Clement VII, when food is deadly
Descendant of the Medici family of Florence, he died after two days of excruciating suffering after eating a poisonous mushroom, Amanita phalloides. He was a political strategist and diplomat. Under his pontificate, several noteworthy historical events took place, from the Sack of Rome in 1527 to the Anglican Schism. As a great patron of the arts, it was he who commissioned Michelangelo to fresco the Sistine Chapel with the Last Judgement.
Whipping at the border, Catholic Biden's welcome
The first striking images of the latest migration crisis on the US-Mexico border are those of horse-mounted officers using lassos as whips to drive masses of migrants away from the US side of the Rio Grande. Wasn't Biden the Catholic president who opposed the man 'of the wall'? Serious reflection is needed on the voting criteria. And on the morality of migration policies.
Guinea: Cardinal Sarah's letter to coup plotters
Hoping and wishing that a military coup would bring peace, justice and prosperity may seem unbelievable, but not in Guinea. After more than half a century of disappointment, poverty, corruption and two other past coups, Cardinal Robert Sarah, former Archbishop of Conakry, wrote a letter to the military junta leaders, begging them to show respect for the country.
How Biden takes orders from Planned Parenthood
Vice President Harris received a group of abortionists at the White House, declaring that abortion is a ‘non-negotiable' right. On the same day, 16 September, the Federalist published a paper showing how Biden is breaking the rules in order to reward Planned Parenthood & Co. and redirect taxpayers' money to them.
France's cold war against the Anglophone Pacific alliance
The Aukus Treaty that was struck between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States for technological cooperation between the three powers in the Pacific is infuriating France. Without being informed, Paris saw its mega-contract cancelled for supplying submarines to Australia. The new treaty reshapes alliances while marginalising NATO.
The Sorrows of St Joseph, a means to glory
The devotion of the “Seven Sorrows and Seven Joys of St Joseph” helps us to meditate on some of the greatest mysteries of the hidden life of Jesus, from the inner perspective of Mary's spouse. Venerable Mary of Ágreda recounts how he suffered various infirmities for several years before he died, passing on to us two great lessons: how to endure illness and the exercise of charity towards the sick.
Jerome Miani, a father for abandoned young people
As a prisoner of war he discovered the power of prayer. Freed after he made a vow to Our Lady, he changed his life, helping the outcasts of society. He created numerous communities, inventing a pedagogical method based on education in work, charity and devotion. Pius XI proclaimed him patron saint of orphans and abandoned youth.
Censorship at universities spells end of academic freedom
Dr. Peter Boghossian is the author of a series of provocative studies on gender and feminism. Recently, he tendered his resignation as professor, and he is not alone. In six years, 426 university lecturers in the United States have been reported or received warnings while two thirds have been sanctioned, 100 have lost their jobs and another 93 have been placed on leave.
And in Slovakia the Pope rehabilitates “gay” bishop
Pope Francis' visit to Slovakia ended with the rehabilitation in public opinion of the former bishop of Trnava, Robert Bezák, who was deposed by Benedict XVI in 2012 and also accused of having created a network of homosexual priests. Embarrassment at the Bishops' Conference.
Mary is the Eucharistic woman, we should imitate Her
«The Mother of God is the first living tabernacle in history. She carried Jesus in her womb and handed him over to men, as their path to holiness and nourishment in their lives.... Modern man is lost precisely because he no longer dedicates time to prayer, particularly to silent prayer... Let’s ask Jesus in the Eucharist to fill us with His presence and to make us tabernacles of His body in our daily lives, just as the Virgin Mary was». Excerpts from an homily at the International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest.
9/11: 20 years later, the moral surrender of the West
Twenty years after September 11, we remember the day 'that changed the world', as many commentators write. But, actually, what we should try to understand is why 9/11 did not change the world at all. Al Qaeda is still there, Isis was born, jihadism is still expanding, even the Taliban, defeated then, are back in power. What has happened? The US and its allies have never suffered military defeats. It is politics that has decided to stop fighting. And it has done so driven by three real powers of contemporary thought: materialism, relativism and Third Worldism.
