The endnote for that affirmation refers to the 1948 United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, a 1966 United Nations “Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” and the 1975 Helsinki “Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe.”

By Catholic Vote, CV News Feed – “Of all the groups our top federal law enforcement agency would write an 11-page document targeting, they picked us,” Seraphin, a Catholic, wrote… “With all of the crime going on in the country, especially in the last few years, the FBI decided we Catholics were the problem,” he added… (Seraphin)… also warned that “[t]he FBI is establishing a gateway in what they think is ‘fringe Catholicism,’ as a means to go after Christians in general and declare them to be the real ‘threats’ and ‘potential terrorists’ in the country.”… “Slowly but surely, the FBI is probing its way into all religious communities,” Seraphin explained… “All Christians are in the crosshairs … the idea of them targeting a so-called ‘radical Baptist’ or ‘radical Lutheran’ in the near future is certainly on the table.”

By Franciscan Media – Most of what we know about Mark comes directly from the New Testament. He is usually identified with the Mark of Acts 12:12. When Saint Peter escaped from prison, he went to the home of Mark’s mother… Paul and Barnabas took him along on the first missionary journey, but for some reason Mark returned alone to Jerusalem. It is evident, from Paul’s refusal to let Mark accompany him on the second journey despite Barnabas’s insistence, that Mark had displeased Paul. Because Paul later asks Mark to visit him in prison, we may assume the trouble did not last long.

By Thomas D. Williams, Ph. D., Breitbart – Conservative Bishop Joseph Strickland, who was ousted from his Texas diocese by Pope Francis last year, has denounced a “corrupt Vatican.”… “I urge all faithful Catholics to speak up, enough is enough,” Bishop Strickland wrote on X (and) posted together with an image of Jesus throwing money-changers out of the temple… “Enough with silent shepherds, enough with a corrupt Vatican, enough with blasphemies & desecration of Jesus Christ,” the bishop continued. “Let us denounce so called bishops who bless sin & hide wolves among the sheep. ENOUGH!”

By Emily Mangiaracina, LifeSiteNew – Dioceses can shirk financial penalties by filing bankruptcy after sex abuse lawsuits. Roman Catholic Faithful’s Project Rape Accountability would instead force financial accountability in such cases… The watchdog group Roman Catholic Faithful publicly announced on Tuesday its newly launched “Project Rape Accountability” that proposes a federal legislative amendment that would prevent the discharge of dioceses’ debts arising from the sexual abuse of minors.

By Warner Todd Huston, Breitbart – Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of San Antonio is defending itself after becoming the target of critics who claim that it improperly used federal funds to buy airfare for illegal aliens to fly to their choice of destinations in the U.S… Two South Texas lawmakers blasted the charity on Thursday for using federal funds to purchase the airfare and said that the funds are intended to reimburse nonprofits for food, shelter, and humanitarian expenses, not free travel programs for President Joe Biden’s illegal aliens. … Catholic Charities of San Antonio admitted to the station that it had been allotted $10.8 million in funding to care for migrants in their area and that it used the funds to buy plane tickets for illegals. …

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word -John 12:44-50 – And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And he who sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If any one hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. ….

By Kevin Beary, The Remnant – Of course, women priests and popes are part of a bigger package containing all sorts of theological surprises… To make the Church less masculine: this is the task that Pope Francis has given the International Theological Commission. Or at least, that is the official translation of the Italian word Francis used, smaschilizzare, which the English-language media rightly translated as “demasculinize”, i.e. “emasculate, castrate”. “Rendere meno maschile,” which Francis did not say, would translate literally as “to make less masculine.”

By Jordan Boyd, The Federalist – Speaker of the House Mike Johnson will travel to Texas this week, not to make another performative visit to the border he abandoned when he banded with Democrats to pass $95 billion in foreign spending, but to aid a fundraiser for his “endangered” GOP colleague (Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales) who smeared Republicans opposed to the Ukraine package… In return, Johnson will overlook Gonzales’ egregious maligning of conservatives while wining and dining voters in the San Antonio area into throwing more money at the establishment Republican’s reelection campaign.

By Francis X. Maier, The Catholic Thing – As we get older, the temptation to be dissatisfied with our lives can grow.  A fear of aging, along with memories of past failures and mistakes, can obscure the good in the world around us.  A culture of consumption, distractions, and anesthetics, which is what we’ve created, feeds on that restlessness and profits from the anxiety that so often animates our desires.  In the process, it steals something uniquely human from us.  It reduces us to a bundle of material appetites.

By Michael Haynes, LifeSite News – The Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has confirmed to LifeSiteNews that the Holy See intends to renew its secretive deal with Communist China later this year… Cardinal Parolin affirmed that the highly controversial Sino-Vatican deal that the Holy See has with the Communist authorities in Beijing is set for renewal this autumn… Parolin stated “with reference to your question about the Holy See’s agreement with China … we hope to renew it.”… “We are also in dialogue on this point with our Chinese interlocutors.” …

By Catholic Vote – President Joe Biden made the Sign of the Cross in response to pro-abortion comments made by Democrat Nikki Fried, who was standing next to the president.
The gesture came while the president was listening to Florida Dem. Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried slam her state’s pro-life law… “Where … 15 weeks wasn’t good enough so we had to go to six weeks,” Fried said, referring to the gestational limit up until abortion is allowed under state law… As soon as Fried said “wasn’t good enough,” Biden began to make a slow sign of the cross ….

By Emma Waters, Daily Signal – In a recent sting operation, the FBI arrested and charged a Chicago man for knowingly distributing material on child sexual assault and boasting about sexually abusing his young nieces and nephews… The man’s arrest came less than a week before he and another man identified as his husband were set to collect their newborn son from a commercial surrogate in California… Commercial surrogacy is a contractual agreement where someone pays a woman to gestate and birth an unrelated child for a fee. …

By Michael Ippolito, Crisis Magazine – No faithful Catholic could look at the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and be proud of that decision… The dropping of the atomic bomb was evil. For the average conservative commentator, this comment automatically causes a knee-jerk reaction with the same old platitudes. For decades, the American Right has been the defender of our usage of the atomic bomb, with either “it saved more American lives” or “it was the lesser of two evils” being some of the strongest candidates.

By Joshua Mercer, LifeNews – Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. just released a new policy platform on abortion titled, “More Choices, More Life.”… “Abortion is one of the most divisive issues in American politics… We’ve been offered two positions — pro-life and pro-choice — with hardly any room between or outside them.”… Kennedy’s campaign claims that his proposed abortion policy “will dramatically reduce abortion in this country, and it will do so by offering more choices for women and families, not less.”… The policy clarifies that a Kennedy administration would seek to “make it easier for women to choose life.”

By Franciscan Media – By Franciscan Media – If a poor man needed some clothing, Fidelis would often give the man the clothes right off his back. Complete generosity to others characterized this saint’s life… Born in 1577, Mark Rey became a lawyer who constantly upheld the causes of the poor and oppressed people.

By Robert G. Marshall, Catholic Culture – While the Catholic bishops along with some other sources have claimed since the Fall of 2023 that the Biden Administration hijacked the prolife purpose of the PWFA, the public record shows that the Catholic Bishops worked closely with and followed the lead of Democrat Congressional Members to produce the final wording of the PWFA signed by the President. The public record is equally clear that the Catholic bishops and their staff ignored warnings from Republican Members of Congress and prolife groups regarding the pro-abortion consequences of the PWFA. In fact, the Bishops opposed corrective amendment language to the PWFA proposed by Republicans and supported by prolife and religious groups to expressly exclude PWFA-covered businesses from having to provide abortion and other morally problematic “services” to pregnant women.

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – Responding to the new rule on Friday, Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades said in a statement that “no employer should be forced to participate in an employee’s decision to end the life of their child.”… “The bipartisan Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, as written, is a pro-life law that protects the security and physical health of pregnant mothers and their preborn children,” Rhoades, the chairman of the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty, said in the statement.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 10:22-30 – It was the feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered round him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. ….

By Jordan Boyd, The Federalist – Until now, corporate media haven’t blinked an eye over the destruction of hundreds of millions of innocent embryos… After the Alabama Supreme Court ruled frozen human embryos should be treated with care, corporate media spent months lambasting in vitro fertilization critics and advocating for killing the embryos at adults’ leisure. Outlets’ tunes, however, changed this week when stories began to circulate about Israel allegedly destroying the “majority of Gaza’s frozen embryos.”

By Tyler Arnold, CNA – As the Vatican tries to settle a chaotic yearlong dispute between a Carmelite monastery and Diocese of Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson, the nuns at the center of the controversy announced they will defy a Vatican decree that delegates their governance to an outside religious association… The dispute centers on Bishop Olson’s investigation into the former prioress of the Arlington-based Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity: the Reverend Mother Superior Teresa Agnes Gerlach….

By John M. Grondelski, The Catholic Thing – Wojtyła’s analysis of obligation certainly aligned with an older Catholic understanding of conscience, but it broke fresh ground in forcing everyone to reckon with the implications of primordial and universal human experiences – that we have obligations for which we are responsible towards which we can fail – which leads to a state of affairs that requires fixing. As a common human experience, it grounds objective morality independently of particular religious commitments. …

By Bradley Jaye, Breitbart – Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) being Johnson’s own pick to chair the powerful appropriations committee, it defies reason that Johnson would appoint Cole without knowing his feelings on earmarks — if Johnson is, in fact, running the show. It seems unlikely Johnson would appoint Cole if the two were not simpatico on Cole’s first major initiative after being gifted the gavel… Johnson’s move also comes during widespread speculation regarding promises he may have made to Democrats to keep him safe if he brought Ukraine funding to the floor.

By Charles A. Kohlhaas, CNSNews – In spite of weak support from his own party, Trump did many good things: closed the border, avoided wars, cut taxes, lowered inflation, and negotiated the Abraham Accords in the Middle East. Now, Paul Ryan is long gone, the country is in the ditch, and the Republicans still refuse to grow up… An Italian colleague used to quote a jibe at is own countrymen’s penchant for long discussions when other things needed doing: “The Romans were debating the sex of angels when the barbarians were pounding on the gates.”… So went Rome; so goes the United States of America.

By John Zmirak, The Stream – How is treating Ukraine as part of NATO and arming it to the teeth any less provocative than the Soviets putting nuclear missiles in Cuba? You do know that John F. Kennedy was willing to risk a nuclear war with the Soviets to stop that threat to American sovereignty? That we came to the very brink of incinerating hundreds of millions of people over that issue? Why think that ex-KGB agent Putin would be less militaristic than playboy JFK? ….

By Virginia Allen, Daily Signal – The House passed a four-bill $95 billion foreign aid package over the weekend that includes $60 billion in additional aid for Ukraine. The bill could cost House Speaker Mike Johnson his job… The aid package passed in a 311-112 vote with the unanimous support of Democrats and 101 Republicans voting in favor of the bill… Ryan Walker, Ex. V.P. of Heritage Action for America.. (explains) the reason for the sharp divide in Congress over the foreign aid package and the likelihood Johnson will face removal as speaker. Walker also explains where Congress is getting the money to send to Ukraine.

By Peter Pinedo, CNA – A former abortionist and several pro-life ethicists are urging lawmakers to protect children and parents from the in vitro fertilization (IVF) industry, which they say operates on “eugenic” principles… IVF is a fertility treatment that works by inducing hyper-ovulation during a woman’s cycle to harvest her eggs and then fuse them with sperm to conceive a child outside the womb. The Catholic Church is opposed to IVF because it separates the marriage act from procreation and destroys embryonic human life.

By Ken Oliver-Méndez, CNA, Catholic World Report – Incumbent U.S. President Joe Biden, a Catholic, is battling a high unfavorability rating among his fellow Catholics, according to survey data released by the Pew Research Center… According to the data, neither Biden nor his Republican rival, former president Donald Trump, are viewed favorably by a majority of Catholics surveyed, but Biden is the more unpopular of the two. …

By LifeSiteNews staff – Popular American conservative pundit Candace Owens announced on social media Monday that she is now an official member of the Catholic Church… “Recently, I made the decision to go home. There is of course so much more that went into this decision and that I plan to share in the future. But for now, praise be to God for His gentle, but relentless guiding of my heart toward Truth”… “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand,” she continued, quoting Isaiah 41: 10, before adding, “I do not fear. Christ is King.”

By Edward Pentin, EWTN News – The Catholic faith and traditions of the Habsburg monarchies helped them enjoy mostly stable marriages and large, happy families that were crucial in governing their kingdoms for more than eight centuries… Now, some of those principles they lived — and died — by have been recorded in a book by Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen, a direct descendent of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria (1830-1916), an archduke of Austria, and Hungary’s current ambassador to the Holy See.

By Franciscan Media – Saint George is the object of a vast amount of imagination. There is every reason to believe that he was a real martyr who suffered at Lydda in Palestine, probably before the time of Constantine. The Church adheres to his memory, but not to the legends surrounding his life. That he was willing to pay the supreme price to follow Christ is what the Church believes. And it is enough.

By Msgr. Charles Pope – With yesterday’s feast of Pentecost, our reading of Acts suddenly ends and hence we miss some important stories of Paul’s journey to Rome. This is perhaps another reason to restore the Pentecost Octave, which was dropped in 1970. Doing so would give us eight more days in which to savor the Acts of the Apostles. Among the stories we miss is that of the storm and subsequent shipwreck of St. Paul, who was under armed guard while on the way to Rome.

By Michael J. Matt, Editor, The Remnant – In this episode of the Remnant Underground, Michael J. Matt blasts cringeworthy Christophobia from here to the UK. If they are so “progressive,” why is the “Follow the Science” crowd so obsessed with mocking Christianity? What are they so afraid of and why so desperate?… As the Holy Eucharist is blasphemed on UK television, and Rianna does the slutty nun bit here in America, the abomination of desolation heats up the mainstream Catholic Church. Why? Is it ignorance, or straight up demonic?

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 10:1-10 – “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber; but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens; the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. …

By Emily Chaffins, Catholic Exchange – A new Mass setting has ranked #1 in Billboard’s Traditional Classical Albums chart this month… After its release on March 15th, Frank La Rocca’s “Requiem for the Forgotten” immediately earned #2 in the chart during its first week of sales (the week of March 30)… What is it about this Mass setting that has earned it such acclaim, and what does this say about the role of sacred music in the modern world? …

By Daniel Payne, Catholic News Agency – A historic Polish Catholic church in Buffalo, New York — one with a unique connection to St. John Paul II — is facing tens of thousands of dollars in bills that threaten to close the nearly-century-old structure… Father Czeslaw Krysa, SLD, the parochial vicar of St. Casimir, said the Buffalo Diocese has given the church a deadline of August to pay its outstanding accounts. Among those is $55,000 in annual insurance costs, up recently from $32,000.

By Patti Maguire Armstrong, EWTN News – “What a strange feeling it is to be looking at what by all appearances is a piece of bread in a little glass compartment in the center of a very simple gold monstrance and feel like you are the one being stared at.” … Emily Bleicher shared this experience with the Register about her witness to the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist when she was a Protestant. Through a moment of grace, she recognized Jesus beyond her own understanding.

By Hannah Hiester, Catholic Vote – American Life League’s Planned Parenthood watchdog division, STOPP, released a statement condemning abortions and the use of taxpayer dollars to fund them… “This report should be the centerpiece of criminal investigations into misconduct by Planned Parenthood and its board. You cannot mix, mingle, and misuse nonprofit money for improper purposes, and Planned Parenthood continues to do so to the tune of nearly $1 billion in donations and another $700 million in taxpayer money,” STOPP said in the statement.

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture – In the Psalms, one of the arguments used with some frequency by those who feel abandoned by God runs like this: First, a rhetorical question is asked about whether the dead can praise God—the presumed answer being “No”. Second, the conclusion is drawn that God should aid the one who calls upon Him—so that the one aided can sing God’s praise. This rhetorical questioning is so similar to traditional Jewish humor that one might wonder about its theological sincerity, but I believe …

By Edward Pentin – Since the massive decline during the period immediately following the Second Vatican Council, every attempt has been made on numerous occasions to revive religious practice, to increase the number of priestly and religious vocations, and to preserve the faith of the Christian people. Everything, except letting the people experience the traditional liturgy, by giving the Tridentine liturgy a fair chance. Today, however, common sense urgently demands that all the vital forces in the Church be allowed to live and prosper, and in particular the one which enjoys a right dating back to over a millennium.

By Debbie Cowden, ChurchPOP 2024 – Saint Thomas Aquinas is one of the greatest theologians of all time… He wrote “Summa Theologica,” a compilation of all the Church’s teachings, which contains thousands of pages… The saint composed proofs for the existence of God. He highlighted the harmony of faith and reason, showing how nothing the Catholic Church teaches contradicts logic or reason… So why is he considered the “Angelic Doctor,” and what does that mean for Catholics today? …

By Robert Royal, The Catholic Thing – So, I was in Rome recently chasing down information for a book and noticed that, at the time I’d be heading back home, a National Conservatism Conference was being held in Brussels. I decided to stop in to see how NatCon would fare in the “capital” of the European Union. As has been widely reported, under pressure from “antifa” forces, Brussels’ mayor foolishly forced Concert Noble, the initial venue, to cancel. And again, with the Sofitel. Ultimately, we gathered at the Claridge, where the Tunisian Muslim owner was (unsuccessfully)  pressured by the mayor, his wife threatened, and warned that his business would be destroyed (kudos to him for standing up for free speech). Then, during the first day …..

By John Stonestreet, The Stream – In 2015, pro-life activist David Daleiden of the Center for Medical Progress released a series of undercover videos showing high-paid executives from Planned Parenthood attempting to sell body parts from aborted babies. Their actions were appalling and indefensible. So, naturally, Planned Parenthood, pro-abortion activists, and media outlets did everything possible to discredit Daleiden. They claimed the videos were “edited,” even after Daleiden released the full, unedited versions. Daleiden was sued for allegedly using a fake ID and recording conversations without consent.

By Robert Lazu Kmita, The Remnant – Whether we look towards our own Church, the Catholic Church, or towards Christian denominations, towards the ecclesiastical hierarchy or towards the secular world, towards ecclesiastical personalities, showbiz superstars, or celebrities from the world of film, in recent decades scandals regarding their sexual sins have grown exponentially. We often hear about such events affecting various communities, whether religious or not. Despite distortions and even exaggerations in the media, unfortunately, many of them are based on real facts.

By Regis Martin, Crisis Magazine – “I once thought it would be amusing,” writes Albert Jay Nock, “to attempt an essay on how to go about discovering that one is living in a dark age.” His answer, which is not at all amusing, is simply to watch all the lights go out and see if anyone noticed… And, of course, no one did. At least not among the so-called educated elites, the thought police swarming about in our midst, who are chiefly responsible for the gathering darkness, even as they try and keep the rest of us from seeing it. Thus do they keep us spinning about like tops along the bright surface of a world that, for all its glitter, is totally unreal.

By Ryan Saavedra, DailyWire – Many House Democrats waived Ukrainian flags on the floor of the House of Representatives on Saturday as members voted to pass a series of spending packages designating $95 billion in foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan while failing to address President Joe Biden’s border crisis… A separate vote was taken on each aid proposal with $60 billion allocated for Ukraine, about $17 billion for Israel, $9 billion for humanitarian aid, and $8 billion to support Taiwan. Another bill that could ban TikTok if the company is not divested from Chinese control was also passed.

By Bishop Joseph E. Strickland, LifeSite News – Whether in liturgy, doctrine, or simple everyday piety of Catholics, too many prelates and powerful forces in the Vatican are doing their best to dismantle every vestige of supernatural faith, as well as any understanding of the supernatural truth that Jesus Christ has revealed to us… In a time such as this, it is of the utmost importance that we walk close to Christ, that we abide in His Sacred Heart, and that we sit often with Him so that we might come to know Him well. Of course, what is most important of all is that we worthily partake of Him as often as possible – Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity – in the Holy Eucharist. Belief in the real, supernatural presence of Christ in the Eucharist is the heart and soul of our faith.

By Eduardo J. Echeverria, The Catholic Thing – Homosexual love is not a gift, indeed, it is a false love, because it is incapable of fulfilling the vocation to chastity, of perfecting the being of the person and developing his existence; and hence of being ordered to the natural law, the order of Creation, and hence to God. As a disordered form of love, it not only lacks integration but is a counter-integration by virtue of being an offense against the vocation to chastity, making it unable to realize the integrity of the person and the integrality of the gift of self.

By Pro-Life Leader Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life – I am totally opposed to all abortion, and enthusiastically supportive of President Trump. How is that possible?… Many of you have asked to me explain this in more detail, and I am happy to do so. On matters as contentious as abortion and politics, and in an age where communication is more reactive and instantaneous than ever, it takes a lot of discipline to really listen to one another and navigate the nuances of our explanations… But let’s give it a try.

By Melanie Israel, LifeNews – Planned Parenthood’s 2022-2023 annual report is out. Unlike last year’s annual report, now we’re finally able to see how the 2022 Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade is affecting Planned Parenthood’s abortion numbers and bottom line… Spoiler alert: Abortions and government funding are at all-time highs. Actual health care for things such as cancer screening and preventive care continues to decline. More affiliates than ever are providing “transgender services.”

By Joe Doyle, Catholicism.org – According to Politico and the State House News Service, the Catholic Schools Foundation—the philanthropy which raises funds for parochial schools in the Archdiocese of Boston—hosted Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey as its speaker, at the organization’s Annual Gala in Boston, on Thursday night, April 11th… Healey is a partnered lesbian, endorsed by Planned Parenthood, who has credited the nation’s largest abortion perpetrator as the force which made possible her political career.

By Jordan Boyd, The Federalist – The rules undo Trump-era safeguards for those accused of sexual misconduct and encroach on parents’ rights… The Biden administration’s Department of Education unveiled a sweeping set of rules on Friday that effectively erase protections for sex-based spaces by expanding the Title IX prohibition against sex discrimination to include “gender identity” — a term that’s never mentioned in the original law.

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture – “What is truth?” That cynical question, memorably posed by Pontius Pilate, is enjoying new currency today, thanks to public statements by Katherine Maher, the newly installed head of National Public Radio (NPR)… ”We all have different truths,” Maher told a TED talk audience, explaining that there are “many different truths.” So she is not worried by the fact that, as she sees it, NPR reporters “are not focused on the truth.”

By John Binder, Breitbart News – The spending bill, which 151 House Republicans helped 165 House Democrats advance on Friday, would see more than $95 billion sent to foreign countries — including about $61 billion to Ukraine amid its ongoing war with Russia… Slipped into the funding package’s Ukraine spending is $300 million for “the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine 20 and National Police of Ukraine, including units supporting 21 or under the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”… The State Border Guard Service is the Ukrainian equivalent of the U.S. Border Patrol.

By Msgr. Charles Pope – The Gospel from last Saturday’s daily Mass (Saturday of the 2nd Week of Easter) describes troubles rising and demonstrates how to endure them: When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea, embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were afraid. But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading (John 6:16-21).

By Joshua Q. Nelson, Fox News – Cardona’s comments came after the announcement of a petition to “protect Christian colleges,” launched by the American Principles Project (APP)… The petition was launched in “light of the Biden administration’s unprecedented attacks on our nation’s largest Christian colleges” and demands that “the administration halt their crusade and let students choose the schools that fit their values.”

By Shane Schaetzel, Real Clear Catholic blog – … While liturgy plays a very important role in the life of a Traditional Catholic, that alone is not what defines Traditional Catholicism. Rather, Traditional Catholicism is defined by what Catholics believe, and how they view the Church and the world. Traditional Catholicism is exactly what it sounds like: Catholicism as traditionally practiced and understood throughout history… This is opposed to the Modernist, or Progressive Catholic, who sees the Second Vatican Council as a revolution that changed the Catholic Church into a new kind of religion that is superior to the old. Pope Benedict XVI referred to this mindset as the “Hermeneutic of Rupture.” In contrast, Benedict XVI referred to the Traditional Catholic mindset as the “Hermeneutic of Continuity.”

As we continue in this time of the Eucharistic Revival in the United States, we should be thankful for the legacy that Mother Angelica and the nuns have left to us — which has helped so many to find hope, healing, direction, consolation, conversion and joy in the discovery of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Indeed, the PCPA’s fixed gaze on the monstrance has drawn many of us to gaze upon him, too.

By Catholic Vote – New statistics from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) show an exponential increase in migrants from Communist China illegally crossing the border over the past six months compared to the beginning of Joe Biden’s presidency… FOX News Chief Political Anchor Bret Baier wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday, that according to this data, “Border Patrol has apprehended 24,296 Chinese nationals crossing illegally between ports of entry,” during the first six months of Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24)… “The overwhelming majority (85%) of them were single adults (20,868),” Baier elaborated.

Franciscan Media – In less than 40 years, Gianna Beretta Molla became a pediatric physician, a wife, a mother and a saint!… She was born in Magenta near Milano, the tenth of Alberto and Maria Beretta’s 13 children. An active member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and a leader in the Catholic Action movement, Gianna also enjoyed skiing and mountain climbing.

By Hailey Gomez, Daily Caller – Israel reportedly launched missiles early Friday morning local time in a retaliatory attack against Iran, ABC News reports… Last weekend, Iran launched a reported 300 missiles and drones at Israel, prompting allies such as the United States to jump in and help strike down the weapons. After Israeli officials confirmed that 99% of the drones and missiles were destroyed, country officials noted that there would be a retaliation against Iran ….

By Merrilee Gasser, Just the News – The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would make illegal immigration a state crime after a heated debate where one Democrat called the bill “extremist legislation.”… House Bill 4156 makes “impermissible occupation” a criminal act… It passed its third reading by a 77-20 vote and now moves on to the Senate for consideration.

By Stephen P. White, The Catholic Thing – For the better part of two generations, the pro-life movement in the U.S. was galvanized by a shared commitment to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Thanks to the Dobbs decision of 2022, Roe is now gone, and abortion policy in the United States has been returned to the democratic process… If Dobbs represented a generational legal victory for the pro-life movement, the ensuing two years have also revealed some of the massive political and cultural obstacles facing the pro-life cause. …

By Emily Zanotti, National Catholic Register – The (birth control) pill is known to have a number of side effects. The Mayo Clinic acknowledges that women may suffer everything from minor headaches, stomach pain, and breakthrough bleeding, to heart attacks and strokes, deep vein thrombosis, and liver disorders. It also lists several of the most common influencer complaints as potentially concerning developments in need of immediate medical attention: headaches, belly pain, dizziness, nausea and depression.

By Harrison Pitt, The European Conservative – I often wonder whether those who campaigned for Brexit should have predicted that it would be hijacked by globalist drones… As everyone ought to know by now, NatCon Brussels went ahead this week in an unusually raucous fashion. What many of us have grown accustomed to enjoying as a fount of ideas and a source of rejuvenation became a grotesque spectacle of tyranny in action.

By Daniel B. Gallagher, Catholic World Report – How can a magisterial document with a subheading consisting of three short paragraphs dedicated to the “relational structure of the human person” not even mention the family?… The expressed intent of the recent declaration of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith is to “illuminate different facets of human dignity that might be obscured in many people’s consciousness” (Dignitas Infinita, Presentation). To the extent that the Declaration—though not intended to be comprehensive—selects topics that are indeed heavily “obscured” today, it succeeds.

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – A new poll shows more Americans side with former President Donald Trump than with Joe Biden on who should decide abortion law… In recent comments, Trump indicated he thought states should decide the issue of abortion law and whether to protect babies from abortion. Biden,on the other hand, wants Congress to pass a law re-implementing Roe v. Wade and allowing abortions up to birth… But a new Newsweek poll shows more Americans believe abortion restrictions should be decided by states rather than the federal government.

By Calvin Freiburger, LifeSite News – The Louisiana Senate unanimously passed legislation Tuesday to criminalize giving a pregnant woman abortion-inducing drugs without her knowledge or consent, motivated by the personal ordeal of the lead sponsor’s own sister… Abortion is generally illegal in the Bayou State, but SB 276 would establish the additional crime of “coerced criminal abortion by means of fraud,” defined as “knowingly and intentionally engag(ing) in the use or attempted use of an abortion-inducing drug on a pregnant woman, without her knowledge or consent, to cause an abortion.”

By Eddie Scarry, The Federalist – House Speaker Mike Johnson supported shutting down the Southern border until it got in the way of his real priorities: sending money abroad.
There’s a very simple logic to the Democrat position on Ukraine: Its continued welfare sponsored by American taxpayers is very important, but it’s not more important than maintaining an open Southern border for the world’s criminal and destitute to flood the nation (again, sponsored by American taxpayers). ….

By Lauren De Witt, Crisis Magazine – Bill Maher, of all people, exposed the lie behind the Republicans’ supposed opposition to abortion… HBO’s Real Time host and longtime leftist Bill Maher made headlines this past weekend when he chastised Republicans’ ever-shifting stance on abortion in a panel discussion on the Arizona Supreme Court’s recent landmark ruling upholding a near-total abortion ban. The Arizona Court took up the case in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which Republicans, including former President Trump, rightly take credit for.

By Carl R. Trueman, First Things – I recently revisited a book that I had not read for many years: Robert P. Ericksen’s Theologians Under Hitler. It is a study of how three intellectuals, Gerhard Kittel, Paul Althaus, and Emanuel Hirsch—scholars of the Old Testament, Luther, and Kierkegaard, respectively—came to support Hitler in 1933 and ultimately be identified with an evil ideology that cost millions of lives, both in the death camps and in the war that German expansionism precipitated… It is a troubling book …

By John M. Grondelski, Ph.D., Catholic World Report – Carney’s book is a superbly written tour de force contending that multiple cumulative socio-cultural factors are responsible for the current family-unfriendly environment. Culture is like the atmosphere: it’s usually invisible but necessary—and when contaminants get into it, they spread in many unforeseen ways, often overlapping with each other while boosting their mutual toxicity. Carney insists that what ails family formation and support in the United States today is, at root, cultural. That’s important, because it saves us from spinning our wheels ineffectively in places that won’t ultimately effect change (e.g., government or economics). …

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 6:44-51 – No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, `And they shall all be taught by God.’ Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father. ….

By Jordan Boyd, The Federalist – The battle this ‘wartime speaker’ is ready to fight isn’t at home for his voters but nearly 5,000 miles and an ocean away… Before Republican Rep. Mike Johnson became speaker of the House, he wasn’t an open proponent of bankrolling the Russia-Ukraine war. Even the Louisiana native’s first few months with the gavel were marked by his repeated pledge that the lower chamber would not pass legislation promising money to secure other nation’s borders while ours was still under attack. ….

By Larry Chapp, EWTN News – When I was in Rome last October covering the Synod on Synodality I had dinner with a rather well-known priest friend who is frequently, but mildly, critical of Pope Francis… I asked him why his critique of the Pope is not as harsh as some others who accuse this Pope of heresy. He responded by saying that “it is important to keep in mind that we want an intact papacy left in place once this Pope is gone.” Therefore, he continued, accusations of papal heresy from various sectors, mainly on the internet, serve no valuable purpose and actually work to undermine the legitimacy of the office itself.

By Brittany M. Hughes, MRCTV – We may be spending tens of billions’ of dollars housing and feeing and clothing the millions of illegal aliens who’ve been pouring across Joe Biden’s open border for the past three years – but the unlawful border jumpers aren’t happy with the care they’ve received, and hundreds of them swarmed City Hall in New York City this week to let officials know their tax-funded arrangements aren’t up to snuff. …

By Craig Bannister, CNS News – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed to The Reno Gazette Journal that the man arrested, 18 year-old Elmer Rueda-Linares, entered the U.S. illegally in 2021 and was “released on his own recognizance.”… In the early morning hours of April 6 of this year, Democrat U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto’s (D-Nev.) senior adviser, Kurt Englehart, was killed in a car accident with Rueda-Linares, who has been charged with leaving the scene.

By Steve Wilson, Just the News – The House Committee on Education approved a bill that will end the requirement that requires state approval for homeschooling curriculums… House Bill 550, by Rep. Beryl Amedee, R-Gray, would end the requirement home study programs be approved by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education… Amedee said she homeschooled her three sons and she’s worked as an advocate to help other parents with homeschooling issues, which she says includes eight pages of law governing homeschooling.

By Jim Hᴏft, Gateway Pundit – Speaker Mike Johnson, the self-proclaimed “wartime speaker,” announced on Wednesday that he is proceeding with his intention to introduce a series of foreign aid bills for discussion, including provisions for funding Ukraine… Joe Biden, Democrats, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and the RINOs are colluding on an aid package for Ukraine… The $95 billion package provides an additional “$60.84 billion to address the conflict in Ukraine and assist our regional partners as they counter Russia, $23.2 billion of which will be used for replenishment of U.S. weapons, stocks, and facilities.” It also provides aid to both Israel and, reportedly, Palestine. ….

By Catholic Vote – The Democratic-controlled Senate Wednesday dismissed the House’s two articles of impeachment against Biden administration Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas… Senate Democrats also claimed that the articles were “unconstitutional.”… CBS News reported that the Senate’s “short-lived trial” which culminated in the dismissal of all charges against Mayorkas “brought an end to a months-long effort to punish the secretary for his handling of the southern border.”

By Maria Madise, Voice of the Family – The interventions of two high-ranking prelates must not be ignored: one by Robert Cardinal Sarah, who addressed the bishops of Cameroon on 9 April; the other by Walter Cardinal Brandmüller, who wrote to his fellow Germans via kath.net on 30 March. Whilst different in their content, tone and manner, they strike the same chord: animated by true love for the Bride of Christ, these successors of the apostles appeal to their flock to recover the faith within the Church — each fulfilling his distinctive duties according to his state — as bishops, priests or laypeople.

The Catholic Herald – As the situation escalated, eventually Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo felt compelled to speak out: “What happened at the Claridge today is unacceptable… “Municipal autonomy is a cornerstone of our democracy but can never overrule the Belgian constitution guaranteeing the freedom of speech and peaceful assembly since 1830. Banning political meetings is unconstitutional. Full stop.”… The planned appearance of German Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller at the conference managed to go ahead, though he was reportedly visibly shocked by the police standing a few feet away.

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – The Planned Parenthood abortion business released its newest annual report that shows it killed more babies in abortions in 2022-2033 than ever before… But the abortion giant also set another record – getting more of our ta dollars than ever. Thanks to Joe Biden, the Planned Parenthood abortion business raked in $699.3 million in taxpayer funding. That figure is itself an $81 million increase n revenue from when Biden took over the White House.

By John A. Monaco, Crisis Magazine – I believe there is an important conversation to be had regarding the concept of human dignity and to what degree we can say humans possess “infinite” dignity, even if in a very limited, analogous way. There have already been solid analyses of the document and its possible limitations. But by fixating almost exclusively on the meaning of the word “dignity,” we may lose sight of something far more important—namely, that with Dignitas Infinita we see the crown jewel of a fully-entrenched anthropocentrism, one that stains the window panes of the post-conciliar Church.

By Michael Haynes, LifeSite News, (Complicit Clergy) – Cardinal Donald Wuerl continues to receive substantial payments from the DC archdiocese since retiring in disgrace over his mishandling of sex abuse, though the amounts have declined following media scrutiny… The retired archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, has received over $4 million from the archdiocese for his “continuing ministry activities” since 2020.

By Franciscan Media – James of Oldo was born into a well-to-do family near Milan in 1364. He married a woman who like him, appreciated the comforts that came with wealth. But an outbreak of the plague drove James, his wife, and their three children out of their home and into the countryside. Despite those precautions, two of his daughters died from the plague. …

By Pete Baklinski, Crisis Magazine – It’s a narrow road for faithful Catholics in the Francis pontificate; we must reject the spiritually cancerous belief that Francis is not the pope while resisting spiritually damaging teachings… It has become evident to many Catholics around the world that the Francis pontificate has been a disappointment and even a disaster. There are more learned Catholics than myself who have meticulously catalogued the myriad of ways in which Pope Francis, from the beginning of his pontificate in 2013, has made statements and promoted pastoral practices that depart from Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and previous solidified teachings of the magisterium.

By Auguste Meyrat, Crisis Magazine – So how committed to abortion are Americans really?… This seems to be the burning question haunting the minds of pro-lifers right now. If we go by the recent referendums on abortion in reliably red states like Kansas or Ohio, then it seems like a majority of Americans really want the freedom to abort their unborn children. Recent polls in deep-red Florida, which will have the abortion issue on the ballot this November, already favor keeping abortion as an option. ….

By Staff, Catholic Vote – St. Joseph’s University (SJU) in Philadelphia will host its annual on-campus “drag” show this Friday, according to the Jesuit-affiliated school’s website… “Join us for SJU Pride’s annual Drag Show where student, local, and nationally recognized drag queens will perform! All are welcome,” states the event’s official description… The event will take place on Friday, April 19, from 8 to 10:30pm at The Perch, which is located in the Campion Student Center.

By Emmy Griffin, Patriot Post – …comedian Bill Maher … went on to say: “I don’t understand the 15-week thing, or the Trump’s plan [sic] is, ‘Let’s leave it to the states.’ You mean, so killing babies is okay in some states? Like, I can respect the absolutist position. I really can. I scold the Left on when they say: ‘Oh, you know what? They just hate women. People who aren’t pro-choice.’ They don’t hate women. [The pro-abortion crowd] just made that up.”… “[Pro-lifers] think it’s murder. And it kind of is. I’m just okay with that. I am. I mean, there’s eight billion people in the world. I’m sorry, we won’t miss you. That’s my position.”

By Paul Cahill, LifeSiteNews – It is generally agreed, based on the biblical texts, that the beginnings of his career “will be lowly and obscure.”[4] However, as a result of his powers of seduction, his power, conquests and influence will grow until it results in a worldwide rule.[5] The Apocalypse says: And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And power was given him over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. (Apoc. 13.7)… As the above suggests, he will persecute the Church, and thereby wage war on God. ….

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 6:35-40 – Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. ….

By Micaiah Bilger, LifeNews – The (UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)) report “The 8 March Principles for a Human Rights-Based Approach to Criminal Law Proscribing Conduct Associated with Sex, Reproduction, Drug Use, HIV, Homelessness and Poverty”… offers legal guidance on issues related to sex, including involving children under age 18… Without any discussion about what the age of consent should be, the report suggests minors can consent to having sex with an adult… “Sexual conduct involving persons below the domestically prescribed minimum age of consent to sex may be consensual in fact, if not in law” ….

By Andreas Wailzer, LifeSiteNews – Police were ordered to shut down the National Conservatism Conference in Brussels under the pretext of guaranteeing “public safety.”… The conference features many prominent guests such as Cardinal Gerhard Müller, Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban, Brexit initiator Nigel Farage, former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, former French presidential candidate Eric Zemmour and previous UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman. …

By Chuck DeVore, The Federalist – ….Steven Mosher builds a compelling case in “The Devil and Communist China”. He convincingly argues that the evil practiced by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) eclipses the evil wrought by the USSR, pointing out in the introduction that, per The Black Book of Communism, China was responsible for 65 million deaths, while the Soviet Union purged 20 million — then noting that China’s numbers don’t include the roughly 500 million unborn killed due to its one-child policy. …

By Founder and President Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, The Ruth Institute, The Stream – Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse spoke at the recent Live Action Young Leaders Summit about how the Sexual Revolution came about and the many rotten fruits it has produced. Watch as she explains its three interlocking branches: contraception ideology, divorce ideology, and gender ideology… Learn how these aspects of our culture are ruining lives and society, and why the traditional biblical view of morality is the solution to our broken world.

By CatholicVote – The Catholic Stand has just released the eighth part of a series of articles aimed at bringing lapsed Catholics back to the Church with common-sense arguments… As CatholicVote reported in March, the “Bring ‘Em Back!” series deals with different reasons with which fallen-away Catholics often excuse themselves from attending Mass or returning to the Church. …

By Brittany M. Hughes, MRCTV – Hundreds of illegal aliens from Africa and Haiti are currently protesting outside City Hall in New York City… hordes of “migrants” from countries including Haiti, Guinea, Senegal, and others rallied outside the city building Tuesday, at the same time New York City Council’s committees on immigration and hospitals held oversight hearings on the city’s handling of the thousands of migrants that have flooded into the Big Apple thanks to President Joe Biden’s policies that have let millions of illegal aliens stream across the Southwest U.S. border since early 2021.

By Emily Mangiaracina, LifeSiteNew – Abp. William Lori of Baltimore has announced that a Vatican indult allowing a diocesan Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) in his archdiocese will expire in August and that the sole Latin Mass there will be offered by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP)… “The purpose of the indult was to allow those who had become accustomed to Mass according to the Missal of 1962 to receive catechesis and formation so they would come to welcome and embrace the Novus Ordo..”

By Fr. James V. Schall, S.J, The Catholic Thing – At least four famous, not-often-enough-repeated Aristotelian questions can be asked of any given thing when we try to figure out what and why it is. They are: 1) “What is it?” – a tree, a rabbit, a planet? 2) “Is it?” That is, does it exist rather than not exist? Does it stand outside of nothingness? 3) Who or what put it into motion or into being? 4) “Why is it in existence?” What is the reason for which it now exists?.. Of human beings, we can add a further question: “Who are you?”

By Joseph Pronechen, National Catholic Register – In April 1912, Mother Frances Cabrini was in Italy with her sisters. Her plans were to visit her foundations in France, Spain and England before sailing back to the United States in mid-April to continue work in New York City. Her sisters in England were eagerly awaiting this visit from their 62-year-old founder and superior. To help make her journey back to the U.S. more comfortable they had bought her a ticket and booked passage on a new ocean liner, the RMS Titanic. …

By Kate Quiñones, CNA Staff – Louisiana legislators are advancing a measure to support women in crisis pregnancies by setting aside millions in funding for pregnancy resource centers and other social services, as part of a bill approved by the Louisiana Senate last month… Republican Rep. Jack McFarland and Democratic Sen. Katrina Jackson-Andrews are co-sponsors of the legislation, which puts money set aside for Alternatives to Abortion toward the new Louisiana Pregnancy and Baby Initiative. ….

By Franciscan Media – Benedict Joseph Labre was truly eccentric, one of God’s special little ones. Born in France and the eldest of 18 children, he studied under his uncle, a parish priest. Because of poor health and a lack of suitable academic preparation he was unsuccessful in his attempts to enter the religious life. ..

By David Harsanyi, The Federalist – If a belligerent state launched 186 explosive drones, 36 cruise missiles, and 110 surface-to-surface missiles from three fronts against civilian targets within the United States, would Joe Biden call it a “win”?… Would the president tell us that the best thing we can do now is show “restraint”? What if that same terror state’s proxy armies had recently helped murder, rape, and kidnap more than 1,000 American men, women, and children? …

By Michael J. Matt, Editor, The Remnant – With pro-life America at a crossroads, Michael J. Matt takes a hard look at Donald Trump’s political maneuvering … Can faithful Christians still vote for Donald Trump, or have we been sidelined and reduced to passive spectators as our country is handed over to the Party of Death?… What’s going on here, and how does this relate to Trump and any other politician who might be tempted to campaign on family and life issues?

By John-Henry, Westen, LifeSiteNews – A video of Bill Maher’s recent comments on abortion has gone viral, and it’s fascinating because Maher is honest and tells us what abortion advocates really feel and think… First, he recognizes that “abortion is murder.” Abortion is murder. It is the murder of an innocent human being made in the image and likeness of God.,, Second, he recognizes that the only credible position against abortion is to oppose all abortions. This is because every baby is equally loved by God and of equal value in the sight of God.

By Fr. Nnamdi Moneme, OMV, Catholic Exchange – “You are I know the most incapable person, weak and sinful, but just because you are that, I want to use you, for my glory.”… It may surprise us to know that Jesus spoke these words to St. Teresa of Calcutta before she founded her religious congregation, the Missionaries of Charity sisters. Jesus first invited her to begin her mission by accepting her need for His mercy in her life. …

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 6:30-35 – So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, `He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. ….

By Anthony Stine, Return to Tradition – Cardinal Sarah Denounces His Feckless Brother Bishops While The Vatican Persecutes Whistleblowers.

By Susan Ciancio, Catholic World Report – How many times have you heard people say that prayer does nothing? They often mock us for praying during times of crisis. But when disaster strikes, a person falls ill or dies, or a child is lost, sometimes the only recourse we have is prayer. After all, we cannot cure cancer, we cannot bring someone back from the dead, and we cannot undo an earthquake or a fire.

By Fred Lucas, Daily Signal – An advocacy group based in Northeastern Mexico that lobbies U.S. lawmakers has distributed and posted flyers encouraging illegal immigrants to vote for President Joe Biden in the 2024 election, according to The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project… Translated from Spanish, the Oversight Project notes, the flyers posted by the organization Resource Center Matamoros say: “Reminder to vote for President Biden when you are in the United States. We need another four years of his term to stay open.”

By Gavin Ashenden, The Stream – There’s a new Vatican document which asserts that human beings, by their very nature, have something called “infinite dignity.” A conversation at the Vatican press conference when Dignitas Infinita was launched offered some helpful insights into the theological presuppositions held by its authors… Vatican correspondent Diane Montagna asked lead author Cardinal Fernandez: “If man has infinite dignity how can he be condemned to the eternal suffering of Hell?”…

By Scott Maucione, WYPR News – The Baltimore Archdiocese is planning to close about two-thirds of its churches in the city and county as the organization continues to be embroiled in bankruptcy proceedings regarding restitution for victims of child sexual assault… The plan would shutter 40 of the archdiocese’s 61 parishes, consolidating the congregations and closing some of the most historic churches in the area, leaving 21 parishes and 26 worship sites.

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – Doctors and medical groups are fighting back against a rule Joe Biden put in place that forces anyone receiving certain federal funds to promote abortions… On Friday, the pro-life legal group Alliance Defending Freedom filed legal papers supporting them. ADF attorneys filed on behalf of several pro-life and religious medical associations Friday in State of Tennessee v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. …

By Scott Ventureyra, Crisis Magazine – We live in a period of mass deception. We cannot trust politicians, be they establishment or anti-establishment. Even anti-establishment figures such as RFK Jr., Donald Trump, and Javier Milei, all of whom I have praised in the past, have shown inconsistencies with what originally made them appealing and seemingly authentic figures. Here are just a few examples: RFK Jr. chose Nicole Shanahan, who helped finance Event 201, as his running mate ….

By The Catholic Herald – Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah has accused Western bishops of worldliness and of succumbing to the temptation of “practical atheism” as they lose faith in the teachings of the Catholic Church… The former prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments said that so many bishops desired to be “loved by the world” that they have forgotten that Christianity calls them to be “signs of contradiction”.

By Msgr. Charles Pope – The first reading from Sunday’s Mass features an excerpt from a sermon by St. Peter. The contents of the sermon are very similar to others recorded in the Acts of the Apostles by Saints Paul and Stephen. What is interesting is that these ancient sermons break almost every rule (written and unwritten) of modern preaching! Consider the clip from yesterday and not the areas highlighted in red: Peter said to the people: Peter said to the people: “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus ….

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 6:22-29 – On the next day the people who remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. However, boats from Tiberias came near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. …..

By James W. Carden, The American Conservative – Biden has been the object of Bibi’s bullying for years. Netanyahu delighted in humiliating then–Vice President Biden on the latter’s trip to Israel in 2010, announcing on the day of his arrival a massive expansion of “settlements” in east Jerusalem. At some point, one would think, it would become a question of self-respect, of manhood—for Biden to stand up to Netanyahu. ….

By Fr. Janvier Gbénou, LifeSite News – Addressed to Pope Francis and to the College of Cardinals and the College of Bishops concerning the truth about Pope Francis and his moral and doctrinal errors… Jesus lives in the Church and in the world. This means that the Truth lives and remains eternal despite all the attempts to extinguish it in the hearts of women and men. Strangely enough, these attempts today come from the one whose special function is to protect the Truth and its worldwide propagation: Pope Francis.

By Jonah McKeown, CNA – The Pew Research Center released a new fact sheet Friday that contains nine demographic and statistical facts about the Catholic population in the United States, based on the center’s numerous surveys… #8. About 6 in 10 U.S. Catholics say abortion should be legal, in contrast to the Church’s teaching.

By Jed Babbin, American Spectator – In short, Johnson’s bill leaves too much discretion to the FBI and doesn’t include the most critical reform: to get FISA out of politics… it is necessary to prevent FISA — and the FBI and the FISA court, which operates necessarily in secret — from considering surveillance warrants that target federal or statewide incumbent officials and candidates… Unless that is done, the bill fails to accomplish anything that will prevent another abuse like the FBI’s “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation. And it fails in precisely that manner.

By Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness – Will the left unleash another late-season October surprise like the 2016 Access Hollywood tape or the 2020 “Russian disinformation” laptop farce? And will these desperate gambits resonate or boomerang?… will the candidates in October and November resemble the candidates of today?.. Will Trump still be vibrant at 78? Will Biden still be upright at 81?… Will Biden’s feebleness still earn him sympathy, or at least respectful silence? Or will it devolve to the point that the public, worn out by his lapses, concludes that Joe Biden would not be able to keep any job in America—except the Presidency of the United States?

By Julia Meloni, OnePeterFive – Ultimately, Fernández’s thought is very similar to that of the late Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, the leader of the St. Gallen mafia—the group of high-ranking churchmen who plotted to move the Church in a more Liberal direction. In Night Conversations, Martini emphasized fighting for social justice in the world without being too insistent on sexual matters or traditional pro-life topics… “I hope that sooner or later God redeems everyone. I am a great optimist,” Martini said in the book. He was discussing how “nobody knows if anyone is in hell” and how it was “easier” to think that someone like Hitler was “simply extinguished.”

By Fr. Jeffrey Kirby, EWTN News – The accounts given in the Gospel books of the Risen Christ’s encounters with others are sources of great consolation and encouragement, but also of intense inquiry and unrest… To whom did the Lord appear? What is the importance of these different encounters? How can such encounters help us to experience the Resurrection in our own lives and be more faithful disciples of the Lord Jesus?

By Patrick O’Hearn, Catholic Exchange – Following His Passion, Death, and Resurrection, Jesus could have reigned exclusively in Heaven at the right hand of His Father. And yet, Jesus also wanted to dwell on earth in the Holy Eucharist until the end of time at the right hand of His brother: you and me. It was as if Jesus preferred our human heart to the perfect bliss and love of His Father, though we know this not to be the case. It would seem as if Jesus is a fool to dwell in the Holy Eucharist after being scorned and murdered by the ones He loved.

By Matt Kittle, The Federalist – January, six pro-life activists were convicted on charges of violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, for blocking the entrance to an abortion facility in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee in 2021. The FACE Act, signed into law by President Bill Clinton, punishes “violent, threatening damaging, and obstructive conduct intended to injure, intimidate, or interfere with the right to seek, obtain, or provide” abortions.

By Fr. Jeffrey Kirby, The Catholic Thing – Ultramontanism is the false belief that everything a pope says is without error. Everything a pope decides must be right. Everything a pope speaks or does is paramount and cannot be questioned. The shocking rhetoric of the ultramontanists is found in such slogans as, “If you don’t believe everything the pope teaches, then you’re not Catholic.”

By Charles Coulombe, Crisis Magazine – As America approaches the 250th anniversary of its birth, few seem interested in celebrating our country… Today, April 15, is Patriots’ Day in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, commemorating the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. As customary, this will be the culmination of a week of observances in Boston and the towns as far west as Concord. …

By Michael Brown, The Stream – To his loyal supporters, he is a courageous hero of superhuman proportions. To his fervent detractors, he is the incarnation of evil itself in exaggerated form.
Why does Trump elicit such extreme reactions? More to the point: Why do his detractors hate him so much?… The first and most obvious reason is that Trump has been, at various times, nasty, cruel, crude, and vicious, and his detractors are responding in kind, giving him some of his own medicine.

By Mariane Angela, Daily Caller – Republican Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake faces criticisms from both sides of the abortion debate after a visit to the University of Arizona on Thursday, NBC News reported… Lake faced criticisms about her changing position on Arizona’s strict Civil War-era abortion law, as she navigates the political arena ahead of the 2024 elections. …

By Evan Poellinger, MRC TV – On Tuesday, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson (R) provided eye-opening insights into the way the federal government and medical establishment harmed the American people during the COVID-19 pandemic… Sen. Johnson spoke at a symposium hosted by the Heritage Foundation, which focused on the ways in which the government had used its powers to impose on the American public. Johnson began by recalling President Dwight Eisenhower’s farewell address, in which the former president expressed concern about public finance of scientific research.

By Peter J. Leithartm, First Things – A nation is Christian when a significant portion of the population is made up of practicing Christians, when the beliefs, texts, symbols, and ethical standards of Christianity are woven into the fabric of common life, when the Christian God is invoked in public declaration and rituals

By Jonathan Liedl, EWTN News – “My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation, or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land, in this case, the law of the state,” Trump said in the video… The presidential candidate added that his position was “all about the will of the people,” and that voters must follow their “heart, or in many cases, your religion or your faith.” Two days later, he told the media that he would not sign a national abortion ban if he retook the White House.

By Carl E. Olson, Catholic World Report – The story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, which immediately precedes today’s Gospel and is unique to St. Luke, is one of my favorite stories in the four Gospels. Like other former Protestants who have become Catholic, I see it as a sort of microcosm of my journey into the Church… As a young Evangelical, I spent time reading Scripture, as well as “conversing and debating” (cf. Lk 24:15) various points of theology and belief, especially while attending Bible college…

By Julianna Frieman, LifeNews – Comedian Bill Maher said Friday on “Real Time with Bill Maher” he is “okay” with abortion even though some consider it to be “murder.”… Maher told guests Gillian Tett, a British author and journalist, Piers Morgan and his audience that people who are pro-life are “kind of” right that abortion is “murder,” before highlighting the reason why he is “okay” with that… “None of you believe it’s murder. You know, that’s why I don’t understand the 15-week thing. Or the — Trump’s plan is, ‘Let’s leave it to the states.’ You mean, so killing babies is okay in some states?”

Franciscan Media – Like so many of us, Caesar de Bus struggled with the decision about what to do with his life. After completing his Jesuit education he had difficulty settling between a military and a literary career. He wrote some plays but ultimately settled for life in the army and at court.

By John Daniel Davidson, The Federalist – The whole point of Section 702 is to spy on Americans. Why would the intelligence community want to reform it?… A group of 19 Republican lawmakers on Wednesday joined with Democrats to block a bill that would have reauthorized the federal government’s spying authority with a few minor tweaks. At issue is Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows warrantless surveillance of foreigners but is also routinely used to spy on American citizens.

By Kevin Wells, EWTN News – Once a year in Tanzania, on its world-forgotten islands, unvisited mountainsides, and in jungles and brush with man-eating animals, the Sisters of Mary enter some of the most dangerous villages in Africa to recruit their incoming class… This is testing day for Tanzania’s poor. When a white-habited nun escorts a child to a wobbly bench or old wooden chair, each youngster sees the sheet of paper that could change everything. The remainder of their lives hinges on how they will answer the multiple-choice questions before them, they’ve been told.

By Mike Lillis, Mychael Schnell, The Hill – After months of delay, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is poised to step formally into the perilous debate over Ukraine aid — an explosive topic that carries high stakes for both the future of Kyiv’s sovereignty and the fate of Johnson’s Speakership… Since taking the gavel in October, Johnson has vowed to move another round of military help for Ukraine’s beleaguered forces in their fight against Russia. …

By Daniel Payne, Catholic News Agency – Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would not sign a national abortion ban if reelected to the office of the presidency in November… The Republican presidential candidate was at an event in Atlanta on Wednesday when a reporter asked him: “Would you sign a national abortion ban if Congress sent it to your desk?”… “No,” Trump said in response… Asked by the reporter: “You wouldn’t sign it?” Trump responded again: “No.”

By Evan Poellinger, MRC TV – Johnson began by recalling Pres. Dwight Eisenhower’s farewell address, in which the former president expressed concern about public finance of scientific research… Relating Eisenhower’s warning to COVID, Sen. Johnson explained how such publicly-funded research can beget corruption: “If you allow the public to fund this, you’re going to have scientists not pursuing science; you have them pursuing grants. And their science is going to be corrupted by that and we would end up with a scientific and technological elite that’s going to drive public policy. That’s what we saw in COVID.”

By Michael Katz, Newsmax – Amid escalating tensions with Israel, Iran has readied as many as 100 cruise missiles for a possible strike against the Jewish state… Two U.S. officials told ABC News on Friday that Iran has readied more than 100 cruise missiles for a possible strike in retaliation for an April 1 airstrike on its diplomatic facility in Damascus that killed at least seven members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two top generals.

By Staff, Catholic Vote, (Complicit Clergy) – Faithful Catholic writers have been sounding the alarm about an LGBT push to undermine the Church’s teachings from within. CatholicVote’s Catholic Accountability Project (CAP) decided to investigate those concerns… The report below is the result of CAP’s thorough research into one culprit – an organization named “New Ways Ministry.” What the investigation uncovered is nothing short of a far-reaching, decades-long plan to help a secular movement lay siege to Catholic teachings on sex, the family, and marriage. ….

By Zack Brave, Capitol Hill Reporter – Eighty-six House Republicans voted against an amendment to the FISA reauthorization bill which would have added a warrant requirement to prevent the U.S. government from spying on Americans without their knowledge… The vote tally on the amendment, introduced by Republican Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, was 212-212, with House Speaker Mike Johnson casting the tiebreaker vote against it. Among the Republicans who voted for the legislation without Biggs’ amendment are Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw.

By LifeSiteNews, Staff – Jonathon Van Maren explains why demographic and cultural crises afflicting Western nations are leading to increased support for legal euthanasia… Jonathon bases his observations on a column by British MP Matthew Parris that defends euthanasia. He opines that Parris, despite defending euthanasia, is also being “brutally honest” by facing “head-on” the problems the West faces and the “schizophrenic views” people seem to hold on politics and culture, even if the solution Parris proposes is wrong.

By Anthony Esolen, The Catholic Thing – I do not pretend to be deep into the cure of souls. All I know is that they must be cured. Somehow, the disease must be probed, and the corrupted matter must be cut away… The trouble with us sinners is that we get used to the sin. It is and it is not a part of us. It is not a part of us, because it is a lie, and it obscures even from our own hearts what God has intended for us to be. It is a part of us, because it sends its shoots and tendrils into all that we do, day after day, and all that we think about ourselves.

By Tucker Carlson, Daily Caller – The U.S. House is expected to vote Friday on a two-year extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, commonly known as FISA. This transcript has been edited for length and reprinted with permission from Tucker Carlson… A few years ago, we learned conclusively that, in fact, the FBI and the federal intel agencies—the dozen or more federal intel agencies we have, for some reason—had been working secretly against Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

By The Ruth Institute, The Stream – Studies show that marriage is an excellent predictor of happiness… What’s the status of marriage in America today? The good news is that since 2012 there has been an increase in the number of children being raised in intact families, says Dr. Brad Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia and the author of Get Married: Why Americans Should Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families and Save Civilization. …

By Emmy Griffin, Patriot Post – What do they mean by describing children and marriage as “penalties”? Well, they are stating their analysis from a purely materialistic perspective. A child, you see, sets a woman back in her career; it takes her years to recover lost ground, and in many cases, she never fully recovers her pre-family income and employment trajectory… Labeling a child as a “penalty” demeans the most important work a person can do — raising and nurturing children ….

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 6:1-15 – After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a multitude followed him, because they saw the signs which he did on those who were diseased. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. ….

By Staff, FFPX, – The United States has 194 Catholic dioceses; of these, eight are now vacant, while 11 have at their head bishops who are already at or over the age of 75 but whom the Supreme Pontiff has left in place to give himself more time to find successors… By March 2025, many “heavyweights” of the American episcopate will have–or already have–sent Rome their letter of retirement: such as Cardinals Seán O’Malley, Wilton Gregory, Daniel DiNardo, Blase Cupich, and Timothy Dolan. …

By Constance T. Hull, Catholic Exchange – Earlier this week, my spiritual daughter texted to tell me that the course she and her husband took in preparation for their baby girl’s Baptism was a 20-minute YouTube video. That was the entire preparation. I was disappointed, but not surprised. In the post-COVID era this has become common. If we are honest, it was common before COVID. My husband and I were handed a poorly written book and told we needed to read through it. That was our Baptism preparation course 13 years ago.

By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú, ACI Prensa Staff – Five new complaints of alleged abuse committed by Father Marko Rupnik have been presented to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome, where an investigation into the case is being carried out after Pope Francis decided to lift the statute of limitations… The new cases mark the latest development in the case of Rupnik, a Jesuit accused of having committed serious sexual, spiritual, and psychological abuse against at least 20 women over a period of decades. …

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – The European Parliament voted by a margin of 336-163 for a resolution “on the inclusion of the right to abortion in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.”… “Whilst this is a non-binding resolution, it still places undue pressure on member states such as Poland, Malta, and Slovakia. It would generate significant opposition from millions of EU citizens who fundamentally reject the false premise that abortion should be considered a ‘fundamental right,’” she said.

By Marisa Cantu, Human Life International – The French government is coming after a Catholic priest for speaking canonical truths. Father Matthieu Raffray from France released a video on Instagram last month. In the video, he encourages watchers to fight against their weaknesses and sinful inclinations. He uses homosexuality as an example among others, saying that same-sex attraction is a weakness that should be fought against, just as with any other sin. He encouraged watchers to not give in to the devil’s lie that the fight against temptation – whatever that temptation may be – is “too hard.”

By Craig Bannister, MRC TV – Liberal media are declaring Bidenomics a success – but, after more than three years, hard numbers tell a much different story, regardless of whether the measure is how much Americans are paying, earning or saving… gas prices (have) surged 46% in the first 38 months of Pres. Joe Biden’s term… After accounting for inflation, real wages earned by Americans have declined under Biden. …

By John Daniel Davidson, The Federalist – Abortion, like slavery, cannot simply be ‘left to the states,’ as if it’s an ordinary political issue. The republic itself is at stake… Former President Donald Trump declared this week that abortion should be left to the states, that there should be no federal abortion legislation because “this is all about the will of the people,” and “whatever they decide must be the law of the land.”

By Michael Haynes, LifeSiteNews – Cardinal Raymond Burke has noted that despite Pope Francis’ restrictions on the traditional liturgy, attendance at the Old Rite is “getting bigger and bigger” as the rite is “integral to the life of the Church.”… “This form of the Roman rite has been an extraordinary blessing through so many centuries,” said the American cardinal about the traditional liturgy, otherwise known as the Latin Mass or Usus Antiquior. 

By Sarah Cain, Crisis Magazine – Parishes that practice indifference produce Catholics like Joe Biden… When President Joe Biden was asked by EWTN correspondent Owen Jensen what Easter means to him, he responded, “Time for forgiveness and people getting together, and a little bit of love and no phoniness. Be straight with people.”… At first hearing, it might be shocking to hear a self-professed Catholic define Easter without mention of Christ and either His death or Resurrection—with neither suffering nor sin. Yet perhaps it shouldn’t be.

Franciscan Media – One needn’t live a long life to leave a deep imprint. Teresa of Los Andes is proof of that… As a young girl growing up in the early 1900’s in Santiago, Chile, Juana Fernandez read an autobiography of a French-born saint—Thérèse, popularly known as the Little Flower. ..

By John Zmirak, The Stream – What are we to make of Donald Trump’s statement on abortion? In a recent post on Truth Social, he adopted a 100% states-rights approach, opposing any federal legislation to allow or regulate it… Cold hard fact: Any federal legislation that could actually pass would leave unborn babies unprotected all the way through birth — and overturn good state laws like Florida’s. So there’s a sense in which Trump’s stance is the best we can hope for, the least bad outcome considering the GOP’s failure to profit electorally from Joe Biden’s disastrous presidency.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 3:31-36 – He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth belongs to the earth, and of the earth he speaks; he who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony; he who receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. …

Getting physically fit would be challenging enough, but how would I address the other areas?  Many people (myself included) express frustration with being too busy and not having enough time for prayer, reading and exercise.  They may select one area for improvement, but rarely will all three be addressed at once.  I suggest the solution may lie in being more efficient with our busy schedules and combining activities when possible.

By  Robert Lazu Kmita, The Remnant – Always, in a world absorbed in the tsunami of doctrinal and practical heresies as in a vortex, prayer must always remain unextinguished like an unpearishable flame. Just as the apostles cried out in the boat, we too must cry out – day and night – to God: “Master, we perish!” However, this must be done with full confidence: when the moment deemed appropriate by God comes, He himself will be the one to calm the storm, rebuking the sea and the waves. Although it lasted for three hours, the darkening of the sun has an end. …

By Joe McClane, A Catholic Take, (Complicit Clergy) – Does the new Vatican Document on Human Dignity conform to previous Catholic Teaching? Michael Hichborn of Lepanto Institute rejoins A Catholic Take to break down how “Dignitas Infinita” stacks up against previous statements from popes and theologians on the topic of human dignity. …

By Kyle Seraphin, Edify – Progressive leftism demands the separation of church and state, but its tenets directly imitate organized religion. Former FBI agent and whistleblower, Kyle Seraphin, breaks down what the left really worships in this video.

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – … the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the state can enforce its abortion ban and protect babies from abortions. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Tuesday to uphold the state’s pro-life law as written by overturning a lower court decision that misinterpreted the law… Asked if the state’s highest court “went too far” in the ruling, Trump replied: “Yes they did. And that will be straightened out.”… “And, as you know, it’s all about state’s rights and it will be straightened out,” Trump said. “And I’m sure the governor and everybody else have got to bring it back into reason and that it will be taken care of I think.” …

By Tim Clark , EWTN News – God simply never tires of ways of delighting us… First, consider that a total solar eclipse is almost universally acknowledged to be one of the most incredibly beautiful sights in all of nature. But we must stop for a moment to consider the fact that, for this beauty to even be possible, the sun and the moon need to be precisely the same relative size in the sky. We might simply take for granted that a planet’s sun and moon are precisely proportionate to each other. …

By Louis Knuffke, LifeSiteNews – Outspokenly conservative Bishop Peter Jugis, of the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, which had seen large growth in attendance at the Traditional Latin Mass and the opening of a new seminary, is retiring at the age of 67 after leading the diocese for 20 years… The outgoing bishop is set to be replaced by Franciscan Father Michael Martin, OFM Conv., of Atlanta. Martin, 62, is the present pastor of St. Philip Benizi Parish in Jonesboro, Georgia.

By John M. Grondelski, Crisis Magazine – Without addressing here either whether or how we might speak of “infinite” dignity as related to the human person or commenting on specific issues Dignitas covers, let me make some preliminary observations about the document’s overall approach… I admit a certain ambivalence about organizing this document around “human dignity.” I do that not because I dispute that we need to develop a true concept of dignity serviceable for public discourse but because I do not think we are there yet—and am unsure we’ve adequately prepared the ground to support that discussion, especially with non-Catholic circles.

By David Carlin, The Catholic Thing – In the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, many Catholics, especially young priests and seminarians, were imbued with the so-called “spirit of Vatican II” – a spirit that hoped to carry reforms and improvements of the Church well beyond the reforms and improvements actually designated by the Council… I remember a young priest telling us from the pulpit one Sunday that the Church, despite having been in existence for more than 1,900 years, had never really understood the meaning of Catholicism until the arrival of Vatican II. …

By Theodore Bunker, Newsmax – Father Gerald Murray, pastor of the Holy Family Church in New York City, told Newsmax on Tuesday that the recent solar eclipse reminds us of the “mysterious creation out there” that “we should try to understand.”… Murray said on “American Agenda” that “Every day when the sun rises, it’s a reminder that God’s in charge because He put the sun there and we didn’t. And the fact that we’re still alive, that we have intelligence and energy.”

Franciscan Media – Anyone who reads the history of Eastern Europe cannot help but chance on the name of Stanislaus, the saintly but tragic bishop of Kraków, patron of Poland. He is remembered with Saints Thomas More and Thomas Becket for vigorous opposition to the evils of an unjust government.

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – In a huge pro-life victory, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the state can enforce its abortion ban and protect babies from abortions… Planned Parenthood was challenging the potential reinstatement of the state’s near-total abortion ban from 1864, which has exceptions for life-threatening emergencies, but had been blocked by 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. The Dobbs ruling should allow it to go into effect but the nation’s biggest abortion business challenged it. …

Catholic Online – God our Father, Giver of life, we entrust the United States of America to Your loving care. You are the rock on which this nation was founded. You alone are the true source of our cherished rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Reclaim this land for Your glory and dwell among Your people. Send Your Spirit to touch the hearts of our nation´s leaders. Open their minds to the great worth of human life and the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. ….

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 3:16-21 – For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned; ….

By Abah Anthony John, ACI Africa – More than 700 Christians were baptized on Easter Sunday in Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Katsina, where there is a rise in attacks mainly targeting Christian communities… In an April 3 interview with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, Bishop Gerald Mamman Musa rejoiced at the successful celebration of Easter — the diocese’s first. The Diocese of Katsina was just erected by Pope Francis in October 2023.

By Msgr. Robert J. Batule, The Catholic Thing – In Evangelium Vitae (1995), Pope Saint John Paul II places contraception alongside of abortion, calling both of them “fruits of the same tree.” (13) The allusion to a tree takes us back to the Book of Genesis. There is an exchange there between the woman Eve and the serpent. The serpent asks the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?”

By Jim Kenaston, The Stream – Despite all the uproar over the White House’s official proclamation of “Transgender Day of Visibility” being observed on Easter Sunday this year, it turns out it’s just one of 47 commemoration days or weeks that the LGBTQ+ community has sprinkled throughout the year — not including the entire month of June, which has been proclaimed “Pride Month.” Until last week, I was unaware that in 2009 an activist had declared March 31 to be “Transgender Day of Visibility.”

By Joseph Pronechen, EWTN News – With the emphasis on Divine Mercy Sunday and Jesus’ promise of a complete remission of sin and punishment following his directives as told to St. Faustina and ratified by St. John Paul II, we should also recall companion revelations Jesus gave her. Here are 15 from her diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul, to take to heart. Be mindful especially of trusting (not doubting), being merciful, believing in Jesus’ limitless mercy, the sacraments and more.

By Helen Raleigh, CFA, The Federalist – Squatting is a form of trespassing as squatters use properties without the owners’ permission or any legal documentation. Nor do squatters offer property owners financial compensation. Atlanta, Georgia, is the epicenter of the squatter crisis. Squatters have overtaken about 1,200 homes… One of the victimized homeowners, Lt. Col. Dahlia Daure, said she felt “violated” after learning that a squatter with a lengthy criminal history lived in her home rent-free with a fake lease while she was away on active duty. In Dallas, Texas, squatters have occupied an estimated 475 homes. ….

By Robert Morrison, Remnant Columnist, The Remnant – This is indeed a fitting image for Dignitas Infinita and the entire Francis Synodal Ape Church. Like Judas, Francis and Tucho have no patience for those who want to honor God with all they have — we must instead focus on man, and man alone, whose dignity is infinite whether or not he honors God. In this light, we can understand why they do all they can to silence Traditional Catholics for their backward insistence that God actually cares whether we accept the teachings He entrusted to us. Tucho tells us that everyone has infinite dignity “regardless of religious characteristics,” but he and Francis treat Traditional Catholics as though we are worthy of the utmost scorn and persecution.

By James O. Breen, M.D., Crisis Magazine – “I haven’t taken seriously anything the mainstream medical organizations have said for several years,” Tom declared with a tone of bitterness. “So many of their viewpoints on social issues are antithetical to why I became a doctor. They’ve ruined medicine by politicizing everything.”… Tom and I also have in common extensive careers in graduate medical education; he chose to leave academic medicine some years ago in no small part because of the disillusionment he described. …

By Michael Nevradakis Ph. D., The Defender, Children’s Health Defense – Mark Blaxill, father of an autistic adult daughter (discusses) what he called the ‘coming tsunami’ of autism caregiving, as the autistic children of the 1990s onward reach adulthood… Every year this time, public health officials, the media, and some autism organizations tell us how autism should be celebrated and embraced – how it’s a condition more akin to a quirk than a lifelong disability, one for which a growing number of diagnoses is a sign of “inclusivity.”

By Jonathon Van Maren, The European Conservative – The Sexual Revolution has become the new founding story for many Western democracies, and thus the pantheon of old heroes is being cleared to make room for the icons of our new age. The term “courage” is frequently applied to men who announce they are women, or come out of the closet, or live out their fetishes in public, just as it is applied to women who champion feticide and childlessness. Their ancestors—who were flawed and as afflicted by the evils of their age as we are in ours—are consigned to the dustbin along with the civilization they built and cherished …

By Father Raymond J. de Souza, National Catholic Register – The solar eclipse of April 8 is drawing enormous attention, some of it theological and liturgical, given its coincidence with the Solemnity of the Annunciation and its proximity to the Easter Octave. But there is also a spiritual lesson to be drawn, one that reflects our experience of the shadow of sin in our lives. The experience of sin, when properly apprehended, is one of darkness, even a sense of being lost, unable to see the light. Yet the reality is something quite different: God’s light never ceases to shine and is far more abundant than the darkness of sin. As St. Paul teaches, where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more (Romans 5:20-21).

By John Grondelski, EWTN News – Using our liturgical calendar, let’s put ourselves at the end of March in northern Israel more than 2,000 years ago. Living in Nazareth is a young woman named Mary. She was an observant Jewish girl raised by her parents, Joachim and Anne. She was perhaps in her teens (remember the lifespan of the times) and probably very poor. As regards the latter, so was Joseph, the man to whom she was engaged, even though — somewhere long ago — his family was part of the line of the great King David.

By Fr. Gerald E. Murray, The Human Life Review – Today the West lives as if God did not exist . . . This estrangement from God is not caused by reasoning but by a will to be detached from him. The atheistic orientation of a life is almost always a decision by the will. Man no longer wishes to reflect on his relationship to God because he himself intends to become God… Let the Divine Light be our guide. No eclipse can overcome God.

By Douglas Andrews, Patriot Post – In a scathing essay on the effects of racial excuse-making on public policy, Heather Mac Donald pulls no punches… Does counting by race make a nation stronger or weaker? More talented or less talented? More competitive or less competitive?… Put another way, would the just-concluded NCAA men’s basketball tournament have put out a better product if it enforced a strict limit of 13% of its players being black? That, after all, is the percentage of the American people who are black. What about the NFL?

By Charles J. Russo, Catholic World Report – On June 30, 2023, in 303 Creative v. Elenis, a major win for free speech, the Supreme Court reasoned that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission could not enforce the state’s Anti-Discrimination Act to compel a wedding website designer, Lorie Smith, to provide her professional services to individuals formalizing their same-sex relationship. Smith declined the opportunity to work with the couple because of her religious belief “that marriage should be reserved to unions between one man and one woman” and “will not produce content that ‘contradicts biblical truth.’”

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 3:7-15 – Do not marvel that I said to you, `You must be born anew.’ The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can this be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this? ….

By John Zmirak, The Stream – First a crucial caveat: We Catholics hold with most of the broader Church that the public revelation that is binding on all the faithful ended with the death of the last apostle, St. John. Every truth required for salvation was already being taught, and all the crucial events were complete, by that point… When Pope Francis teaches something that contradicts apostolic tradition and/or the Bible, we know it’s heresy… But private revelations still can happen, and if our church’s authorities examine them and find them helpful, we’re free to believe in them.

By Father David Nix, Padre Peregrino Hermitage – Error 1: “The glorious Christ will judge by the love of neighbor that consists in ministering to the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned, with whom he identifies (cf. Mt. 25:34-36). For Jesus, the good done to every human being, regardless of the ties of blood or religion, is the single criterion of judgment.”—DI #12.

By Tierin-Rose Mandelburg, MRC TV – The MRC has reported on other groups sounding the alarm on these treatments. In July, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) acknowledged that puberty blockers have the potential to cause sterility, though that group continued to advocate for using tax dollars to fund said treatments. In March of this year, the National Health Service (NHS) in England banned puberty blockers for minors, citing studies

By James Grein, Matthew David, Catholic Confidential – The real cause of the international coverup was the new laws of the 20th and 21st century of the Catholic Church that required bishops, such as Archbishop Vigano, to cover up the crimes of Cardinal McCarrick. … Today, Catholic Confidential is breaking this silence and arming the lay faithful with the true cause of the abuse crisis from thoroughly Catholic sources. Five bishops provided comment including new order Bishops Joseph Strickland of Texas and Emmanuel Bushu of Cameroon, and three traditionalists: Bp. D. E. Meikle, Abp. Carlo Maria Vigano, and Bp. Donald Sanborn.

By Jordan Boyd, The Federalist – Former President Donald Trump has a history of criticizing heartbeat bills when they come from his political rivals, misrepresenting the Supreme Court’s landmark Dobbs v. Jackson decision, and wrongfully blaming Republicans’ 2022 midterm losses on their unapologetically pro-life positions. His recent declaration on “abortion rights” only further confirms that his once-celebrated pro-life track record doesn’t meet voters’ demands of a Republican president.

By Robert Royal, The Catholic Thing – Reading the Declaration on Human Dignity (“Infinite Dignity”), issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) yesterday, reminds me of an old teacher-student story. A student submits an assigned essay, and the teacher returns it with the comment, “What you’ve written here is both good and new. Unfortunately, what’s good in it is not new, and what’s new is not. . .” But let’s break off the story there. And following the Christian rule of charity in all things, say of the Declaration, what’s new in it is . . . yet to be determined.

Franciscan Media – Some saints’ names are far more familiar to us than others, but even the lives of obscure holy persons teach us something… And so it is with Saint Casilda. Her father was a Muslim leader in Toledo, Spain, in the 10th century. Casilda was a devout Muslim but was kind to Christian prisoners.

By Stephen Kokx, LifeSiteNews – Clifton, who goes by “Kyle Undercover,” has built a reputation as a truth-telling zealot willing to risk his safety to expose evil. A devout Traditional Catholic who admits he is likely on the FBI’s radar, his new target is the shadowy Bohemian Grove group in northern California… “I would like for this club to be ended once and for all,” he explained to LifeSite via email. “I would encourage other members, especially those that are Catholic and are part of this club, to come clean and admit that it is wrong and release more footage or information about it.”

By Raymond J. de Souza, First Things – The eclipse this year falls at the end of the Easter Octave, and Easter is the great liturgical battle between light and darkness. The coincidence of the eclipse and Easter is an invitation to think about light and darkness in the way that Christians distinctively do… The great vigil of Easter makes that clear. The church is dark when the new fire is blessed and the Easter candle is lit. The triplex cry goes up: Christ our Light! The light that comes into the world is not the enduring sun but the eternal Son (John 1:9). The light that enlightens every man is not sunlight, but Christ the light, dramatically apparent as the flame of the Easter candle is passed taper to taper throughout the church.

By Jerome German, Crisis Magazine – Mary is not the poster child for either the prosperity gospel or liberation theology; she is the one who declares that God “has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree.”… Making Mary ordinary is the devil’s favorite play. It is no accident that this demonic methodology bleeds over into our lives as well—nobody wants to be accused of coming off as a “holier than thou.” When I look at our current culture, it seems certain that we better try to be holier than somebody, because there appears to be an ongoing race to the bottom—a contest to see who can get a foot in hell’s door first.

By Cameron O’Hearn, Horselord Films – Episode 3: After the restriction of the Traditional Latin Mass, a group of French mothers make a pilgrimage to Rome to plea with Pope Francis to reverse his decision.

By Louis Knuffke, LifeSiteNews – Bishop Joseph Strickland, emeritus bishop of Tyler, Texas, will offer a Mass on Monday, April 8, in reparation for reportedly increased Masonic and satanic activity during the upcoming solar eclipse… The Mass, broadcast live at 1 p.m. central time (2 p.m. eastern) on LifeSiteNews at the start of the eclipse, will be in honor of the Annunciation of the Birth of Christ to Mary, which the Church ordinarily celebrates on March 25, but this year transferred to April 8 due to the liturgical observance of Holy Week and the Eater Octave.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 3:1-8 – Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” …..

Patriot Post – “From the practice of the purest virtue, you may be assured you will derive the most sublime comforts in every moment of life, and in the moment of death.” —Thomas Jefferson (1785)

By Michael Haynes, LifeSiteNews – Cdl. Victor Manuel Fernández has released his long-anticipated document on human dignity, written in line with Pope Francis’ encyclical Fratelli Tutti and modern teaching on dignity, which condemns abortion and surrogacy while notably remaining silent on homosexuality… Released via press conference April 8 – the transferred feast of the Annunciation – the new text, Dignitas infinita, aims to highlight a line from Fratelli Tutti – namely, that “dignity exists ‘beyond all circumstances.’”… The avoidance of any coverage of homosexuality in Dignitas infinita, therefore, appears noteworthy.

By Richard Cromwell, The Federalist – The states of emergency are silly, but the impetus for them is a cause for hope. In 2024, during a time in which our lives have been consumed by the digital realm, thousands and thousands of people will take time from their lives to look up from their screens and enjoy the manifest beauty of God’s creation. That they’ll promptly return to their screens to take awful amateur photos of the eclipse and then post them on social media is less heartening.

By E. Wesley Ely, MD, MPH, (Blog), National Catholic Register – How can anyone truly understand the piercing bolt of pain, sustained by divine love, running between the Sacred Heart of Jesus and that of his mother, Mary, as he hung dying on the cross? Yet he still thought of us first, as Jesus proclaimed, “Woman, behold your son!” Then he said to the disciple (John), “Behold your Mother!” (John 19:26-27)… With her heart, perfectly formed and shaped by and for her Son, she immediately embraced this relationship with all humankind. Despite her excruciating sorrow, she took all of us under her mantel as mother.

By Julian Kwasniewski, Catholic Exchange – The vocation of raising a family and especially that of a stay-at-home mother has, in our day and age, become almost a fate worse than death. There is an idea that your twenties are a time for wild (and naughty) fun, and it’s not until your thirties that you turn boring, “resigning” yourself to marriage and kids. But Catholic mom Bridget Workman views her story differently, and her life proves otherwise; her story is not “boring” nor is her life confining. She sees it as expressing an arc that naturally arises from her pursuit of the Transcendentals.

By Fr. Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM, Cap., The Catholic Thing – All four Gospels tell of Jesus cleansing the temple. The Gospel of John, however, provides the most detail about what took place, which bears witness that the Evangelist was present at this event. (John 2:13-22)  Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, the feast that commemorated both the Israelites’ passing out of slavery in Egypt and the covenant that God made with the Jewish people in the wilderness.

By Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, Kath – As was to be expected: the “Synodal Way” has long since become lost in the pathless. The defiant attempts of professional Catholic “officials” to close their eyes to this reality will – like their “Synodal Path” – end in frustration. What remains is the careless waste of millions in church tax money and, what is much worse, discord on central questions of faith and morals, even within the episcopate, and thus serious damage to unity with the entire church. There is already talk of heresy and schism. …

By Msgr. Charles Pope – We live in times in which mercy, like so many other things, has become a detached concept in people’s minds, separated from the things that really help us to understand it. For indeed, mercy makes sense and is necessary because we are sinners in desperate shape. Yet many today think it unkind and unmerciful to speak of sin as sin. Many think that mercy is a declaration that God doesn’t really care about sin, or that sin is not a relevant concept.

By Sarah Stula, First Things – The evangelical community’s response to the Alabama ruling has been confusing, proclaiming that life begins at conception on the one hand and fighting the ruling on the other. But how can one justify the protection of the unborn at conception inside the womb but the destruction of that same embryo outside the womb? Isn’t an embryo outside the womb more vulnerable than one safe inside her mother? Is an embryo less human outside the womb than when, seconds later, a doctor delivers her into the womb? It makes no sense.

By Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D., Breitbart – Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge said Thursday that President Joe Biden showed a lack of integrity by proclaiming on Good Friday that March 31, 2024 — which was Easter Sunday — was Transgender Day of Visibility… If you’re for the Lord then you’re all in and that means following his gospel and embracing the gospel of life,” the bishop said. “You can’t pick and choose. And that’s not just for the president, that’s for all of us …

By Catholic World Report Staff – The mystery of the annunciation to Mary is not just a mystery of silence. It is above and beyond all that a mystery of grace… We feel compelled to ask ourselves: Why did Christ really want to be born of a virgin? It was certainly possible for him to have been born of a normal marriage. That would not have affected his divine Sonship, which was not dependent on his virgin birth and could equally well have been combined with another kind of birth. There is no question here of a downgrading of marriage or of the marriage relationship; nor is it a question of better safeguarding the divine Sonship. Why then?

Franciscan Media – Born in Cuvilly, France, into a family of well-to-do farmers, young Marie Rose Julie Billiart showed an early interest in religion and in helping the sick and poor. Though the first years of her life were relatively peaceful and uncomplicated, Julie had to take up manual work as a young teen when her family lost its money. …

By Father Jerry J. Pokorsky, Catholic World Report – Indeed. Jesus is God, or he is the most loathsome liar in all of history… Jesus Christ is true God and true man, born of Mary. His suffering humanity in union with his divinity and glorious Resurrection rescues us from our sins. The Gospel accounts and the blood of the martyrs in the early Church bolster our faith in His Resurrection. With God’s grace, human reason provides additional compelling arguments to support our faith.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Mark 16:9-15 – Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country

By Fred Lucas, LifeNews – Joe Biden is on track to match and possibly surpass his predecessor in successfully appointing lower court judges… Biden announced his 47th round of nominees for vacancies on federal district and appeals courts in late March, bringing his total nominations to 229. That’s just 10 fewer nominees than Donald Trump had at this point in his presidency in the spring of 2020… Biden’s latest nominees include Kevin G. Ritz to be a judge on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals as well as four choices for District Court vacancies.

By Brianna Lyman, The Federalist – After being strung up on charges by President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ), a 71-year-old great-grandmother may be thrown in jail because she walked around the Capitol for a few minutes on Jan. 6, 2021… Rebecca Lavrenz was convicted on four counts Thursday after just three days of jury deliberation for entering the Capitol on J6. Lavrenz entered the building through an open door around 2:43 p.m., according to the official statement of facts. ….

By Craig Bannister, CNS News – The amount of carbon dioxide in the air has an insignificant influence on temperature – and is not the real driver of extreme weather – Climatologist David Legates explained Wednesday… “Carbon Dioxide isn’t a magic climate control knob;” it’s just “a bit player,” Legates said in an interview with The Daily Signal. At its current level – even if the amount of carbon dioxide doubled – it would cause “maybe, a degree Celsius of warming and that would be it,” Legates noted. “And, certainly, it’s not worth the economic impacts.”

By Michael Haynes, LifeSiteNew – Pope Francis has removed the cardinal-vicar of Rome and one of the city’s auxiliary bishops, in a move which is suggested to be due to personal conflicts and objections to the Pope’s handling of the Father Marko Rupnik case… Announced by the Holy See Press Office bulletin April 6, Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Angelo De Donatis as cardinal-vicar of Rome, to become Apostolic Penitentiary. …

By David Warren, The Catholic Thing – To paraphrase Saint Paul, if Christianity did not give a reliable account of the Truth, then we, or more precisely I, would have no use for it… Or rather, I would just have the use of another “comparative religion,” the way I use Shinto, or Zoroastrianism, or the way Richard Dawkins uses the Flying Spaghetti Monster… In which case, Saint Paul’s hypothetical advice would be, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die.” (1 Corinthians 15:32). Verily: for “comparative religion” has always made me thirsty.

By Jonathan Liedl, EWTN News – However, Dignitas Infinitas, as the text is called, will also differ from other notable Vatican interventions on the subject in another pivotal way: It’s likely to bear the full theological imprint of Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, its presumptive chief architect… Since he became prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in September 2023, the Argentinian prelate and longtime Pope Francis confidant has made his mark on the Church’s doctrine through a torrent of teaching documents and clarifications, which some contend have subverted doctrinal truth in favor of pastoral exceptions.

By Franciscan Media – Crescentia was born in 1682, the daughter of a poor weaver, in a little town near Augsburg. She spent play time praying in the parish church, assisted those even poorer than herself and had so mastered the truths of her religion that she was permitted to make her first Holy Communion at the then unusually early age of 7. In the town she was called “the little angel.”

By Joseph Pearce, Crisis Magazine – Let us conclude this song of praise to four Catholic scientists with the words with which Hess ended his article on the relationship between his vocation as a scientist and his calling as a Catholic. Real Faith, for a scientist, as for anyone else, is often a matter of bitter struggle. The victory must be won—or the gift must be discovered—by each one in his own soul. It often takes the personal experience of grave danger of death to bring conviction and to prepare the way for Faith in Divine Providence. …

By Gayle Somers, Catholic Exchange – The celebration of our Lord’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday usually focuses on the sheer ecstasy of His victory over death.  All during Holy Week, we are absorbed with the details of His horrific Passion.  When we reach Easter, our hearts nearly burst with joy that Jesus is alive and vindicated as God’s Son.  In other words, it’s easy to dwell on the fact of the Resurrection and be so dazzled by it that we do not think much beyond that.  The mercy of Divine Mercy Sunday (yes, intended pun) is that now we begin to meditate on the meaning of the Resurrection.

By Michael Ippolito, Crisis Magazine – Cardinal Wilton Gregory calls President Biden a ‘Cafeteria Catholic’, but will he actually deny him Holy Communion?… St. Augustine once commented on the distinction between the heavenly city and the Earthly city, writing, “Two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly by the love of self, even to the contempt of God; and the heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self. The former, in a word, glories in itself, the latter in the Lord. For the one seeks glory from men; but the greatest glory of the other is God, the witness of our conscience.”

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 21:1-14 – After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing. ….

By The Ruth Institute, The Stream – Maybe the White House should try promoting this celebration… In light of the White House urging all Americans to celebrate its third annual Transgender Day of Visibility, the Ruth Institute has discerned the need for Adult Appreciation Week, set to take place April 3-9… “’Transgender’ people are not the only ones who need and deserve ‘visibility,’” said President Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse… Therefore, the group will officially honor adults who …..

By Msgr. Charles Pope – After Christ rose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples at certain places and times, but did not seem to stay with them continuously. On the first Easter Sunday, He appeared six times in rather rapid succession: first to Mary Magdalene, then to the women at the tomb, third as the women left the tomb, fourth to Peter, fifth to the two disciples going to Emmaus, and sixth to the ten Apostles in Jerusalem (when Thomas was not present).

By Russell Shaw, Catholic World Report – After three years of synodal discussions and meetings, one is still hard put to find much substance in the output from the process… A surprisingly large number of priests are said to have lately been replying “no thanks” when invited to become bishops. If that’s so, it may help explain why Pope Francis, responding to discussions that took place last October at the Synod on Synodality, has commissioned a study that will include “criteria for selecting candidates to episcopacy.”

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – In recent comments, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, who previously lead the Vatican’s highest doctrine office, called abortion “infanticide” and saying those politicians who actively support abortion like Biden should be “excommunicated.”… And he called on Americans to reject Joe Biden’s “murderous” abortion agenda…. “The word ‘abortion’ is too much a soft word. The reality is killing, murder of a living person,” said Gerhard Cardinal Müller. “There’s no right to kill another person. It’s absolutely against the Fifth Commandment.”

By Bishop Marian Eleganti,  LifeSite News – Bishop Eleganti argues that the Pope is complying with a secular framework, placing politics and bodily health before supernatural faith and the salvation of souls… Pope Francis is concerned about the resistance against the experimental mRNA vaccine… he has also led the way in the closure of churches and the “sacramental lockdown.” Against generally established medical and ethical standards, he forced his Vatican staff into experimental mRNA vaccination if they did not want to lose their jobs. Others have done the same. But I wouldn’t have expected it from the Pope.

By Austin Ruse, Crisis Magazine – There are fond memories of my wife and daughters having a tea party in the living room, riding bikes to Duck Donuts. They did TV exercises in the basement. There was family time during lockdown! Busy dads worked from home. Travel sports, that family killer, died. They died for a time; sadly, they are back… I say this remembering also that our precious family time was juxtaposed against those poor souls who were shut in completely alone and lonely. Some were forced to die alone. A friend of a friend committed suicide during this lock down. We remember all these sorrowful events…

By Father Roger Landry, EWTN News – I couldn’t stop thinking about the fictitious Mr. Meaney, however, after a recent papal interview. When Fabio Fazio of Italy’s Channel 9 asked Pope Francis on Jan. 14 how he understands hell in the context of Divine Mercy, the Holy Father replied with words that captured international headlines: “It’s difficult to imagine it. What I would say is not a dogma of faith but my personal thought: I like to think hell is empty; I hope it is.”… The Holy Father is not the first to hope that no one will end up eternally in hell. ….

By Franciscan Media – The polarization in the Church today is a mild breeze compared with the tornado that ripped the Church apart during the lifetime of this saint. If any saint is a patron of reconciliation, Vincent Ferrer is… Despite parental opposition, he entered the Dominican Order in his native Spain at 19. ..

By Michael Ippolito, Crisis Magazine – St. Augustine once commented on the distinction between the heavenly city and the Earthly city, writing, “Two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly by the love of self, even to the contempt of God; and the heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self. The former, in a word, glories in itself, the latter in the Lord. For the one seeks glory from men; but the greatest glory of the other is God, the witness of our conscience.”… Biden is not a faithful Catholic, and Easter confirmed his apostasy. We will never have an authentically Christian culture when we have leaders whose “faith” is a matter of convenience. We need leaders who care about building up the city of God, even to the contempt of self.

By Mary Harrington, First Things – No one is coming to save us. We cannot wait for the “silent majority” to rise up and demand a return to common sense, or mumble about postponing action until we’ve re-Christianized the West, or until we’ve devised a fully worked-out post-Christian metaphysics of human nature… We must speak the truth anyway. And wherever possible, we must redirect law and policy from the abolition of human nature to its flourishing… Should this project be accused of oppressing or stigmatizing “the vulnerable,” we must recall that in reasserting the necessity of norms we are not attacking the most vulnerable. We are defending them.

By Stephen P. White, The Catholic Thing – Next week, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith will publish a document titled Dignitas infinita. According to the prefect Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the text will include, “a strong criticism of moral questions such as sex-change surgery, surrogacy, and gender ideology.”… There’s no little consternation about the forthcoming document. The chaotic and confused rollout of Fiducia supplicans… just before Christmas, including that document’s varied reception… and the Vatican’s hurried attempts to clarify and qualify, did not bolster confidence in the DDF’s ability to handle divisive issues well.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Luke 24:35-48 – Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them. But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? ….

By Carl R. Trueman, First Things – Cultural times are hard for traditional Christians. American evangelicalism has proved a fruitful target for those both outside and inside the church who want to stir up popular panic about Christian nationalism, racism, homophobia, and all the other ill-defined but nonetheless mortal sins of our day. Evangelicalism is presented as the root of all contemporary evils. Donald Trump’s recent hawking of a Bible bound together with America’s founding documents simply adds fuel to this fire. But in a week where it seemed that Trump’s would be the most blasphemous action of a leading politician, President Biden outdid him at the last minute ….

By Joan Frawley Desmond, EWTN News – W. Bradford Wilcox, by contrast urges the young to drop a “me first” approach to love and marriage in favor of a “family first” path to the altar. In his latest book, Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization (HarperCollins), the University of Virginia sociologist, who also serves as director of the National Marriage Project, deploys a trove of research and data to back his claim that marriage and children bring personal fulfillment. …

By Archbishop Héctor Aguer, LifeSiteNews – It is therefore not a matter of dreaming, but of being. As the popular saying goes, “dreaming costs nothing.” On the other hand, being a good Christian person costs an application of, and steadfastness in, faith. These subjects can be approached with simplicity and in a language adapted to the understanding of children. Like good catechesis, it makes the kerygma, the proclamation of Christ, resound.

By Jonathon Van Maren, The European Conservative – No conspiracy theory is as far-fetched as the idea that there are 72 genders… Ask anyone in your life to define a ‘conspiracy theory,’ and you’ll likely get a different answer. From elections to vaccines, from the ‘deep state’ to Ukraine, there is only one thing that most people now agree on: that establishment narratives are false. There are a range of key contributing factors to this—the internet and social media, the collapse of trust in institutions, increasing polarization, and much more. But one prominent issue that has proven to be a catalyst for all these trends has been largely ignored: the rise of the transgender movement.

By John Daniel Davidson, The Federalist – President’s Biden’s decision to elevate Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter, the holiest day of the Christian calendar, was no accident. Yes, we all know (now) that it falls on March 31 every year, while the date of Easter obviously varies. But the idea that the White House’s promotion of the transgender agenda on Easter was a mere coincidence, as Biden’s press secretary insisted on Monday, strains credulity. We all know it was no coincidence.

By Walter Sánchez Silva for Catholic News Agency – The French government has initiated a series of legal measures against Father Matthieu Raffray for calling homosexual relations sinful and for describing homosexuality as a “weakness.”… On March 15, the priest of the Institute of the Good Shepherd — created in 2006 in Rome for “the defense and dissemination of Catholic Tradition in all its forms,” according to the website of this society of apostolic life — posted a video on Instagram in which he encouraged the faithful to fight against their weaknesses.

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – Four pro-life advocates have been found guilty of violating a federal law protecting abortion centers and now face the possibility of a year in prison thanks to persecution from Joe Biden… They are the latest pro-life Americans who could face more than a decade in prison because Joe Biden is targeting pro-life people who peacefully protest abortion inside abortion centers. While radical environmentalists and Antifa block roads with sit in and protests and face no jail time, Joe Biden is aggressively trying to put pro-life Americans ….

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture – The last task St. John Henry Newman set himself before he could be absolutely certain that he must leave the Anglican Church and convert to Catholicism was to complete the major study entitled An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine. This remarkable book establishes beyond possible question that it is not only normal but necessary for the principles and truths embodied in Divine Revelation to be expressed more fully and in greater detail over time as new questions emerge to which we must apply these same principles and truths.

By Craig Bannister, CNS News – The belief that the federal government is a threat to Americans’ religious rights has surged under Pres. Biden, beyond that of both the Trump and Obama presidencies, a new national survey reveals… Today, more than twice as many voters consider the federal government a “threat,” instead of a “protector,” of religious rights (56% vs. 26%), the survey finds. The remaining 17% say they’re not sure… The Biden Administration has been increasingly prompting concern regarding religious freedom, particularly within the Christian community.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Luke 24:13-35 – That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. ….

By James R.A. Merrick, Crisis Magazine – My fear, in other words, is that just as the Devil used Judas to thwart the Savior, Judas is now being similarly used to revise the traditional doctrine of salvation, particularly in its teaching about divine mercy… Historically, or, as I prefer, traditionally, divine mercy was the reason why humans can face up to their sin and accept full responsibility. Precisely because God is merciful, we can entrust ourselves wholly to Him… Today, however, divine mercy seems to be increasingly associated with a different implication. …

By Casey Chalk, The Federalist – What’s a Christian to Do?.. For now, the persecution of Christians in America has largely been restricted to ostracism and censorship. Davidson projects that to change, “through mandatory reeducation, the loss of parental rights, fines and financial penalties, and even imprisonment.” Indeed, there are already signs of this, including government persecution of Christian businesses, leveraging laws to shutter Christian foster care services, FBI targeting of pro-life activists, and federal collaboration with social media companies to restrict freedom of speech. In light of these trends, Christians must gird themselves for a “long persecution and a long fight.” …

By Nicole Russell, Human Events – President Trump is the de facto GOP nominee. While pro-life, he supports a 16-week ban, not the usual six-week ban many pro-lifers do. Trump’s position may be attractive to some Independents and maybe even Democrats who see it as a reasonable and tenable compromise. However, it could endanger his base’s support, since they tend to favor more conservative positions. How will Trump’s abortion position affect his ardently evangelical base? ….

By Paul Bois, Breitbart – Former President Donald Trump declared that the November election will be “Christian Visibility Day” in opposition to President Joe Biden’s declaration of “Transgender Day of Visibility” on March 31, which coincided with Easter Sunday this year… “Election Day, November 5th, will be the most important day in the History of our Country. It will also be Christian Visibility Day, the biggest turnout of Christians in the history of our Country!” the former president declared on his Truth Social account.

By Tom Olohan, Media Research Center, NewsBusters – Actor and producer Eduardo Verastegui spoke out against the hatred and censorship campaigns his films Cabrini and Sound of Freedom have faced from Hollywood, social media and legacy media… During the March 29 episode of MRC’s UnCensored, Verastegui said that both he and his films had been censored. When host and MRC Free Speech America Vice President Dan Schneider asked Verastegui about attacks from media outlets ….

By Fr. Nnamdi Moneme, OMV, Catholic Exchange – There is a stark contrast between Jesus and the crowd that accompanied Him into Jerusalem. The crowd was noisy and boisterous in proclaiming Him as the “one who comes in the name of the Lord.” But they were also unfaithful. They will not persevere in proclaiming “Hosanas” about Jesus but will change and curse Him with “Crucify Him” during the Passion… But Jesus was silent and faithful to His mission. He was completely silent as He entered Jerusalem accompanied by the noisy crowd. …

By Cecilio Padilla, CBS News – Sacramento is the 33rd U.S. diocese to declare bankruptcy as a result of the sexual abuse scandal.
The Diocese of Sacramento announced on Monday that they had officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection… It comes months after the diocese announced its intentions to file for bankruptcy in the wake of more than 250 lawsuits claiming sexual abuse by clergy and other staff.

By Dov Fischer, The American Spectator – Those who attack their co-religionists in order to fit in with the woke left please note: it won’t work!… the news of Pres. Biden’s Easter sacrilege, coming on top of the outrageously disgraceful performances these past two weeks by NY Sen. Charles Schumer and some Hollywood guy who got awarded for making yet another movie leveraging the Holocaust — this one, a Holocaust movie bereft of Jews — and then leveraged the Six Million to “refute” his Judaism and Israel, brings me to the keyboard to discuss apostasy.

By Eddie Scarry, The Federalist – If Republicans are dead-set on sending billions more taxpayer dollars to Ukraine, prolonging a devastating war that is certain to end with Russia securing at least some land, they can at least do us all the courtesy of being honest. Instead, they’re trying to con everyone by selling the overseas welfare as a “loan”…. It’s offensive enough that both Democrats and Republicans insist that throwing fistfuls of cash at a conflict 5,000 miles away is exponentially more important than shutting down the hordes of destitute migrants shoving their way across the southern border.

By Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, LifeSiteNews – Yet another flattering interview-book El Sucesòr: Mis recuerdos de Benedicto XVI (The successor: My memories of Benedict) reports Bergoglio’s false and misleading utterances that Ratzinger was his “candidate” for the 2005 Conclave… It is clear that Bergoglio’s purpose is not to reveal news that is moreover indemonstrable, but rather to clumsily “prove” his own extraneousness to the maneuvers of the St. Gallen Mafia, perhaps in anticipation of future leaks. ….

By Donald DeMarco, EWTN News – Helen Alvaré, who is an accomplished lawyer, in addition to being a pro-life stalwart, has made a public invitation to Catholics who have survived the present crisis of disunity at all levels in the Church to discuss how hope has given them strength… This is both a timely and important question. How does one remain hopeful when so many Catholics in high places have seemingly lost hope? Personal testimonials to hope are vitally needed today in order to provide some measure of encouragement for the many who are struggling with their faith.

Franciscan Media – Benedict held important posts in the Franciscan Order and gracefully adjusted to other work when his terms of office were up… His parents were slaves brought from Africa to Messina, Sicily. Freed at 18, Benedict did farm work for a wage and soon saved enough to buy a pair of oxen. He was very proud of those animals. In time, he joined a group of hermits around Palermo and was eventually recognized as their leader. ..

By Randall Smith, The Catholic Thing – One of the strangest lines in the Gospels is uttered by the centurion at the foot of the Cross. In Mark, we are told that when he saw that Jesus had “breathed his last,” he said: “Truly this man was the Son of God.” (15:39)… One would have thought this was the last thing a person would say after seeing a man die.  Everyone knows that the one thing gods don’t do is die.  Thus, it would have made more sense if, the moment the centurion saw Jesus die, he had said: “Well, clearly that guy wasn’t a god.”

Fr Jeffrey Kirby, Crux – As we see the Lord Jesus in prayer, there are certain practical pointers we can learn from him, even while there is a mystery at play. In his prayer, the Lord’s divine and human nature are expressed and we can learn from him in both these ways… As we seek to pray, we have no better teacher than Jesus Christ since he was a perfect human being, as well as the eternal Son of God. And so, we can rely and trust in him since he is authentically human and truly God.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 20:11-18 – But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. ….

By Jason Jones, Crisis Magazine – Laymen have a duty to take the lead in Christianizing the world around us in everything we do, working always toward a humane culture that is hospitable to our fellowmen. Taking our cues from the timeless teachings of the Church, we should robustly debate how best to apply them in business, politics, art, and activism…. When bishops throw the full weight of their moral authority around, recklessly applying it to prudential policy questions, they discourage us from fulfilling our duty as laypeople to engage in the kind of reasoned, respectful debate that is so needed today.

By Charles J. Russo, Catholic World Report – Despite an acute shortage of caregivers willing and able to be respite or placement resources for children and youth in need, officials forbade a Christian couple in Washington from serving as foster parents… Discrimination against Christians continues unabated as for the third time in four years public officials have sought to not allow qualified Christians to serve as foster or adoptive parents because they reject the current orthodoxy on gender ideology.

By Al Perrotta, The Stream – What used to be satire is now premonition… Archbishop Vigano Shreds Biden for “Transgender Day of Visibility”… Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano took Joe Biden to the woodshed for issuing that proclamation celebrating “Transgender Day of Visibility” on Easter. (Indeed, from state governors to U.S. senators to the vice president, the entire Democratic leadership seemed to bow to the trans idol on Resurrection Sunday.)

By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, Catholic Culture – A world-weary practicing Catholic who suffered the slings and arrows that come with living a long life once remarked, “The trouble with Christianity is that you must forgive too many enemies.” As we age, it is unnerving to admit honestly, “Show me the man, and I’ll tell you what I don’t like about him.” The spirit of Christian forgiveness is mysterious and elusive.

By Solène Tadié, EWTN News – At a time when concern is growing about the rise of Islam, which is threatening to become the primary religion in historically Catholic countries such as France, a phenomenon of fundamental importance cannot be ignored: the exponential growth in conversions of Muslims to Christianity… Marie-Anne and Nicolas are two such converts from Islam who will be baptized this year on Easter. Like many other catechumens who have apostatized from their Muslim faith, their journey is as challenging as it is edifying to others.

By Joseph Pronechen, EWTN News – During (Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s) The Catholic Hour radio show on April 5, 1942, he focused on “The Resurrection.”… “Friends,” he began, “celebrating Easter in a world that is more like a Good Friday and hearing the chance of peace amidst the explosions of war makes us wonder what lesson this blessed feast could have for these tragic days?”.. “The answer is to be found in two distinct scenes in the life of Our Lord,” he went on. “The first scene took place in the Garden of Gethsemane. And there emerges this lesson: Evil has its hour, but God has his day. And that evil hour is inseparable from God’s day.”

Catholic Vote – Cardinal Wilton Gregory called President Joe Biden a “cafeteria Catholic … especially in terms of the life issues,” during a Sunday CBS News appearance… “I would say that [Biden is] very sincere about his faith but, like a number of Catholics, he picks and chooses dimensions of the faith to highlight,” stated Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, DC… The cardinal clarified that Biden does this “while ignoring or even contradicting other parts” of the Catholic faith.

By Jason Cohen, Daily Caller – Former Bill Clinton campaign strategist James Carville expressed concerns on Sunday about the number of young voters, a key voting bloc for Democrats, that are leaving his party… “I’ve been very vocal about this,” Carville said. “It’s horrifying our numbers among younger voters, particularly younger blacks, younger latinos … younger people of color. Particularly males. We’re not shedding them, they’re leaving in droves.”

By Shawn Fleetwood, The Federalist – While millions of Christians throughout the world celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ this weekend, the Biden administration was busy hawking the demonic ideology of transgenderism… On Good Friday, President Joe Biden, who claims to be a “devout Catholic,” issued a proclamation declaring March 31, 2024 — the same day as Easter Sunday — to be the “Transgender Day of Visibility.” Because, as everyone knows, we don’t have enough faux holidays commemorating the rainbow mob, right?

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – Over the weekend, Joe Biden declared Easter Sunday as “Transgender Day of Visibility.”… In a Friday proclamation, President Joe Biden said that on Easter Sunday “we will honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirm our Nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect Union — where all people are created equal and treated equally throughout their lives.”… The White House has also banned Christian eggs for today’s Easter egg roll.

By Franciscan Media – Francis of Paola was a man who deeply loved contemplative solitude and wished only to be the “least in the household of God.” Yet, when the Church called him to active service in the world, he became a miracle-worker and influenced the course of nations… After accompanying his parents on a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi, he began to live as a contemplative hermit in a remote cave near Paola, on Italy’s southern seacoast.

By Msgr. Charles Pope – One option for Easter Sunday morning’s Mass is from the Gospel of John (20:1-8). (I have written before on the Matthean Gospel option (here)). Like most of the resurrection accounts, John’s version paints a portrait of a journey that some of the early disciples have to make: out of fear and into faith. It shows the need to experience the resurrection and then come to understand it more deeply. While the Gospel account begins with Mary Magdalene, the focus quickly shifts to St. John; let’s study his journey.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Matthew 28:8-15 – So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Hail!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. …

By S.D. Wright, LifeSiteNews – In 1900 Pope Leo XIII said, ‘The world has heard enough of the ‘rights of man.’ Let it hear of the rights of God.’ This sentence is key to understanding what is actually meant when Catholics proclaim that ‘Christ is King.’… In 1925, the world still remembered the First World War. Formerly Catholic countries were continuing their decline into secularism. The Mexican revolutionary government was consolidating its control and persecuting the Church. The Weimar Republic was allowing all sorts of immorality and decadence.

By Joy Pullmann, The Federalist – A healthy little Dutch girl without a proper name died 52 years ago. Scientists keep her kidney’s cells multiplying in a process similar to cancer. They perform increasing numbers of experiments on derivatives of this baby girl’s kidney cells to develop technologies that include taste-testing experiments for PepsiCo. Her vivisection forms “the backbone of the global gene therapy market.”… Scientists call the baby girl HEK 293. HEK stands for “human embryonic kidney,” and 293 means she was the 293rd experiment in a set.

By Niamh UÍ Bhriain, LifeNews – This week, Gript broke a shocking story around abortion in Ireland that showed that women’s lives are being put in danger by the blind and willful determination not to provide ultrasounds when women seek abortion… Presenting an alarming and disturbing case where a woman could have died, medical experts working in Limerick Maternity Hospital said that the practice of not offering ultrasounds before prescribing abortion pills could lead to maternal deaths.

By Edward Short, Catholic World Report – “All who truly love the bridal Church have the capacity, in their time, place, situation, to awaken the sleeping beauty with a kiss,” he says. “For this love to eventuate one thing is necessary. We must refind something lying beyond any conceivable ecclesiastical structure or procedure and beyond, too, whatever panaceas are currently on offer for the earthly condition. We must rediscover something far greater: the essential supernaturality of the faith of the Church.”

By Michael J. Matt, Editor, Remnant TV – In this edition of the Underground, Michael presents a tour de force on the Doctrine of the Social Kingship of Jesus Christ. Responding to the avalanche of attacks on political commentator Candace Owens – fired from the Daily Wire for proclaiming Christ King – Michael addresses all the arguments, including those based on the canard that when Christ said to Pilate “my kingdom is not of this world,  He was in fact rejecting His own sovereignty over nations and individuals. This, according to Michael, is heresy and it is also exactly why the scourges of abortion and same sex “marriage” are now the law of our land.

By Anthony Esolen, Crisis Magazine – Boys, especially the fatherless and aimless and dispirited, get no commercials on their behalf, march in no special parades, have no special flags… as the collapse of healthy relations between men and women continues to accelerate, given fresh impetus by the anonymity and unreality of the internet, Catholic attention is to be focused on gay couples presenting themselves for blessings in church. For they are the “marginalized.”

By Bronwen McShea, First Things – In recent weeks, audiences all over the United States have been introduced by Angels Studios, through the film Cabrini, to the remarkable figure of Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, foundress of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus who built up charitable orphanages, schools, and hospitals for marginalized Italian immigrants in New York City. During the lifetime of their foundress, who died in the middle of World War I in 1917 and who was canonized less than thirty years later, the Missionary Sisters tended also to other neglected, impoverished populations across the United States and in several Latin American and European countries ….

By Martin Barillas, EWTN News – Dr. Dan Vickers, 50, a radiologist, and his family live in Muskegon, a city on the shore of Lake Michigan, and had been seeking a church home but had not found the right place. “I have a wonderful family and a practice I love. It’s the American dream,” Vickers told the Register. “But something was missing. There was a ‘God hole.’” His wife, Alex, 43, said much the same, adding, “It was my children who started asking questions about faith, and it was my sister who helped us along the way.”

By Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, Twitter – The word Apocalipse, in Greek, means unveiling, revelation. This revelation, in Sacred Scripture, concerns first and foremost the objective reality of Good and Evil, that is, the collective awareness of the ongoing war between God and Satan, between the children of Light and the children of darkness… The unprecedented and scandalous proclamation of March 31 as “Transgender Visibility Day” by self-styled U.S. President Joe Biden — who dares to declare himself a Catholic — constitutes a most serious offense to God and to millions of Catholics and Christians in America and around the world, before which it is impossible not to react with due firmness. …

By Andreas Wailzer, LifeSite News – Cardinal Müller condemned as ‘unfathomable’ the ‘absurdity’ of German bishops negotiating Catholic doctrine in Rome ‘as if the Church’s teachings were an offer to be sold to the highest bidder in the supermarket of ideologies.’… Cardinal Gerhard Müller strongly criticized “negotiations” between the Vatican and German bishops about the heretical German Synodal Way and accused “German Synodalists” of effectively blaming Christ for sin by falsely claiming that His Commandments are responsible for the abuse crisis. …

By John Zmirak, The Stream – My first reaction to learning that our second “Catholic president” (both words need scare quotes for multiple, overlapping reasons), Joe Biden, had proclaimed Easter Sunday “Transgender Day of Visibility” was simple: Why do they need a visibility day? I can spot one a mile away.
Nope, I won’t apologize for that. Mocking the priests of Baal and blaspheming their false religion isn’t just good fun, but a high moral duty. I love it when things work out like that.

By Msgr. Robert Batule, Crisis Magazine – The second reading at the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday is a passage from the Letter to the Hebrews. This New Testament Epistle is addressed to a community of Jewish Christians undergoing persecution about the time of the Temple’s destruction in the year 70. The sacred author is appealing to these suffering Christian men and women by calling to mind Jesus, who is the great High Priest (cf. Hebrews 4:14). With the great High Priest already passed through the heavens, the Hebrew Christians are bid to hold fast to their confession (cf. Hebrews 4:14).

By Kennedy Hall, Crisis Magazine – Before I continue, I do want to address likely sentiments that will arise in some as a result of my commentary. First, it is not “antisemitic” to speak plainly about Judaism as a religion and to critique or even lambast identity politicking when it is done on behalf of any group, be they Jews or otherwise. Also, if one truly loves Jewish people, then a call for their conversion would be true evidence of that. Simply put, there is no salvation outside the Church, and Christ is King and always will be. To hold fast to those truths is not antisemitic; it is, instead, orthodox Catholic belief.

By Michael Haynes, LifeSiteNews – The former prefect of the Vatican’s highest doctrine office, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, condemned U.S. President Joe Biden’s support for abortion, saying it is “infanticide” and that those promoting “infanticide” should be “excommunicated.”.. “The word ‘abortion’ is too much a soft word. The reality is killing, murder of a living person,” said Gerhard Cardinal Müller. “There’s no right to kill another person. It’s absolutely against the Fifth Commandment.”… The cardinal made his comments condemning President Joe Biden during an extensive interview with LifeSiteNews in Rome. ….

By Calvin Freiburger, LifeSite News – The Louisiana House’s Civil Law and Procedure Committee voted 10-2 on Monday to quash a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would enshrine a state-level “right” to abortion… House Bill 245 would have proposed language to be added to the Louisiana Constitution declaring that “(a)ll persons have the right to decide and implement their decisions regarding reproductive healthcare including but not limited to contraception, fertility treatment, pregnancy continuation, miscarriage care, abortion care, and birthing options” …

By John Daniel Davidson, The Federalist – The future of the post-Christian West isn’t some secular liberal utopia, it’s a pagan empire in which might makes right… Our cultural and political elite now insist that men can become women, and vice versa, and that even children can consent to what they euphemistically call “gender-affirming care.” In a perfect inversion of reason and common sense, some Democratic lawmakers now want laws on the books forcing parents to affirm their child’s “gender identity” on the pain of having the child taken from them by the state for abuse.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 13:1-15 – Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. And during supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God ….

By John Zmirak, The Stream – In a perfect world, the title of this column would be totally uncontroversial. But then again, in a perfect world it might not even be true. You see, without the Fall, we wouldn’t have needed a Savior. Therefore, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Logos, the Person of Jesus, while still our King, might be honored by different titles — and not as “Messiah” (Christos). With no sin to save us from, would we even call Him “Christ”?

By Brad Wilcox, Institute for Family Studies – In fact, the stats suggest four steps to reduce men’s risk of divorce… 1) Having a job: Wives are especially likely to get and stay married to men who are reliable providers… 2) Regular date nights: The National Marriage Project 2022 “State of Our Unions” report finds that couples who have regular date nights are nearly twice as likely to report they are very happy in their marriages… 3) Joint checking accounts… 4) Community: Regular church attendance also reduces your risk of divorce by between 30 and 50 percent.

By The Ruth Institute, The Stream – In this episode of the Dr. J Show, he speaks with Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse about the Alabama Supreme Court’s recent ruling case involving frozen embryos who were destroyed without the parents’ consent. The parents of these children sued the fertility clinics where their embryos were stored for wrongful death… This case raised questions regarding who are considered human beings. If frozen embryos aren’t children, are they medical waste? Is in-vitro fertilization ethical in the first place? …

By Elizabeth Yore, Mary Jane Zuzolo, Crisis Magazine – Duly reported by now was the Vatican’s hosting of a Marxist-Christian dialogue in January, earlier this year. Pope Francis freely encouraged the interaction while, moreover, conspicuously neglecting to mention Christ, Christianity, or the fact that the Catholic Church has a long history of decided condemnation of Marxist Communism. Similar disconcerting dealings include Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio’s presiding over a Masonic conference in February in which he renewed requests for a “permanent dialogue” with Freemasonry.

By Jonathan Luxmoore, Catholic Review Media – In its first detailed analysis of the Vatican’s pre-Christmas declaration “Fiducia Supplicans,” Russia’s Orthodox Church has accused Pope Francis of “rejecting the Christian moral ideal” by allowing the blessing of same-sex couples… “Although ‘Fiducia Supplicans’ is an internal document of the Catholic Church, the Russian Orthodox Church considers it has a duty to respond to radical innovations that reject the divinely revealed norms of Christian morality. … While accepting with maternal love every individual sinner who asks for her blessing, the church cannot bless same-sex couples in any form, since this would mean consenting to a union sinful in nature.”

By Edward Pentin, National Catholic Register – March 27 marks 100 days since the Vatican published Fiducia Supplicans, an instruction on blessings of persons in irregular unions. And while the controversy it stirred in the Church in the West has somewhat abated, opposition to the document and how it was implemented continues apace… Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, who drafted a pan-African bishops’ statement in January rejecting “blessings for same sex couples in the African Churches,” has not relented in his criticisms …

By Sheryl Collmer, Crisis Magazine – It’s good to laugh over clever priests and unclever Leftists, but it’s not so easy to dismiss the “Christian Nationalist” tag that government agencies, justice operatives, and media are so studiously attempting to pin on their political opponents: Catholics, Latin Mass-goers, pro-lifers, people who defend children, and the like… The American people have seen some colossal hoaxes in the last few years, and this one is practically transparent. It’s a programmatic effort to associate Catholics with racism and gun violence, making them appear dangerous ….

By Msgr. Charles Pope – Two momentous days have passed: On Monday there was the cleansing of the Temple and the laments over Jerusalem’s lack of faith; Tuesday featured exhaustive teachings by Jesus and interrogations by His opponents… Today, Wednesday, it would seem that Jesus stays in Bethany. According to Matthew’s Gospel, the day begins with an ominous warning: When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified” (Matthew 26:1-2).

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Matthew 26:14-25 – Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” …..

By Richard A. Spinello, The Catholic Thing – Strange things happen, however, when the Church loses her coherence and concentrates only on the public or social virtues.  When the poor and the persecuted (e.g., the Africans) cling to traditional sexual morality they are branded with the scarlet letter of homophobia.  As a result, they are treated with suspicion and condescension by Catholic progressives. Thus, the division of virtues turns out to be divisive in paradoxical ways and ends up undermining even the Church’s social justice mission.

By Rachel Roth Aldhizer, First Things – Here is how I buried the body of my fifth child: I took myself to the emergency room because I was in labor and bleeding. The baby on the ultrasound screen lay still in the curve of my belly, its heart silent. Fetal demise resulting from spontaneous abortion, the medical term for miscarriage. The room was quiet as I delivered the baby. At first I was afraid to hold my child, who fit the length of my hand, its clavicles and ribs delicate as strands of hair. Then I saw the face, and the features were perfect. …

By Bradley Devlin, The American Conservative – President Donald Trump’s victories in last night’s primaries in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, and Ohio were foregone conclusions. All of Trump’s challengers have already exited the race and, for the third straight presidential cycle, Trump has secured the Republican nomination. This alone suggests Trump’s takeover of the GOP is near total, but there’s even more evidence down ballot.

By Susan Ciancio, Catholic World Report – “My value doesn’t come from what I can do. It comes from who I am—a human being created in the image and likeness of God.”… To celebrate World Down Syndrome Day last week, the family of three-year-old Will Daub, or Iron Will (as they call him), created a brilliant video in the hopes of sharing Will’s accomplishments with the world and to illustrate the beauty of people with Down syndrome. …

By Adam Schaeffer, The Federalist – If Republicans want to win elections, they need to find messages that work and the right voters to target… Republicans have a serious problem in 2024: unmarried women. Republicans also have a major opportunity: unmarried women… Unmarried women are one of the most Democratic-voting demographics in U.S. politics, voting more than two-to-one for Democratic House candidates (68–31 percent) in 2022. A majority of married men, unmarried men, and married women, in contrast, voted Republican. …

By Michael Haynes, LifeSiteNews – In an exclusive interview with LifeSiteNews, Cardinal Gerhard Müller critiqued the Synod on Synodality for its “concession to feminist ideas,” and stated that Fiducia Supplicans is “a propaganda trick” to win support from the LGBT movement… “Behind Fiducia Supplicans there is nothing to do with the pastoral [care] for these persons of so-called same-sex attraction, but it is only a propaganda trick to show ‘we are not against this worldwide movement of LGBT and we must make a certain concession that we will not be so attacked by them as a counterpart,’” stated Cardinal Müller. 

By Brittany M. Hughes, MRC TV – Remember those 85,000 or so immigration children the Biden administration lost after shoving them through the turnstile at the border? We may have found a few of them… At least 10 immigrant children under the legal working age were found working at a Tennessee plant that makes lawn mower parts for power equipment companies including John Deere, Toro, and Yamaha. Tuff Torq has been fined $300,000 for employing children as young as 14, and has been ordered to cough up another $1.5 million in assistance for the children themselves.

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – The Supreme Court heard oral arguments (Tuesday) in a case that could see the dangerous abortion pill prohibited from being sold by mail and important FDA warnings about the dangers of the abortion drug restored after the agency removed them for little or no reason… The case is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, and the Supreme Court heard arguments that the FDA has threatened women’s health because of its removal of key safety standards in its approval of mifepristone, one of the abortion pill drugs.

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture – In response to the furor occasioned by this discussion, it seemed to me—whose first memories of life at home in the early 1950s do not include a screen of any kind—that the responsible thing to do was to read a biography of Mother Cabrini to increase the likelihood of acquiring a more accurate understanding of her personality. We oldsters amuse ourselves with the fiction that the next generation knows nothing other than what they see on a screen.

By Janet E. Smith, Crisis Magazine A group named “Trad Recovery” is holding a conference this summer to minister to people who have been harmed by their involvement in traditionalist communities. Some traditionalist Catholics have taken offense to the project, but it is certainly possible that there are some people who have had bad experiences and who might therefore benefit from some “ministering.”… The proposal itself, though, should shame “conservatives” and “trads” into doing something similar for those wounded by the changes in the Church since the sixties. ….

By Fr. Kevin M. Cusick, The Wanderer – We are in the midst of Passiontide as I write. The Church continues her focus on her Lord and Divine Master while the world spins. The Cross remains ever our constant beacon and source of hope. Lent reaches its spiritual zenith with Holy Week and the Passion, death, and Resurrection of the Lord. This is the holiest moment in the entire liturgical year because it leads to the greatest victory…

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 13:21-33,36-38 – When Jesus had thus spoken, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was lying close to the breast of Jesus; so Simon Peter beckoned to him and said, “Tell us who it is of whom he speaks.” ….

By T. S. Flanders, OnePeterFive – His Excellency Bishop Charles Chaput, the archbishop emeritus of Philadelphia is not a “Trad bishop,” but a disciple of the last two pontificates. As such, he praises the “classically Ratzingerian” text of Lumen Fidei, an encyclical began by Pope Benedict and finished by Pope Francis. “[A]s prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,” he says, “Joseph Ratzinger was one of the greatest Christian minds of the past century.” …

By Phil Lawler , Catholic Culture – Today dozens of media outlets are reporting that Pope Francis did not deliver a homily at Palm Sunday Mass. That’s true, but no particularly remarkable. Many priests choose to skip the homily on Palm Sunday, after the lengthy reading of the Passion… What is remarkable is that the Pope did not celebrate the Mass. Still more remarkable, Pope Francis has not been the principal celebrant at a public Mass for several months… Since about this time last year, the Pope has “presided” at the Vatican’s major liturgical celebrations. That is, he sits to the side, while another prelate, at the altar, actually celebrates the Mass.

By Michael Swartz, Patriot Post – The message being delivered by the Mexican president to the American one has been none too subtle: Pay up or else… To you, our readers, who haven’t been under a rock for the last four years, it’s well known that we have a southern border in name only. Obviously, it was one of the priorities of Joe Biden’s Democrat handlers to open up the border and bring in just as many prospective Democrat voters as they possibly could under the guise of “asylum.” …

By Craig Bannister, MRCTV – “This affects you, each and every one of you,” Constitutional Scholar Mark Levin warned Sunday, explaining how Democrats’ “pretend justice system” and “New Communist Manifesto” threaten the freedoms and property of all Americans… “This is the document that Bernie Sanders and Biden and their reprobates put together about how they want to govern America. I call it the New Communist Manifesto”… The Manifesto’s tentacles ensnare every facet of human existence, under the guise of climate control, Levin explained ….

By John M. Grondelski, Crisis Magazine – Should confessions be scheduled during the Paschal Triduum? Once upon a time, that question would have been a non-question. Youthful memories remind me of confession lines on Holy Saturday. More recent ones, too. I’m proud to have a pastor who demonstrates priestly charity and hears confessions on Holy Saturday morning… But the question remains pertinent because there are some lingering views, which were much more common in the 1980s, against scheduling confessions in that period.

By Kurt Zindulka, Breitbart – The practice of sexually ‘transitioning’ children will be remembered as one of the “greatest ethical scandals in the history of medicine,” a report commissioned by French senators stated… (the report) found that the medical industry embarked upon the practice of giving children life-altering transgender treatments with little evidence of its effectiveness while ignoring the side effects… The report found that while parents were often pressured by doctors to put their children on puberty-blocking drugs to prevent suicide, there is little proof that this course of action has any better outcomes for the child.

By Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, Twitter – “Powers of abomination” – The Chrism Mass, arbitrarily moved to March 19, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, is a compendium of the most abominable liturgical horrors that the conciliar “church” has originated since the beginning… The shamanic ceremony at the beginning of the function constitutes a sacrilegious act that desecrates the Cathedral l of the diocese of Superior (WI) on the very day on which the Holy Chrism is consecrated. This makes Bishop Powers, present at the rite, responsible for a very serious sacrilege and for the scandal caused to those present. This is not a Successor of the Apostles, but a servant of Freemasonry. …

By Jonathon Van Maren, European Conservative – Pakaluk, a social scientist and mother of eight, decided to investigate why, as small families, “DINKs” (dual income, no kids), and overt anti-natalism become the norm, some 5% of American women choose to have five or more children. She traveled across the country and interviewed 55 college-educated mothers with large families to ask them why they chose to have children and why they chose to have more. Pakaluk also explains why, despite concerted efforts at pro-natalist policies by governments, none have successfully boosted the birth rate to replacement level.

By Judy Roberts, National Catholic Register – The March 26 hearing before the Supreme Court will mark the first time the high court has considered a major case on abortion since Dobbs in 2022… Abortion advocates like to say their fight for the right to terminate life in the womb is simply about “women’s health,” but that assertion is being challenged by a case going before the U.S. Supreme Court March 26… At stake in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. FDA is the federal lifting, in 2016 and 2021, of restrictions by the FDA on use of the chemical abortion pill mifepristone, making it easier to obtain. ….

By John Klar, The Federalist – Joe Biden and his EPA’s push for electric heat pumps will be an even bigger fail than their push for electric vehicles… Although Biden’s various electric vehicle (EV) mandates and subsidies tend to get more press than his other half-brained attempts to reduce carbon dioxide, the administration’s push for electric heat pumps could prove to be even more of a disaster.

By Gene Gomulka, Complicit Clergy – Lafayette Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel has come under fire amid media reports that he excommunicated Deacon Scott Peyton after his teenage son was sexually abused by Lafayette Father Michael Guidry. Faithful Catholics are slamming Deshotel’s claim that Peyton “sever[ed] ties with the Catholic Church” by writing to him with concerns about clerical sex abuse cover-ups. While Peyton, a sex abuse victims’ advocate, was ousted from the Church, there is no indication that Guidry, who pled guilty and is sentenced to seven years in prison for molesting Peyton’s son, has ever been excommunicated. Sex abuse experts point out that Deshotel is one among a growing list of bishops who prove that the only sex abuse policy Church officials choose to enforce is “zero tolerance” for victims and whistleblowers.

Vatican News, by Staff – On Saturday, along with the Vatican, symbolic monuments of cities all across the globe turn off their lights, to demonstrate the alleged serious global climate crisis. Earth Hour is billed as the largest global mobilisation against climate change. Starting with the symbolic gesture of turning off the lights for an hour, it is intended to unite citizens, institutions and businesses in a common desire to give the world a sustainable future and to overcome the challenge of climate change.

By Elie Dib, Catholic Exchange – The profound spiritual writings of Don Dolindo illuminate the Christian belief that earthly sufferings, offered up in union with Christ, store up eternal treasures in heaven. As he comments in his extensive biblical commentary, “The pains become priceless riches, and this is the price of an eternal and ineffable happiness” (Commentary on Revelation). This underscores how sufferings take on spiritual value, becoming incalculable riches that purchase everlasting joy. Don Dolindo goes on to assure that “Those who fear God have a light that shines through the darkness of their troubles, a light that comforts and never goes out” (Commentary on Psalms). …

By Register Staff, National Catholic Register – EVERY passage in the history of our Lord and Saviour is of unfathomable depth, and affords inexhaustible matter of contemplation. All that concerns Him is infinite, and what we first discern is but the surface of that which begins and ends in eternity. It would be presumptuous for any one short of saints and doctors to attempt to comment on His words and deeds, except in the way of meditation; but meditation and mental prayer are so much a duty in all who wish to cherish true faith and love towards Him, that it may be allowed us, my brethren, under the guidance of holy men who have gone before us, to dwell and enlarge upon what otherwise would more fitly be adored than scrutinised.

Franciscan Media – Going to confession one day was the turning point of Catherine’s life… When Catherine was born, many Italian nobles were supporting Renaissance artists and writers. The needs of the poor and the sick were often overshadowed by a hunger for luxury and self-indulgence. …

By Frank Wright, LifeSiteNews – A new documentary has emerged which investigates the collapse of public trust in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry… With Americans described as the “most prescribed, most diagnosed” people in history, the film titled SICK: Unmasking Big Medicine, produced by Tucker Carlson’s Daily Caller, argues that not only is American “Big Medicine” a hostage to the drug industry, it is effectively manufacturing physical and mental illnesses for which it supplies its toxic “cures.”

By Michael J. Matt, Editor, Remnant TV – Guaranteeing a global right to abortion – Dr. Ted’s Pandemic Preparedness Treaty exposed for trying to permanently enshrine abortion as a basic human right worldwide. No wonder the Africans, among many, are resisting it… He just won the Super Bowl, but why did Harrison Butker call out the most powerful Catholic cardinal in America?… No wonder Trump’s going soft on the moral issues, the pope’s new biography defends gay love and abortion-tainted jabs. And guess which liberal CINO is doing the narration for the audio book?

By Walter Sánchez Silva, Catholic World Report – Mother Angelica, foundress of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), CNA’s parent company, once offered helpful advice for Holy Week… In a program broadcast in March 1994 before Easter, Mother Angelica offered five ways to be well prepared when the Easter Triduum begins. Her Holy Week recommendations continue to be wise and practical to this day: 1. Repent and change your life. ….

By McKenna Snow, LifeNews – The National Association of Pro-Life Nurses announced this week that it has joined the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine in the landmark case against the Food and Drug Administration about the chemical abortion drug mifepristone… The association’s president, Dorothy Kane, stated in a news release that the lawsuit, which is headed to the Supreme Court, “is about safeguarding women’s health, protecting the integrity of the healthcare profession, and committing to evidence-based care.”

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 12:1-11 – Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at table with him. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. ….

By Franciscan Media – The feast of the Annunciation, now recognized as a solemnity, was first celebrated in the fourth or fifth century. Its central focus is the Incarnation: God has become one of us. From all eternity God had decided that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity should become human. Now, as Luke 1:26-38 tells us, the decision is being realized. The God-Man embraces all humanity, indeed all creation, to bring it to God in one great act of love. Because human beings have rejected God, Jesus will accept a life of suffering and an agonizing death: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).

By Kathleen Bowen, LifeSiteNews – We need more books, series, cartoons, and movies that tell stories that celebrate virtue… Children’s characters are formed by the stories they hear and impressed by the heroes they admire, and we know this but have fallen behind in providing and distributing faith-literate stories and movies… Disney on the other hand has quite effectively formed the characters of children, especially girls through the princesses that appear in their animated films. Disney princesses are not all together bad but they don’t exactly promote Catholic values. …

By Regis Martin, Crisis Magazine – A lie, in other words, which makes every sinner complicit with Satan, the Father of Lies, even as it causes the sun to shudder. And what we know about Satan, of course, is that he was doing it from the beginning. He’s a murderer, too, if we are to believe Jesus, who tells us as much in the Gospel of John (8:44): He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the Father of Lies.

By John Zmirak, The Stream – House Speaker Mike Johnson did not invoke the old “Hastert Rule,” which would have insisted on support from a “majority of the majority” for the bill to pass. So the massive federal agencies that is targeting pro-life parents and Latin Mass Catholics while leaving our borders unguarded will get their next truckload of money borrowed from China, which our grandchildren will have to repay. And what have conservatives and Christians gotten in return for this?… Not even a mess of pottage.

By Aleks Phillips, U.S. News Reporter, NewsWeek – Pope Francis is facing growing dissent among members of the Catholic Church over recent decisions that opponents portray as contrary to traditional church doctrine… The most controversial has been the publication of a document in December by a Vatican bishop, with the pope’s approval, mooting the “possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples.” While the document stressed that it did not change the church’s stance on homosexuality, it brought a joint letter from Catholic clergy and scholars calling on others to disregard it.

By Fr. Raymond J. de Souza, First Things – Example #9 – Cardinal Raymond Burke – Cardinal Raymond Burke has not been shy about his criticisms of the pontificate. Still, it was a shock in curial Rome that Pope Francis chose to cut off his stipend (really a pension, as Burke is retired) and remove his subsidized apartment. It seemed rather beneath the dignity of the papal office. And of course it invites future comparison when other cardinals maintain their pensions and apartments.

By Nick Koutsobinas, Newsmax – Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens is warning that some migrants coming across the southern border may pose a serious “national security threat.”… The smugglers who get illegal migrants into the U.S… “dictate what the flow is going to look like, and we respond to it.”… “We try and get out in front of it and deny them the ability to use these areas,” he added. “But at the end of the day, there’s over 1,900 miles of border with Mexico.”

Recently Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI released a powerful letter, in which he touched on a number of topics, including especially the sexual abuse crisis that has impacted the Church and even society as a whole.  In his letter, he also addressed the Eucharist.  He acknowledged, and rightfully so, that we have become too lax in our approach to the Eucharist.  There were a number of reasons for this, even extreme cases when Holy Communion has been distributed to non-Catholics at weddings and other large events for the sake of “inclusion.” We know, however, that such “inclusivity” is actually quite dangerous ….

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture – The Book of Psalms is a remarkable collection of sung prayers which probe nearly every aspect of both the evil and the good that we do, and of our dependence on God for deliverance from the evil. But the themes can vary from concern about the trials of this world to concern about our eternal destiny. And while God is always the source of deliverance through His mighty power, the concept of redemption—that is, of God paying a price to free us from captivity to evil or death—is mentioned only sparingly, and with little or no development of what the word implies.

By Carrie Gress, The Catholic Thing – As we journey through Holy Week, the reversal of fortunes of Our Savior, from ignominious death to glorious resurrection, couldn’t be more stark. Jesus of Nazareth takes on the deepest scourge the Roman Empire could inflict, with nothing considered too brutal or shameful. Through it all, He was abandoned by those closest to Him, save a few holy women and the beloved disciple. But then, after days of silence, we are given the hope-filled image of the Magdalene, cold and trembling in the early morning hours, asking the gardener where he has put her Lord. …

By Msgr. Charles Pope – The Passion, which we read in the liturgy for Palm Sunday, is too long to comment on in detail, so we will only examine a portion of it here… It may be of some value to examine the problems associated with the more moderate range of personalities involved. The usual villains (the Temple leaders, Judas, and the recruited crowd shouting, “Crucify him!”) are unambiguously wicked and display their sinfulness openly. But there are others involved whose struggles and neglectfulness are more subtle, yet no less real…

By Carl E. Olson, Catholic World Report – The readings for Palm Sunday, or Passion Sunday, are dramatic and demanding. They are excruciating in their raw depictions of violence and suffering. They also, as in the case of the great Christological hymn in St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians, are marked by exultation in the glory streaming forth from the pain and sacrifice of the Suffering Servant. Glory comes not from the power to suppress and enslave, but from the freely chosen obedience of selfless love.

By Nathanael Blake, Catholic World Report – We should not expect much courage from politicians, but Christians are called to bear witness to the truth, regardless of what opinion polls show. And the truth is that IVF is wrong… When my wife and I said “No” to in vitro fertilization, we assumed that we were rejecting our last hope of bearing children. Our years of infertility were unexplained and unresolved, despite the best efforts of the Catholic Ob/Gyn practice we had been going to. They had been thorough, and the physician who offered us a second opinion had nothing to add—except pushing us to try IVF.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 11:45-56 – Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him; but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council, and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on thus, every one will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation.” ….

By Brianna Lyman, The Federalist – Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to oust Speaker Mike Johnson over a $1.2 trillion bill that advances zero Republican voter priorities… Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to oust Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday after the House passed a $1.2 trillion spending bill that includes dozens of left-wing earmarks but no Republican voters’ priorities. Greene urged Johnson not to allow the bill a floor vote, calling it a “complete departure” from the party’s core values.

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – The Planned Parenthood abortions business was exposed several years ago as one of the biggest sellers of body parts from aborted babies… Over a dozen videos chronicled, how America’s biggest abortion company kills babies in abortions and then potentially illegally sells their body parts to universities for grisly, unproven research. Eventually, Planned Parenthood officials admitted under oath to doing this. ….

By Fr. Celatus, Remnant Columnist, The Remnant – But before all the glory of its ultimate success and triumph, this film had its own passion to suffer and overcome at the hands of its enemies. These enemies included powerful Deep State and Deep Synagogue forces, representing the entertainment industry and media, as well as the Deep Church. Not only did the US Catholic Conference of Bishops refuse to support the film, but the USCCB issued this condemnation: It [the film script] is one of the most troublesome texts, relative to anti-Semitic potential, that any of us had seen in 25 years. It must be emphasized that the main storyline presented Jesus as having been relentlessly pursued by an evil cabal of Jews, headed by the high priest Caiaphas, who finally blackmailed a weak-kneed Pilate into putting Jesus to death. ….

By Javier Arias (InfoVaticana), Inside the Vatican – In reality, in the sacrament of Holy Orders, Christ confers on the bishop (or priest) the authority to preach, sanctify and govern (even to administer justice). The Pope does not confer jurisdiction on a bishop, but only assigns a specific diocese to a bishop, who is not a representative of the papacy, but of Jesus Christ (Lumen Gentium 27). In an ecumenical council, consecrated bishops exercise their part in the jurisdiction of the universal episcopate not as delegates of the Pope, but by virtue of the authority conferred on them by Christ. The theory of the Pope as autocrat, taken from the Jesuit theology of the 19th century, not only contradicts the Second Vatican Council, but undermines the credibility of the Church with this caricature of the Petrine ministry.

By Robert Morrison, Remnant Columnist, The Remnant – Without the opportunity to defend Jesus from the Bad Thief’s insults, perhaps the Good Thief might have remained silent, without turning to Our Lord for mercy. Then, as now, God uses the wickedness of others to bring about the salvation of those who make use of His mercy… The Gospel of St. Luke relates the story of the Good Thief, which should be dear to all of us sinners in great need of God’s mercy ….

By Jonathan Liedl, EWTN News – Texas’ border with Mexico is home to a staggering humanitarian crisis, with record numbers of migrants entering the United States daily. But it’s also become the scene of what some contend is an ongoing pattern of serious violations of religious liberty, in the form of state government crackdowns on Catholic charities ministering to the new arrivals… In recent months, Texas authorities have sought to limit Catholic agencies’ services provided to migrants, cut off funding sources, and even tried to shut down a decades-old ministry, in what state officials claim are necessary moves to stem illegal immigration.

By Fr. Joachim Heimerl, LifeSite News – This coming Holy Thursday, we commemorate the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood. However, since the motu proprio Traditiones custodes (2021), a “civil war” has flared up in the Church over the celebration of Holy Mass. Since then, the supporters of the “old” Mass have had their backs to the wall. The pope treats them like lepers and does not even shy away from publicly insulting them. We have become accustomed to this behavior by now; nevertheless, it is scandalous and – pardon me – unworthy of a pope.

By Michael Haynes, LifeSite News – Former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Cardinal Gerhard Müller has stated that leaders of Germany’s Synodal Way and Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality are “not interested in the mission of the Church,” but are promoting an “agenda” to change the Church… The German Synodal Way, begun in 2019, has been a source of controversy ever since its inception, with German prelates and laity pushing for heterodox issues in the process – such as same-sex blessings, female deacons, transsexuals admitted to the priesthood, and lay governance of the Church. …

Franciscan Media – Together with Rose of Lima, Turibius is the first known saint of the New World, serving the Lord in Peru, South America, for 26 years… Born in Spain and educated for the law, he became so brilliant a scholar that he was made professor of law at the University of Salamanca and eventually became chief judge of the Inquisition at Granada. ..

By Brittany M. Hughes, MRC TV – A group of Texas National Guardsmen were overrun – quite literally – by a swarm of illegal aliens at the border Thursday, as evidenced by a video and testimony posted to social media by New York Post border reporter Jennie Taer… “This is the moment when TX National Guard became overrun by migrants rioting to get across the border here in El Paso today,” Taer posted on X. “We were there and saw it all happen. Absolute chaos here.”

By Paul Bradford, American Greatness – Big Pharma is not your friend. Whether it’s hiking up drug prices or bribing the Swamp, the pharmaceutical industry works against the people’s interests. Many Americans are aware of Big Pharma’s greed and the power it wields over Washington, D.C., but fewer are aware of just how left-wing the industry is. It serves as a cash cow for the left and pushes woke ideas on its employees and the country at large. This may explain why Democrats, who act like they hate Big Pharma, serve the industry’s interests. …

By Msgr. Charles Pope – For Holy Week an possible practice is to pray a rosary combined with the Seven Penitential Psalms. One could do this on a chosen day, such as Good Friday or on another day, even several days. I have set this forth in the rosary that follows. I also offer a PDF of this rosary that you can print here:  Rosary of the 7 Penitential Psalms… Praying this rosary is straight-forward. The usual preliminary prayers of the rosary are prayed. Then, the Sorrowful Mysteries are prayed and one reads a verse from the psalms assigned to each bead.

By Jerome German, Crisis Magazine – The very courageous sixty-one-year-old Catholic Bishop Shao of Wenzhou, China, was recently arrested again. His crime? Specific charges are not often forthcoming in China, but the arrest doubtlessly stems from his refusal to join the Patriotic Association, a darkly comedic euphemism for the portion of the Catholic Church in China that is controlled by the Communist Party. Bishop Shao was told by the arresting authorities to bring clothes for every season, an indication that, this time, he’s in for the long haul. …

By Fr. Paweł Rytel-Andrianik and Tomasz Zielenkiewicz, Vatican News – Bishop Earl Fernandes from the Diocese of Columbus, in the US state of Ohio, describes how renewed pastoral efforts and prayer have led 16 new men to enter the diocesan seminary last year, with 12 more expected this year… “When I was installed as bishop almost two years, there were no ordinations to the priesthood in our diocese. At the end of my episcopal ordination, I said to the congregation that more men will be ordained bishops than priests this year.” …

By John-Henry Westen, LifeSiteNews – Church history is replete with people who claim to have received visions from heaven. While no apparition indeed can trump the approved dogmatic teaching of the Church, prudence dictates we consider what approved apparitions tell us of warnings about future events and how to avoid them if possible… My guest today, Ted Flynn, is the author of a new book on the alleged apparitions of Garabandal, Garabandal: The Warning and the Great Miracle: The Divine Reset That Will Correct the Conscience of the World.

By Jim Graves, Catholic World Report – As Catholics prepare for Holy Week and the celebration of Easter, Mrs. Creech offered CWR readers an overview of the Shroud of Turin and its history, and how it can offer to us a better understanding and appreciation of the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ… The Shroud of Turin is a linen cloth that is over 14 feet long and 3 feet wide. It has been conserved in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy since 1578, so that is why it is called “The Shroud of Turin”. …

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture – Could we take another look at the stunning results of the Irish referenda held earlier this month? The resignation of Taoiseach (prime minister) Leo Vardkar, who acknowledged that he had badly misjudged the public mood, underlines the significance of the votes… In describing the results last week I wrote: The great lesson to be learned from the Irish referenda—a lesson that ruling elites ignore at their peril—is that in a democracy, the government does not tell the people what to think.

By Tommaso Scandroglio, New Daily Compass – The ban on euthanasia causes worse harm than good; green light to homologous fertilisation: these are the resounding statements contained in the book La gioia della vita (The Joy of Life), a joint reflection of the theologians of the Pontifical Academy for Life (Pav). And even the Bible can be corrected. It’s an unapologetic declaration of heresy… La gioia della vita (The Joy of Life) is a text, published last month, and “the fruit of the common reflection of a qualified group of theologians who met on the initiative of the Pontifical Academy for Life” ….

By Betsy McCaughey, The Stream – Mayor Eric Adams’ agreement, announced Friday, to limit the time migrants can stay in shelters at taxpayers’ expense, is smoke and mirrors. It’s designed to fool you into thinking he’s solving a problem when he’s actually caving to the migrant industrial complex… Adams claims the agreement, with the Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless, will allow the city to evict adult migrants from city-run shelters after 30 days, saving taxpayers money and limiting the need for more shelters. Not true.

By Jordan Boyd, The Federalist – Democrats lied to sugarcoat their radical belief that adults have a ‘right’ to create and kill children at whatever whim or cost… In a hearing titled “The Continued Assault on Reproductive Freedoms in a Post-Dobbs America,” Democrats, led by Chairman Dick Durbin, argued that pro-life wins like life-saving limits on abortion and recognizing vulnerable unborn children as humans are dangerous and radical.

By Patrick Reilly, EWTN News – In the midst of a crisis, it’s natural to look for signs of hope — moments when the news isn’t so bad as it was before. But it’s perilous to ignore larger trends… The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) has released its annual report on Catholic school enrollment, finding no substantial change from last year’s 1.7 million students. Although the report makes no attempt to count Catholic home-schoolers and probably misses the growing number of independent schools providing faithful education …

By Jude Atemanke, CNA – Fiducia Supplicans, the declaration by the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith (DDF) permitting the blessing of same-sex couples and couples in other “irregular situations,” was perceived as “cultural colonization” in Africa, the president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) said… In a March 17 interview with the French-language Catholic television channel KTO, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo deplored the lack of “synodality” in the release of the DDF document that has evoked mixed reactions and deep division among Catholic bishops across the world since its publication on Dec. 18, 2023.

By Christopher R. Altieri, Catholic World Report – It is getting more and more difficult to imagine how the Vatican types from Pope Francis on down could possibly mean it when they say they do care about victims or about justice for them in the Church… Vatican Media illustrated its Feast of St. Joseph liturgical calendar post with a Rupnik studio image.

By Christopher Manion, The Wanderer – (on) Tuesday, March 19, on the Feast of St. Joseph, Catholics for Catholics (CforC) (held) a “prayer rally” in Mar a Lago, Fla. Yes, that’s Donald Trump’s home, and those gathered will be praying for Donald Trump and for the country… In the spirit of Fr. Patrick Peyton, CforC founder John Yep of Phoenix has led prayer rallies in various U.S. cities since he founded the organization less than two years ago.

By John Zmirak, The Stream – The Stream has reported frequently on how religious charities, especially those controlled by Catholic bishops, profit from each illegal immigrant they help coyotes and human traffickers smuggle into our country. They do this while moralistically preening about how they “welcome the stranger.” Maybe such Christian leaders ought to read this heartbreaking essay from The Federalist about how little brown kids are used as cheap, disposable pawns in the immigration game, objectified as “golden tickets” into the States. …