Adapted from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1560-rfk-jr-trump-join-forces-against-the-woke-left" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“The Michael Knowles Show,”</a> August 26, 2024.
Starts: 29:04
The Free Press published an excellent article over the weekend by my friend Maddy Kearns, who has been on my <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-michael-knowles-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">show</a> a number of times. I saw it at the top of the Drudge Report; it’s gone absolutely viral. Kearns’ piece is about women wearing veils at church — quite a niche issue. So why on earth would this make it to the top of the Drudge Report? Why would it go viral? Because it speaks to something really profound that is happening in religion and in politics.
The <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/the-young-catholic-women-bringing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article</a>, “The Young Catholic Women Bringing Back Veils: A new generation of worshippers is longing for a ‘lost type of Catholicism’,” explores why young Catholic women have begun wearing veils in church in recent years. While Catholics are not the only ones who wear veils or cover their heads at church, we are most often the ones thought of first. Veil wearing comes from <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20corinthians%2011&amp;version=NIV" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1 Corinthians, chapter 11, verse 4</a>: “Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved.” More broadly, the first letter to the Corinthians is about the relation of man to woman and man to God, and it explains how we can symbolize this in our lives.
But in the 1960s, a radical shift occurred inside the Catholic Church, outside the Catholic Church, and in secular society that it would be a good idea to sever our connection to the past. This shift was not solely supported by the hippies in drum circles with flowers in their hair. This happened in every institution throughout the West. Even in the most enduring and ancient institution in the world, the Catholic Church, a major liturgical reform took place. They upended the mass of the ages and the way the mass had been celebrated for at least 1,400 years — and really even earlier than that. They just kind of upended the past, which involved some radical changes, including encouraging women to stop wearing veils.
Now people are realizing that there is usually a reason that things that endure for millennia endure. Maybe when a tradition persists for many centuries or millennia, there is a reason. Maybe we do not have a sufficient stock of reason that we can just reinvent the world anew so that it will be much better, as though that would be an advisable thing to do. Maybe those older generations knew something that we do not; maybe we are not that perfectly intelligent. Maybe we are not even as intelligent as our grandparents were. And maybe we need to return to tradition. Maybe that would benefit us.
Maybe that is actually the way forward. It is not the way back. It is not regression because tradition is not some dusty old thing. There are plenty of dusty old things that have popped up in history that eventually fell away because they just did not have staying power. That is not what tradition is. In fact, that is what fads are. That is what radical innovation is. All those dusty old things that have been left in the dustbin of history all the way in the past? Those were fads; those were fashions. They were some supposedly genius ideas from some radical who wanted to upend everything — and then they didn&#8217;t work.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1560-rfk-jr-trump-join-forces-against-the-woke-left" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Michael Knowles Show</a></h4>
Tradition is not the oldest thing. Tradition is, in some ways, the newest thing, or at least we would say the most enduring. It is what links the past and the present and the future. Maybe there is a reason that Christians have acted as they have acted, believed as they have believed, and lived as they have lived for millennia. Maybe there is a connection.
The Latin phrase lex orandi lex credendi means the way we worship influences the way we believe. Religion is not just a thing you do in your head and you ignore that you have a body in time and space. Religion is a thing that you do. You worship God. There is a difference between praying on your knees, praying sitting down, or praying while you&#8217;re driving. There&#8217;s a difference between saying a prayer you just invented yesterday or saying the Lord&#8217;s Prayer. Our Lord tells us in the Gospels <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206%3A9-13&amp;version=NIV" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how to pray</a>: “Our father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, On earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” He tells you how to do it.
Then, going all the way back to the Apostolic Age, the Church in her wisdom established ways in which we can pray. And that&#8217;s going to affect the way we believe. If you receive the Eucharist on the tongue kneeling, you&#8217;re going to believe something about what the Eucharist, the Holy Communion, is. If you are just driving in your car and you stick your hand out like you&#8217;re going through the McDonald&#8217;s drive thru, that is also going to affect the way that you believe because we&#8217;re incarnate creatures and that&#8217;s going to affect the way that you live too.
Maybe these young women who want to return to wearing veils realize something has been lost. Maybe they realize that all the innovation that was supposed to free us and make everything better has actually made things worse. Maybe the real update we need right now is to return to the faith as it was practiced for nearly two thousand years.

small catholic church

Returning To The Faith: Tradition As The Way Forward

Bible

Catholic Church

Catholicism

Faith

Michael Knowles

Opinion

Scripture

Women

Pope Francis reportedly expressed his opposition to gay men becoming priests during a meeting with Roman priests this week, which comes only a couple weeks after he made similar remarks during a closed-door meeting.
Francis, 87, <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/06/12/world-news/pope-francis-repeats-gay-slur-just-weeks-after-apologizing-for-using-it-reports/">reportedly</a> said that &#8220;there is an air of frociaggine in the Vatican&#8221; and that those who are gay should not be admitted into seminaries. According to the Washington Post, the word &#8220;frociaggine&#8221; roughly translates to &#8220;fa***tness&#8221; in the Roman Italian dialect.
The Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/06/11/pope-repeats-gay-slur/">reported</a> that Francis made the remarks while meeting with approximately 200 priests at Rome’s Salesian Pontifical University.
While speaking about the “danger of ideologies in the Church”,  he reportedly “reiterated the need to welcome and accompany gay men in the Church” but indicated they should not be allowed into priesthood.
Francis made nearly identical <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pope-francis-rails-against-gay-priests-in-training-theres-already-too-much-fatry-in-seminaries">remarks</a> during a private address to Catholic bishops in May while railing against the number of gay priests who were in training.
He reportedly made the remarks in the context of proposals from Italian bishops about changes they want to see in guidelines determining the candidates that seminaries accept.
He reportedly said that he was opposed to letting in candidates who were leading a “double life” by claiming to be celibate while secretly being gay, The Telegraph <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/05/27/pope-francis-reported-derogatory-phrase-homosexuals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
He said that there was “already too much fa***try” in seminaries, according to numerous translations of his speech, which was in Italian.
CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/27/europe/pope-francis-accused-homophobic-slur-intl-latam/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that Francis in 2016 upheld the Vatican’s ruling in 2005 that the Catholic church cannot allow the ordination of gay men. In 2018, he told Italian bishops “not to accept gay candidates for the priesthood,” the report added.
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However, the Vatican backtracked on his comments late last month after they were leaked to the press and some backlash ensued online.
“The Pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he extends his apologies to those who felt offended by the use of a term, as reported by others,” the Vatican said in a May statement. “As he (Pope Francis) has said on several occasions, ‘in the Church there is room for everyone, everyone! No one is useless, no one is superfluous, there is room for everyone. Just as we are, everyone.’”

Vatican Pool Images 2024

Pope Francis Reportedly Opposes Gay Men In Priesthood: There’s ‘Fa***tness In The Vatican’

Pope Francis

Religion

World

On Friday night, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-chiefs-kicker-harrison-butker-breaks-silence-says-he-will-continue-to-be-unapologetic-catholic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gave a speech</a> in Nashville at the “Courage Under Fire” gala fundraiser event for Regina Caeli Academy, a Catholic homeschool organization. The speech was Butker’s first public remarks following his viral commencement speech at Benedictine College where he championed Catholic values, causing a leftist meltdown.
The Daily Wire was on hand for Butker’s Friday speech. Below is transcript of his remarks lightly edited for clarity:
Good evening everyone. Thank you for being here in support of Regina Caeli Academy. It&#8217;s been great to see a lot of friends here tonight and to meet so many of the families that attend our centers across the country. Going into my second year as a board member, I can tell you there is an exciting future ahead with plans for expansion and new leadership. It&#8217;s safe to say that RCA has the potential to lay a solid foundation for a legion of future saints.
Thank you to Charlie McKinney for joining us on the journey and for hitting the ground running from day one. I especially would like to recognize Nicole Juba for her years of dedication to RCA and its mission. She&#8217;s provided a steady hand over many years, and I know I speak on behalf of the entire board when I say that we are thankful for her leadership.
Lastly, this night has been made possible because one woman has tirelessly dedicated herself to its success. Thank you, Alissa Walsh, for the many hours you and your team have worked to make tonight possible.
Lastly, I would like to recognize Canon Commons and Father Acres for being here and supporting RCA. The fraternity and the institute have both been instrumental in my formation as a husband and as a father.
The theme for tonight&#8217;s gala, “Courage Under Fire,” was decided many months ago, but it now feels providential that this would be the theme after what we have all witnessed these past two weeks. If it wasn&#8217;t clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now. Over the past few days, my beliefs &#8212; or what people think I believe &#8212; have been the focus of countless discussions around the globe.
At the outset, many people expressed a shocking level of hate, but as the days went on, even those who disagreed with my viewpoints shared their support for my freedom of religion. In my seven years in the NFL, I&#8217;ve become familiar with the positive and negative comments, but the majority of them revolve around my performance on the field.
But, as to be expected, the more I&#8217;ve talked about what I value most, which is my Catholic faith, the more polarizing I have become. It&#8217;s a decision I&#8217;ve consciously made and one I do not regret at all. If we have truth and charity, we should trust in the Lord&#8217;s providence and let the Holy Ghost do the rest of the work.
Our love for Jesus and thus our desire to speak out should never be outweighed by the longing of our fallen nature to be loved by the world. Glorifying God and not ourselves should always remain our motivation despite any pushback or even support. I lean on those closest to me for guidance, but I can never forget that it is not people, but Jesus Christ who I am trying to please.
I&#8217;m humbled by the support I&#8217;ve received from all walks of life, but I can&#8217;t help but tremble at the thought of the courage many saints have shown in their lives. Would I be so bold if the repercussion was what Daniel faced in being fed to lions? In reality, any courage I&#8217;ve shown will lead to some small suffering and it will lead to some people maybe never liking me, but that could be God&#8217;s will.
If I constantly remind myself of the hardships the saints went through, especially the martyrs in their persecution, it makes it all seem not so bad. For if heaven is our goal, we should embrace our cross however large or small it may be and live our life with joy to be a bold witness for Christ.
My hope is that tonight&#8217;s theme and RCA&#8217;s mission will embolden others that many more will be unapologetic of their Catholic faith and never be afraid to speak out for truth, even when it goes against the loudest voices. In the end, being courageous starts with the small things. Being disliked and mischaracterized by some is nothing compared to finding yourself in a lion’s den. Thank you.
Lastly, it&#8217;s great to see my friend, President Steve Minnis. I would be remiss if I didn&#8217;t thank him for his courage and his friendship. Thank you again for being here tonight. To the heights.
WATCH: 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Harrison Butker Speaks Out: No Regrets, No Apologies" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9wJEsz2JdpI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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READ IT: Harrison Butker’s Full Speech At The ‘Courage Under Fire’ Gala In Nashville

Harrison Butker

Kansas City Chiefs

Nashville

U.S.

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pope-francis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pope Francis</a> reportedly railed against the number of gay priests-in-training during a private address to Catholic bishops last week that leaked to Italian news organizations this week.
Francis, 87, allegedly made the remarks in the context of proposals that were being made from Italian bishops about changes they want to see made on guidelines determining the candidates that seminaries accept.
He reportedly said that he was opposed to letting in candidates who were leading a “double life” by claiming to be celibate while secretly being gay, The Telegraph <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/05/27/pope-francis-reported-derogatory-phrase-homosexuals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
He said that there was “already too much fa***try” in seminaries, according to numerous translations of his speech, which was in Italian.
CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/27/europe/pope-francis-accused-homophobic-slur-intl-latam/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that Francis in 2016 upheld the Vatican&#8217;s ruling in 2005 that the Catholic church cannot allow the ordination of gay men. In 2018, he told Italian bishops &#8220;not to accept gay candidates for the priesthood,&#8221; the report added.
However, the Vatican backtracked on his comments from last week after they were leaked to the press and some backlash ensued online.
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“The Pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he extends his apologies to those who felt offended by the use of a term, as reported by others,” the Vatican said in a Tuesday statement. “As he (Pope Francis) has said on several occasions, ‘in the Church there is room for everyone, everyone! No one is useless, no one is superfluous, there is room for everyone. Just as we are, everyone.’”

Vatican Apologizes After Pope Francis Says There’s ‘Too Much Fa***try’ In Seminaries

Homosexuality

LGBTQ

A 16-year-old male gunman was stopped by parishioners and arrested by police officers after he entered a Louisiana Catholic church during Mass on Saturday. The incident occurred during a Mass celebrating a group of children’s first holy communion at St. Mary Magdalen church in Abbeville in southern Louisiana.
No one was injured during the incident.
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USA
An anti Catholic terrorist was arrested after entering a Catholic Church with a rifle, intending to massacre children and families during a First Holy Communion ceremony in Abbeville, Louisiana <a href="https://t.co/5MI36mq20t">pic.twitter.com/5MI36mq20t</a>
&mdash; Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) <a href="https://twitter.com/CatholicArena/status/1789773607897305169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;This morning, our First Communion ceremony was interrupted when a suspicious person opened the back door,&#8221; St. Mary Magdalen church said in a statement, KGET <a href="https://www.kget.com/national-news/video-parishioners-stop-teen-with-gun-from-entering-louisiana-church/">reported</a>. &#8220;The individual was immediately confronted by parishioners, escorted outside and the police were called.&#8221;
Officers with the Abbeville Police Department apprehended and arrested the teen and then checked inside the church to make sure there was no additional danger.
&#8220;This understandably caused panic. While we realize this was a frightening experience for those in attendance, we are incredibly grateful to both parishioners and police officers for acting quickly to ensure the safety of all,&#8221; the church said.
Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are involved in the investigation.
The suspect was questioned at a police station with a parent present and then taken to a hospital behavioral unit to be medically evaluated, the Abbeville Police Department said.
The teen has been charged with “terrorizing” as well as with two counts of possession of a firearm by a juvenile, police said.
The terrifying incident was captured on a church camera that was streaming the Mass online. A man ascends the altar and whispers to the priest, who then asks the parishioners to sit down and join him in prayer and begins reciting Hail Marys. Several men walk around near the front pews, frequently looking towards the back of the church.
Moments later, parishioners can be seen panicking, screaming, and grabbing their small children as police enter the church. The priest continued to pray but was drowned out by the crowd. He and several priests duck behind the altar during the chaos, and altar boys can be seen running across the altar.
&#8220;So guys, just get ahold of your child. Go slowly. We did apprehend a young man. He is in custody. He is in the police&#8217;s custody. Calm down and just get next to your child and go slowly,&#8221; a man can be heard telling the crowd on a microphone.
The church said it will have law enforcement at all upcoming Masses as a precaution.
St. Mary Magdelen church is part of Vermilion Parish and is located about 21 miles southwest of Lafayette.

Catholic eucharistic liturgy.

Teen Gunman Stopped After Entering Louisiana Catholic Church During Mass

Catholic

Freedom of Religion

Gun Violence

Louisiana

Religious Freedom

In what has become a viral video, a hard-line Catholic bishop accused <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Biden</a>, who claims to be a “practicing Catholic,” of mocking the Catholic faith.
The Catholic bishop of Springfield, Illinois, Thomas John Paprocki, published a video titled, “Biden Mocks Our Catholic Faith,” in which he discussed heresy, apostasy, and schismatic behavior.
Paprocki noted that Biden promised in his State of the Union Address in March that he would do what he could to restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land.
Paprocki continued by noting a later incident in which he said Biden acted in a sacrilegious manner. Paprocki stated:
<blockquote>
Last month on April 23, Biden compounded his support for the sin of abortion by making the sign of the cross during an abortion rally in Tampa, Florida. According to news reports describing the incident, Biden made the sign of the cross while a Biden supporter onstage criticized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for signing a bill into law reducing the time from which an abortion in the state would be legal from 15 to six weeks of gestation. With Biden standing next to Florida Democratic Party chairwoman Nikki Fried, she said, “And then we come back here to the state of Florida where 15 weeks wasn’t good enough, so we had to go to six weeks,” referring to the new limit until which abortion is allowed under state law. As soon as Fried said, “wasn’t good enough,” Biden began to cross himself with the sign of the cross.
</blockquote>
Paprocki quoted Bishop José Ignacio Munilla of the Orihuela-Alicante Diocese in Spain, saying that making the sign of the cross in support of abortion constitutes a “sacrilegious” gesture and “the desecration of the sign of the cross,” that to use the sign of the cross as Biden did was to “invoke the cross in a sacrilegious manner.”
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“I fully support Bishop Munilla and agree with what he said,” Paprocki stated. “To misuse this sacred gesture is to make a mockery of our Catholic faith. The Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians says, ‘Make no mistake. God is not mocked.’”
 In an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdyA1tP7ORU">interview</a> conducted after the release of his video, Paprocki explained:
<blockquote>
Heresy is the denial, or the obstinate doubt about some truth that is to be believed with divine or Catholic faith. &#8230; If you reject something like the Ten Commandments, that’s revealed by God. That’s divinely revealed; God gave Moses the Ten Commandments to give to the people of Israel and to all of us. &#8230; If a person says, “I don’t think adultery’s that big a deal, I reject the teaching,” basically saying, “I reject the Sixth Commandment and therefore I don’t think adultery’s the problem,” now you’re rejecting something that’s divinely revealed. In that case, you’re entering the area of something that would be considered heretical.
Part of the big problem with what President Biden has been saying is, in effect, he’s rejecting at least part of the Fifth Commandment, which says, “Thou shall not kill.” And he seems to be saying he has no problem with killing babies in the womb.
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President Biden Departs The White House For Delaware

Bishop Accuses Biden Of Mocking Catholic Faith In Viral Video

Abortion

Bishop Thomas Paprocki

Joe Biden

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/rihanna">Rihanna</a> is facing a mountain of backlash following the debut of her cover photo on Interview magazine, which features the singer dressed as a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/catholicism">nun</a> and posing in a provocative manner.
The image in question features the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/entertainment">Grammy Award</a>&#8211;winning singer wearing a nun’s habit, an unbuttoned white shirt, bright blue eyeshadow, and red lipstick. Small cross tattoos can be seen on Rihanna’s face and neck. The title of the <a href="https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/rihanna-is-ready-to-confess">interview</a> is &#8220;Rihanna Is Ready to Confess.&#8221; 
The backlash online included many commenters pointing out how often Christianity is mocked compared to other religions. 
“Rihanna mocks Catholics. She’d never try this with Islam,” conservative commentator Chad Prather <a href="https://twitter.com/WatchChad/status/1777817839862178160">wrote</a> on X. “Teach your children not to admire, follow, or listen to morons like this.”
“Should Interview Magazine and Rihanna try a similar photoshoot with a hijab?” another commenter <a href="https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1777969302815035732">wondered</a>.
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Should Interview Magazine and Rihanna try a similar photoshoot with a hijab?<a href="https://t.co/9BIIQrzRlN">pic.twitter.com/9BIIQrzRlN</a>
&mdash; Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) <a href="https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1777969302815035732?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“That’s so brave Rihanna, now do Islam,” a third person <a href="https://twitter.com/1Fubar/status/1777972046179566034">added</a>.
The singer references God several times throughout the interview but doesn’t mention her faith or religion specifically. When asked how many kids she wants, Rihanna responds, “As many as God wants me to have.” The interviewer asks if that means more than two. She says, “I don’t know what God wants, but I would go for more than two. I would try for my girl. But of course if it’s another boy, it’s another boy.”
This isn&#8217;t the first time the singer has received backlash for using Catholic imagery. The singer wore a bustier dress, coat, and bishop&#8217;s hat to the &#8220;Heavenly Bodies&#8221; themed Met Gala in 2018.
Some X users also pointed out how Rihanna apologized for offending Muslims in the past but has never done the same for Christians.
In 2020, she thanked Muslim fans for “pointing out a huge oversight that was unintentionally offensive in our Savage X Fenty show.&#8221; Rihanna had included a song that featured an Islamic verse, known as a Hadith, in her fashion show.
&#8220;I would more importantly like to apologize to you for this honest, yet careless mistake. We understand that we have hurt many of our Muslim sisters and brothers, and I&#8217;m incredibly disheartened by this!&#8221; she said at the time. &#8220;I do not play with any kind of disrespect toward God or any religion and therefore the use of this song in our project was completely irresponsible!” she wrote at the time on Instagram stories, per <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/10/07/rihanna-apologizes-muslims-unintentionally-offensive-song/5907117002/">USA Today</a>.

Rihanna

Rihanna Dragged For Photoshoot Dressed As Nun: ‘Now Do Islam’

Christianity

Entertainment

Twitter

The Vatican reaffirmed the Catholic Church&#8217;s opposition to radical gender theory in a new document published Monday, saying sex change procedures threaten the &#8220;unique dignity&#8221; of a person.
The <a href="https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2024/04/08/240408c.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">document</a>, &#8220;Dignitas Infinita&#8221; or &#8220;Infinite Dignity,&#8221; was signed by Pope Francis and warns against &#8220;the age-old temptation to make oneself God.&#8221;
&#8220;Regarding gender theory, whose scientific coherence is the subject of considerable debate among experts, the Church recalls that human life in all its dimensions, both physical and spiritual, is a gift from God,&#8221; the Vatican document reads.
&#8220;Desiring a personal self-determination, as gender theory prescribes, apart from this fundamental truth that human life is a gift, amounts to a concession to the age-old temptation to make oneself God, entering into competition with the true God of love revealed to us in the Gospel,&#8221; the document says.
Biological sex and gender — &#8220;the socio-cultural role of sex&#8221; — can be &#8220;distinguished but not separated,&#8221; the Vatican said.
Radical gender theory is also problematic because it denies sexual difference, which threatens the family, the Vatican continued.
&#8220;In the male-female couple, this difference achieves the most marvelous of reciprocities,&#8221; the document reads. &#8220;It thus becomes the source of that miracle that never ceases to surprise us: the arrival of new human beings in the world.&#8221;
&#8220;Only by acknowledging and accepting this difference in reciprocity can each person fully discover themselves, their dignity, and their identity,&#8221; the Vatican said.
It is &#8220;unacceptable&#8221; that gender theory asserts itself as &#8220;absolute and unquestionable, even dictating how children should be raised,&#8221; the document says.
On medical sex change procedures, the Vatican reminded readers of the Church&#8217;s position that &#8220;humans are inseparably composed of both body and soul.&#8221;
&#8220;We are called to protect our humanity, and this means, in the first place, accepting it and respecting it as it was created,&#8221; the Vatican said. &#8220;It follows that any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception.&#8221;
The document also reaffirms the Church&#8217;s opposition to surrogacy, abortion, and euthanasia.
Surrogacy, in which a woman carries an unborn child for someone else, turns an &#8220;immensely worthy child&#8221; into a &#8220;mere object,&#8221; the Vatican said.
Pope Francis has previously called for a universal ban on surrogacy.
Monday&#8217;s document comes after a Vatican document released in November resulted in significant confusion around the Catholic Church&#8217;s position on trans-identifying people.
The November document intended to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/people-who-got-transgender-surgery-can-be-baptized-and-be-godparents-under-certain-conditions-vatican-clarifies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clarify</a> that people who previously received gender surgery or hormone treatment can be baptized and be godparents under certain conditions.
A person who has received gender surgery or hormone treatment can be baptized “under the same conditions as other believers,” the Vatican said.
On the godparent issue, the Vatican said that people who have undergone transgender medical treatment can serve as godparents, but &#8220;pastoral prudence demands that it not be permitted if there is a risk of scandal.&#8221;
In recent years, there has been much speculation about whether Pope Francis would change the Catholic Church’s approach to LGBT people.
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The Catholic Church <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/does-doctrine-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">never changes</a> its official doctrine, although it often clarifies particular points.
Transgender medical interventions such as puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and transgender surgeries like genital surgeries and double mastectomies have exploded in popularity in the last few years, first in Europe and, more recently, in the U.S.
Several European countries have begun to curb these transgender medical interventions for children, more and more of whom are seeking them out.
At least 24 U.S. states have also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sacramento-declares-itself-sanctuary-city-for-trans-identifying-people" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cracked</a> down on these medical interventions for minors.

Pope Francis Visits Sweden  – Day 1

Vatican Clarifies Opposition To Radical Gender Theory, Says It Threatens A Person’s ‘Unique Dignity’

Vatican Clarifies Opposition To Radical Gender Theory, Says It Threatens A Person's 'Unique Dignity'

Gender

The Vatican

Transgender

Vatican

Two prominent Christian groups sent a letter to Politico on Wednesday demanding an apology for a reporter&#8217;s viral comments about Christians that the groups called &#8220;deeply disturbing.&#8221;
The Family Research Council and Catholic Vote criticized Politico reporter Heidi Przybyla for &#8220;trying to demonize the Christian community&#8221; with her comment that only extremist &#8220;Christian nationalists&#8221; believe human rights &#8220;come from God.&#8221;
The groups said Przybyla&#8217;s comments &#8220;demonstrated a disqualifying lack of knowledge of the United States of America’s founding documents and a profoundly prejudicial view toward American religious groups.&#8221;
Przybyla, Politico&#8217;s national investigative correspondent, made the controversial remarks during an appearance on MSNBC last week.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Amazing.
Politico National Investigative Correspondent <a href="https://twitter.com/HeidiReports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HeidiReports</a> says Christian Nationalists – but not Christians – are united by a belief &quot;that our rights as Americans, as all human beings, don&#39;t come from any earthly authority&#8230; They come from God” <a href="https://t.co/vSMWe1nedR">pic.twitter.com/vSMWe1nedR</a>
&mdash; Matt Wolking (@MattWolking) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWolking/status/1761103622648053996?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Przybyla said that the &#8220;base of the Republican Party has shifted&#8221; after former President Donald Trump attracted a &#8220;more extremist element,&#8221; including &#8220;Christian nationalists.&#8221;
&#8220;The thing that unites them as Christian nationalists — not Christians, by the way, because Christian nationalist is very different — is that they believe that our rights as Americans, as all human beings, don&#8217;t come from any earthly authority. They don&#8217;t come from Congress, they don&#8217;t come from the Supreme Court. They come from God,&#8221; said Przybyla.
This is a problem, Przybyla said, because it means &#8220;men are determining what God is telling them.&#8221;
She went on to say that &#8220;natural law&#8221; is a pillar of Catholicism and has been used for good in social justice campaigns such as Martin Luther King Jr.&#8217;s civil rights movement.
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&#8220;But now you have an extremist element of conservative Christians who say that this applies specifically to issues including abortion, gay marriage, and it&#8217;s going much further than that,&#8221; Przybyla said.
Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council and Brian Burch of Catholic Vote wrote in their letter to Politico that it is &#8220;deeply disturbing&#8221; that Przybyla seems &#8220;unaware of the opening of the Declaration of Independence or to its references of &#8216;the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.'&#8221;
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&#8220;Her statements constituted an attempt to spread misinformation about Christians by creating the perception that they hold unique beliefs that pose a distinct and, in her words &#8216;extremist,&#8217; threat to our country,&#8221; the Christian groups wrote. &#8220;Setting aside the inaccuracy of her commentary, she was manifestly trying to demonize the Christian community and sow fear through propaganda.&#8221;
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The letter added that Przybyla&#8217;s public platform where she can reach millions of people makes the situation even more disturbing.
Additionally, the groups said Przybyla has a &#8220;pattern&#8221; of singling out Christian organizations, as evidence by her recent articles.
&#8220;Rhetoric like Ms. Przybyla’s, which demonizes religious groups, is profoundly dangerous. It can motivate disturbed individuals who may be predisposed to commit violence against faith communities,&#8221; the groups wrote.
The groups said they believe Przybyla’s comments reflect a &#8220;pervasive bias&#8221; that prevents her from covering religious issues.
&#8220;Ms. Przybyla owes people of faith an apology, as does her employer. Politico must confirm that such offensive comments have no place within its organization,&#8221; the groups wrote.
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Meet the Press – Season 73

Christian Groups Demand Apology For Politico Reporter’s ‘Christian Nationalists’ Comments

Christian Groups Demand Apology For Politico Reporter's 'Christian Nationalists' Comments

Mainstream Media

Media

Politico

Could Generation Z — the generation currently in their teens and early 20s — be finding religion?
This week, a TikTok from the fall resurfaced showing a young girl who looks to be in her early 20s sitting alone in a large, empty church with her knees up as the sound of someone playing piano echoes through the cavernous space.
&#8220;2023 hit so hard I had to turn to religion,&#8221; reads the caption of the <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@dandanthexanman/video/7293440492614847777?_r=1&amp;_t=8ivWbBWsofu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a>, which was originally posted back in October.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
is the next vibe shift a Gen Z religious revival? 
this tiktok has 2.1M views &amp; 382k likes, with comments like:
“I started praying” “I got baptized” “I went to church last week for the first time in my life”
what’s going on? 🤔 <a href="https://t.co/IWbfXwFkGu">pic.twitter.com/IWbfXwFkGu</a>
&mdash; Danielle Vermeer (@DLVermeer) <a href="https://twitter.com/DLVermeer/status/1735711025087873040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2023</a></blockquote>
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A quick look at the comments casts doubt on the idea that the post might just be a joke.
The video has a whopping 385,000 likes and more than 8,000 comments, most of which are from other Zoomers saying they too have wandered into churches recently.
&#8220;For real. I went to a church last week for the first time in my life. I get it now,&#8221; someone wrote.
&#8220;No bc low-key this,&#8221; wrote another. (That means &#8220;I kind of identify with this,&#8221; in Gen Z speak for those of you who are not chronically online.)
&#8220;The way I went from basically atheist to praying every day and going to church w my family now,&#8221; posted another.
&#8220;Nah bc I randomly started praying consistently,&#8221; another wrote.
&#8220;So relatable I left the church at 15 and now I&#8217;m back as an adult because I&#8217;m so scared of life,&#8221; one girl wrote.
Two commenters said they were just recently crying and looking up nearby churches. Others expressed relief that they were not alone in their desire to become religious.
&#8220;This wasn&#8217;t only me oh my gosh?? I became religious this year and go to church every week. Loving it,&#8221; someone wrote.
&#8220;Ok so it&#8217;s not just me? I literally started the process of becoming catholic,&#8221; someone wrote.
&#8220;So is this a collective thing? Cus it&#8217;s so bad that I even went to church yesterday, I need a reason to keep going on life,&#8221; someone wrote.
At least four people commented that they recently got baptized. Several said they recently returned to the Catholic Church, and one said they &#8220;literally went to confession the other day.&#8221;
Other commenters wrote that they were thinking of going to church for &#8220;some sort of direction in my life,&#8221; and one girl said a &#8220;breakup pushed me to church.&#8221;
At one point, the girl who posted the video commented, &#8220;Imma keep showing up.&#8221;
Comments like this, written in telltale Zoomer lingo, go on and on. Just when you think the hate comments are around the corner, more Zoomers are posting that they went to church.
A few other TikToks <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mandymalake/video/7298004187340721441?_r=1&amp;_t=8ix2qKEexP5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">show</a> young people saying the same thing — that they started going to church last year, although those videos got fewer views.
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On paper, Gen Z is the least religious generation. Nearly half, 49% of Zoomers say they do not have a religious affiliation, <a href="https://religioninpublic.blog/2023/04/03/gen-z-and-religion-in-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a 2022 YouGov survey.
However, about a year ago another survey noted a surprising increase in young people saying they believe in God. About a third of people age 18 to 25 say they believe, more than doubt, the existence of a higher power, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-surprising-surge-of-faith-among-young-people-424220bd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a survey from the Springtide Research Institute. That&#8217;s up from only about a quarter of young people in 2021.
While belief in God does not necessarily translate to joining organized religion, some Zoomers commented on TikTok that they were drawn to church for the &#8220;peace and quiet.&#8221;
Back in April, a Los Angeles rabbi <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-surprising-surge-of-faith-among-young-people-424220bd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Wall Street Journal that more young adults were showing up to Friday night services at the synagogue.
In many more traditional Catholic parishes, the churches are <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/blog/3-reasons-why-young-catholics-love-latin-mass" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filled</a> with young people, including older Gen Z-ers who are already young parents with small children themselves.
Another driving force in these young people&#8217;s turn to religion could be Gen Z&#8217;s rampant anxiety.
More than 40% of 18 to 26-year-olds are diagnosed with a mental health condition, and 90% of the time it&#8217;s anxiety, <a href="https://www.harmonyhit.com/state-of-gen-z-mental-health/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a survey by Harmony Healthcare IT.
The pandemic sent the most anxious generation&#8217;s mental health further into a tailspin, isolating them and intensifying worries about finances and their loved ones.
In response to life&#8217;s stressors, some Zoomers say they <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-surprising-surge-of-faith-among-young-people-424220bd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are</a> searching for relief in something beyond themselves and that faith provides an answer.
Belief in God “gives you a reason for living and some hope,” an Iowa college student told the Journal last year. Some of the TikTok commenters said they ended up in church for this reason as well.
Whatever the reason Gen Z-ers are ending up in church, clearly the next generation has the same age-old longing for peace, meaning, and truth.

Last Minute Christmas Shopping in Birmingham

Is Gen Z Going Back To Church?

Culture

Generation Z

Jewish

Readers Pass

Pope Francis on Monday condemned the practice of using a surrogate mother to birth a child and called for a global ban on the practice.
The pope called surrogacy &#8220;despicable&#8221; during an annual foreign policy address to ambassadors of 184 countries.
“I consider despicable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child,&#8221; Francis <a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-surrogacy-vatican-russia-israel-ukraine-56acaa8500336db81ee18913a77ddc0f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
The pope <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-surrogacy-deplorable-practice-turns-child-into-object-trafficking/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> surrogacy exploits the surrogate mother&#8217;s financial situation and said an unborn child must not be “turned into an object of trafficking.”
He called for a global ban “to prohibit this practice universally.”
&#8220;A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract,&#8221; Francis said.
The Catholic Church prohibits couples from using a surrogate mother and teaches that conception must only occur through the marital act between husband and wife.
This is not the first time Francis has explicitly condemned surrogacy.
In 2022, he <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2024/01/08/pope-francis-describes-surrogacy-as-deplorable-calls-for-ban/?sh=665f958a3181" target="_blank" rel="noopener">condemned</a> the &#8220;inhumane and increasingly widespread practice&#8221; of a &#8220;uterus for rent,&#8221; saying it is almost always poor women who are exploited in this way and the unborn children are &#8220;treated as commodities.&#8221;
Surrogacy is legal in the U.S. but illegal in several other countries, including Spain and Italy.
The surrogacy process is an expensive one, in many cases <a href="https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/family-finance/articles/how-much-surrogacy-costs-and-how-to-pay-for-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">costing</a> upwards of $100,000, making it prohibitively expensive for many families. The idea of becoming a commercial surrogate is <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/07/womb-for-rent-more-women-are-working-in-commercial-surrogacy-industry.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attractive</a> to some low-income women.
American celebrities, including Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, Nick Jonas, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Jimmy Fallon, have all <a href="https://people.com/parents/celebrities-who-have-used-surrogates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hired</a> surrogates to carry and birth their babies.
In 2022, the global commercial surrogacy industry was estimated to be worth more than $14 billion, <a href="https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/surrogacy-market" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Global Market Insights.
The pope&#8217;s annual address to the countries with diplomatic relations with the Vatican, sometimes called his &#8220;State of the World&#8221; address, provides the pontiff with the opportunity to speak about the world’s current conflicts and injustices.
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Francis took that opportunity during his remarks Monday, naming several ongoing issues, including the “large-scale war waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine,” a more pointed comment on Russia&#8217;s role in the conflict than he usually offers.
The pope also discussed the Israel-Hamas war, the immigration crisis, climate change, artificial intelligence, Christian persecution, and antisemitism, among other issues.
He lamented that the new year comes at a time when peace is “increasingly threatened, weakened and in some part lost.”
&#8220;We must not forget that grave violations of international humanitarian law are war crimes,&#8221; Francis said.

Pope Calls For Global Ban On Surrogacy

Pregnancy

Shia LaBeouf received the Sacrament of Confirmation, completing his conversion to Catholicism, on Sunday, and the actor&#8217;s confirmation sponsor suggested LaBeouf may become a deacon &#8220;in the future.&#8221;
The 37-year-old actor was confirmed into the Catholic Church by Bishop Robert Barron on Dec. 31 at Old Mission Santa Inés Parish in Solvang, California, the <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256429/shia-labeouf-enters-catholic-church-considers-vocation-to-the-diaconate">Catholic News Agency</a> reported.
&#8220;We are thrilled to share that our dear friend Shia LaBeouf has fully entered the Church this past weekend through the sacrament of confirmation!&#8221; a post on the Capuchin Franciscans &#8211; Western American Province <a href="https://www.facebook.com/capuchinswest/posts/765820738923419?ref=embed_post">Facebook</a> read.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hollywood star Shia LaBeouf was received into the Catholic Church with the sacrament of confirmation by Winona-Rochester Bishop Robert Barron on Sunday evening. <a href="https://t.co/LTuD2sTZBC">https://t.co/LTuD2sTZBC</a>
— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) <a href="https://twitter.com/cnalive/status/1742624377038868546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2024</a></blockquote>
&#8220;The Capuchin Franciscan friars are overjoyed to welcome him into the fold and witness his deep commitment to his faith journey,&#8221; it added. &#8220;Shia LaBeouf, known for his incredible talent and passion in the entertainment industry, has embarked on a profound spiritual journey that has led him to embrace the teachings of the Catholic Church.&#8221;
&#8220;His decision to fully enter the Church is a testament to his sincere desire to grow in his relationship with God and live out the Gospel values,&#8221; the statement continued, asking for prayers for the actor &#8220;as he continues to deepen his faith and seek God’s guidance in his life.&#8221;
The post concluded with a message about LaBeouf&#8217;s journey possibly inspiring &#8220;others to explore their own spiritual paths and find solace in the loving embrace of the Church.&#8221;
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LaBeouf&#8217;s sponsor, Capuchin friar Brother Alexander Rodriguez, told the outlet that the actor has expressed an interest in becoming a deacon &#8220;sometime in the future.&#8221;
In 2022, LaBeouf appeared on &#8220;Bishop Barron Presents: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjxKG4mR3U4">Conversations at the Crossroads&#8221;</a> and talked about studying for his role as St. Padre Pio in the film &#8220;Padre Pio.&#8221;
The actor told Barron that the role led him to convert, admitting that he always had a belief, but no connection.
LaBeouf said he was &#8220;never an atheist,&#8221; but instead agnostic and credited &#8220;Pio&#8221; with saving his &#8220;life&#8221; at a time he described as &#8220;nuclear&#8221; because roles had dried up. In 2021, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/talent-agency-caa-no-longer-representing-actor-shia-labeouf">LaBeouf</a> was facing a variety of allegations, including abuse.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/shia-labeouf-discusses-role-that-lead-to-his-conversion-to-catholicism-saved-my-life" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shia LaBeouf Discusses Role That Led To His Conversion To Catholicism, ‘Saved My Life’</a>

2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards  – Arrivals

Shia LaBeouf’s Conversion To Catholicism Becomes Official. Confirmation Sponsor Says He May Take It Further.

Shia LaBeouf's Conversion To Catholicism Becomes Official. Confirmation Sponsor Says He May Take It Further.

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