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February 3, 2017 -- LifeSiteNews
The main reason for the hate against Donald Trump
Forget most of the complaints and accusations against Donald Trump you are hearing these days. There is a growing, ugly and violent war being waged against the Trump administration and conservatives in general. Most of that war is being orchestrated and funded by massively-financed elites of one general movement - the several decades old movement for an aggressively secular, borderless, de-populationist New World Order and world government.
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February 2, 2017 -- LifeSiteNews
Confraternities of Catholic Clergy Issue Joint Statement on Amoris Laetitia
Joining their voices to an ever-growing group of concerned Catholics, an international coalition of organizations of clergy has issued a joint statement on the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia. “As members of the International Confraternities of Catholic Clergy,” the authors write, “we believe there would be great value in an authoritative interpretation of the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia in line with the constant teaching and practice of the Church.”
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January 29, 2017 -- christianpost.com
Iraqi Bishop - Where Were The Protesters When Christians Were Being Slaughtered?
"They were not protesting when the tens of thousands of displaced Christians my archdiocese has cared for since 2014 received no financial assistance from the U.S. government or the U.N.," he said. "There were no protests when Syrian Christians were only let in at a rate that was 20 times less than the percentage of their population in Syria."
The archbishop also suggested that the inconvenience posed by a three-month moratorium on visas is nothing compared to the suffering of minorities in Iraq and Syria during the past several years, and yet no one seemed to think that was worthy of a protest.
"Most Americans have no concept of what it was like to live as a Yazidi or Christian or other minority as ISIS invaded," he said. "Our people had the option to flee, to convert, or to be killed, and many were killed in the most brutal ways imaginable." continued...

January 29, 2017 -- christianpost.com
ISIS Calls for Terror Attacks on Robert Jeffress' First Baptist Church
In its propaganda magazine, the Islamic State terror group carries a picture of Pastor Robert Jeffress' First Baptist Church and incites its followers to carry out an arson attack on the megachurch in Dallas, Texas
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January 19, 2017 -- Constitution
U.S. on list of Christian-persecuting nations
For the first time ever, the United States has been added to an annual list of the world’s persecutors of Christians and countries that are regressing in religious freedom.
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February 4, 2017 -- Constitution
Islamic Infiltration of the Christian Church
Church of England Bishop Harries suggested that Prince Charles’s coronation service should be opened with a Koran reading. In the US, more than 50 churches, including the Washington National Cathedral, hold Koran readings. Is there any reading of the Christian liturgy in mosques?
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January 4, 2017 -- washingtontimes.com
‘I agree with them!’: Austria’s Bishop Laun defends four Cardinals
Austrian Bishop Andreas Laun said in a new interview that he agrees with the concerns of the cardinals who signed the dubia asking the pope for moral clarity on Amoris Laetitia, putting him "in the best company."
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December 12, 2016 -- washingtontimes.com
Pope Francis and climate politics
How the pontiff argues that opposing the Paris treaty stems from profit seeking
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November 30, 2016 -- LifeSiteNews
Cardinal Burke responds to Pope Francis: The Latin Mass ‘is no exception’
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November 21, 2016 -- LifeSiteNews
No Christian persecution in the US? Try telling that to these Christians.
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November 21, 2016 -- christianheadlines.com
Study: Churches with Conservative Theology Have Better Growth Rates
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November 10, 2016 -- christianheadlines.com
White Evangelicals, Catholics and Mormons Carried Trump
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November 10, 2016 -- LifeSiteNews
Tony Perkins: Trump victory is rejection of Supreme Court’s ‘oligarchy for the last four decades’
Donald Trump's victory shows "a repudiation of not just Barack Obama's eight years of big, statist government, anti-faith, anti-family policies, but really a rejection of a court that has acted as an oligarchy for the last four decades," Family Research Council Action President Tony Perkins said at a press conference Wednesday.
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November 9, 2016 -- National Catholic Register
Cardinal Burke: Trump’s Victory a Wake-Up Call to US Political Leaders
Cardinal Raymond Burke has said Donald Trump’s election Tuesday is a sign that the United States’ political leaders need to listen more to the people and return to safeguarding life, marriage, the family and religious liberty. continued...

November 4, 2016 -- LifeSiteNews
Voting for pro-aborts is ‘incomprehensible:’ fearless bishops and priests speak out
Catholics voters frequently find themselves wishing more clergy, especially bishops, would speak out on the crucial nature of voting for life on Election Day instead of often enduring a prevailing silence on obvious pro-abortion candidates and party platforms. continued...

October 13, 2016 -- LifeSiteNews
Archbishop Chaput rebukes Clinton campaign over 'contemptuously anti-Catholic' e-mails
Fallout from anti-Catholic bias exhibited by high-level Clinton campaign staffers continued Thursday with a leading Catholic prelate weighing in to call out the bigotry exposed in the emails, the "social justice" groups stirring Church dissent for political gain, and the "cultural damage" wrought by Barack Obama's presidency. continued...

October 12, 2016 -- LifeSiteNews
Clinton campaign chair worked to create liberal Catholic revolt against bishops: leaked e-mails
A new batch of leaked e-mails from within the Clinton campaign surfaced Wednesday, showing her campaign chair John Podesta admitting to helping launch a "progressive" group to infiltrate the Church, and taking an active role in provoking a liberal Catholic revolt against the U.S. Bishops. continued...

October 12, 2016 -- Catholic League
Podesta Must Now Be Fired
Yesterday, I stopped short of asking Hillary Clinton to fire John Podesta, her campaign chairman. In light of the latest Wikileaks revelations, she has no choice but to cut all ties with this man. The man is hell bent on creating mutiny in the Catholic Church and must therefore be fired. continued...

October 11, 2016 -- Catholic League
Clinton Must Sanction Her Bigoted Chiefs
Bill Donohue comments on remarks released by WikiLeaks that reveal anti-Catholicism on the part of the Clinton campaign: Three persons tied to the Clinton campaign—two of them integrally—have been caught making bigoted comments about Catholics and Catholicism. continued...

September 15, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
Cardinal Dolan blasts ‘Catholics for Choice’ ad campaign as ‘deceptive’
Catholics for Choice “rejects and distorts Catholic social teaching — and actually attacks its foundation,” Dolan said. Its “extreme ads promote abortion as if it were a social good. But abortion kills the most defenseless among us, harms women, and tears at the heart of families. continued...

September 12, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
WATCH: Fr. Pavone on what Catholic voting says about the state of the Church in America
The fact that so many Catholics support candidates and parties that are in conflict with the Church’s moral teachings indicates “our politics have become corrupt” and “we don’t have enough solid catechesis right now to counteract this phenomenon,” continued...

September 8, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
Is the $91 million Obama refugee grant to the USCCB tied to bishops’ silence on Hillary?
After leaked documents show billionaire George Soros has been trying to purchase influence with Catholic Church leadership in the United States and Rome continued...

August 30, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
How billionaire George Soros is trying to hijack the Catholic Church for his progressive agenda
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August 30, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
Not sure how to vote in the U.S. election? Here’s Cardinal Burke’s advice
"the faithful must vote for the candidate who will do the most to “advance” the protection of human life, defense of the family, respect for freedom, and care for the poor." continued...

August 30, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
Not sure how to vote in the U.S. election? Here’s Cardinal Burke’s advice
"the faithful must vote for the candidate who will do the most to “advance” the protection of human life, defense of the family, respect for freedom, and care for the poor." continued...

August 28, 2016 -- Tablet
Dear Social Justice Warriors: Your Religion Is Progressivism, Not Judaism.
As a Jew, I practice Judaism. Is that a dim-witted statement? I apologize; it’s just that so many of our brothers and sisters these days make a point of telling me that, as a Jew, I ought to do this or that or the other thing. continued...
Catholic Social Justice Warriors: Your Religion Is Progressivism, Not Cathilicism

August 14, 2016 -- cardinalnewmansociety.org
‘Human Rights’ Include Religious Freedom
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August 14, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
SSPX could be reconciled with Rome without accepting all of Vatican II
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August 14, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
SSPX could be reconciled with Rome without accepting all of Vatican II
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August 14, 2016 -- ncregister.com
The Vatican Library Is Online, New Website and TV Commercials for Millennial Catholics and More!
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August 14, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
Turkish Minister Responds to Pope Francis' Use of Term 'Genocide'
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August 8, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
Little Sisters of the Poor win major award for fight against Obama HHS mandate
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August 3, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
Supreme Knight: If you’re Catholic, you must not vote for pro-aborts
Carl Anderson, leader of the Knights of Columbus, told an international gathering of the Catholic men’s organization on Tuesday that abortion is the most significant moral issue in the U.S. presidential race and that Catholics cannot vote for a pro-abortion candidate. continued...

July 29, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
Catholics pray for their enemies, but sometimes we also have a duty to fight them
The first martyr in European territory at the hands of Islam, Father Jacques Hamel, was murdered while celebrating Holy Mass on July 26th in the parish church of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Normandy. Two Muslims praising Islam, burst into the church, and after taking some of the faithful hostage, cut the priest’s throat, at the same time critically wounding another faithful present. There are no doubts about the identity of the aggressors and the anti-Christian hatred that motivated them. Through the press agency Amaq, the Islamic State called the assailants “our soldiers”. continued...

July 20, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
Cardinal Burke: The Church ‘really should be afraid’ of Islam
Burke said the appropriate response to this growing threat “is to be firm about the Christian origin of our own nation, and certainly in Europe, and the Christian foundations of the government, and to fortify those.”
He also blasted Catholic leaders who think Islam is “a religion like the Catholic faith or the Jewish faith.”
“That simply is not objectively the case,” he said. continued...

July 2, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
Archbishop Chaput: ‘Remarried’ Catholics must be abstinent to receive Communion
Divorced and civilly remarried Catholics may not receive Holy Communion unless they “refrain from sexual intimacy,” Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput announced in new diocesan guidelines for the implementation of Pope Francis’s exhortation Amoris Laetitia. continued...

July 2, 2016 -- constitution.com
U.N. Says Teaching Christianity in School is a Human Rights Violation
In a recent paper put out by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the CRC said that demanding that children engage in daily acts of Christian worship at school may go against their, “freedom of thought, conscience and religion.”
"Britain must stop forcing children to attend Christian school assemblies because it undermines their human rights, a United Nations committee has said in a controversial new report." continued...

June 9, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com/news
Pope Francis: ‘Rigid… this or nothing’ Catholics are ‘heretical’ and ‘not Catholic’
The stunning introduction to today’s official Vatican Radio report on Pope Francis’ morning homily reads: “Pope Francis warned on Thursday against an excessive rigidity, saying those within the Church who tell us ‘it’s this or nothing’ are heretics and not Catholics. His remarks came during the morning Mass on Thursday celebrated at the Santa Marta residence.”
The specific section of the homily referred to in the opening is as follows: continued...

May 13, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com/news
Obama admin. forces transgender bathrooms, locker rooms, on schools as condition of funding
On May 13, 2016, the Obama administration sent a letter to all public schools saying that they must allow members of one biological sex who identify as transgender to use the same showers, locker rooms, and restrooms – and “housing accommodations” – as member of the opposite sex, or risk losing federal funding. continued...

May 5, 2016 -- dailycaller.com
Group Applauds Trump For Hiring Adviser With ‘Deep Pro-Life Roots’
Pro-life organization Susan B. Anthony List praised Donald Trump for hiring John Mashburn as a campaign policy adviser, calling Mashburn an “excellent hire, especially for the pro-life movement and our legislative priorities.”
“I have known and respected John Mashburn for many years,” SBA president Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement. “He is a smart strategist with deep pro-life roots. John is well-respected across every issue set. For him, the life issue is foundational and one which helped draw him into politics.” continued...

April 14, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
Vatican-approved magazine: Exhortation opens door to Holy Communion for remarried divorcees
April 13, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – As Catholics around the world debate the implications of Pope Francis’ controversial apostolic exhortation on the family, Amoris Laetitia, two of his close collaborators are suggesting that he has indeed opened the door to the possibility of granting Communion to remarried divorcees – a practice condemned by previous popes as a violation of Scripture and Church teaching.
Both Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, who the pope chose to present the exhortation last week, and Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro, a close advisor of the pope who reportedly helped draft the exhortation, have made that claim in recent days. continued...

April *, 2016 -- lepantoinstitute.org
Girl Scouts Committee Disbanded Over Relationship with Oxfam. What about CRS?
In a letter dated February 18, 2016 and addressed to priests, scout leaders and the lay faithful of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Archbishop Carlson disbanded the Catholic Committee on Girl Scouts. The Girl Scouts had been under increasing scrutiny by Catholics over the years because of its intimate relationships with abortion and contraception providing organizations, such as Planned Parenthood. continued...

March 15, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
Pope Emeritus Benedict breaks silence: speaks of ‘deep crisis’ facing Church post-Vatican II
On March 16, speaking publicly on a rare occasion, Pope Benedict XVI gave an interview to Avvenire, the daily newspaper of the Italian Bishops' Conference, in which he spoke of a “two-sided deep crisis” the Church is facing in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. The report has already hit Germany courtesy of Vaticanist Guiseppe Nardi, of the German Catholic news website Katholisches.info. continued...

March 14, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
Vatican’s doctrine chief: Pope is not a ‘professional theologian’
In a recent interview, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), acknowledged that he must sometimes correct Pope Francis on matters of dogma, noting that the pope is not a “professional theologian.”
In a March 1 interview with the German newspaper Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Cardinal Müller was asked about his relationship with the pope and whether he is his strongest opponent. continued...

February 17, 2016 -- en.radiovaticana.va/news
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church confirms communion with Rome: "what no totalitarian regime could break"
On Saturday Pope Francis met with leaders of the Permanent Synod of the Greek-Catholic Ukrainian Church. His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevhchuk affirmed communion with the Catholic Church despite a century of persecution inflicted by totalitarian regimes. Suffering in Ukraine included wars, genocides, a state-planned famine, and ethnic cleansing, all claiming some 15 million lives. Suffering continues in Ukraine for which the Permanent Synod seeks the Holy Father's support. The statement of the Permanent Synod is reproduced below in full: continued...

February 17, 2016 -- en.radiovaticana.va/news
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church confirms communion with Rome: "what no totalitarian regime could break"
On Saturday Pope Francis met with leaders of the Permanent Synod of the Greek-Catholic Ukrainian Church. His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevhchuk affirmed communion with the Catholic Church despite a century of persecution inflicted by totalitarian regimes. Suffering in Ukraine included wars, genocides, a state-planned famine, and ethnic cleansing, all claiming some 15 million lives. Suffering continues in Ukraine for which the Permanent Synod seeks the Holy Father's support. The statement of the Permanent Synod is reproduced below in full: continued...

February 17, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
In historic meeting Pope, Russian Patriarch decry abortion, defend traditional marriage
A joint declaration signed by both Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill, head of the Orthodox Church of Moscow and All Russia, issued today after their historic meeting in the Havana Cuba airport issues a strong call for the defense of life and family.
The declaration commenced with a wish to reestablish Christian unity, stating a “determination to undertake all that is necessary to overcome the historical divergences we have inherited.” continued...

January 20, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
Pope Francis raises the stakes for Catholics unwilling to accept ‘change’
Pope Francis has significantly raised the stakes for those apprehensive about the possibility that he has new innovations in store for the Church. A Vatican Radio summary of his homily on January 18 reads: “Christians who say ‘it’s always been done that way,’ and stop there have hearts closed to the surprises of the Holy Spirit. They are idolaters and rebels who will never arrive at the fullness of the truth.” continued...

January 15, 2016 -- lifesitenews.com
New book-length interview shows Pope is awesomely merciful and sorely misled
In a rather fascinating book-length interview with Pope Francis, Vatican expert reporter Andrea Tornielli has Pope Francis defining his often-obscure terminology so that a greater understanding of the Argentine pontiff is now possible. What does Pope Francis mean by “scholars of the law,” who he condemns so often in his morning homilies at Casa Santa Marta? What does he mean by “corruption,” which he speaks of as worse than sin? What is his take on homosexual people given his “who am I to judge” remark? Can there be mercy without acknowledgment of one’s sins? continued...

January 12, 2016 -- courageouspriest.com
‘Help Bishop Conley, Boys Playing Girls Sports. Bathrooms Next?
School Representatives Voting to Allow Boys in Girls Sports
For the past several months, the Nebraska Catholic Conference has worked tirelessly to promote the idea that our God-given gender matters. That the sexes are different, and that ignoring the sex into which we are born—the “gender identity” God gives us—has real consequences. Parents across the state of Nebraska have contacted their school districts to encourage them to make the right choice. Our governor, lieutenant governor, state treasurer, and secretary of state have unequivocally stated that gender matters. And many people have taken this issue to prayer. continued...

January 10, 2016 -- patheos.com
Do Catholics Worship the Same God as the Americans & Judge Scalia?
The Constitution’s First Amendment protects the free practice of religion and forbids the government from playing favorites among the various sects, Scalia said, but that doesn’t mean the government can’t favor religion over nonreligion.
That was never the case historically, he said. It didn’t become the law of the land until the 60s, Scalia said, continued...

December 25, 2015 -- news.va/en
‘Fides for a fairer morld
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - Christmas brings the desired coming of God, the One who can establish a kingdom of universal peace based on justice. The situation in the world does not seem to go in this direction.
Agenzia Fides is obliged to record daily wars, violence, denial of human rights, freedom of religion and expression, discrimination and persecution of minorities. It is our duty to expose this reality, obscured by the great information, and take note of the many men and women and non-Christians, who live, work and struggle at the frontiers of humanity, even at the cost of their lives, in order to build a better world. To all those who share information and concern for humanity, the entire editorial staff of the Agency wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year. (Agenzia Fides 23/12/2015)

December 15, 2015 -- news.va/en
‘Pope approves decrees for 17 on path to sainthood
In a December 14 audience with the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Pope Francis approved the publication of decrees that advance the sainthood causes of 17 servants of God continued...

December 11, 2015 -- lifesitenews.com
‘Sacrilege’: Catholic leaders react to Vatican’s ‘climate change’ light show
Howling, grunting, and roaring animals, along with images of overcrowded city centers, depictions of pollution, and negative portrayals of industrialization, appeared on the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica this evening during a much hyped “climate change” light show.
The show was the finale of the opening celebration for the Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis. The event was watched by tens of thousands in St. Peter’s Square along with estimated millions worldwide through online streaming. continued...

December 10, 2015 -- lifesitenews.com
Can the Pope change doctrine? It’s time for some clarity on papal infallibility
Papal infallibility, then, is not some magical power by which a pope can transform any old thing he wishes into a truth that all are bound to accept. It is an extension of the infallibility of the preexisting body of doctrine that it is his job to safeguard, and thus must always be exercised in continuity with that body of doctrine. Naturally, then, the pope would not be speaking infallibly if he taught something that either had no basis in Scripture, Tradition, or previous magisterial teaching, or contradicted those sources of doctrine. If it had no such basis, it could be mistaken, and if it contradicted those sources of doctrine, it would be mistaken. continued...

November 24, 2015 -- churchmilitant.com
Archbishop Chaput is pining for principles at Synod
Philadelphia's archbishop Charles Chaput, often swayed by politics at home, is sounding like a principled Catholic shepherd at the Synod in Rome.
Concerned Catholics, including the Lepanto Institute and Churchmilitant.com, took Chaput to task for the scandal he caused by allowing the leadership team of the World Meeting of Families to include individuals who are pro-abortion and pro-same sex "marriage." continued...

November 20, 2015 -- mospat.ru/en
War has been declared on Russia. It has been declared by a criminal terror grouping which names itself ‘Islamic State’
“Multiculturalism, so popular in Europe, presupposing not only the equality of all religions but also their absence from the public space, has fully exhausted and discredited itself today,” he added. “Ideologically Europe has nothing to set against terrorists. It is only a Europe, strong and not ashamed of her roots and her own religious identity, that will be able to oppose fanatics who are so sure of their rightness that they do not spare their own lives to destroy the lives of others.” continued...

November 9, 2015 -- lifesitenews.com
My parents lived as ‘brother and sister’ for 25 years so they could receive Communion: priest
While a movement of outspoken cardinals and bishops have suggested that it is not only “unrealistic” for couples in irregular situations to abstain from sex, but requires a “heroism [that] is not for the average Christian,” living as brother and sister is exactly what Peter and Anne Stravinskas decided to do so that they could align their lives by God’s standards and be able to receive Jesus in Holy Communion. continued...

October 24, 2015 -- christianheadlines.com
UN Body Helping Palestinians Lay Claim to Religious Sites and Rewrite Biblical History
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared that the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem are Palestinian sites.
The declaration comes in the wake of escalated violence between Israelis and Palestinians, with deaths on both sides. Last week Palestinians set fire to the tomb of the Biblical patriarch Joseph. continued...

October 17, 2015 -- lifesitenews.com
Archbishop Cupich lays out pathway for gay couples to receive Communion at Vatican press scrum
Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago — who is participating in the Synod of the Family at Pope Francis’ personal invitation — said at a press scrum in the Vatican press office this afternoon that the conscience is "inviolable" and that he believes divorced and remarried couples could be permitted to receive the sacraments, if they have "come to a decision" to do so "in good conscience" - theological reasoning that he indicated in response to a follow-up question would also apply to gay couples. continued...

October 11, 2015 -- catholicism.org
Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe’s Prayer of Marian Consecration
O Immaculata, Queen of Heaven and earth, refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to thee. I, N___, a repentant sinner, cast myself at thy feet humbly imploring thee to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to thyself as thy possession and property. Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and body, of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most pleases thee. continued...

October 7, 2015 -- catholicism.org
A Prayer to the Virgin against the Spirits of Darkness
Queen of Heaven, Sovereign Mistress of the Angels, thou, who from the beginning hast received from God the power of the mission to crush the head of Satan, we humbly implore thee, to send thy holy legions so that under thy command and by thy power, they may drive the devils away, everywhere, fight them, subduing their boldness and thrust them down into the abyss. continued...

October 7, 2015 -- lifesitenews.com
Pope opens the Synod sounding both traditional and progressive
If you are confused with where the Pope stands on the outcome of the Synod on the Family, you’re in good company. The confusion extends beyond the secular world, to the media, to the faithful and even into the hierarchy.
The Pope’s opening homily of the Synod on Sunday is a good example of this state of confusion. For some it sounded completely traditional, while for others it hinted at an agenda to alter Church practice. continued...

October 5, 2015 -- Catholic Herald
Letters from the Synod: special edition, October 4, 2015
As Robert Royal wrote in the October 1 issue of Letters from the Synod, questions of dubious process plagued Synod-2014. In the run-up to Synod-2015, serious concerns were expressed that similar manipulations would plague the Synod that commences its work tomorrow. continued...

September 28, 2015 -- uCatholic
Cardinal Burke Brought Back Into Roman Curia By Pope Francis
The Vatican announced today that Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, metropolitan archbishop of Bologna, and Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, as members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. continued...

April 13, 2015 -- Pope Francis -- Misericordiae Vultus
BULL OF INDICTION OF THE EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY
FRANCIS, BISHOP OF ROME, SERVANT OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD
TO ALL WHO READ THIS LETTER GRACE, MERCY, AND PEACE continued...

February 27, 2015 -- National Catholic Register
Oil company hit man has Archbishop Cordileone in his sights
Sam Singer's public relations firm spun a Chevron oil refinery disaster in California and fought back a legal ruling in Ecuador that could have awarded billions of dollars to indigenous people for the company's alleged pollution damage to the Amazon.
Now he's been hired to attack San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone. He even wants Pope Francis to do his work. continued...

February 22, 2015 -- National Catholic Register
Archbishop to Politicians: Would You Hire a Campaign Manager Who Works Against What You Stand for?
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone defends Catholic schools' teacher handbook against California politicians' criticism. continued...

February 11, 2015 -- Bishop Athanasius Schneider
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Battling the New Gnosticism
It is a sad truth that we are in a time of great crisis in the Church. God is with us, however. You have asked me what the faithful can do to combat the errors spreading through the Church. I would like to answer with some suggestions: continued...

January 24, 2015 -- Vatican
Christians called to pray for peace in Syria on January 25th #PrayForThem
Nonetheless tragic stories happen every day. In four years, Syria's civil war has left more than 300,000 people dead and at least 50,000 missing. 2014 was the deadliest year. More than 76,000 died in the conflict.
Nine million refugees have been forced to flee their homes. Now they live in camps based in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. The United Nations has described it as one of the worst humanitarian crisis in the last two decades. continued...

January 18, 2015 -- Vatican
Pope Francis warns that same-sex marriage 'threatens the family' and 'disfigures God's plan for creation'
The pontiff also praised the role of women in society, despite banning them from holding positions of power in his own institution continued...

January 15, 2015 -- Huff Post
Radical Islam Is A Growing Threat To Sub-Saharan Christians: Report
PARIS, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Radical Islamists were the main persecutors of Christians around the world last year, not only in the Middle East but increasingly in sub-Saharan Africa, according to an annual survey monitoring religious freedom. continued...

December 30, 2014 -- Father Bader
In Jordan, Church struggles to accommodate refugees, shield youth from lure of extremism
For years now, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has been a haven for refugees from Iraq. However, a critical limit is in view as the country is also forced to accommodate a huge, and growing, influx of refugees fleeing ongoing war and violence in Syria. Along with Lebanon, the country is threatened by chaos as hundreds of thousands of both Christians and Muslims from both Syria and Iraq threaten to swamp Jordan’s capacity to cope with the newcomers. continued...

December 23, 2014 -- By: Oliver Maksan
Against all odds, Christmas cheer for the homeless children of Iraq
ERBIL, Kurdistan -- The nuns and their helpers work tirelessly, opening cardboard boxes that are stacked, head high, all around them. They take out items of clothing, the plastic packaging rustling loudly. Piles of clothing lie around them on the floor. Together with the other Sisters and volunteers, Sister Angela, of the Chaldean order of the Daughters of Mary, is readying parcels for Christian children who will celebrate Christmas exiled from their homes. Preparations have been ongoing for weeks for this initiative, which is aimed at children ages 2-12; it has been made possible by donors to Aid to the Church in Need. continued...

December 23, 2014 -- Archbishop Porteous
Bishops witness steadfast faith of Middle East Christians
Australian bishops say they have seen 'Christ reborn again' among refugees in Lebanon and Iraq
Christ is being "reborn again in the lowly stable" this Christmas because of the remarkable faith of Iraqi Christians who were driven out of their homes, a group of Australian bishops have said after visiting refugees in Lebanon and the displaced in Erbil, Iraq.
The December 15-19 mission of the seven bishops was aimed at offering spiritual support, humanitarian aid and hope to Christians exiled from their homes in Mosul and the Nineveh Plain after they refused to convert to Islam. continued...

December 18, 2014 -- by Simon Caldwell
Christian refugees in Iraq face up to a bleak Christmas
In an Iraqi Christian refugee camp old men savour memories of Christmas dinners and young mothers anxiously nurse their newborns
David Thamir was having a great time as he played go-karts with other boys. He shrieked, ran and jumped with his companions as they charged around in the vehicles they had made for themselves. It was the sort of joyful and innocent fun which comes naturally to children.
But in this instance, it was also a fleeting moment of respite from the agony of existence. Maybe those watching the children at play gave thanks to God that these little ones had not fully grasped the enormity of the tragedy that had encompassed their lives.
....120,000 Christians have fled ISIS militants continued...

December 8, 2014 -- by Ed West
Prince Charles: ISIS are sending the world back to the Dark Ages
Prince tells Iraqi Christians they are 'literally following in the footsteps of the Holy Family'
The Prince of Wales has told Iraqi Christians that they “are quite literally following in the footsteps of the Holy Family” at a Mass organised by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
At the Mass in the Holy Family Church in Acton, west London, in which the Lord’s Prayer was said in Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ, the prince spoke about his closeness to the persecuted Christians saying: “As Christmas approaches my heart goes out to all Christians who are being persecuted on account of their faith. continued...

November 18, 2014 -- Catholic News Service
Vatican lifts ban on married priests for Eastern Catholics in diaspora
The Vatican has lifted its ban on the ordination of married men to the priesthood in Eastern Catholic churches outside their traditional territories, including in the United States, Canada and Australia.
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November 14, 2014 --
Archbishop Kaigama: ‘We need more leaders like Prince Charles’
Archbishop was stunned by the Prince’s support for Christians in the line of fire
It was at the extraordinary synod on the family that Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama burst into the international arena, for a moment creating a stunned silence amid the booming din of speculation about whether the Church might change course over homosexuality or Holy Communion for the divorced and remarried.
Well, he hadn’t quite stuck to the script: the permissiveness prized by the West was not what Africa needed, he said. Countries such as his native Nigeria needed development aid, not so-called “reproductive rights”, gender ideology and contraceptives, and it was abhorrent to him that overseas aid was now being made conditional on the acceptance of them. Western governments and organisations were bullying such countries, he said during his intervention, because of “their belief that their views should be our views”. “We have been offered the wrong things, and we are expected to accept [them] simply because they think we are poor,” he added. continued...

November 5, 2014 -- By David Gibson
One Third Of New York Catholic Churches Will Merge Or Close As Fewer Attend Mass
The Archdiocese of New York, with the second-largest Catholic population in the country and an unparalleled place in U.S. church history, is shrinking: Cardinal Timothy Dolan on Sunday (Nov. 2) announced that nearly a third of the archdiocese’s 368 parishes would be merging, and some would close.
.....The archdiocese said it is spending $40 million a year to prop up failing or redundant parishes.
continued...

October 23, 2014 -- Archbishop Coakley
'Don’t abandon us' -- Church in Mosul 'no longer exists'
Reflecting on his recent trip to the Holy Land and to Iraqi Kurdistan, Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City said that for all practical purposes, the bishops of Mosul no longer have Churches to shepherd.
"When we were in Erbil, we met with the Archbishop of Mosul, who along with his priests and all of the faithful of the archdiocese, have been driven out," Archbishop Coakley told CNA in an Oct. 16 interview.
"He is, in effect, the archbishop of a Church that no longer exists." continued...

October 22, 2014 -- Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Strangers in a strange land
In 2014, barely 6 percent of Quebeckers attend Sunday services. Only 9 percent of high-school age young people identify as Catholic. About 38 abortions occur for every 100 live births. Nearly half of newborn children go unbaptized. And many of those who are baptized will grow up without seeing the inside of a church. In just 50 years since Quebec’s “Quiet Revolution” of the 1960s, an entire Catholic culture has collapsed. continued...

October 8, 2014 -- CNA
Iraq has done 'absolutely nothing' for displaced Christians
The reality is that Christians have received no support from the central government. They have done nothing for them, absolutely nothing," Archbishop Bashar Warda of the Chaldean Archeparchy of Erbil told Christian charity Aid to the Church in Need Oct. 5.
The central government is to blame. It has not fulfilled its commitment to the people. The government in Baghdad received a lot of help from the international community for the displaced people from Mosul and Nineveh – but there has been no sign of it here.” continued...

September 16, 2014 -- Agence France Presse
Iraqi bishop laments ‘too late’ response to ISIS threat
A Roman Catholic bishop based in Iraq on Tuesday said international mobilization against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militants had come "too late."
Operations against ISIS in Iraq "came very late, too late," said Baghdad Auxiliary Bishop Schlemon Warduni.
Saying that the ISIS group was not a major threat only a few months ago, he told AFP: "It would have been very easy, but the international community was in a very deep slumber." continued...

September 4, 2014 -- CNA
Analyst: Vatican regards Islamic State as waging a 'war of religion'
In a Sept. 4 post on his Settimo Cielo blog at l'Espresso, Magister made note of an editorial which appeared in the most recent issue of La Civiltà Cattolica, the Jesuits' Italian-language cultural review.
Obviously, to promote peace it is necessary to know what the war truly is, and not what one would like it to be. It is crucial to study and to comprehend why and how the Islamic State fights. Theirs is a war of religion and of annihilation,” reads the editorial penned by Fr. Luciano Larivera, S.J. continued...

August 28, 2014 -- dailystar
Filipino bishops to counter ISIS
Leaders of the Philippine Roman Catholic Church, Asia's largest, vowed Thursday to counter extremist religions such as that espoused by ISIS militants in Syria and Iraq.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas, who heads the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, also asked the country's bishops to collect donations for Christians who have been displaced by the militants and whose places of worship have been razed "by a godless rage with which no genuine religion can ever identify." continued...

August 8, 2014 -- Zenit
Iraq's Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako: a Voice in the Desert
"It is time to take a principled stand: the situation calls for concrete action, a gesture of solidarity in the face of an existential crisis-'we will either be or will not be.'"
It is an angry condemnation of an indifferent world. The words are unpolished and bitter. continued...

July 26, 2014 -- ncregister.com
Pope Francis and Economic Justice
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput - Napa Institute conference
I think it would be a mistake to describe him as a "liberal" - much less a "Marxist." continued...

July 25, 2014 -- arkansas-catholic.org
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor: Crisis at border testing U.S. moral character
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor issued the following statement on the crisis of young refugees coming into the United States unaccompanied from Mexico and Central America. continued...

July 25, 2014 -- Catholic World News
Pope will visit Philadelphia in 2015 for World Meeting of Families Archbishop Charles Chaput has disclosed the Pope Francis plans to attend the World Meeting of Families, to be held September 2015 in Philadelphia. continued...

July 24, 2014 -- Catholic News Service
Archbishop Wenski says neither church nor courts can change nature of marriage A Florida county judge's ruling that same-sex couples have a right to marry "represents another salvo in the 'culture wars' that ultimately seek to redefine the institution of marriage as solely for adult gratification," said Miami's archbishop. continued...

July 24, 2014 -- Zenit.org
Bishop Shomali Says Situation in Gaza 'Literally Deteriorating' Latin Rite Auxiliary Bishop Launches Urgent Appeal to UN and Governments
The auxiliary bishop of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, William Shomali, has said the situation in Gaza is "literally deteriorating" and has called for an immediate ceasefire. continued...

July 21, 2014 -- Christian Post Reporter
The West's Silence on Persecuted Iraqi Christians Is Worthy of Contempt, Rails British Academic Following news that Iraq's dwindling Christians have been forced out of their centuries' old homeland over the weekend, a British academic and scholar of American history demanded to know why their plight had received such scant attention and called the status quo response "worthy of contempt." continued...

July 18, 2014 -- breitbart.com
A Desperate Cry from Iraq's Christians
Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako, Archbishop of Baghdad Iraq's Christian leaders have just made a desperate cry for help. Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako, head of Iraq's Catholic church, has issued an appeal "to all who have a living conscience in Iraq and all the world." continued...

July 10, 2014 -- Agenzia Fides
Bishops of the United States, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras
Commitment to eradicate the structural causes of irregular migration of children
continued...

July 4 , 2014 -- USCCB
Archbishop Joseph Edward Kurtz
2014 Fortnight For Freedom Closing Homily
We pray in gratitude for our freedom to serve continued...

June 28, 2014 -- Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl
....recalls faith of early US Catholics. Wuerl exhorted the faithful to be "vigilant" in protecting their God-given religious liberty, invoking the faith of the first U.S. Catholics. continued...

June 24, 2014 -- Diocese of Springfield in Illinois
Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki
Ars celebrandi et adorandi
On the Art of Celebrating the Eucharistic Liturgy continued...

June 16, 2014 -- Diocese of Madison, Catholic Herald
Statement from Bishop Robert C. Morlino,
regarding a federal judge's ruling on marriage
Marriage, between one man and one women with openness to children, is an element of the very first "domino" of civilization. continued...

June 13, 2014 -- Wayne Laugesen -- National Catholic Register
Catholic Charities Ministers to Unprecedented Flood of Young Latino Immigrants
Children from Mexico and Central America arrive at the bus station in tattered clothing they've worn for weeks. They're unshowered, hungry and scared. Boys and girls as young as 3 cry out for Mommy, Daddy or Grandma. continued...

June 11th, 2014 -- CatholicPhilly.com:
Archbishop Chaput invites all U.S. bishops for World Meeting of Families
I have two brief tasks today. My first task is to invite you and the families in all of your parishes back home to come to Philadelphia next year for the World Meeting of Families 2015. continued...

June 9, 2014 -- Vatican City, (VIS)
Pope Francis and The Presidents Of Israel and Palestine Invoke Peace
. . . the meeting took place in three phases, followed by a conclusion. Following the chronological order of the three religions, it began with the Jewish community, followed by Christians, and finally Muslims. continued...

6 June 2014 -- Sarah Atkinson -- Catholic Herald (UK)
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: 'We are in the fourth great crisis of the Church'
Liberals, collaborating with the "new paganism", are driving the Catholic Church towards a split, according to Bishop Athanasius Schneider, the liturgical specialist who is carrying on a rearguard fight against "abuses" in the Church. continued...

May 27, 2014 -- Michael W. Chapman -- (CNSNews.com)
Catholic Bishop: Woman 'Ordained' as Priest Is Automatically Excommunicated
A woman "ordained" a priest by the Roman Catholic Womenpriets, Inc. has incurred automatic excommunication from the Catholic Church, according to Springfiled, Illinois Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki. continued...

May 23, 2014 | Kelly Conroy | Cardinal Newman Society
Cardinal O'Brien Tells Thomas Aquinas College Grads: Witness to the Truth
Cardinal Edwin O'Brien recently told graduating students of Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Calif., that they have been "formed for a mission: and that mission is nothing less than the rescue of the civilizational project of the West." continued...

May 22. 2014 - Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
Decisions in Oregon and Pennsylvania Travesties of Justice
• Archbishop Cordileone says marriage, democracy, children deserve better
• Says state attorneys general were derelict in their duties
• Reiterates that authentic marriage is the union of one man and one woman continued...

WASHINGTON, May 17, 2014 -- Christian Newswire
Coptic Solidarity Condemns Death Sentence of Pregnant Sudanese Christian
Coptic Solidarity is outraged at the barbaric application of Sharia law in Sudan which yesterday resulted in a judge sentencing a Christian woman, Meriam Yahia Ibrahim, to death by hanging for 'apostasy.' Ibrahim is 9 months pregnant and has also been sentenced to receive 100 lashes after giving birth for having intercourse with her own Christian husband. continued...
Related: Bishop Gassis: Sudan's Christians Are 'On the Cross' Daily

May 15, 2014 - Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia
Address Given by His Excellency Most Reverend Vincenzo Paglia
President of the Holy See’s Pontifical Council for the Family
On the Occasion of the 2014 International Day of Families
United Nations Headquarters, New York City
The Family at the Heart of Human Development
The 20th anniversary of the United Nations International Year of the Family continued...

May 15, 2014 -- U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Archbishop Kurtz and Archbishop Demetrios
Archbishop Kurtz, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Demetrios Celebrate Growing Closeness Between Catholics and Orthodox Ahead of Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Meeting in Jerusalem continued...

May 12, 2014 - Bishop Anthony B. Taylor
Bishop Taylor offer marriage teaching following ruling
"Our nation is presently engaged in a divisive debate over the place of homosexual people in our society, and last Friday's decision of Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza to overturn the 2004 amendment to the Arkansas Constitution defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman provides an opportunity to offer the insights of the Catholic Church to each side of this contentious issue, as well as a way forward consistent with the teaching of Jesus Christ. continued...

Cardinal Raymond L. Burke -- May 09, 2014
Hew to canon law when closing churches, Cardinal Burke says
When considering the suppression of parishes or the closing of church buildings, bishops should hew closely to canon law not simply because it's a legal requirement of the church, Cardinal Raymond L. Burke said, but because it helps foster unity.
In a May 7 interview with the Catholic Review, the prefect of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature, the Vatican's highest court, said following proper procedures helps ensure legitimate decisions. continued...

Bishop Michael C. Barber -- May 5, 2014
What led you to make changes in the annual teacher's contract?
I made a very small change to the annual teacher's contract in order to clarify for teachers - and the school community - that each of our Catholic elementary and secondary schools is an integral part of the mission and ministry of the Catholic Church. continued...

Cardinal Gerhard Müller -- April 30, 2014
Meeting of the Superiors of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith with the Presidency of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious -- (LCWR)
Opening Remarks By Cardinal Gerhard Müller continued...

April 21, 2014 -- USCCB
Common Core State Standards FAQs
Because the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were not developed specifically for Catholic schools, there are growing concerns about the effect of these standards on Catholic schools in our country. continued...

Apr 12, 2014 -- Fars News Agency
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick:
Attacking Other People's Beliefs Is Not Freedom of Speech
The former Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick says that none of the divine religions permits and discounts the humiliation of the followers and sacraments of other religions and scoffing at what millions of people hold to be sacred and holy is not allowed or commended by any religion. continued...

April 03, 2014 LifeSiteNews.com
Illinois bishop upholds priest's decision to deny Communion to pro-abort Sen. Dick Durbin
Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, known for his outspoken defense of the right to life and the natural family, has signaled his support for denying Communion to Catholic politicians who publicly endorse activities gravely contrary to the moral law. continued...

March 18, 2014
Bishop Zubik Rejects Common Core for Pittsburgh!
"The Diocese of Pittsburgh has not adopted the Common Core, nor have we adopted a curriculum based on it. The Common Core was developed over the past decade under the direction of the National Governors' Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. It is not a federal mandate, but states can choose whether or not to adopt it. The Pennsylvania State Board of Education has not adopted the Common Core and, even if it had, Catholic schools would not be bound." continued...

February 13, 2014 -- Meredith Somers -- The Washington Times
Cardinal Wuerl hits U.N. report on Catholic sex abuse scandal
Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, a longtime advocate for victims of pedophile priests, took aim this week at a recent U.N. commission report on the Catholic Church's child sex abuse scandal, saying it failed to recognize the progress the church has made in the past decade. continued...

February 10, 2014 -- LifeSiteNews.com
Spanish bishop warns of new ‘lay inquisition’ led by the UN
In an interview with the Spanish news service EFE, Bishop José María Gil Tamayo, spokesman for the Spanish Episcopal Conference (SEC), expressed his concern over what he called a “lay inquisition” led by the United Nations. continued...

The Holy See Press Office -- 6 February 2014
Archbishop Chaput appointed to the Pontifical Council for the Laity by Pope Francis.
Pope Francis has confirmed as president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, and as secretary, Bishop Josef Clemens.
The Holy Father also appointed new members and consultors for the Pontifical Council for the Laity. continued...

Fr Lombardi SJ -- February 2, 2014 -- (Vatican Radio)
Note on children's rights Committee findings
The Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, has issued a Note to Vatican Radio (of which he is Director-General) regarding the United Nations, the Holy See, and the Committee on the Rights of the Child, in the wake of the Committee's Concluding Observations on the reviewed Reports of the Holy See (and five member states that are also parties to the convention). continued...

February 6, 2014 - HLI: Human Life International
UN Committee Statement Requesting Changes in Catholic Moral Teaching is an Egregious Attack on Religious Freedom
The "Concluding Observations" on the report of the Holy See released Wednesday by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child are a flagrant and egregious attack on the religious freedom of the Catholic Church, her right and obligation to uphold the dignity of the human person and her estimated 1.2 billion members around the world, according to Human Life International President Father Shenan Boquet. continued...

February 5, 2014 -- C-FAM -- Stefano Gennarini, J.D.
Vatican Blasts UN Committee That Asks Church To Change Teaching on Abortion and Homosexuality
The Vatican accused a UN committee of interfering with Church doctrine and violating religious freedom after it was asked to change its teaching on abortion and homosexuality.
The Church should change its teaching on abortion, according to a UN committee that monitors the rights of children. The Church should no longer automatically excommunicate those who perform or assist in the performance of an abortion, the UN experts said in observations published Wednesday following a year-long review of the Vatican's child protection practices. continued...

February 5, 2014 - The United Nations
UN Report Says Catholic Church Should Change Doctrine
The UN committee that monitors the rights of children asked that the Church should change its teaching on abortion and homosexuality following a year-long review of the Vatican's child protection practices. The committee also asked that the Church should no longer automatically excommunicate those who perform or assist in the performance of an abortion. continued...

February 2, 2014 - The Vatican
Pope's Message For Lent 2014: An Invitation to Evangelical Poverty in Our Time
In imitation of our Master, we Christians are called to confront the poverty of our brothers and sisters, to touch it, to make it our own and to take practical steps to alleviate it. Destitution is not the same as poverty: destitution is poverty without faith, without support, without hope. There are three types of destitution: material, moral and spiritual. Material destitution is what is normally called poverty, and affects those living in conditions opposed to human dignity: those who lack basic rights and needs such as food, water, hygiene, work and the opportunity to develop and grow culturally. continued...

February 1, 2014 - Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond
An open letter from
"There is no justification, including economic hardship that will make a direct or indirect relationship with Planned Parenthood or any abortion provider, acceptable...All citizens of the New Orleans area must stand together for a peaceful community, not one with more abortion and more Planned Parenthood." continued...

January 30, 2014 - Bill Donohue
Catholic Dissidents Oppose the Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops filed an amicus brief Tuesday in support of a lawsuit brought by a privately owned business, Hobby Lobby
....Also on Tuesday, seven "Catholic" organizations joined with others to oppose Hobby Lobby. Catholics for Choice is a pro-abortion, anti-Catholic entity; CORPUS, Women's Ordination Conference, and Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual reject the Church's teachings on ordination; DignityUSA and New Ways Ministry reject the Church's teachings on homosexuality; and the National Coalition of American Nuns is pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage. continued...

January 17 -- Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
Attorney General Holder Acts Contrary to Supreme Court Decision
Last week Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the federal government will recognize so-called "marriages" performed in Utah between persons of the same sex that even Utah itself does not recognize as marriage. Presently, Utah defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman. On December 20, 2013, a federal district judge struck down that definition, but on January 6 of this year, the United States Supreme Court stayed that decision while the case is on appeal. continued...

January 3 -- cardinalnewmansociety.org
Obama Administration Responds to Justice Sotomayor, Catholic Health Plan on HHS Mandate
Today the Obama Administration told Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor that the Christian Brothers Services health plan is exempt from providing immoral insurance coverage to more than 200 Catholic schools and organizations—but the plan’s lead attorney says the argument ignores a serious violation of the clients’ religious freedom.
.......Obamacare says that when an entity is in a self-insured plan, like the Little Sisters are, they must file a certification form. But it’s not like other certification forms that the rule requires. It does not merely express their religious objections. The form also, specifically and additionally,“designates” their “third party administrator” to go get the abortifacient and birth control payments. - See more at: http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/CatholicEducationDaily/DetailsPage/tabid/102/ArticleID/2839/Obama-Administration-Responds-to-Justice-Sotomayor-Catholic-Health-Plan-on-HHS-Mandate.aspx#sthash.GLj3phKE.dpuf continued...

December 31 -- ncregister.com
Justice Sotomayor Temporarily Halts Mandate for Catholic Group in Denver
Justice Sotomayor Temporarily Halts Mandate for Catholic Group in Denver
The Supreme Court justice also instructed the government to respond by 10am Friday to arguments submitted against the mandate's enforcement.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued an order late Dec. 31, temporarily halting enforcement of the contraceptive mandate against the Denver-based Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged only hours before the Affordable Care Act began to take effect. continued...

December 26 -- Catholic News Agency
Vatican encourages renewed missionary zeal in Catholic schools
A recently released Vatican document is calling for a fresh commitment to Catholic identity within what it calls an increasingly secularized educational system.
At a press conference held Dec. 19, Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, said, “the Catholic identity of the school is fundamental.” continued...

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All the polls show that young people are more pro-life than adults. This offers great hope for the future as these youngsters become voters and decision makers. Share the pro-life message with a young person today. As one of the speakers says, "The pro-life movement is getting younger and younger." Praise be to God! The energy and zeal of these youngsters fills me with hope. Video