At least four Catholic churches in four states were vandalized over the weekend in a string of attacks that have authorities wondering whether religious icons and statues are next to be targeted by anti-racism and &#8220;anti-fascist&#8221; protesters.
<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/church-fire-florida-california-statue-burned-police-investigation">Fox News reports</a> that churches in California, New York, Massachusetts, and Florida were all targeted by vandals, and several historic churches suffered major damage in arson attacks.
&#8220;A man in Florida plowed his vehicle into the Queen of Peace Catholic Church as it was preparing for morning Mass on Saturday, poured gasoline in the foyer, and then set the building on fire before driving off, the Marion County Sheriff&#8217;s Office reports,&#8221; according to Fox.
He was later arrested and told officers that he was on a &#8220;mission&#8221; to attack the church. He later admitted to suffering from a severe mental illness.
In Los Angeles, the historic San Gabriel Church, which was about to turn 250 years old, was targeted in an arson attack. In Boston, a statue of the Virgin Mary &#8212; a monument to veterans of World War II, displayed in the courtyard of a Catholic church there &#8212; was torched and desecrated.
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Fr. John Currie leans over to touch the Virgin Mary statue at St. Peter&#39;s Parish which was burned by vandals today on July 12, 2020 in Boston, MA. This is so sad 😔🙏 “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” &#8211; Jesus Christ <a href="https://twitter.com/forthemartyrs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@forthemartyrs</a> <a href="https://t.co/xYxxCTWcsF">pic.twitter.com/xYxxCTWcsF</a>
&mdash; The Catholic Connect Foundation (@catholiccaring) <a href="https://twitter.com/catholiccaring/status/1282519318547304449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
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A second statue of the Virgin Mary was desecrated on Sunday, this time in New York City, at the Cathedral Preparatory School and Seminary in Brooklyn.
“Obviously, this tragedy saddens us deeply but it also renews our hope and faith in the Lord as he has shown his goodness in the many people who have already reached out to us,” Fr. James Kuroly, the school&#8217;s rector, told Fox News. “We are sincerely grateful for the help we have received as well as the prayers. Please continue praying for those who committed this act of vandalism and hatred toward Our Lady and the Church.”
Massive protests, which cropped up after George Floyd&#8217;s death while in the custody of Minneapolis police, quickly gave way to riots, and since Memorial Day, a number of major cities have suffered large-scale violence. Places like New York City, Seattle, Portland, and Washington, D.C., have all played host to demonstrations that ended in arson, confrontations with police, and destruction of property.
Many of those protests are now targeting monuments. Initially, demonstrators were focused on statues of generals and other notable figures who supported the Confederacy during the civil war, but the movement has since added the Founding Fathers, former presidents, and several Catholic saints to their list of targets.
Although there does not appear to be a clear connection between the nine incidents from over the weekend, authorities are concerned that, particularly in light of statements made by <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/shaun-king-jesus-christ-statues-white-supremacy">activists like Shaun King</a> identifying religion and religious figures as a tool of &#8220;white supremacy,&#8221; religious institutions may also be targeted.
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san gabriel church

Catholic Churches Across The Country Burned, Vandalized Over The Weekend

Antifa

Catholic Church

Catholicism

Christianity

George Floyd

In a 7-2 decision, issued Wednesday, the Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration and the Little Sisters of the Poor, a group of Catholic nuns, in ruling that the administration acted properly when it extended an exemption from Obamacare&#8217;s birth control mandate to religious organizations.
The Affordable Care Act, or &#8220;Obamacare,&#8221; requires that employers of a certain size that offer health insurance subscribe to policies that allow workers to obtain birth control free of charge. But some religious groups &#8212; most notably, Catholics &#8212; object to the use of chemical birth control to prevent pregnancy, leaving Catholic and other religious employers in a situation of having to defy the edicts of their faith and openly pay for birth control for employees.
The exemption, issued by the Trump administration, allows religious employers to opt-out of the mandate, simply shifting the burden of paying for contraception to the employee.
The Little Sisters of the Poor, a group of Catholic nuns, have been the leading plaintiff on cases involving the Obamacare contraception mandate, and after achieving a previous, limited win at the Supreme Court, the group received a much larger victory Wednesday with seven of the nine justices agreeing that religious exemptions to the contraceptive mandate are proper.
&#8220;The court ruled 7-2 in favor of the Trump administration and the Catholic charity that cares for the elderly in two related disputes against Pennsylvania, which sued over the validity of a rule from the Trump administration that allowed religious-affiliated groups and some for-profit companies to opt-out of providing contraception coverage to employees,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/scotus-upholds-religious-exemptions-to-obamacare-contraception-coverage">Fox News reported</a>.
&#8220;The majority opinion, written by Justice Clarence Thomas, ruled that the Trump administration&#8217;s challenged rulemaking was aboveboard, and hailed the work of the Little Sisters of the Poor,&#8221; the outlet continued.
&#8220;For over 150 years, the Little Sisters have engaged in faithful service and sacrifice, motivated by a religious calling to surrender all for the sake of their brother,&#8221; Thomas wrote in the opinion. &#8220;But for the past seven years, they—like many other religious objectors who have participated in the litigation and rulemakings leading up to today’s decision— have had to fight for the ability to continue in their noble work without violating their sincerely held religious beliefs.&#8221;
&#8220;We hold today that the Departments had the statutory authority to craft that exemption, as well as the contemporaneously issued moral exemption. We further hold that the rules promulgating these exemptions are free from procedural defects,&#8221; he concluded.
Justices Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer sided with the court&#8217;s conservatives in the majority opinion, although they issued their own, separate explanation. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented.
Ginsburg was particularly incensed at the court&#8217;s ruling, accusing her colleagues of trampling women&#8217;s rights in pursuit of a religious agenda.
&#8220;Today, for the first time, the Court casts totally aside countervailing rights and interests in its zeal to secure religious rights to the nth degree,&#8221; Ginsburg wrote. &#8220;Destructive of the Women’s Health Amendment, this Court leaves women workers to fend for themselves, to seek contraceptive coverage from sources other than their employer’s insurer, and, absent another available source of funding, to pay for contraceptive services out of their own pockets.&#8221;
Kagan and Breyer were clear that they judged the Trump administration&#8217;s authority alone and made no comment on its impact on other, unenumerated rights.
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Activists Rally Outside Supreme Court Hearing On Religious Non-Profits Abiding To ACA

Supreme Court Sides With Trump Admin, Catholic Nuns In Obamacare Contraception Mandate Case

freedom of religion

Religion

Supreme Court

On Friday night, CNN host Chris Cuomo emphasized to viewers that they do not need &#8220;help from above&#8221; but can do the right thing and make changes in their communities on their own.
&#8220;If you believe in one another and if you do the right thing for yourself and your community, things will get better in this country,&#8221; Cuomo said.
&#8220;You don&#8217;t need help from above,&#8221; the CNN host stressed. &#8220;It&#8217;s within us.&#8221;
The clip, days old, resurfaced on Tuesday, sparking Christians to respond.
&#8220;Chris Cuomo: &#8216;You don’t need help from above; its within us.&#8217; Yep, that tactic is working SUPER well right now!&#8221; mocked The Blaze TV&#8217;s <a href="https://twitter.com/conservmillen/status/1278161590257242114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1278161590257242114%7Ctwgr%5E&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.dailywire.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D124966action%3Dedit">Allie Beth Stuckey</a>.
&#8220;The spirit of this age,&#8221; pastor and writer <a href="https://twitter.com/NatePickowicz/status/1277614040320282624">Nate Pickowicz</a> captioned the clip.
Christian author <a href="https://twitter.com/LarryFarlow/status/1277616818811809793">Larry Farlow</a> commented, &#8220;How do we know what &#8216;the right thing&#8217; is, Chris?&#8221;
Back in 2018, Cuomo, who is Catholic, mocked folks offering prayers to the families of gun violence victims.
“First, I would like to offer my thoughts and prayers, because that’s what you do when you offer ‘Thoughts and prayers’. You mock those who lost loved ones because if you gave it any thought at all, you would never walk away from any of these without figuring out a better way to deal with them,” Cuomo said on CNN airwaves.
“And prayer?&#8221; the host continued, &#8220;You think leaving it to God is the answer?”
“So what are you praying for? What would it take?” Cuomo asked, bizarrely adding, “How about a stadium full of children of the most influential people in our society, all holding puppies. What if they were all shot and killed. Would we act? Oh, don’t be ridiculous — more ridiculous than doing nothing? Time after time?”
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CNN&#39;s Cuomo: &quot;You mock those who lost loved ones&quot; in shootings &quot;when you offer thoughts &amp; prayers&#8230;And prayer? You think leaving it to God is the answer?&quot;
Cuomo: &quot;is it ridiculous&quot; to ask if we would act if a &quot;stadium full of children&#8230;holding puppies&#8230;were all shot &amp; killed? <a href="https://t.co/OBXljqfXcy">pic.twitter.com/OBXljqfXcy</a>
&mdash; Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1060756864546168834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The CNN host is also a big supporter of abortion.
In June 2019, for example, Cuomo noted his Catholic faith and young daughters in a piece published at <a href="https://www.glamour.com/story/chris-cuomo-essay-reproductive-rights">Glamour</a> advocating for men to support &#8220;reproductive rights,&#8221; a euphemism for abortion.
&#8220;I’ve seen the outpouring of action by women, sharing their most personal stories and missing school and work to protest,&#8221; Cuomo said of the response to pro-life legislation. &#8220;But men have been largely silent.&#8221;
&#8220;We can’t just sit on the sidelines while women work to protect reproductive rights. If men support a woman’s right to choose, they need to get up and support it,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;I say that as a husband, a man of faith, and especially as a parent blessed with two daughters and a son.&#8221;
&#8220;My family is Catholic,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I know well the Catholic teachings. It’s been easy for me to separate my faith from the laws in our country because we don’t live in a theocracy. We live in a democratic, secular state, where the burden is not to find a way to impose your faith on others. It’s the exact opposite—democracy is about making sure nobody can enforce their beliefs on you or anyone else. In a democracy we rely on science and data to guide our decisions. If we were to rely on religion, how could we ever decide when life starts?&#8221;
&#8220;Men say they cherish women,&#8221; Cuomo closed the post. &#8220;But more often than not they don’t want to cherish; they want to control.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Here&#39;s a cleaned up, not-pointed-at-the-TV version of Chris Cuomo&#39;s crazy ending to Friday&#39;s show: &quot;If you believe in one another and if do the right thing for yourself and your community, things will get better in this country. You don&#39;t need help from above. It&#39;s within us.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/r4daRrv4Jn">pic.twitter.com/r4daRrv4Jn</a>
&mdash; Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1278232289865076736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers with the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe"> member</a>.

Celebrity Sightings In New York City &#8211; May 02, 2019

WATCH: Chris Cuomo Tells Americans They ‘Don’t Need Help From Above’

Chris Cuomo

In recent weeks, anti-Catholicism has begun to take root in the Black Lives Matter movement with the desecration of monuments dedicated to St. Junipero Serra and now St. Louis IX, the beloved French king upon whom the city of St. Louis, Missouri, is named after.
Over the weekend, as Black Lives Matter activists desecrated the statue dedicated to St. Louis IX amid calls to remove it and change the city&#8217;s name due to his participation in the Crusades, the Archdiocese of St. Louis released <a href="https://www.archstl.org/Portals/0/Documents/Communication_Planning/PressReleases/Archdiocese%20of%20St.%20Louis%20Statement%20on%20Louis%20IX%20Statue.pdf?ver=2020-06-28-090006-217">a statement </a>defending the saint&#8217;s honor and the city&#8217;s namesake.
&#8220;The history of the statue of St. Louis, the King is one founded in piety and reverence before God, and for non-believers, respect for one’s neighbor,&#8221; the archdiocese said in a statement. &#8220;The reforms that St. Louis implemented in French government focused on impartial justice, protecting the rights of his subjects, steep penalties for royal officials abusing power, and a series of initiatives to help the poor.&#8221;
The archdiocese then recalled the saint&#8217;s profound work of charity, setting an example for all the rich and powerful to follow for ages to come.
&#8220;King Louis IX’s renowned work in charity helped elevate him to Sainthood. His daily suppers were shared with numerous beggars, whom he invited to the royal table. On many evenings, he would not let them leave before he washed their feet,&#8221; said the statement. &#8220;He personally paid to feed more than 100 poor Parisians every day. His care for the sick was equally moving; St. Louis frequently ministered to lepers. He also created a number of hospitals, including one for the blind and another for ex-prostitutes.&#8221;
&#8220;For Catholics, St. Louis is an example of an imperfect man who strived to live a life modeled after the life of Jesus Christ,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;For St. Louisans, he is a model for how we should care for our fellow citizen, and a namesake with whom we should be proud to identify. The sword on his statue is not raised for warfare, but rather is held with the blade down—a symbol of peace. In his recent statement on Racism, Justice and Peace.&#8221;
The statement concluded with a call to create a more just and equal society while condemning racism in all its forms.
&#8220;As Catholics, we believe that each person—no matter their race, religion, background or belief—is created in the image and likeness of God,&#8221; it concluded. &#8220;As such, all should be treated with love, respect and dignity. We should not seek to erase history, but recognize and learn from it, while working to create new opportunities for our brothers and sisters.&#8221;
As noted by <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/a-life-modeled-after-christ-st-louis-archdiocese-defends-namesakes-statue-34043">Catholic News Agency</a>, activists began rallying at the &#8220;Apotheosis of St. Louis, which has been a fixture in front of the St. Louis Art Museum for over a century. Leaders of the protests have called for the statues’ removal because of St. Louis’ &#8216;antisemitism [and] Islamophobia.'&#8221;
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers with the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe"> member</a>.

St. Louis Cityscapes And City Views

Catholic Archdiocese Defends St. Louis IX Statue After BLM Mob Desecrates It

Black Lives Matter

St. Louis

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Catholics and other supporters showed up on Saturday to defend a statue of St. Louis&#8217; namesake from desecration and destruction by hundreds gathered to protest alleged racism.
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As Catholic leaders and followers prayed openly in front of the statue of King Louis IX and even offered a &#8220;history lesson&#8221; to angered protesters, assaults erupted and vandalism was committed.
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&#8220;The Rev. Stephen Schumacher, a priest with the St. Louis Archdiocese is attempting to provide a history lesson on King Louis IX,&#8221; reported Joel Currier of the <a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/st-louis-archdiocese-responds-to-calls-to-remove-statue-of-citys-namesake/article_c436119b-52c9-5245-9222-fd939822c178.html">St. Louis Post-Dispatch</a>. &#8220;He’s being shouted down.&#8221;
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The Rev. Stephen Schumacher, a priest with the St. Louis Archdiocese is attempting to provide a history lesson on King Louis IX. He’s being shouted down. <a href="https://t.co/lMP1aHhEUO">pic.twitter.com/lMP1aHhEUO</a>
&mdash; Joel Currier (@joelcurrier) <a href="https://twitter.com/joelcurrier/status/1276943472809906179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Rev. Schumacher, in a video which can be viewed below, attempted to inform protesters about King Louis IX.
&#8220;St. Louis was a man who had authority thrust upon him, he didn&#8217;t do anything to earn it. You’re right, he didn&#8217;t do anything to earn it,&#8221; started the priest. &#8220;What did he do with that authority? Do you know what he did? Go down to the St. Louis Cathedral, and you&#8217;ll see some of the history that St. Louis did.&#8221;
One of the protesters shouted, &#8220;Eventually we&#8217;re taking that, too, though,&#8221; referencing the cathedral.
&#8220;St. Louis was a man who willed to use his kingship to do good for his people,&#8221; Rev. Schumacher said, triggering angered shouts from protesters.
&#8220;He died in Tunisia,&#8221; one of the protesters shouted, drawing an alleged connection to Africans.
&#8220;St. Louis had nothing to do with Africans, okay,&#8221; the Catholic leader responded to protesters.
&#8220;Do you know who lived in Tunisia in the 1100s?&#8221; he posed, &#8220;Arabs. &#8230; and the Arabs had killed all the Africans in Tunisia in the 700s.&#8221;
&#8220;In the 700s, Arab Muslims conquered the Holy Land,&#8221; Rev. Schumacher continued, &#8220;Christians did not fight back against that. &#8230; the Crusades happened beginning in 1095, after the Turks conquered the Holy Land.&#8221;
During the same intense face-off, some protesters marked the statue with chalk, calling for its destruction, reported Currier.
&#8220;This man [wrote] &#8216;Demonter Demanteler&#8217; on the Louie IX base. That translates roughly to remove/take down,” Currier wrote.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This man “Demonter Demanteler” on the Louie IX base. That translates roughly to remove/take down. <a href="https://t.co/2d5iu7tx3X">pic.twitter.com/2d5iu7tx3X</a>
&mdash; Joel Currier (@joelcurrier) <a href="https://twitter.com/joelcurrier/status/1276934626817323009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In another image captured by Robert Cohen, a photojournalist with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, a supporter of the statue is punched by a protester; the priest also has his megaphone taken from him.
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Should he stay or should he go? Protesters clash over statue of St. Louis&#39; namesake, by <a href="https://twitter.com/joelcurrier?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@joelcurrier</a>. <a href="https://t.co/bjKfqV94mb">https://t.co/bjKfqV94mb</a> <a href="https://t.co/WnghoNF0rM">pic.twitter.com/WnghoNF0rM</a>
&mdash; Robert Cohen (@kodacohen) <a href="https://twitter.com/kodacohen/status/1277014258857975809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In the video below, captured by Currier, supporters of the statue pray together as they are mocked by protesters.
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Arguments continue at the Louis IX statue. There have been a few scuffles; last police officer left about 20 minutes ago despite lingering tensions. <a href="https://t.co/bxbHnEz16X">pic.twitter.com/bxbHnEz16X</a>
&mdash; Joel Currier (@joelcurrier) <a href="https://twitter.com/joelcurrier/status/1276965361741594625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In a statement released Sunday, the St. Louis Archdiocese defended the statue of St. Louis IX.
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&#8220;The history of the statue of St. Louis, the King is one founded in piety and reverence before God, and for non-believers, respect for one’s neighbor,&#8221; the <a href="https://www.archstl.org/Portals/0/Documents/Communication_Planning/PressReleases/Archdiocese%20of%20St.%20Louis%20Statement%20on%20Louis%20IX%20Statue.pdf?ver=2020-06-28-090006-217&amp;fbclid=IwAR39zDd5oCncGGSEeZ7mBB3c8NORaODsf6N-nIN9siQTXDjJ1ZmMWSCV1_4">statement</a> said. &#8220;The reforms that St. Louis implemented in French government focused on impartial justice, protecting the rights of his subjects, steep penalties for royal officials abusing power, and a series of initiatives to help the poor.&#8221;
&#8220;King Louis IX’s renowned work in charity helped elevate him to Sainthood,&#8221; the St. Louis Archdiocese continued. &#8220;His daily suppers were shared with numerous beggars, whom he invited to the royal table. On many evenings, he would not let them leave before he washed their feet. He personally paid to feed more than 100 poor Parisians every day. His care for the sick was equally moving; St. Louis frequently ministered to lepers. He also created a number of hospitals, including one for the blind and another for ex-prostitutes.&#8221;
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The St. Louis Archdiocese today emailed a statement about the statue of Louis IX. <a href="https://t.co/QfGmAznjwR">https://t.co/QfGmAznjwR</a> <a href="https://t.co/K29weQ4p34">pic.twitter.com/K29weQ4p34</a>
&mdash; Joel Currier (@joelcurrier) <a href="https://twitter.com/joelcurrier/status/1277269193457577984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
WATCH:
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Video from this moment earlier. <a href="https://t.co/PXLMoT3s1c">https://t.co/PXLMoT3s1c</a> <a href="https://t.co/WE6vHeEsJH">pic.twitter.com/WE6vHeEsJH</a>
&mdash; Joel Currier (@joelcurrier) <a href="https://twitter.com/joelcurrier/status/1276969627025911809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/made-heroic-sacrifices-bishops-condemn-rioters-that-vandalized-toppled-junipero-serra-statues">‘Made Heroic Sacrifices’: Bishops Condemn Rioters That Vandalized, Toppled Junipero Serra Statues</a>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

WATCH: Assaults Break Out As Catholics Defend Statue From Hundreds Threatening Destruction; Priest Offers ‘History Lesson’

Riots

statues

After nearly a four year battle to prove his innocence, Australian Catholic Cardinal George Pell was freed from prison Monday night after the Australian high court overturned his conviction on five counts of sex abuse of a minor.
Cardinal Pell was accused of sexual abuse by two former choir boys who contended that Pell cornered them after a Sunday Mass in 1997, when Pell was serving as the Archbishop of Melbourne. One of the boys claimed Pell, in full bishop&#8217;s regalia, exposed himself in a hallway immediately after Mass and forced he and another boy to commit sexual acts. The first complainant also alleged that Pell fondled him sometime in 1997, <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/cardinal-george-pells-abuse-convictions-overturned-by-australias-high-court-66750">according to Catholic News Service</a>.
Pell maintained his innocence, calling the accusations not just inflammatory but impossible, given that he regularly greeted parishioners immediately after Masses on Sunday, that his status required a chaperone be with him at all times, and that the boys&#8217; story was simply implausible given how many people are involved in the post-Mass procession.
&#8220;The man claimed that Pell cornered them in the priest&#8217;s sacristy and forced them to perform sex acts. No one witnessed the alleged attack and there was no physical evidence, just one man&#8217;s word against another&#8217;s. The alleged victim&#8217;s testimony has never been released, but the jury found him so convincing they reached an unanimous guilty verdict,&#8221; CNN reported.
Pell was sentenced him to six years in prison in a maximum security facility. An appellate court upheld the conviction. Catholics across the world objected, claiming that Pell was being unjustly targeted in a dragnet designed to convict Catholic ministers of sexual abuse, even absent evidence.
But throughout the ordeal, and subsequent appeals, Pell maintained his innocence and, on Monday, Australia&#8217;s highest court agreed that Pell had been the victim of an unfair trial and ordered that &#8220;the appellant&#8217;s convictions be quashed and judgments of acquittal be entered in their place.&#8221;
“The High Court found that the jury, acting rationally on the whole of the evidence, ought to have entertained a doubt as to the applicant&#8217;s guilt with respect to each of the offences for which he was convicted, and ordered that the convictions be quashed and that verdicts of acquittal be entered in their place,” the court said in its decision.
It was even harsher on the appellate court than the initial trial. That court, the High court said, &#8220;failed to engage with the question of whether there remained a reasonable possibility that the offending had not taken place, such that there ought to have been a reasonable doubt as to the applicant’s guilt.&#8221;
The High Court found plenty of evidence that created a reasonable doubt, they said, that Pell had ever committed a crime: “The unchallenged evidence of the opportunity witnesses was inconsistent with the complainant&#8217;s account, and described: (i) the applicant&#8217;s practice of greeting congregants on or near the Cathedral steps after Sunday solemn Mass; (ii) the established and historical Catholic church practice that required that the applicant, as an archbishop, always be accompanied when robed in the Cathedral; and (iii) the continuous traffic in and out of the priests&#8217; sacristy for ten to 15 minutes after the conclusion of the procession that ended Sunday solemn Mass.”
&#8220;The assumption that a group of choristers, including adults, might have been so preoccupied with making their way to the robing room as to fail to notice the extraordinary sight of the Archbishop of Melbourne dressed &#8216;in his full regalia&#8217; advancing through the procession and pinning a 13 year old boy to the wall, is a large one,&#8221; the High Court added, casting a large shadow of doubt on the accusers &#8220;convincing&#8221; testimony.
The High Court decision can&#8217;t be challenged, and Pell has already been allowed to leave prison. He is reported to have celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving after being released Monday night. He is not off the hook for everything yet, however &#8212; he will still face a &#8220;canonical proceeding in Rome, overseen by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.&#8221;

Cardinal George Pell

Cardinal George Pell Freed After Australian High Court Overturns Sex Abuse Conviction

Sexual Abuse

In times of great crisis, there will always be great heroism. One New York landlord who waived the rent for his tenants throughout the month of April is just one such example.
Speaking with Colm Flynn of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKI_memXpFo&amp;feature=youtu.be">EWTN News Nightly</a>, Mario Salerno of Brooklyn said he waived the April rent for all 200 hundred of his tenants upon hearing of the financial hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
&#8220;I told them not to worry, not to panic,&#8221; Salerno said. &#8220;We&#8217;re going through some very tough times with this monster disease. I would waive all the rent for the month of April.&#8221;
Walking through his neighborhood, Salerno outlined the successful business he had built for himself, a business he put on indefinite hold to help those in need.
&#8220;I have 80 apartments. I have quite several buildings, close to 200 tenants,&#8221; said Salerno.
&#8220;You built quite an empire,&#8221; responded Flynn.
&#8220;Yes, I built these with my own hands,&#8221; Salerno shot back.
When asked what led to his decision, Salerno said he felt compelled to be charitable after learning of his tenants&#8217; situations.
&#8220;Because I had a lot of my tenants losing their jobs, I wanted them to have some peace of mind not to worry about where the next dollar was,&#8221; said Salerno.&#8221; As a human, I felt more comfortable making sure that they had food on their table, which several of them didn&#8217;t, and I felt very honored to tell them that.&#8221;
&#8220;But, presumably, you&#8217;re taking a hard-hit on this financially. How much are you losing?&#8221; asked Flynn.
&#8220;We don&#8217;t really want to bring that issue up. That&#8217;s irrelevant to the value of human life. Which I value is peoples lives,&#8221; Salerno responded.
Ultimately, it was Salerno&#8217;s Catholic faith and its teaching about the value of human life that spurned him into this decision.
&#8220;My Catholic faith brought it upon me to make this decision,&#8221; said Salerno. &#8220;The value of a life, and I pray every day, and when I have extra time, when I&#8217;m in Quarantine, I pray and ask the good Lord to please conquer this vicious virus.
<div dir="auto">&#8220;I don&#8217;t really look at it as being a hero. I look at it as being a human,&#8221; he added. &#8220;So if I could make it easier on someone&#8217;s life, just pass it on. &#8220;</div>
<iframe title="Mario Salerno, a New York landlord waived rent for his 200 tenants amid coronavirus" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vKI_memXpFo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Mario Salerno is not the only New York landlord to give free rent to a needy tenant during the pandemic, which has ravaged the American economy. Just recently, a pizzeria earned itself free rent at its place of business after the landlord learned that they had donated hundreds of pizzas to hospitals around the city.
“All of the pizza getting made at Sauce Pizzeria – as many as 400 per day – are going straight to hospitals to feed health care workers pulling 14- or even 18-hour shifts as they remain on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight,” <a href="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/coronavirus/pizzeria-makes-hundreds-of-free-pizzas-for-ny-hospitals-everyday-so-landlord-gives-free-rent/2356025/">reported</a> NBC New York. “Many of those nurses, doctors, and other medical staffers are so swamped helping patients every single day, many don’t have a moment to spare to grab something to eat.”

NewYork

New York Landlord Waives April Rent For 200 Tenants, Cites Catholic Faith

Coronavirus

New York City

As Christians entered Holy Week, actor Mark Wahlberg made sure to wish them all a &#8220;Happy Palm Sunday.&#8221;
In an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-nLOe9JeIe/?utm_source=ig_embed">Instagram video</a>, Wahlberg, appearing alongside his wife Rhea, reminded people of the treasures in their lives during this time of crisis: faith and one another.
“Happy Palm Sunday, everybody,” Wahlberg said in the video. “Just thinking about everybody. We still have faith and we have each other, so let’s stay strong. God bless you guys. I love you.”
“God bless you,&#8221; Rhea added as the video concluded.
Wahlberg&#8217;s post below (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-nLOe9JeIe/?utm_source=ig_embed">watch the video on Instagram here</a>):
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</a> 
 <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-nLOe9JeIe/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">🙏❤️🙏HAPPY PALM SUNDAY🙏GOD BLESS❤️</a>
<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/markwahlberg/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Mark Wahlberg</a> (@markwahlberg) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-04-05T20:12:12+00:00">Apr 5, 2020 at 1:12pm PDT</time>
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Mark Wahlberg has been open about his Catholic faith, routinely sharing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mark-wahlbergs-ash-wednesday-message-god-bless-you-paul-bois">faithful messages</a> with his social media followers during Lent and other days of liturgical importance.
“Being a Catholic is the most important aspect of my life,” Wahlberg told the <a href="http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2010/12/24/%E2%80%98the-first-thing-i-do-each-day-is-pray%E2%80%99/">Catholic Herald</a> in 2010. “The first thing I do when I start my day is, I get down on my hands and knees and give thanks to God.”
&#8220;Whenever I go outside of my house, the first thing I do is stop at the church,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;The kids will be mad with me. ‘Daddy! It takes too long!’ I’m saying: ‘It’s only 10 minutes and this is something I really need to do.’ Because I do. If I can start my day out by saying my prayers and getting myself focused, then I know I’m doing the right thing. That 10 minutes helps me in every way throughout the day.”
In 2018, Wahlberg even went as far to say <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/22626/mark-wahlberg-asked-god-forgive-him-boogie-nights-paul-bois">he regrets some past acting roles</a> that did not reflect well on his faith, such as “Boogie Nights.&#8221;
“I just always hope that God is a movie fan and also forgiving, because I’ve made some poor choices in my past,” Wahlberg said, adding that “&#8217;Boogie Nights&#8217; is up there at the top of the list.”
During a Facebook video message in 2016, Wahlberg said that his Catholic faith <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/mark-wahlberg-talks-deep-catholic-faith-wants-children-have-good-priests-in-lives-170541/">affects everything he does in life</a> and that he regularly calls upon God to foster more vocations to the priesthood.
“In my daily prayers, I ask for guidance, strength in my vocation as a husband and as a father,” Wahlberg said when addressing the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors in Boston. &#8220;I want you to know my support for your work to foster vocations to the priesthood, because I want my children and future generations to have good priests in their lives, just like I had.”
During an <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-45497348">exchange</a> with fans on Instagram in 2019, the actor revealed that he wakes up as early as 2:30 AM for a full half-hour of prayers before launching into his breakfast and exercise routine.
Mark Wahlberg, though reticent in his political beliefs, has also said that celebrities who &#8220;live in a bubble&#8221; should understand that incessantly talking politics only alienates people.
“You know, it just goes to show you that people aren’t listening to that anyway. They might buy your CD or watch your movie, but you don’t put food on their table. You don’t pay their bills,” he said in an <a href="http://taskandpurpose.com/mark-wahlberg-thinks-celebrities-need-shut-politics/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">interview with Task &amp; Purpose.</a> “A lot of Hollywood is living in a bubble. They’re pretty out of touch with the common person, the everyday guy out there providing for their family.”
&nbsp;

US-ENTERTAINMENT-STREAMING-NETFLIX-SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL

WATCH: Mark Wahlberg Wishes Christians A ‘Happy Palm Sunday’

Hollywood

Mark Wahlberg

Pope Francis on Friday took the extraordinary step of delivering a blessing in an empty Saint Peter&#8217;s Square in Vatican City, blessing Catholics around the world who are suffering amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The pope had some grim words about the novel coronavirus.
&#8220;Thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets and our cities; it has taken over our lives, filling everything with a deafening silence and a distressing void, that stops everything as it passes by,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We find ourselves afraid and lost.&#8221;
The pope called attention to humanity&#8217;s failures and lack of faith before the pandemic.
&#8220;We have gone ahead at breakneck speed, feeling powerful and able to do anything. Greedy for profit, we let ourselves get caught up in things, and lured away by haste,&#8221; Francis said. &#8220;We were not shaken awake by wars or injustice across the world, nor did we listen to the cry of the poor or of our ailing planet. We carried on regardless, thinking we would stay healthy in a world that was sick.&#8221;
But the pope also had words of encouragement at this trying time, saying today was not &#8220;the time of your judgement.&#8221;
The hour has come, he said, to &#8220;reawaken and put into practice that solidarity and hope capable of giving strength, support and meaning to these hours when everything seems to be floundering.&#8221; 
He added that the coronavirus &#8220;tempest&#8221; has put everyone &#8220;in the same boat.&#8221;
And in an unusual move, the pope performed the rarely recited &#8220;Urbi et Orbi&#8221; blessing &#8220;from the steps of the basilica to an empty square, addressing those in lockdown across the globe via television, radio and social media,&#8221; <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/pope-faces-coronavirus-tempest-alone-st-peters-square-193023795.html">Agence France Press</a> reported.
&#8220;The blessing &#8212; which translates as &#8216;To the City (Rome) and the World&#8217; &#8212; is usually given on just three occasions: when a pope is elected, and each year at Christmas and Easter,&#8221; AFP said. 
&#8220;The pontiff traditionally speaks out against armed conflicts around the globe before delivering the Urbi et Orbi blessing.&#8221;
The pope also praised &#8220;ordinary people – often forgotten people&#8221; who are exhibiting great courage in the crisis, citing doctors and nurses as well as supermarket employees, police forces and volunteers.
&#8220;And at the end of the service, Francis granted Catholics the chance to have a rare remission for the punishment of sins,&#8221; AFP reported.
Italy has been among the hardest hit by the virus. On Saturday, there were more than 86,000 cases there, with 9,134 deaths, according to the <a href="https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6">Johns Hopkins</a> Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
But that hasn&#8217;t kept Pope Francis, 83, from performing his duties as pontiff. Earlier this month, when Rome was already locked down, Francis made a solitary pilgrimage to two of the city&#8217;s churches. &#8220;At one, he borrowed a crucifix believed to have saved Rome from plague in the 16th century. On Friday, that crucifix was placed in front of Saint Peter&#8217;s,&#8221; AFP reported.
&#8220;During the plague in the Middle Ages, the Church was the only visible presence in public, through the processions of priests who were supposed to produce miracles,&#8221; Vatican expert Marco Politi told AFP. &#8220;The Pope wants to recapture a part of that scene and of the collective imagination,&#8221; he said.

VATICAN-RELIGION-POPE-HEALTH-VIRUS

‘We Let Ourselves Get Caught Up In Things’: Pope Talks Coronavirus In Rare Blessing

Pope Francis

Speaking with Jonathan Swan of <a href="https://www.axios.com/dnc-tom-perez-donald-trump-abortion-religion-bf7f1f64-4242-4c34-b6e1-b7d2d283c4f2.html">Axios,</a> Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez took the step of quoting Scripture to  lecture a Catholic cardinal for criticizing him on his unflinching support for abortion. Swan asked Perez about Cardinal Timothy Dolan criticizing Perez after Perez said in 2017 that every Democrat should view a woman’s right to choose abortion as “non-negotiable.”
Dolan had said, &#8220;It saddens me and weakens the democracy millions of Americans cherish when the party that once embraced Catholics now slams the door on us.”
Perez, cherry-picking from Matthew 25, responded, &#8220;Well, actually the majority of Catholics voted for Democrats in 2016. So apparently the cardinal may not understand that Matthew 25 is a pretty important teaching. And Matthew 25 says, you know, when you are hungry, I fed you. When you were naked, I provided you with clothing. When you were an immigrant, I welcomed you. I think one of the reasons why so many people are moving away from Donald Trump is that he&#8217;s abandoned all of those values.”
Swan notes, &#8220;Fact check: The Catholic vote was closely split between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in 2016.”
Additionally, the complete parable in Matthew 25 ends with Jesus saying, “‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” As John Hirschauer of <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/democratic-national-committee-chairman-tom-perez-catholic-vote/">National Review</a> notes, “As for Perez’s concern for the ‘least of these’– I can hardly think of a more vulnerable human being in our society than the unborn child that his party supports killing up until the moment of birth. Something Perez might contemplate if he reads the Last Judgment parable <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25%3A41&amp;version=DRA">through to its end</a>.”
The complete parable reads:
<blockquote>When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”
The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink;  I was a stranger and you did not invite me in; I needed clothes and you did not clothe me; I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.”
They also will answer, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?”
He will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”
Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.</blockquote>
&nbsp;

Democratic Presidential Candidates Participate In Presidential Primary Debate In Des Moines, Iowa

DNC Chair Quotes Scripture — To Lecture Catholic Cardinal For Criticizing Him On Abortion

Abortion

Tom Perez

Pope Francis turned down an opportunity, pushed by left-leaning bishops, to allow for married priests and female deacons to serve Catholics in the Amazon, where clergy are scarce, keeping the Catholic Church&#8217;s tradition of priestly celibacy and an all-male priesthood alive.
The Pope issued his decision in a <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-02/querida-amazonia-synthesis-pope-francis-exhortation-amazon.html">32-page letter entitled &#8220;Beloved Amazon</a>,&#8221; on Wednesday, shattering progressive hopes and providing a measure of relief to his conservative critics, who feared that the bishops&#8217; proposal would usher in a degredation of the priesthood worldwide.
Instead, Pope Francis urged those concerned about the dearth of clergy in the Amazon region to seek other options, and for those seeking to expand the priesthood to focus on quality instead of quantity.
&#8220;Priests are necessary, but this does not mean that permanent deacons (of whom there should be many more in the Amazon region), religious women and lay persons cannot regularly assume important responsibilities for the growth of communities,&#8221; the Pope wrote, &#8220;and perform those functions ever more effectively with the aid of a suitable accompaniment.&#8221;
The Pope suggested that those who care about the future of the Amazon region consider becoming missionaires or encouraging others to embrace missionary work, particularly given that ministering to underserved communities is a full-time job.
&#8220;It is not simply a question of facilitating a greater presence of ordained ministers who can celebrate the Eucharist,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That would be a very narrow aim, were we not also to strive to awaken new life in communities.&#8221;
Pope Francis also dismissed talk of allowing women to serve as deacons &#8212; an effort that might have led to arguments about women serving in the Catholic priesthood. Women, Pope Francis said,  &#8220;have kept the Church alive in those places through their remarkable devotion and deep faith,&#8221; and they have a role to play in the Church that is as necessary as that of priests.
Women, instead, &#8220;should have access to positions, including ecclesial services, that do not entail Holy Orders and that can better signify the role that is theirs.&#8221;
The Catholic Church has long taught that men and women are equal, but that the genders have unique characteristics that make them suited for specific positions and jobs within the Church. While women are not able to serve as priests, they have their own unique calling to service. The basis of the Church&#8217;s teachings on the sacrament of marriage rely on these unique, but interdependent, gender-specific roles.
&#8220;Francis has long said he appreciates the discipline and the gift of celibacy, and didn&#8217;t feel he could make such a sweeping change,&#8221; <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/pope-francis-stops-short-allowing-married-men-become-priests-amazon-n1134581">NBC News reports</a>. &#8220;However, he has also expressed sympathy for the plight of the Amazonian faithful, and said theologians had debated pastoral reasons to consider an exception, which is possible given the celibate priesthood is a tradition of the Roman Catholic Church rather than a matter of doctrine.&#8221;
Conservative Catholics had feared that the Pope might use the Amazon proposal to usher in more liberal approach to the priesthood and, indeed, progressives, the <a href="https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican/disappointment-outrage-over-papal-document-amazon">National Catholic Reporter</a> said Wednesday, were &#8220;disappointed&#8221; and &#8220;outraged&#8221; that the Pope did not take the opportunity to push the Church in a more liberal direction.
Some of the Pope&#8217;s biggest fans even went so far as to suggest that Pope Francis might not be the progressive leader they&#8217;d hoped for.
&#8220;People are starting to adjust their expectations,&#8221; historian Massimo Faggioli, an outspoken progressive Catholic said. &#8220;The major reforms they were expecting of him may never come.&#8221;
&#8220;We are profoundly shocked and disappointed,&#8221; said Linda Pinto, leader of a dissident Catholic organization that advocates for married and female priests told the NCR. &#8220;We were hopeful that this process would begin a Vatican II approach to governance and that leadership would listen to the needs of the people. One of our deep regrets is that this, like our culture, has devolved into an either/or, black or white, conservative or progressive fight, which loses the focus that this is about the needs of the people of God.&#8221;

Pope Francis Shuts Down Proposal To Allow Married Priests, Female Deacons

As noted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kobe-a-devout-catholic-reportedly-attended-mass-morning-of-accident">The Daily Wire</a> on Monday, reports circulated that NBA legend Kobe Bryant was spotted at his Catholic church the morning of the tragic helicopter accident that claimed his life and eight others, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and two of her teammates.
On Tuesday night, Bryant&#8217;s priest, Father Steve Sallot, confirmed the reports. Before 7 a.m., the former Laker stopped at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church, where he and his family frequently worshipped, to pray by himself.
“I saw him yesterday (Sunday) before the 7 a.m. mass,” Father Sallot told <a href="https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/01/28/kobe-bryant-visited-newport-beach-church-the-morning-of-his-death-he-was-quite-a-man-of-faith/">CBS2 News</a>. “We chatted for a couple of minutes, and then he moved on, and obviously, he was going to the airport yesterday morning.”
&#8220;I can confirm that <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" role="link" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KobeBryant?src=hashtag_click" data-focusable="true">#KobeBryant</a>, a devout Catholic, came to this church early Sunday morning to worship,&#8221; reported KTLA&#8217;s Wendy Burch. 
&#8220;He was here between 6 and 7am&#8230;. just hours before the fatal crash,&#8221; she added. &#8220;He came alone, as I am told he often did. <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" role="link" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPMamba?src=hashtag_click" data-focusable="true">#RIPMamba</a> <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" role="link" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KTLAmorningNews?src=hashtag_click" data-focusable="true">#KTLAmorningNews</a>.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I can confirm that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KobeBryant?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KobeBryant</a>, a devout Catholic, came to this church early Sunday morning to worship. He was here between 6 and 7am&#8230;. just hours before the fatal crash. He came alone, as I am told he often did. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPMamba?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIPMamba</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KTLAmorningNews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KTLAmorningNews</a> <a href="https://t.co/SomluImxp3">pic.twitter.com/SomluImxp3</a>
&mdash; Wendy Burch (@goodnewswendy) <a href="https://twitter.com/goodnewswendy/status/1222202300103565313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
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“He was quite a man of faith,” Sallot said of Bryant.
“We shook hands, and I saw that he had blessed himself because there was a little holy water on his forehead,” the priest recalled. “So I knew that he’d gone into the chapel to pray and came out and blessed himself. And then we spoke for a minute, shook hands, and then off he went.”
According to Father Sallot, Bryant, who was raised Catholic, was baptized as a child in Italy and was seeking to undergo the sacrament of confirmation.
As noted by CBS2, the priest said Bryant, his wife Vanessa, and their four daughters &#8220;were frequent parishioners&#8221; at the church.
The basketball star and family man leaned on his faith through major personal stumbles.
Bryant was accused of raping a 19-year-old woman in a Colorado hotel room in 2003. He admitted to cheating on his wife and engaging in the sexual encounter, but has always denied the allegation of rape.
“What I came to understand, coming out of Colorado, is that I had to be me, in the place where I was at that moment,” the NBA legend <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/the-catholic-faith-of-kobe-bryant-77371">told</a> GQ in 2015.
“The one thing that really helped me during that process — I’m Catholic, I grew up Catholic, my kids are Catholic — was talking to a priest,” Bryant said.
“It was actually kind of funny: He looks at me and says, ’Did you do it?’ And I say, ’Of course not.’ Then he asks, ’Do you have a good lawyer?’ And I’m like, ’Uh, yeah, he’s phenomenal.’ So then he just said, ’Let it go. Move on. God’s not going to give you anything you can’t handle, and it’s in his hands now. This is something you can’t control. So let it go.’ And that was the turning point,” recalled the hoops star.
In more recent years, Bryant was frequently spotted out with his family. The devoted father even coached his daughter Gianna&#8217;s basketball team.
Bryant, Gianna, and seven others were traveling to Bryant&#8217;s Mamba Sports Academy for a basketball tournament when the helicopter went down Sunday morning.

Kobe Bryant And Daughter Gianna

Priest Confirms Bryant Attended Their Church Morning Of Crash: ‘Certainly A Man Of Faith’

Kobe Bryant

On Sunday, basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others, including a teammate of Gianna&#8217;s and her parents, were tragically killed in a helicopter accident in California.
Bryant, a devout Catholic, reportedly attended mass the morning of the accident.
&#8220;A friend texted me today to tell me that a friend of her’s saw <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" role="link" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KobeBryant?src=hashtag_click" data-focusable="true">#KobeBryant</a> at <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" role="link" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Catholic?src=hashtag_click" data-focusable="true">#Catholic</a> Mass this morning,&#8221; Boston priest David Barnes said via Twitter on Sunday. &#8220;Mass is the worship of God. Heaven is the worship of God. Go to Mass here so that you can worship God forever in heaven.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
A friend texted me today to tell me that a friend of her’s saw <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KobeBryant?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KobeBryant</a> at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Catholic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Catholic</a> Mass this morning. Mass is the worship of God. Heaven is the worship of God. Go to Mass here so that you can worship God forever in heaven.
&mdash; David Barnes (@PadreBarnes) <a href="https://twitter.com/PadreBarnes/status/1221566221046312960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The report reverberated within the Catholic community. Father Jeremy Daniel Paulin posted the message from Father Barnes, adding: &#8220;Thank you, Fr <a class="profileLink" title="David Barnes" href="https://www.facebook.com/david.barnes.3939?__tn__=%2CdK-R-R&amp;eid=ARBvcb8yvfhhT3zemf9wE0PHBzRLkQLrqs5ZEyLVn6rTshxXQP002C1d2MtyI3DWemEavg2IUy0-lQUw&amp;fref=mentions" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1222038957&amp;extragetparams=%7B%22__tn__%22%3A%22%2CdK-R-R%22%2C%22eid%22%3A%22ARBvcb8yvfhhT3zemf9wE0PHBzRLkQLrqs5ZEyLVn6rTshxXQP002C1d2MtyI3DWemEavg2IUy0-lQUw%22%2C%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1">David Barnes</a> for sharing this. May Kobe, his daughter and all who died in the crash rest in God&#8217;s peace.&#8221;
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&quot;As sad as Kobe’s death is, a friend texted me today to tell me that a friend of her’s attends the same Catholic Church&#8230;
Posted by <a href="#" role="button">Jeremy Daniel Paulin</a> on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/FR.JEREMY.PAULIN.OMV/posts/10156515363776829">Sunday, January 26, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Wonderful to hear reports that Kobe Bryant went to Mass on the same morning as that fateful helicopter ride that took his life,&#8221; wrote professor and Catholic writer C.C. Pecknold.
&#8220;Death comes like a thief in the night, friends — no one survives it happily without being united to Jesus Christ. Make Mass the habit of your life!&#8221; added Pecknold.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Wonderful to hear reports that Kobe Bryant went to Mass on the same morning as that fateful helicopter ride that took his life. 
Death comes like a thief in the night, friends — no one survives it happily without being united to Jesus Christ. 
Make Mass the habit of your life!
&mdash; C.C. Pecknold (@ccpecknold) <a href="https://twitter.com/ccpecknold/status/1221767219077664768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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As noted by <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/the-catholic-faith-of-kobe-bryant-77371">Catholic News Agency</a> (CNA), Bryant, who was raised Catholic, credited his faith and the help of a Catholic priest for allowing him to overcome major personal stumbles.
In 2003, Bryant was accused of raping a 19-year-old woman in a Colorado hotel room. The basketball star admitted to cheating on his wife and engaging in the sexual encounter, but has always denied the allegation of rape.
&#8220;When the allegation became public, Bryant lost sponsors and faced criminal charges, which were eventually dropped,&#8221; CNA reported. &#8220;Bryant issued an apology to his accuser, with whom he also reached a settlement in a civil lawsuit.&#8221;
“Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter,” the 2004 apology from Bryant read.
“What I came to understand, coming out of Colorado, is that I had to be me, in the place where I was at that moment,&#8221; the NBA legend told GQ in 2015.
&#8220;The one thing that really helped me during that process—I’m Catholic, I grew up Catholic, my kids are Catholic—was talking to a priest,&#8221; he added.
“It was actually kind of funny: He looks at me and says, ’Did you do it?’ And I say, ’Of course not.’ Then he asks, ’Do you have a good lawyer?’ And I’m like, ’Uh, yeah, he’s phenomenal.’ So then he just said, ’Let it go. Move on. God’s not going to give you anything you can’t handle, and it’s in his hands now. This is something you can’t control. So let it go.’ And that was the turning point,” recalled Bryant.
In the wake of the fatal accident, fellow Catholic and singer Cristina Ballestero posted about an encounter she had with Bryant at Holy Family Cathedral in Orange, California, during a weekday Mass.
“As we went up to communion, [Bryant] waited for me to go. If you grew up in the Catholic Church, you understand this is a respectful thing men do in church as a sign of respect to women. He said I have a beautiful voice,&#8221; Ballestero wrote in the post, adding, “His most inspiring trait was his decision to turn to his faith in God and receive God’s mercy and to be a better man after a regretful decision.&#8221;
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</a> 
 <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B7y_av7FDnS/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">I wanna tell a story about the time I met Kobe Bryant. I was sitting in the very back of Holy Family Cathedral in Orange, CA, on a WEEKDAY mass. At the time I was very into wearing veils and on this particular day I had a scarf I used as veil. Right as mass begins I see a huge shadow in my right peripheral vision and hear a decently loud creak from probably a big man. I double took to see&#8230; it was KOBE BRYANT IN THE SAME PEW AS ME ON THE OTHER END! I just went about my normal praying and singing as usual cause he like all of us came to pray. Thank God I had the veil so I could stay focused on Jesus not this insanely talented Basketball player my whole family has looked up to and watched our whole lives. As we went up to communion, he waited for me to go. If you grew up in the Catholic Church, you understand this is a respectful thing men do in church as a sign of respect to women. He said I have a beautiful voice. I said thank you and went up to communion. @marydallal @mandymissyturkey and a couple other friends saw him standing behind me going to receive Jesus. And we talked about it after mass and freaked out together. It was such a cool experience to receive Jesus right before him, and also, to walk up to receive Jesus together. It was also cool to see him come for a weekday mass. He said in his GQ interview how a Catholic Priest helped him through the tough time he went through in the media. He also talks about how his faith is important. His most inspiring trait was his decision to turn to his faith in God and receive God’s mercy and to be a better man after a regretful decision. Him and his wife do so much great work with their foundation. I’m heartbroken at the news of his death, alongside his daughter Gianna. My prayers go out to his Family, friends and loved ones. Eternal rest grant unto him, and her oh Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they Rest In Peace, Amen. We love you Kobe &amp; Gianna. 💔 . . . . #kobebryant</a>
<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cristinaballestero/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Cristina Ballestero</a> (@cristinaballestero) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-01-26T20:44:41+00:00">Jan 26, 2020 at 12:44pm PST</time>
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&#8220;Bryant also had connected his Catholic faith to a family commitment to help the poor, through the Kobe &amp; Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation,&#8221; noted CNA.

Kobe And Gianna Bryant

Kobe, A Devout Catholic, Reportedly Attended Mass Morning Of Accident

A Catholic cathedral and nearby radio station in the region of Cotabato on the island of Mindanao, Philippines were shaken by a grenade blast on Sunday that caused injury to at least 14 people. This was immediately followed by two more explosions: One by an IED in the town of Libungan, Cotabato province where six more were injured, and one in Upi, Maguindanao where two people were harmed. 
According to <a href="https://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2019/12/14-injured-in-cotabato-city-blast-5-in-libungan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MindaNews</a>, three men riding motorcycles threw grenades at members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) who were standing guard at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral and a radio station owned by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. At least seven soldiers and several nearby civilians were injured by the explosion. 
Military spokesperson Major Homer Estolas insisted the military guards were the target. 
“It was clear that the suspects targeted the soldiers first,” he said. “The civilians were hurt because they were there waiting for their rides home.”
Cotabato City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, who previously called for martial law to be extended, condemned Sunday&#8217;s attacks. “Tonight is a sad and unfortunate night for all Cotabatenos. As of this time, 16 are reported wounded,” she said, urging citizens to “remain calm as our police and military have the situation under full control.” 
She continued, “We can rise above these acts of terrorism. We are resilient and strong enough to fight against these people whose mission is to disrupt our peace. We must all be united in the face of these adversities.”
The region has been under martial law since 2017, following a series of attacks from suspected members of a local terrorist group. The bombings come just nine days before martial law was supposed to be lifted. 
A spokesperson of the military&#8217;s Western Mindanao Command, Major Arvin Encinas, told <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/22/19/17-wounded-in-series-of-blasts-in-cotabato-city-nearby-town" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ABS-CBN News</a> that the military could not dismiss the possibility of radical Islamic terrorist-linked groups being involved in the attacks. 
&#8220;We do not discount the possibility that Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and Daesh-inspired groups are behind this,&#8221; he told the outlet.
BIFF is an extremist group with ties to the Islamic State that operates in the Asia-Pacific country. 
According to <a href="https://www.rappler.com/nation/247753-grenade-attack-cotabato-city-december-22-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rappler News</a>, Cotabato Governor Nancy Catamco condemned the grenade attacks as “terrorist acts.”
“The bombings in the Municipality of Libungan and in Cotabato City have struck another blow to our people’s sense of security that is still reeling from the losses, damages, and trauma of the recent earthquakes,” she said in a statement. “Let us keep in mind that these terrorist acts aim to instill fear and to spread panic. Therefore, I call on everyone to remain calm and to stay vigilant. We need to muster our courage and to strongly resist fear.”
The attacks are suspected to be connected to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which distributes certificates of land ownership awards to agrarian reform beneficiaries. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte arrived the following day in Cotabato to personally pass them out and to visit those injured in the explosions. 
“He will distribute land certificates and then visit the venues where the bombing took place. I don’t know which of the two but one of them,” a spokesperson told the <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/24/19/duterte-to-visit-cotabato-city-despite-bombings-palace-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">media</a>. 
BARMM is heavily opposed by Islamic State-tied radical Muslim organizations like BIFF and rebel group Abu Sayyaf, who have refused to enter negotiations with the Filipino government over the dispute. 
“It is sad that this kind of violence is happening while we are celebrating the holy Christmas season,” one witness said, according to <a href="https://morningstarnews.org/2019/12/grenade-attack-near-cathedral-leaves-several-wounded-in-the-philippines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Morning Star News</a>. 
This series of attacks follows a similar one in November, when a man on a motorcycle threw a grenade inside a house in Aleosan town, Cotabato during a birthday party. Three people, including a child, were injured, according to <a href="https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1188934/3-hurt-in-cotabato-grenade-blast-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Inquirer News</a>, but no one was killed.

Tokyo Holds The Future of Asia International Conference

Philippines Rocked By Multiple Christmas Week Terrorist Attacks

Islam

Islamic State (ISIS)

Persecution

Philippines

Terrorism

This weekend, Pope Francis spoke to Catholic high school students about how to reach nonbelievers, stressing that Christians should live their faith out loud rather than trying to try to coerce people to convert, invoking the crusades as a time of great shame.
&#8220;In front of an unbeliever, the last thing I have to do is try to convince him. Never. The last thing I have to do is speak,&#8221; the pontiff said, according to <a href="https://disrn.com/news/pope-says-christians-should-never-try-to-convert-unbelievers-anyone-who-proselytizes-is-not-a-disciple-of-jesus">Disrn</a>. Instead, he stressed, &#8220;I have to live consistent with my faith. And it will be my testimony to awaken the curiosity of the other who says: &#8216;But why do you do this?&#8217; And yes, I can speak then.&#8221;
&#8220;Never, never bring the gospel by proselytizing,&#8221; he said later. &#8220;If someone says they are a disciple of Jesus and comes to you with proselytism, they are not a disciple of Jesus.&#8221;
Pope Francis invoked the crusades and conversion by the sword, calling it &#8220;shameful&#8221; and noting that Christians across the globe are similarly wrongly killed for their faith.
&#8220;We are not in the times of the crusades,&#8221; he said. &#8220;&#8230; &#8216;Either the baptism or the sword.&#8217; This has happened in history! They also do it with us Christians in other parts, they are also doing it but what we did was shameful because it is a story of forced conversion, of not respecting the dignity of the person.&#8221;
The Holy Father said he first learned of the principle of &#8220;coexistence&#8221; back in Argentina amid mass migration.
&#8220;There is a mixture of blood, a strong mixed race in Argentina — I am the son of a migrant, and this has made a culture of coexistence,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;I went to public school and we always had companions from other religions. We were educated to coexist: &#8216;There is a Jew, Russian, ah — come, come! I am a friend of Russian!&#8217; They said Russian because the majority of the Jews came from Odessa, some from Poland but the majority from Odessa. Then there were some Arabs, Lebanese, Syrians — &#8216;Ah, Turkish! Come, come!&#8217; This was Muslim, this was Jewish. But we all played football together, we were all friends.&#8221;
&#8220;This has taught me so much, that we are all the same, all children of God — and this purifies your gaze, it makes you human,&#8221; Pope Francis said. &#8220;In Argentina there is a small group of closed-minded Catholics who do not want Jews, do not want Muslims, but this group &#8230; I have never liked it, is a group that is on the fringe, they have a cultural magazine but they do not have impact in society.&#8221;
&#8220;But listen: Never, never bring the gospel by proselytizing. If someone says they are a disciple of Jesus and comes to you with proselytism, they are not a disciple of Jesus,&#8221; the pontiff said.
Pope Francis has repeatedly focused on the dignity of each human life. Last summer, for example, the pope compared aborting children for birth defects to Nazi eugenics. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pope-francis-abortion-birth-defects-nazi-eugenics-emily-zanotti">The Daily Wire</a> reported:
<blockquote>“I have heard that it’s fashionable, or at least usual, that when in the first months of pregnancy they do studies to see if the child is healthy or has something, the first offer is: let’s send it away,” the Pope said, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/17/europe/pope-abortion-eugenics---intl/index.html">according to CNN</a>, which appeared shocked by the news that the Pope is, indeed, a faithful member of the Catholic Church and opposed to the practice of abortion which the Church believes ends a human life.
“I say this with pain. In the last century the whole world was scandalized about what the Nazis did to purify the race. Today we do the same, but now with white gloves,” he continued.</blockquote>

Pope Francis Receives Christmas Greetings From Roman Curia

Pope Francis Tells Students How Not To Convert Unbelievers

The anti-Catholicism in France runs so deep that a public retirement home would not accept an elderly nun simply because she wore a habit.
According to <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/french-public-retirement-home-rejects-nun-because-she-wears-religious-habit">LifeSiteNews</a>, the 70-year-old nun applied for entry into a retirement home in the city of Vesoul after leaving her convent in October 2018. After waiting nine months for acceptance, authorities stipulated that she could only live in the city’s Centre Communal d&#8217;Action Sociale (CCAS) on the condition that she not wear her religious attire — a traditional habit and veil — while permitting her to only wear a &#8220;discreet cross.&#8221; Apparently, the attire would be disruptive to the residents&#8217; &#8220;serenity.&#8221;
&#8220;With due respect for secularism (laïcité), any ostentatious sign of belonging to a religious community cannot be accepted in order to ensure the serenity of all. Indeed, religion is a private affair and must remain so,&#8221; the authorities reportedly told her.
Since the nun had worn the religious habit for almost her entire life, she refused the order. She now lives in an apartment all alone where she must tend to her daily needs without communal support. The <a href="https://www.intoleranceagainstchristians.eu/">Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe</a> (OIDACE) has been keeping a close watch on her case. In an email to LifeSiteNews, the organization said that the mayor of Vesoul apologized for the incident.
&#8220;In the end, it seems that the city&#8217;s mayor apologized for the ‘error in judgment,’ but that was little consolation for the elderly nun who was forced to choose between living in a retirement community without her religious habit or living alone in an apartment for the first time in her adult life,&#8221; said Ellen Fantini of OIDACE. &#8220;What I don&#8217;t know is why those were her only two options.&#8221;
The incident has also sparked outrage among local Catholics. In a <a href="https://www.lemessager.fr/1836/article/2019-11-19/une-religieuse-refusee-par-une-maison-de-retraite-parce-qu-elle-porte-le-voile">church bulletin </a>message, Fr. Florent Belin, a local parish priest, noted how secular authorities would bend over backward to defend a Muslim woman&#8217;s right to wear a burka but not a Catholic nun&#8217;s right to wear a habit while also noting that the organization had no trouble with him saying Mass in those environments.
“When the press tells us about a Muslim woman who is asked to remove her veil because she is in a public space, everyone shouts in outrage (calling it Islamophobia)!&#8221; the priest said. &#8220;Our nun, on the other hand, had to resign herself to finding another apartment. What is secularism? It is to give everyone the possibility to be able to live his faith without hurting anyone.&#8221;
&#8220;I do not think that the veil of a nun can harm, because it is not the sign of a submission, but of a consecration,&#8221; he added.
Alain Chretien, Vesoul&#8217;s mayor, said in a November 19th statement that the city committed &#8220;an error in judgment&#8221; and that the nun should not have been denied housing. The mayor also promised to find her a proper retirement home.
&#8220;Everyone has a place in the autonomous residences! Stop the controversy,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;The obligation of neutrality applies to public servants and to residents who wish to enjoy their freedom of conscience.&#8221;

Three nuns take a rest under a tree during the Corpus

French Public Retirement Home Rejects Catholic Nun For Wearing A Habit

France

The American Catholic Church saved itself from the oblivion of liberal theology this week when the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops declared that abortion is the &#8220;preeminent&#8221; political and moral issue over all others, thereby forcing issues like climate change, gun control, and the death penalty to take a lower position in the hierarchy of moral imperatives.
According to the <a href="https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/signs-times/abortion-preeminent-issue-global-warming-not-urgent-say-bishops?fbclid=IwAR2H-7A-W46SBjRcgRa5hBWjnHb0lSUhyHls3IHZAMSGmvYZNezK_yTHo38">National Catholic Reporter</a>, the bishops approved a letter saying that the &#8220;threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks life itself, because it takes place within the sanctuary of the family, and because of the number of lives it destroys.&#8221;
Though the bishops highlighted abortion as the most pressing issue, the conference conceded that Catholics &#8220;cannot dismiss or ignore other serious threats to human life and dignity such as racism, the environmental crisis, poverty, and the death penalty.&#8221;
In other words, Catholics must regard abortion as the most urgent moral issue but must never use it as an excuse to avoid other important issues. In the end, Catholics are called to achieve holiness and being in the right on a singular issue will not be sufficient enough.
Some more liberal-leaning bishops, such as Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, disagreed with the final statement, arguing that it steps out line with the agenda implemented by Pope Francis in the encyclical &#8220;<a href="https://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gaudete et Exsultate</a>,&#8221; which gave weight to other issues while not necessarily saying how they must be implemented.
&#8220;Our defense of innocent unborn, for example, needs to be clear, firm and passionate,&#8221; the pope said in the encyclical. &#8220;Equally sacred, however, are the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned and the underprivileged, the vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to covert euthanasia, the victims of human trafficking, new forms of slavery, and every form of rejection.&#8221;
&#8220;We cannot uphold an ideal of holiness that would ignore injustice in a world where some revel, spend with abandon and live only for the latest consumer goods, even as others look on from afar, living their entire lives in abject poverty,&#8221; Pope Francis concluded.
Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego agreed with Cardinal Cupich that making abortion the &#8220;preeminent issue&#8221; stands out of line with the Francis agenda.
&#8220;The preeminent quote will be used to undermine the point Pope Francis is making in that paragraph,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Either we should get rid of preeminent, or if we are going to keep preeminent, then at least give the pope a fighting chance with his view and keep that whole paragraph because that is where he articulates his vision of this very controversial question.&#8221;
&#8220;It is not Catholic teaching that abortion is the preeminent issue that we face as a world,&#8221; continued McElroy. &#8220;For us to say that is a grave disservice to our people if we are trying to communicate to them what the magisterium teaches.&#8221;
Both McElroy and Cupich were immediately rebuked by Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia.
&#8220;Saying that it (abortion) is preeminent is contrary to the teaching of the pope sets up an artificial battle between the bishops&#8217; conference of the United States and the Holy Father,&#8221; said Chaput.  &#8220;We do support the Holy Father completely. What he said is true. But it has been very clearly the articulated opinion of the bishops&#8217; conference for many years that pro-life is still the preeminent issue. It doesn&#8217;t mean that the others are not equal in dignity. It&#8217;s just time in this certain circumstances of our church in the United States.&#8221;
The bishops applauded Chaput and voted in favor of the measure by a margin of 143–69.

US-POLITICS-RELIGION

U.S. Catholic Bishops Declare Abortion The ‘Preemininent Issue’ Over All Else

Despite being a pro-abortion Democrat who now wishes to fund the practice with taxpayer dollars, former Vice President Joe Biden said that Pope Francis has given him Holy Communion, and that he had never encountered a priest or bishop who would refuse him.
Speaking with PBS News Hour, Joe Biden said that the issue of receiving Holy Communion as a pro-abortion politician has never come up in his life until just recently.
“It’s not a position that I’ve found anywhere else, including from the Holy Father, who gives me Communion,&#8221; Biden said, as reported by <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pro-abortion-joe-biden-the-holy-father...gives-me-communion">LifeSiteNews</a>.
Last week, a Catholic priest in South Carolina <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-joe-biden-denied-holy-communion-at-catholic-church-over-abortion-support">reportedly enforced</a> the church’s code of canon law by denying former Vice President Joe Biden the sacrament of Holy Communion due to his stance on abortion.
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“Sadly, this past Sunday, I had to refuse Holy Communion to former Vice President Joe Biden,” Father Robert E. Morey of Saint Anthony Catholic Church told reporters. “Holy Communion signifies we are one with God, each other, and the Church. Our actions should reflect that. Any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of Church teaching.”
Biden told PBS that the Communion denial was &#8220;the only time it’s ever happened,” adding the situation was a &#8220;private matter,&#8221; while accusing the priest of bringing it to the press. While it is true that Father Morey told reporters about the encounter, it is possible that he told them of it only after they reached out, being that people in attendance or those close with Joe Biden might have spread word of it.
During every Mass, Catholic doctrine states that the wafer and wine become the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ when a priest consecrates it. In order for a Catholic to receive Communion, they must be in a state of grace after having attended the Sacrament of Confession. If a Catholic, usually by way of conscience, determines that they are not in a state of grace, they must refrain from receiving Holy Communion. When it comes to individuals who publicly oppose Catholic teaching (such as politicians who support abortion), bishops and priests are given full license under Canon Law to deny the person Holy Communion until they repent, lest they commit the sin of sacrilege if they receive what Catholics believe to be the body and blood of Christ unworthily.
As the abortion argument in the United States has escalated during the Trump era, certain Catholic bishops have taken extra steps to warn pro-abortion politicians to refrain from Holy Communion. Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of Springfield, for instance, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/48112/illinois-catholic-bishop-bars-pro-abortion-paul-bois">expressly forbid </a>all priests under his governance to give Holy Communion to politicians that supported the “Reproductive Health Act” in Illinois.
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In an appearance on &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends&#8221; late last week, New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-york-cardinal-dolan-supports-priest-not-giving-pro-abortion-joe-biden-holy-communion">said that he supports Father Morey&#8217;s decision</a> even though he himself would give Joe Biden Holy Communion.
“I think that priest had a good point,” Dolan said. “You are publicly at odds with an issue of substance – critical substance. We’re talking about life and death in the church. You personally, out of integrity, should not approach Holy Communion – because that implies that you’re in union with all the church beliefs. I never have [denied someone Holy Communion]. I’ve never had, what you might call the opportunity, or never said, ‘uh-oh. Should I give him or her Holy Communion?’ It’s never come up. [It] sure could.”

US-VATICAN-RELIGION-POPE

Pro-Abortion Joe Biden: Pope Francis Gives Me Holy Communion

Joe Biden

On Tuesday’s episode of “The Andrew Klavan Show,” Klavan talks about Ross Douthat’s column in the New York Times, in which he presents three arguments for why the “collapse of American Christianity” may be “overstated.” Video and partial transcript below: 
They’re trying to convince us Christianity [and] spirituality [are passing away]. They are working overtime trying to convince us that it&#8217;s passing away. But also in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/29/opinion/american-christianity.html">The New York Times</a>, the one guy over there that I really respect, Ross Douthat, has a column where he says [paraphrasing] “You know, not so fast.”
He sounds a little bit like me here saying, [paraphrasing] “I know that fewer people are going to church, but maybe it doesn&#8217;t mean what we think it means.” 
One of the things he says in this argument — it&#8217;s actually a really good argument — he talked about the fact that maybe the Christianity that&#8217;s fading away, that the polls show fading away, is the lukewarm Christianity, but an intense belief is still remaining strong. 
He also talks about the fact that young people are actually [going to church more] — because young people stop going to church when they go to college, they stopped going to church, and then later, when they start to have children, when they start to deal with reality, when they start to deal with mortality, they go back to church. But young people are actually going to church a little bit more than young people in the past, which bodes fair for the fact that as they grow older, and more serious, more knowledgeable, and more experienced, they may go back to church in greater numbers. 
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He also points out that really the crisis in Christianity is a crisis in Catholicism, and there&#8217;s no question why they&#8217;re having that crisis. It&#8217;s not just the scandal, but it&#8217;s also the liberalization of Catholicism. 
So let me end with this: Kanye West. Obviously, you&#8217;ve all heard that he&#8217;s dropped this new album, “Jesus is King.” I&#8217;m in no position to judge Kanye West’s music, it&#8217;s not my kind of music…
In some ways, Kanye West may not be the spokesman we want to lean on, but he may be a good representation of American culture because he&#8217;s a crazy narcissist. The American culture is a crazy narcissistic culture, and suddenly with his conversion to Christianity — and again, I&#8217;m not judging his lyrics or anything — he&#8217;s saying a lot of things that make him sound very much like a religious conservative. 
<blockquote>WEST: The culture has you focused so much on [expletive] somebody&#8217;s [expletive] and pulling up in a foreign [car] and rapping about things that could get you locked up, and then saying you about prison reform, like bro? We brainwashed our here, bro. Come on, man, this is a free man talking. Democrats had us voting Democrat for food stamps for years, bro. What is you talking about? Guns in the 80s, taking fathers out the home, plan B, lowering our votes, making us abort our children. God should not kill. </blockquote>
Maybe not the most articulate argument, but those things go together. He is talking about a different version of human beings than the version that the Left has been selling. When he says this is a free man talking, he&#8217;s right. You&#8217;re not a free man talking until you understand the reasons why you should be free, which have to do with what a human being is, and those are the arguments we have to start making because again, we&#8217;re going to win political victories over time. 
We&#8217;re going to lose political victories, but overtime, we&#8217;re going to lose the argument if we&#8217;re not making the argument that we should be making — the real argument about what a human being is.
<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-andrew-klavan-show/id1045171376?mt=2">Listen to full episodes of “The Andrew Klavan Show” on iTunes. </a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-andrew-klavan-show">Watch “The Andrew Klavan Show” on-demand!</a>

Woman praying with Bible

KLAVAN: NYT Columnist Calls ‘Collapse’ Of American Christianity ‘Overstated.’ He’s Got A Point.

Kanye West

New York Times

A haunted house in Connecticut found itself at the center of controversy when some locals mistakenly believed that statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary were part of the attraction.
According to <a href="https://wtkr.com/2019/10/27/haunted-house-faces-controversy-virgin-mary-statues-on-property-covered/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WTKR</a>, the Nightmare on Wolcott Street attraction in the city of Waterbury featured two Virgin Mary statues that were meant to be Christmas decor, leading some locals to believe that they were a sacrilegious part of the attraction. The statues were covered up with sheets at the request of the mayor&#8217;s office.
In a lengthy post on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=133313724739838&amp;id=118949746176236">Facebook</a>, the owners of the attraction, Renee Dearborn and Mike Anderson, apologized to anyone who was offended by the appearance of the statues.
&#8220;First, we want to apologize to anyone who&#8217;s been offended by the pic of the statues,&#8221; said the post. &#8220;They have nothing and will never have anything to do with Nightmare On Wolcott Street. That&#8217;s why they&#8217;re placed on the back dock in front of the restoration shop and not at our front entrance of Nightmare on Wolcott Street.&#8221;
The post added that the statues were never even a part of the attraction, as some locals believed, and were only seen when customers parked in the free lot.
&#8220;The only time the statues are seen is when the customers park in our lot (for free),&#8221; it continued. &#8220;Our blessed mother has never and will never be part of our haunted attraction. They&#8217;re placed where they are at the restoration shop because we&#8217;re planning to restore them and use them for an upcoming 2020 Christmas nativity scene.&#8221;
The post concluded with a message about the dangers of passing judgment before knowing all the facts – a common practice these days.
&#8220;Isn&#8217;t passing judgement before knowing the facts one of the biggest issues in today&#8217;s society?&#8221; it concluded. &#8220;All it does is cause chaos like this. The statues will be covered while Nightmare on Wolcott Street is open in hopes to bring some peace to this matter!!! Thank you!&#8221;
Speaking with <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/travel/virgin-mary-statues-haunted-house-outrage">Fox News</a>, Renee Dearborn said that the business remained steady at the haunted house despite the controversy:
<blockquote>Renee Dearborn spoke with Fox News and confirmed the confusion had been cleared up. Thankfully, the controversy didn&#8217;t seem to hurt business. While the weekend before Halloween usually has been busy, Dearborn confirmed that they saw an uptick in business this year.
Dearborn said she wanted to clarify that she couldn&#8217;t attribute it all to the attraction&#8217;s recent press. According to her, about half of the visitors hadn&#8217;t even heard of the controversy.
She also confirmed to Fox News that once the last ticket is sold for the haunted house attraction, the plastic wrap will be coming off the statues.</blockquote>
While the Nightmare at Wolcott haunted house generated a controversy that was ultimately the result of an honest mistake and miscommunication, some Halloween displays have generated real controversies in their neighborhoods, such as the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mean-spirited-anti-trump-halloween-display-divides-paul-bois">anti-Trump display last year</a> that featured President Trump as a cackling devil.
“The intricate and details display includes what appears to be an immigrant child in a cage, tombstones for departed White House staff members, caricatures of members of the Trump administration and other satirical elements,” reported CBS local at the time.
Another display featured a screaming scarecrow labeled as “Ted Cruz” sitting next to a sign castigating the Texas senator as “The most punchable face in America.” Another display featured President Trump as a cackling devil-like figure with a name tag that said, “Come with me my child into the heart of darkness itself!”

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