A former FBI official who oversaw the agency&#8217;s production of an infamous memo targeting “Radical Traditional Catholics” joked about how it would make good fodder for a memoir, according to emails viewed by The Daily Wire. 
Stanley Meador, who now works in Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger&#8217;s administration, ran the FBI’s Richmond field office when it produced an <a href="https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/fbi-anti-catholic-memo.pdf">internal memo</a> attempting to link traditional Catholic beliefs to criminal activity. After backlash to the memo, Meador downplayed it and suggested that one of the agents who produced it include it in their memoirs, according to emails released by the Justice Department. 
“No apology needed [redacted],” he wrote on July 7, 2023. “I’m glad you are on the team and thankful for your commitment. Keep that head up, this too shall pass. Will make for a great chapter in your memoirs some day!”
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The emails were included in a Justice Department report released Thursday morning on anti-Christian bias from the federal government during the Biden administration. 
The document, referred to as the “Richmond Memo,” relied on the leftist Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), now facing criminal wire fraud charges, to link racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists with what the agency called “radical-traditionalist” Catholic beliefs. The memo was retracted shortly after it was leaked in February 2023, generating outrage from Republican lawmakers and Catholics. 
Meador’s July 7 email came after one of the FBI agents involved in crafting the memo apologized over the document.
“I am terribly sorry for all that everyone has had to endure as a result of this product. Each person negatively impacted is a trusted colleague and/or supervisor whom I deeply respect and admire,” the unidentified FBI employee wrote. “I feel personally responsible as I should have known the potential DT pitfalls and the susceptibility to politicization surrounding this paper better than anyone. Thanks for supporting us and please accept my sincerest apologies.”
Meador, now <a href="https://www.governor.virginia.gov/cabinet/name-1081469-en.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Secretary</a> of Public Safety and Homeland Security in Virginia, was removed from the FBI in June 2025 after serving for over two decades with the agency. 
The Richmond Memo was an FBI product known as a “Domain Perspective,” or an internal threat assessment document. The document argued that the FBI should pursue threat mitigation based on the interest in violent extremists in so-called “radical-traditionalist Catholic (RTC) ideology.” Using SPLC data, the FBI identified nine of these groups.
Other documents included in Thursday&#8217;s Justice Department report showed that intelligence officers inside the FBI expressed concerns about the citation of the SPLC, but were ignored by leadership. 
“This product cites more subjective information from SPLC (a list of hate groups) without examining SPLC’s threshold for determining a hate group or explanation of how that threshold aligns with the FBI’s definition,” one intelligence officer wrote. “This product’s Source Summary Statement does not address factors that would affect the quality and credibility of SPLC as a source for subjective information, such as it previously issuing apologies and retracting its naming of individuals or groups as extremist.”
The DOJ wrote in its anti-Christian bias report that the FBI used “an unsubstantiated claim by the Southern Poverty Law Center that several traditional Catholic churches were ‘hate groups’ — as justification to launch a two-pronged attack against traditional Catholics.”
“FBI Richmond thus assessed that traditional Catholics and racially motivated violent extremists may share ‘common cause’ on issues of ‘abortion rights, immigration, affirmative action, and LGBTQ protections,’” the DOJ wrote Thursday. “In an appendix, the Domain Perspective cited to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s identification of radical traditional Catholics.”
As criticism mounted, former President Joe Biden&#8217;s FBI Director Christopher Wray said the Richmond Memo did &#8220;not reflect FBI standards.”
“We do not conduct investigations based on religious affiliation or practices, full stop,” Wray said. “We have also now ordered our inspection division to take a look at how this happened and try to figure out how we can make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”
In an interview with the task force investigating anti-Christian bias, FBI Director Kash Patel said his team did a deep dive into the Richmond Memo. 
“We came to learn that companies like the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League were out there working with the FBI, giving them false information to generate a memo that allowed law enforcement a [] &#8216;justification&#8217; to go after and attack people of faith,” Patel said. 
The DOJ report also details how the Biden administration targeted pro-life Christians for peaceful protests and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-biden-partnered-with-abortion-activists-to-track-and-imprison-pro-lifers?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=BREAKING%3A+How+Biden+Partnered+With+Abortion+Activists+To+Track+And+Imprison+Pro-Lifers">outlines</a> other Biden-era policies that suppressed Christian expression.
The release of the report comes one day after The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-biden-doj-lawyers-fantasized-about-prosecuting-catholic-nuns-emails-show?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=Exclusive&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Biden+DOJ+Lawyers+Fantasized+About+Prosecuting+Catholic+Nuns%2C+Emails+Show">obtained text messages</a> from Biden-era DOJ prosecutors discussing their desires to target Catholic nuns. One prosecutor said he would &#8220;like to prosecute any nun who still wears the head habit,&#8221; when working on January 6-related cases.

MixCollage-29-Apr-2026-03-15-PM-9949

READ IT: The Internal ‘Joke’ That Followed The Biden-Era FBI Targeting Of Catholics

abigail spanberger

Biden Administration

Catholic Church

Christopher Wray

Department of Justice

kash patel

Trump Administration

Virginia

Step aside, Thomas Aquinas. Make room, St. Augustine. There is a new Bible scholar in town, and she didn’t find her calling in a cathedral — she found it in a Reno lounge act and a Disney-funded wardrobe department.
Whoopi Goldberg, a woman whose theological training apparently consists of wearing a polyester habit in two &#8220;Sister Act&#8221; films, has decided that she is the preeminent authority on the &#8220;Bible-Bible.&#8221; Speaking on &#8220;The View&#8221; on Thursday, Goldberg donned her invisible miter to lecture the masses on why the U.S. shouldn&#8217;t deal with Iran, wielding Scripture with the surgical precision of a blindfolded butcher.
Citing the Beatitudes and the command to &#8220;turn the other cheek,&#8221; Goldberg lamented that her own cheeks are &#8220;getting tired&#8221; from all the slapping.
It’s a touching sentiment, truly. One can almost hear the angels weeping — or perhaps that’s just the sound of anyone who has actually read Romans 13 hitting the floor in a dead faint.
Whoopi, ever the humble scholar, warned her audience that they only have a &#8220;half a quote&#8221; and need to &#8220;get into the Bible-Bible&#8221; to truly understand that being a &#8220;peacemaker&#8221; apparently means letting a theocratic regime develop ICBMs.
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Despite Joy Behar&#39;s refusal to apologize for calling Jesus a &quot;narcissist&quot; for saying he was the Messiah, earlier in the week, Whoopi wants to lecture the faithful on the right about the Bible and war. She says you need to learn about &quot;The Bible-Bible&quot;:
GOLDBERG: But Jesus said,… <a href="https://t.co/YmrDUIsqm4">pic.twitter.com/YmrDUIsqm4</a>
&mdash; Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/2044803372809675171?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
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It’s a bold move for a woman who <a href="https://church4everychild.org/2015/10/20/if-we-value-life-we-dont-get-to-choose-which-lives-we-value/#:~:text=During%20one%20such%20discussion%20on,be%20reading%20the%20same%20Bible.">previously informed</a> the world that &#8220;there’s nothing in the Book that says anything about abortion.&#8221; Apparently, in Whoopi’s version of the &#8220;Bible-Bible,&#8221; God’s intricate knitting together of an unborn child in the womb mentioned in Psalm 139 was just a suggestion, and the &#8220;sword&#8221; the state bears in Romans 13 is actually a pool noodle used for rhythmic gymnastics.
But Goldberg’s expertise doesn’t stop at foreign policy. She’s also been there to fix the Catholic Church’s administrative issues. When Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone dared to enforce Canon 915 by denying Communion to Nancy Pelosi, Whoopi was there to <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/the-view-whoopi-goldberg-nancy-pelosi-communion-video/">set him straight</a>: &#8220;This is not your job, dude!&#8221;
According to the Gospel of Goldberg, the Eucharist isn’t a sacrament requiring a state of grace; it’s a participation trophy for anyone with a &#8220;View&#8221; microphone.
She’s &#8220;schooling&#8221; us, folks. We just don&#8217;t understand the &#8220;Bible-Bible&#8221; like she does. After all, she played a nun twice.
That’s basically two-thirds of a Trinity.

Whoopi Goldberg

Our Lady Of The Perpetual Habit: Whoopi Goldberg ‘Schools’ Us On The ‘Bible-Bible’ And War

Bible

Iran war

In a blistering rebuke of the Catholic Church’s hierarchy, U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan fired back Monday at high-ranking clergy who have criticized the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement and mass deportation policies.
Speaking after several American cardinals echoed the Vatican’s opposition to the administration’s border strategy, Homan — a lifelong Catholic himself — warned the Church to &#8220;stay out of immigration,&#8221; arguing that religious leaders lack a foundational understanding of the &#8220;atrocities&#8221; occurring at the border.
&#8220;I’m not going to speak for the president; I’m speaking for myself,&#8221; Homan said. &#8220;If they wore my shoes for 40 years, and talked to a 9-year-old girl that got raped multiple times, or stood in the back of a tractor-trailer with 19 dead aliens at my feet &#8230; I think their opinion would change.&#8221;
Homan’s comments follow a high-profile &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; <a href="https://www.cathstan.org/voices/in-60-minutes-interview-three-u-s-cardinals-reflect-on-pope-leos-leadership-and-churchs-opposition-to-iran-war-and-mass-deportation?utm_source=chatgpt.com">interview</a> featuring three prominent U.S. cardinals: Blase Cupich of Chicago, Robert McElroy of San Diego, and Joseph Tobin of Newark. During the segment, Cardinal Tobin stood by his previous characterization of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a &#8220;lawless organization,&#8221; claiming the agency &#8220;violates guarantees of our Constitution&#8221; to &#8220;terrify people.&#8221;
The religious leaders argued that the administration’s focus on deporting long-term residents has created a climate of fear so pervasive that attendance at Spanish-language Masses has plummeted by 30 percent in some areas. Cardinal McElroy, while conceding that border crossings had grown &#8220;out of control&#8221; under the previous administration, denounced the current &#8220;roundup&#8221; of people who have lived &#8220;good, strong lives&#8221; in the U.S. for years.
&#8220;I would like to know what Catholics feel about this indiscriminate mass deportation,&#8221; Cardinal Cupich added. &#8220;I think that it’s very clear the American people are saying, ‘We really didn’t vote for this.’&#8221;
However, Homan countered that a secure border is the only moral path, claiming President Trump is &#8220;saving thousands of lives&#8221; by putting human traffickers out of business and bankrupting cartels. &#8220;Illegal immigration is not a victimless crime,&#8221; Homan said, welcoming a direct debate with the clergy.
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Border czar Tom Homan, to question on Trump feud with Pope Leo XIV: &quot;I&#39;m speaking for myself, a lifelong Catholic. I wish they&#39;d stay out of immigration…If they understood the atrocities that happen on an open border, I think their opinion would change.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ZKVgKmy96D">pic.twitter.com/ZKVgKmy96D</a>
&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2044152154944860585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The friction between the White House and the Church has reached all the way to the Vatican. Pope Leo XIV, who, as Bishop Robert Prevost in 2018, retweeted a social media post that stated, “There is nothing remotely Christian, American, or morally defensible about a policy that takes children away from their parents and warehouses them in cages. This is being carried out in our name and the shame is on us all,” issued a <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/letters/2025/documents/20250210-lettera-vescovi-usa.html#:~:text=Letter%20of%20the%20Holy%20Father,of%20America%20(10%20February%202025)">formal letter</a> to U.S. bishops last year in which he stated, “The rightly formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment and express its disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality.”
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It&#8217;s fascinating to see what social media reveals about a person before they become the Pope.
Before he became Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost was on Twitter trashing Trump, criticizing Vance, calling for open borders, promoting COVID vaccines, endorsing stricter gun… <a href="https://t.co/B60TqSYk7O">pic.twitter.com/B60TqSYk7O</a>
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) <a href="https://twitter.com/KanekoaTheGreat/status/2044123715865325932?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Despite the forceful opposition from the pulpit, a majority of Catholic voters supported President Trump in the last election, gravitating toward his promises of national security and border integrity — a mandate Homan insists the administration is duty-bound to fulfill, regardless of the Vatican&#8217;s &#8220;critical judgment.&#8221;

Tom Homan

Homan Torches Catholic Hierarchy Over Opposition To Trump’s Immigration Policy

Donald Trump

Illegal Immigration

Pope Leo

On April 6, The Free Press ran a <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/why-the-vatican-and-the-white-house">story</a> claiming the Pentagon summoned the Vatican&#8217;s apostolic nuncio to a meeting, and invoked the Avignon Papacy, threatening the Vatican. The <a href="https://x.com/DOWResponse/status/2042300020494418303">Department of War</a>, <a href="https://x.com/BrianBurchUSA/status/2042307511504519366">Ambassador Brian Burch</a>, and the <a href="https://www.ewtnnews.com/vatican/media-narrative-about-nuncio-s-pentagon-meeting-untrue-vatican-says">Vatican</a> all put out statements saying the &#8220;threatening&#8221; meeting story is completely untrue. DNC progressive Catholic operative Christopher Hale, however, spent all week pushing and amplifying the story even after it was shown to be false.
On April 9, Pope Leo XIV <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/pope-leo-xiv-meeting-david-axelrod-obama-advisor/">met with</a> David Axelrod, the former senior advisor to President Obama. Then, on April 10, the Pope made a clearly <a href="https://x.com/Pontifex/status/2042588417578668338">pacifist, anti-war statement</a> aimed at the Trump administration. To cap it all off, CBS aired a &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; episode on Sunday, April 12, with three of the most liberal cardinals in the American Catholic Church who spoke in opposition to the Iran war and against the deportation of illegal aliens. Meanwhile, social media erupted with provocative arguments over who is to blame for America’s moral and spiritual collapse: Catholics or Protestants?
Without a doubt, there is a political operation underway to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pope-leo-responds-after-trump-calls-him-weak?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Pope+Leo+Responds+After+Trump+Calls+Him+%E2%80%98Weak%E2%80%99">set up a confrontation</a> between the Vatican and the United States. The goal is to divide conservative Catholic voters from the Evangelical bloc — an established and battle-tested political tactic, cynical and craven as it may be. This has the fingerprints of the DNC and NGO operatives all over it, and the liberal progressives within the Catholic Church are working in their service.
Non-Catholic Americans need to understand there is a serious intra-Catholic war going on between the liberal progressives within the Church and those who are trying to keep the Church faithful to its 2,000 years of Biblical teaching. This war has been hot since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. Just like the Protestant progressives, the Catholic Church has a large segment of that generation that wants to do to Catholicism what the Protestant progressives have done elsewhere, not only on issues like abortion, sexuality, and women&#8217;s ordination, but in the liberalizing of the entire political and social order. Decades ago Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger fought hard against Communists and Socialists within the Church who were using Marxist ideology to form what is now called Liberation Theology — a politicization of the Gospel. Cardinal Ratzinger knew it posed a threat to the distinction between Church and State.
As a well-assimilated Iraqi Christian immigrant to America, who journeyed through different Protestant denominations until I converted to Catholicism ten years ago, I can say without a doubt that the only reason there is such a strong, faithful, intelligent, fruitful Catholic community in America is because of the kind of nation our Protestant brethren founded in 1776. Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI praised the freedoms created by the American system — this shared, common freedom Founding Fathers built allows both Protestants/Evangelicals and Catholics to grow without the meddling hand of the government.
One can admire the traditions, customs, and observances of the Catholics in Europe, but they are a small community that hold no sway in the public squares of their countries. In spite of what seems to be a recent increase in Catholic converts in France, Catholicism as an institution, like its political counterpart in Europe has become a “polite and orderly caretakers of the West&#8217;s managed decline,” to use Secretary Marco Rubio&#8217;s words.
Some may boast about the Catholic evangelization of South America centuries ago, but Latin America today offers a different picture: societies in moral decline, an anemic Catholic Church losing people to the Pentecostal movement, and corrupt governments unable to provide even basic safety for their citizens.
American Catholicism has a “conservative” segment for two reasons: the faithful presence of our Evangelical and Protestant brethren, which encourages us to remain steadfast in Scriptural teaching, and the blessed miracle of American religious liberty.
European Catholics complain that American Catholics are more American than Catholic, they phrase it in this way because what they cannot tolerate to say is that American Catholics are overall more faithful Christians than European Catholics. And that faithfulness is the wonderful fruit of being in America.
The reason why America has not fully given itself over to the globalist progressive agenda is due primarily to the Evangelicals who have held the line, and their conservative Catholic counterpart who have partnered with them. These two groups have worked hard together in spite of theological differences. The next destructive ideology that needs defeating is the Islamist totalitarianism of the Islamists seeking world domination. Like Pope John Paul II who stood up against Communism, Pope Leo XIV should be working against that ideology, not chastising the only country in the world that has expansive religious freedoms.
Conservative Christians of all stripes need to see this political op for what it is and hold the line, for the good of us all, and for the good of all American citizens.
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Luma Simms is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

Vatican Pool Images 2026

The Real Target In This Vatican Drama Isn’t Rome. It’s American Voters.

60 Minutes

David Axelrod

Democratic National Committee

The Vatican

Pope Leo XIV on Monday pledged to continue speaking out against the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, pushing back on President Donald Trump’s scathing Sunday-night attack against the leader of the Catholic Church.
Trump slammed the American-born Pope <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116394704213456431">in a Truth Social post</a>, calling him &#8220;WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.&#8221;
&#8220;I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.&#8221;
In a <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/2043498719270637656?s=20">gaggle with reporters</a>, the president piled on.
&#8220;I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime I guess,&#8221; Trump said at Joint Base Andrews. &#8220;I&#8217;m not a big fan of Pope Leo. He&#8217;s a very liberal person.&#8221;
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Reporter: Why did you attack Pope Leo?
Trump: I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime I guess. We don’t like a pope who says it’s ok to have a nuclear weapon. We don’t want a pope that says crime is ok. I am not a fan of Pope Leo. <a href="https://t.co/cj3oh1jSIL">pic.twitter.com/cj3oh1jSIL</a>
— Acyn (@Acyn) <a href="https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/2043498719270637656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
Leo, on his way to Algeria to kick off an <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-africa-pope-angola-cameroon-algeria-equatorial-guinea-1420c2425d627d4f3affc67f2a7c4813" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">11-day tour</a> across Africa, pushed back.
“I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do,&#8221; Leo told reporters aboard the papal plane. &#8220;We are not politicians. We don’t deal with foreign policy with the same perspective he might understand it, but I do believe in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker.”
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In response to a personal attack by President Donald Trump the night before, Pope Leo told journalists on the papal plane to Algeria:
“I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what… <a href="https://t.co/zV6FuacGSM">pic.twitter.com/zV6FuacGSM</a>
— Courtney Mares (@catholicourtney) <a href="https://twitter.com/catholicourtney/status/2043619307993665935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Leo stressed that his remarks were not intended as attacks but doubled down on his anti-war stance.
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“I will not shy away from announcing the message of the Gospel and inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges of peace and reconciliation, and looking for ways to avoid war any time that’s possible,” Leo <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-pope-leo-xiv-02f6b4554ea4b83af02af15987ae1f2d">told The Associated Press</a>. “Too many people are suffering today, too many innocent people have been killed, and I believe someone must stand up and say that there is a better way.&#8221;
Bishop Robert Barron, who serves on the Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty, said Trump owes Leo an apology.
&#8220;The statements made by President Trump on Truth Social regarding the Pope were entirely inappropriate and disrespectful,&#8221; Barron said.
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The statements made by President Trump on Truth Social regarding the Pope were entirely inappropriate and disrespectful. They don’t contribute at all to a constructive conversation. It is the Pope’s prerogative to articulate Catholic doctrine and the principles that govern the…
— Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/BishopBarron/status/2043646792890261616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
Tensions between the White House and the Vatican have increased in recent weeks. On April 7, Pope Leo rebuked Trump&#8217;s Easter-Sunday threat against the Islamic Republic of Iran as &#8220;truly unacceptable.&#8221;
Leo has also criticized some of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, calling the treatment of migrants in the United States &#8220;<a href="https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/pope-calls-treatment-migrants-us-extremely-disrespectful">extremely disrespectful</a>.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s broadside against the Pope followed a Sunday-night &#8220;<a href="https://x.com/60Minutes/status/2043471794074448140?s=20">60 Minutes</a>&#8221; episode featuring prominent American cardinals, including Cardinal Joseph Tobin, who blasted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a &#8220;lawless organization.&#8221;
“When they have to hide their identities to terrify people, when they can actually violate other guarantees of our Constitution and Bill of Rights, well, I think somebody&#8217;s got to call that out,” Tobin said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Cardinal Joseph Tobin criticizes the Trump administration&#8217;s mass deportation campaign.
“When they have to hide their identities to terrify people, when they can actually violate other guarantees of our Constitution and Bill of Rights, well, I think somebody&#8217;s got to call that… <a href="https://t.co/vvLuOLej18">pic.twitter.com/vvLuOLej18</a>
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) <a href="https://twitter.com/60Minutes/status/2043471794074448140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2026</a></blockquote>
Conservative attorney Mike Davis, an ally of the Trump administration who grew up <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/10/19/mike-davis-trump-judges-maga/">attending Catholic schools</a>, called the Cardinal a &#8220;disgrace.&#8221;
&#8220;He’s taking the side of illegals who kidnap, rob, rape, and murder innocent Americans. And smearing the good men and women of federal immigration enforcement,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/mrddmia/status/2043685985419174280?s=20">Davis said.</a> &#8220;Trafficking illegals is a big moneymaker for the Catholic Church.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This cardinal is a disgrace.
He’s taking the side of illegals who kidnap, rob, rape, and murder innocent Americans.
And smearing the good men and women of federal immigration enforcement.
Trafficking illegals is a big moneymaker for the Catholic Church. <a href="https://t.co/KUg4FLrXmX">pic.twitter.com/KUg4FLrXmX</a>
— 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) <a href="https://twitter.com/mrddmia/status/2043685985419174280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2026</a></blockquote>

VATICAN-RELIGION-POPE-CONCLAVE

Pope Leo Responds After Trump Calls Him ‘Weak’

Immigration

On Sunday, CBS’s &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; aired an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikjANzvFuks">interview</a> in which influential American Catholic cardinals criticized President Trump for his war against the tyrannical Iranian regime.
&#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; anchor Norah O’Donnell noted that Pope Leo XIV had “issued a rare condemnation of President Trump&#8217;s threat to destroy Iranian civilization,” adding, “The Pope called it ‘truly unacceptable.’ He also took the unusual step of issuing a call to action.”
She pointed out that in a Palm Sunday homily, the Pope appeared to reference the religious language used by War Secretary Pete Hegseth to frame the Iran war, warning that Jesus does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war. She then asked, “Is this a just war?”
Washington, D.C., Cardinal Robert McElroy replied bluntly, “No. Under Catholic teaching, this is not a just war. Catholic faith teaches us that there are certain prerequisites for a just war. You can&#8217;t go for a variety of different aims. You have to have a focused aim, which is to restore justice and restore peace. That&#8217;s it.”
“Iran has been the chief exporter of terror. Is there no scenario in which preventing that can be a just war?” O’Donnell pressed.
“It&#8217;s an abominable regime. And it should be removed,” McElroy answered. “But this is a war of choice that we went to, and I think it&#8217;s embedded in a wider moment in the United States that&#8217;s worrying, which is this: We&#8217;re seeing before us the possibility of war after war after war.”
“We&#8217;re dehumanizing the victims of war by turning the suffering of people and the killing of children and our own soldiers into entertainment,” Cardinal Blaise Cupich of Chicago claimed.
“You called it sickening,” O’Donnell interjected.
“It is sickening,” he replied. “To splice together movie cuts with actual bombing and targeting of people for the purposes of entertainment is sickening. This is not who we are. We&#8217;re better than this.”
In March, McElroy, a frequent critic of the president, <a href="applewebdata://E7896B1D-1B6C-41A3-B04C-EA115012CA33/v">stated</a> that the U.S. war against Iran was not a morally legitimate conflict “because our country was not responding to an existing or imminent and objectively verifiable attack by Iran. &#8230; The criterion of right intention is not met in our country’s decision to attack Iran. &#8230; our current war effort does not meet Catholic just war teaching because it is far from clear that the benefits of this war will outweigh the harm which will be done.”

ITALY-VATICAN-US-RELIGION-POPE-PRESSER

Catholic Bishops Echo Pope, Blast Trump For War Against Iran

Iran

In recent days, an exchange between Pope Leo XIV and President Donald Trump has drawn significant attention.
In a late-night Truth Social blitz Sunday, the president branded the pope “WEAK” on crime and “terrible” on foreign policy. Around 40 minutes after his tirade was posted, Trump uploaded an AI-generated image of himself dressed as Jesus. Both posts dropped as Catholics were celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday and Eastern Orthodox Christians were celebrating Easter.
<iframe class="truthsocial-embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0;" src="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/116394704213456431/embed" width="600" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><script src="https://truthsocial.com/embed.js" async="async"></script>
Last week, Pope Leo said Trump’s warning that an “entire civilization will die tonight,” in reference to Iran, was “unacceptable.” The pope has also suggested that a “delusion of omnipotence” is fueling the war between the United States and Iran.
“I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA,” the president blasted. “He gets it, and Leo doesn’t!”
Pope Leo responded to Trump’s threats on Monday, telling reporters, “I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do.” He added, “I don’t want to get into a debate with Trump.”
Trump later wrote: “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.” He added: “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.”
Criticism of a pope falls within the bounds of political and public discourse. Depicting oneself as the Lord Jesus Christ, however, enters into territory Christians have consistently regarded as blasphemous.
The backlash has been swift, including from many who would typically be supportive. Here’s a smattering of social media reactions:
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-1076747" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-13-at-8.45.58-AM-635x576.png" alt="" width="635" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-13-at-8.45.58-AM-635x576.png 635w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-13-at-8.45.58-AM-300x272.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-13-at-8.45.58-AM-768x696.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-13-at-8.45.58-AM.png 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 635px) 100vw, 635px" /></div>
“Honestly how did he think this was a good move?!?”
“He’s absolutely lost it. He’s become everything the left said he was. Makes me wonder if I was just blind to it.”
“He has now confirmed his own defeat- the Lord will not be mocked.”
“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”
Now, if I may make a personal request.
As one of those Christians who believe what President Trump has posted is blasphemous, I would ask you to pray for him.
And not only for him, but for all blasphemers.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
New media post from Donald J. Trump
(TS: 12 Apr 21:49 ET)​​​‍​​‌‍​​‌‍​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​‌‍​​​​​​‌‍​​‌‍​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​‌‍ <a href="https://t.co/uWUoEG1bSQ">pic.twitter.com/uWUoEG1bSQ</a>
— Commentary: Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpTruthOnX/status/2043523798553743595?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Trump Visits Church Across From White House That Was Hit by Fire

Christians Are Right To Be Outraged At Trump’s Blasphemous Post

As we approach the holiest day of the year for the Catholic Church, tens of millions will prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Americans across the country are preparing to join the faith I have belonged to since birth.
Converts to the faith have played a crucial role over the last two millennia, from St. Paul’s journey to Damascus, to St. Augustine&#8217;s departure from a life of debauchery that would make Hugh Hefner blush, to G.K. Chesterton, whose writings still speak to millions nearly a century later, to St. Elizabeth Seton, the first American-born saint.
I firmly believe the Catholic Church is the greatest civil institution ever created. Since its founding, the Church has clothed the naked, educated the young, fed the hungry, tended to the sick, and through divine mercy provided the path to salvation for billions of people.
During the darkest times in human history, the Catholic Church was the only institution that separated the West from barbarism. The very fabric of Western civilization is tied to the history of the Church.
While it’s easy for me to wax poetic about a church I have repeatedly fallen in love with over the years — even with all of its shortcomings — other high-profile converts appear to be using their newfound membership in the Catholic faith as nothing more than a political prop.
It is true, the vast majority of new converts join for all the right reasons. But a small, vocal cadre of political influencers are using their catholicism to build social media platforms, feigning purity as an E-girl or, even worse, promoting antisemitism. It is people doing the latter who pose the most credible threat to the integrity of all Catholics and create a widespread erroneous belief that Catholicism has an issue with Jews.
Unlike many branches of Christianity, the Catholic Church does not demand that the faithful be committed Zionists to receive God’s blessing. Many prominent members of the Church have spoken out about the plight of civilians in Gaza. It seems recent converts to the faith understand those teachings but somehow forget that the Church also rejects any form of antisemitism, condemns hostility toward Jews, and upholds the enduring covenant with the Jewish people as God’s chosen people. They have already become cafeteria Catholics, picking and choosing which parts of the teachings they prefer.
Holding nuanced opinions about sensitive subjects in the Middle East, like America&#8217;s relationship with Israel, can be a tough balancing act for anyone. For the Catholic, however, it is completely possible to be a critic of Middle Eastern affairs without being expressly antisemitic. And your new membership in the Catholic faith should not serve as your call to action against the State of Israel.
Yet for some political influencers, their call to the faith doesn&#8217;t seem rooted in deep devotion or hope for eternal salvation. Rather, their main mission seems to be in &#8220;otherizing&#8221; of those who don’t fall into their particular bubble.
Perhaps the gravest sin in all of this is using Christ and the Church as a political prop. Using a phrase like “Christ is King” — not to celebrate the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, the salvation of souls from hell, and His resurrection — but to otherize those of different faiths is no different than taking the Lord’s name in vain.
The phrase “Christ is King” should not be followed by &#8220;Netanyahu should be on trial for war crimes.&#8221;
For those just joining the Church, it is worth remembering that Catholics in this country were long treated as outsiders — feared, condemned, and accused of harboring foreign allegiances. Most cradle Catholics of the Ellis Island stock have a better understanding of that shared history.
Those looking to use the Church as a platform to dictate foreign policy or dismiss the life of other faiths are no less cringeworthy than when priests from the Boomer generation host climate change events or demand that the United States change its immigration laws.
It seems transparent that your membership in this church is one more platform, like a social media account where views and followers are all that matter, not devotion.
These are uneasy times, but it’s in moments of darkness that we as Catholics should look to the saints who have come before us and truly offer our lives to Christ and build the church – not use it for self-advancement.
* * *
Ryan James Girdusky is an author, podcaster, political consultant, and writer whose work has been featured in the Washington Examiner, The American Conservative Magazine, The Week, Human Events, and The Daily Caller. He is the host of “It’s A Numbers Game with Ryan Girdusky” podcast. Follow him on X: @RyanGirdusky
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Happy couple taking selfie in front of Duomo cathedral in Milan, Lombardia – Two tourists having fun on romantic summer vacation in Italy – Holidays and traveling lifestyle concept

The Catholic Convert Boom Is Real But A Troubling Pattern Is Emerging

antisemitism

Catholicism

Catholics

Israel

Jews

Opinion

Religion

U.S. Politics

Western Civilization

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
I’m a Catholic convert. We <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-catholic-convert-boom-is-real-but-a-troubling-pattern-is-emerging">hear about that</a> a lot lately. Some of the most prominent podcasters, online influencers, and elected officials are announcing their conversions. Rosaries are becoming more prominent, and the Latin Mass is back in vogue.  
Conversion is good, and these conversions align with a positive trend in the Catholic Church. After a 20-year decline in conversions, the Catholic Church has experienced a surge in new members since 2020. Converts in 2025 more than <a href="https://www.osvnews.com/trending-a-young-revival-in-the-faith/">doubled</a> those in 2020. Even Los Angeles <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/news/easter-2025-new-catholics-by-the-numbers?utm_source=chatgpt.com">experienced a 44% year-over-year growth in 2025</a>. The word “Gospel” comes from the Greek “euangelion,” which means “good news.” This is the good news.
But it comes with some tension. Some of the largest converts leverage their massive online followings and media audiences to proclaim their conversions to the world. Algorithms reward visibility, announcement, and identity signaling. This actually fits perfectly into conversion, which is declarative, shareable, and witnessed by an audience.
But this contrasts sharply with Holy Week, which is quiet, uncomfortable, and non-performative in its nature. This week is about ensuring we don’t skip the part of our faith that actually defines it. Today’s culture emphasizes performance, but Holy Week emphasizes discernment. Rather than partaking in passive activities such as sitting and scrolling, Catholics are taught to participate in Holy Week. Mass attendees take part in the full reading of the Passion on Palm Sunday, and we fast, abstain, and worship on Good Friday.
So, I’m urging my fellow Catholics — and specifically, my fellow converts — not to squander this week but to embrace the elements of our faith that actually define it. To bridge the gap between “becoming a Catholic” and what the faith actually asks of you.
I’ll never forget my first Holy Week. I was confused about what could be “good” about the Friday on which Christ was crucified, not knowing that good means “holy” and this was the day his suffering delivered redemption and his death gave us life. In my early years of conversion, Holy Week was something I observed, but over time, it has become something I live.
Easter aligns with cultural preferences for joy, victory, and public celebrations. This fits into our modern instincts of resolution, progress, and clean endings. While social media favors identity over transformation and announcement over discipline, there are very few hashtags for silence, repentance, and interior change. You can “like” Easter. You can post Easter.
But Easter without Good Friday is incomplete. Good Friday requires a specific tone that would be punished in any online algorithm. Two days before the culmination of Lent, we emphasize silence and a reflective slowness. There is no spectacle or performative payoff. You spend a day sitting with the heavy responsibility of carrying the faith forward. For me, my first Good Friday was quite dark. The kids were off from school, but this was no vacation. Good Friday is a day to log spiritual hours.
My fellow Catholic and friend Arthur Brooks has made a career out of proving that <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/arthur-brooks-why-your-perfect-life-feels-so-empty">“meaning” is a key ingredient to a happy life.</a> Holy Week gives meaning to our Catholic faith, and we should use this week to help accelerate the positive conversion trends in our church. It’s good that people are coming in, but it can’t stop at one’s announcement. Interest must lead to commitment. The internet can celebrate conversion, but only real life can sustain it. Jesus Christ’s faith doesn’t fit neatly into our algorithms today. If that’s where your faith is performing best, you may have skipped the part that actually changes you.
Pope John Paul II often discussed the divided life. He cautioned against separating spiritual values from one’s daily actions and promoted a unified life fixed in God’s eternal love. This is a message I hope my fellow converts will heed — especially those who lead <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-a-social-media-influencer-but-my-real-audience-isnt-the-internet">very public lives</a>, reaching audiences far larger than any single congregation or diocese. I pray they are participating in all of the activities of Holy Week, not just outwardly, but internally. Like prayer, Holy Week is an external sign of inward grace. And our culture is craving grace right now.
I’ll let Jesus in Matthew 16:24-25 have the last word: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it.”
***
Gates Garcia is the host of the YouTube show and podcast We The People with Gates Garcia. Follow him on X and Instagram @GatesGarciaFL.

GettyImages-2218768175

More Americans Are Finding Faith, But Social Media Is Changing What That Looks Like

Christianity

Faith

Social Media

Upstream

The Trump administration thanked Israel for taking steps to ensure that Catholic Church officials still had access to Christian sites during Holy Week after a back-and-forth over access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that the Trump administration had intially expressed &#8220;concern&#8221; after the Palm Sunday incident, but said they appreciated steps taken by Israeli police to resolve the conflict.
&#8220;We did express our concerns with Israel, with respect to these holy sites being shut down. We want worshipers to be able to access these holy sites,&#8221; Leavitt said during Monday&#8217;s press briefing. &#8220; Of course, safety is a top priority, but we understand Israel is working on those security measures to reopen the sites throughout Holy Week, and that&#8217;s something that we&#8217;re appreciative of.&#8221;
Earlier on Monday, Catholic Church authorities and Israeli police said Monday they had “resolved” a dispute to allow access to religious sites in Jerusalem. 
The announcement comes after officials representing the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/israel-blocks-catholic-cardinal-from-holy-site-on-palm-sunday-over-safety-concerns?author=Drew+Berkemeyer&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Israel+Blocks+Catholic+Cardinal+From+Holy+Site+On+Palm+Sunday+Over+Safety+Concerns">said</a> police blocked them from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Israeli authorities pointed to safety concerns, noting that shrapnel from Iranian missile attacks had fallen near the church in recent days. 
Israeli police said “a mutual framework has been established for upcoming Easter ceremonies,” adding that events would be scaled back.
“Due to the complex security reality of Operation ‘Roaring Lion,’ ceremonies including the ‘Holy Fire’ will be held in a symbolic, limited format,&#8221; police said. &#8220;This coordination ensures that freedom of worship is maintained alongside our shared, primary duty: the protection of human life.”
Officials added that Iranian missile debris had recently impacted areas within Jerusalem&#8217;s Old City, prompting restrictions. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
An Iranian missile exploded over Jerusalem’s Old City. Its fragments fell on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Armenian Patriarchate, the Jewish Quarter and on the Temple Mount near the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Iranian regime is firing missiles toward Jerusalem’s holy sites,… <a href="https://t.co/8vKyURiGVW">pic.twitter.com/8vKyURiGVW</a>
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) <a href="https://twitter.com/Israel/status/2033586841387970642?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land also released a statement saying “that the matters concerning the Holy Week and Easter celebrations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre have been addressed and resolved in coordination with the relevant authorities.”
They added that, given the ongoing war, limits on public gatherings will remain in place, with services &#8220;broadcast live to the faithful in the Holy Land and throughout the world.&#8221;
“It is our hope that appropriate arrangements will continue to be found, enabling prayer to take place in places of worship, particularly in the Holy Places of all religions, in a manner that respects both legitimate safety needs and the religious observances and prayers that are of profound importance to hundreds of millions of believers,&#8221; the statement said.
Photos from earlier this month show shrapnel from Iranian missiles landing near several religious sites in Jerusalem&#8217;s Old City, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Armenian Patriarchate, the Jewish Quarter, and on the Temple Mount. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Here is a photo of the giant shrapnel fragment that fell beside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre earlier today. <a href="https://t.co/Hh3Mq2OyDK">pic.twitter.com/Hh3Mq2OyDK</a>
— Marc Zell &#8211; מארק צל (@GOPIsrael) <a href="https://twitter.com/GOPIsrael/status/2033613530088271914?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
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MixCollage-30-Mar-2026-07-53-AM-6693

Trump Admin Weighs In On Access To Christian Sites During Holy Week

Easter

Jerusalem

Since 2021, more than 80 churches across Canada have suffered <a href="https://ccrl.ca/">arson attacks</a>. The most recent casualty is the <a href="https://x.com/RebelNewsOnline/status/2036815655941353570">reported</a> fire at the historic Christ Church Anglican in Maugerville, New Brunswick.
If Canadian media covers the fires at all, they will claim a total of 30 to 35 churches have burned across Canada, meaning churches that have burned entirely to the ground. The media will often use phrases like “arson is suspected” and “motives remain unclear.” By that description, one would think a Walmart had burned down. An attack on a house of God, however, is treated by the media as an incidental detail. This is not a stylistic tic — it is the prose of a society willfully blind to the crisis in which it is engulfed.
One need not be Socrates to see the obvious. These are not random accidents but episodes in a larger campaign: an open war being waged against the West. Our collective silence does not assuage it; it shields it and helps it spread.
Every Canadian understands, though few will confess publicly, that these burnings are half-applauded as revenge. Our previous prime minister <a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2024/01/18/church-burnings-canada-unmarked-graves-246978/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIt%20is%20sad%2C%E2%80%9D%20Horgan,%2C%20including%20against%20Catholic%20churches.%E2%80%9D">assured us</a> they are “understandable,” albeit regrettable, responses to the “discovery” of mass graves at residential schools. Except there is one problem: it was and is a lie.
Nevertheless, hints became headlines, headlines became dogma, and dogma became license.
<div id="attachment_1067267" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1067267" class="size-large wp-image-1067267" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/stat-can-1024x315.jpg" alt="Source: StatCan" width="1024" height="315" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/stat-can-1024x315.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/stat-can-300x92.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/stat-can-768x236.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/stat-can-1536x472.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/stat-can.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Source: StatCan</div>
To the Left, whether it corresponds to the truth is secondary to the permission it grants. It conceals under the guise of “justice” a hatred that long predates the tale. Much of what now presents itself as moral outrage is little more than repackaged hatred of Western civilization: of its God, its truth, and its nobility. Old resentments have now learned to call themselves righteous.
To refuse to name this as such is not neutrality but complicity. Consider Canada’s nominally Catholic Prime Minister, Mark Carney. He is known to thunder like a prophet when it comes to Trump or climate change. And yet here he is conspicuously silent. Indeed, he takes great pains to avoid invoking the terms “the West” or “Western civilization.” One gets the impression Mr. Carney prefers to deliver its eulogy rather than defend its inheritance.
This silence is instructive. It educates citizens, especially the young, that nothing is sacred, least of all its own civilization. Resentment, not reverence, becomes the proper orientation towards the highest things. Our enemies, both foreign and domestic, understand precisely what must be erased if the West is to be disarmed.
<div id="attachment_1067255" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1067255" class="size-large wp-image-1067255" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2156422264-1-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2156422264-1-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2156422264-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2156422264-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2156422264-1.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Toronto, ON &#8211; June 10: Investigators survey St. Anne&#8217;s as they begin to piece together what caused the fire. Historic St. Anne&#8217;s Anglican Church at 270 Gladstone Ave. was destroyed by a fire early on June 9th. (Photo by Nick Lachance/Toronto Star via Getty Images)</div>
These fires, however, did not begin in sanctuaries but in the seminar rooms of our universities. Our reigning orthodoxy and radical relativism, pushed by the Left, have filtered down through every institution: from our classrooms to our boardrooms and even our bathrooms. The church burnings are simply where theory meets action: where the lit match meets our steeples.
For decades, we have taught students that all ways of life are equal; that any claim to superiority is a disguised will to power; and that distinctions between noble and base, just and unjust, good and bad, and above all, true and false, are instruments of “oppression.” Relativism came promising peace. We were told that wars and persecutions arose from the conviction that one’s own way is best. Reduce all virtues to “values,” all truth to “opinions,” and civilization to “cultures,” and the source of conflict would dissolve. After all, if there is no truth, there is nothing over which to fight.
But relativism produced not gentle tolerance but a new and fanatical intolerance. “Everything is relative” except, of course, relativism. This alone is absolute and unquestionable. The one unforgivable sin is precisely what the West at its best affirms: that our way of life is superior not by race or conquest, but because it is true; therefore, it is good, just, and noble.
For these radicals, the West represents a rival claim to their tyrannical rule. The West does not simply assert that it is true: we boldly proclaim it is true by both God and nature. Our founding is constituted by the twin roots of Jerusalem and Athens: biblical revelation and reason. Despite their differences, both converge on the same point: there is the Truth; there is a best way of life; and there is a standard that stands both outside and above us.
This is why our churches must burn. Our steeples are the most visible symbol of the biblical half of our inheritance. It is no wonder these steeples were once the highest structures in cities and towns, rising above parliaments, banks, and homes. Our steeples served as silent reminders guiding our eyes, and with them our souls, upward to the highest things, higher than political power, commerce, or comfort.
When the Christian claims that Jesus is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” it is a living rebuke to these radicals. It not only condemns them as inferior or unequal, but exposes them as false. The Church testifies that there is an order and law greater than ourselves and accessible to all through our reason: we are neither our own Creators nor legislators. For leftist radicals, this is intolerable. For, when there is God and Truth, then everything is not permissible.
<div id="attachment_1067257" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1067257" class="size-large wp-image-1067257" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2156422018-864x576.jpg" alt="Toronto, ON - June 10: St. Anne's Reverend Don Beyers looks towards the remains of his church. Historic St. Anne's Anglican Church at 270 Gladstone Ave. was destroyed by a fire early on June 9th. (Photo by Nick Lachance/Toronto Star via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2156422018-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2156422018-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2156422018-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2156422018.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Nick Lachance/Toronto Star via Getty Images</div>
Our American friends should not delude themselves into thinking this is some uniquely Canadian phenomenon. The same doctrine, the same hatred for the West, and the same fanatics are already entrenched in your universities, bureaucracies, and halls of power. They look north and see not an aberration but a guiding model. Given the opportunity, they would happily bury your churches under ashes, too.
And yet, our enemies pay us great compliments. Hatred and resentment always look upwards: inadvertently, they betray our superiority. If we were truly inferior, the proper orientation would be pity or indifference. Confident victors do not waste precious time and energy making war against defeated opponents. One does not attempt to murder a corpse.
In this way, we owe our enemies thanks. The vehemence of their rage is proportional to the threat they perceive. Our enemies declare that the West is not dead: it is alive and well and remains the greatest obstacle to the tyranny they wish to institute. Our enemies understand this; it is we who have forgotten.
The proper response is not to hide or to apologize for existing, but to regain a seriousness equal to that of our opponents. If they judge this way of life dangerous enough to burn, then it is time we judged it once more worthy of living and of defending in full.
* * *
Dimpee Brar currently serves as the Director of Engagement for Allies for a Strong Canada. She is a writer whose work can be found in the Federalist, the Western Standard, and the Toronto Sun. She appears frequently on various podcasts and radio shows. You can follow her on X: @isthisdimpeeb

Catholic church in Morinville destroyed by fire

Churches Are Burning, And The Lie Fueling It Still Holds

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The following is an edited transcript from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mks-ep-1938-sub?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">The Michael Knowles Show</a>.
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Lego has just <a href="https://tribune.com.pk/story/2598968/legos-biggest-set-yet-leaks-with-12000-pieces">announced</a> its largest Lego set ever. 
And in our culture, what would you expect that Lego set to be? The pride progress flag? What would you expect it to be — some big lib thing? Maybe even the &#8220;Kamala Sitting Under a Coconut Tree&#8221; set?
Do you know what it is? It’s a Catholic church.
The largest Lego set ever — some 12,060 bricks priced around $600 — is The Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona, Spain.
This is good news for the culture. We’re not done yet.
The hottest toy that’s coming out this year is of a Catholic church that has been under construction for — what — 140 years now? They started building this thing in March of 1882. It’s not even completed yet. It’s expected to be completed in 2034.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mks-ep-1938-sub?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-1054531 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MK-watch-now-1-1024x171.jpg" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MK-watch-now-1-1024x171.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MK-watch-now-1-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MK-watch-now-1-768x128.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MK-watch-now-1-1536x256.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MK-watch-now-1.jpg 1800w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
This is such good news, in the abstract, that I’m willing to overlook the fact that this church is one of the ugliest buildings ever constructed. It is so bad. 
I had the privilege of visiting Spain once and got to see The Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona — and it’s pretty ugly. It looks like a melted anthill or some kind of weird distorted honeycomb.
It’s supposed to be kind of like a neo-Gothic church, like all those great Gothic churches of Europe. But it’s weird because it’s modern. Construction started in the late 19th century, and then continued for a long time — these cathedrals can take centuries — and as other people took over, it somehow got even worse.
<div id="attachment_1065731" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1065731" class="size-large wp-image-1065731" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-1236701325-864x576.jpg" alt="BARCELONA, CATALONIA, SPAIN - 2021/11/20: A lego reproduction of the temple of the Sagrada Família by Antoni Gaudí is seen inside the new store.The Danish construction toy company LEGO has opened a new store on Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona inspired by the work of the modernist architect Antoni Gaudi. The 800 m2 makes it the brand's third largest store after New York and China. (Photo by Paco Freire/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-1236701325-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-1236701325-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-1236701325-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-1236701325.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Paco Freire/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images</div>
Now, when you go inside, however, it’s quite stunning. It’s still a little too weird for me to say it’s beautiful, but it is stunning — the way the glass reflects the light. Really stunning.
But it’s just ugly to look at. It&#8217;s not as ugly as sin, but it’s ugly.
And yet — we’ll take the &#8220;W&#8221;. We’ll take the win.
I am confident I will be pilloried from all sides for this — the people who say I’m a Philistine for not appreciating the modern basilica, the people who say I’m too religious not to be focused on a toy church — I don’t care. I’m going to take the win.
But let’s not lie to ourselves. Let’s use our our taste, our real intelligence — not artificial intelligence — and say it’s not ugly.
Listen, Lego could have done the Cathedral of Chartres.
They could have done Notre-Dame de Paris.
They could have —
But no matter. I’ll take the win.

The Sagrada Familia cross is now fully revealed

Lego’s Biggest Set Ever Takes An Unexpected Turn And It’s A Win For Tradition

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