Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman described the moment he called for the ship&#8217;s chaplain at the end of the historic lunar mission, saying that even though he did not think of himself as terribly religious, he &#8220;broke down in tears&#8221; when he saw the cross on the officer&#8217;s collar.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/see-it-what-nasas-artemis-ii-commander-stole-before-he-left-the-capsule">Wiseman</a> and his crewmates sat for a joint interview that aired on Fox News on Thursday evening, and the mission commander tried to explain what had been going through his mind at the time as he struggled to grasp the enormity of what he and his team had just witnessed.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman reflects on being MOVED to tears by the Christian cross after returning to Earth from the historic expedition:
&#8220;When I got back on the on the ship — I&#8217;m not really a religious person — but there was just no other avenue for me to explain… <a href="https://t.co/yk2JBIkxrN">pic.twitter.com/yk2JBIkxrN</a>
— Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/2044852432891527539?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;When I got back on the on the ship — I&#8217;m not really a religious person — but there was just no other avenue for me to explain anything or to experience anything,&#8221; Wiseman said of the moment they were retrieved from the Orion capsule after splashdown.
&#8220;So, I asked for the chaplain on the Navy ship to just come visit us for a minute, and when that man walked in, I&#8217;d never met him before in my life. But I saw the cross on his collar, and I just broke down in tears,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;It&#8217;s very hard to fully grasp what we just went through.&#8221;
Wiseman also issued a challenge to the world, saying that it was very easy in today&#8217;s society to get used to a more passive existence – but that progress depended on embracing hard work.
&#8220;We&#8217;re starting to lose scope as a society that you do have to go do things. You have to go do really hard, really challenging things,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We have got to get our hands out there and engaged — our hands, and our minds have got to be engaged.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NOW: Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman shares an inspirational message to those who want to become astronauts and all of society as a whole:
&#8220;We&#8217;re starting to lose scope as a society that you do have to go do things. You have to go do really hard, really challenging things.&#8221;… <a href="https://t.co/yNjI4QTGaN">pic.twitter.com/yNjI4QTGaN</a>
— Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/2044857455054655769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Artemis II pilot Victor Glover, in contrast, took every possible opportunity throughout the mission to express his faith and to point to God. He delivered a brief Easter message from space, and then <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/artemis-ii-pilot-gets-a-front-row-seat-to-the-universe-and-then-points-straight-to-god">another one</a> just before the mission lost contact.
&#8220;Christ said in response to what was the greatest command, that it was to love God with all that you are … He said the second … that is to love your neighbor as yourself,&#8221; Glover said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
JUST IN: Astronaut Victor Glover shares the Gospel from Artemis II before losing communication.
&#8220;Christ said in response to what was the greatest command, that it was to love God with all that you are.&#8221;
&#8220;He said the second &#8230; that is to love your neighbor as yourself.&#8221;
The… <a href="https://t.co/9xErKPxmQU">pic.twitter.com/9xErKPxmQU</a>
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/2041296734312423857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The Christian Symbol That Brought The Artemis II Commander To Tears

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A sharp uptick in religiosity among young American men is reversing decades of cultural trends, with new polling showing the largest year-over-year increase in religious engagement for any age group in more than two decades, an outcome many on the Right have been working toward for years.
According to a <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/708410/young-men-religious-young-women.aspx">new survey from Gallup</a>, 42% of men aged 18 to 29 now say religion is “very important” in their lives, up from just 28% two years prior. The 14-point jump marks the steepest increase measured across any demographic group in the poll’s recent history and returns young men to levels of religiosity not seen since the early 2000s.
The surge has also upended a longstanding gender dynamic. For decades, young women consistently reported higher levels of religious commitment than their male peers; that gap has now reversed, with young men surpassing young women in the importance they place on religion, holding a slight edge in religious affiliation, and matching them in attendance at religious services.
Gallup’s data show the increase is not merely attitudinal, as religious service attendance among young men rose seven points over the same period, reaching 40%, their highest level in more than a decade, bringing them into parity with young women and closer to older male cohorts than at any point in recent years.
The poll finds that the rise in religiosity is concentrated heavily among Republicans, with young Republican men driving much of the increase. That political alignment hints that the trend is not simply an ideological shift, but part of a broader cultural realignment among younger Americans.
For years, conservative leaders, media figures, and grassroots organizations have placed renewed emphasis on religion, tradition, and moral structure, particularly in response to what they describe as a vacuum of meaning created by secular institutions. That messaging has been especially targeted toward young men, a demographic often described as politically disengaged and culturally adrift in the social media era.
The late Charlie Kirk was among the key forces in the movement, consistently urging young men to reject modern nihilism in favor of the &#8220;ancient and the beautiful.&#8221; Shortly before his death, he <a href="https://www.christianitydaily.com/news/charlie-kirk-beautiful-to-see-young-men-reengaging-with-church.html">delivered a call</a> that resonated with the very men now appearing in Gallup&#8217;s data: &#8220;Find yourself back to church &#8230; that will reorient your life. Do what the church tells you to do: Find a woman, marry her, provide &#8230; have more kids than you can afford.&#8221;
The data now suggest that his effort bore fruit. While the broader trajectory of American religiosity remains in decline — with overall levels of belief, affiliation, and attendance near historic lows — young men have emerged as a clear exception. Their return to levels of religious importance last seen in 2000-2001 stands in stark contrast to women of all age groups, as well as older men, who remain at or near their lowest points in Gallup’s long-term tracking.
At the same time, young women have moved in the opposite direction. At just 29%, they are now the least religious demographic measured, widening a gap that now extends beyond religion into politics and culture more broadly. The result is a striking divergence: one cohort moving back toward faith, structure, and institutional religion, while another continues to drift away.
Gallup’s own analysis suggests the answer may lie in politics as much as in theology. The sustained increase in attendance among young Republican men since the late 2010s, as well as the more recent acceleration, indicates that religious engagement is increasingly intertwined with political identity. That dynamic has amplified the impact of the shift. With nearly half of young men now identifying as or leaning Republican, gains within that group are large enough to reshape the overall trend line. It marks a major victory for the conservative movement’s central argument — that cultural renewal requires a return to faith and tradition.
The data offer early signs that such a shift may already be underway among a key demographic.
Whether that trend continues or expands beyond its current base remains to be seen. For now, however, the numbers point to a clear break from the recent past: after decades of steady decline, young men are moving back toward religion in measurable and historically significant ways.

intersection of religion & politics: rear view of rows of wooden pews with religious liturgy books stored in pew racks in church

Young Men Just Surged In One Key Area And It’s Flipping A Decades-Old Gender Gap

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This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
Artemis II pilot Victor Glover went a long way — 252,756 miles, to be exact — to make an impression, and boy, did he ever make one. A devout Christian, Glover praised God from the heavens as he and his compatriots completed their lunar mission — and his faith resonated in shockwaves back on Earth.
While many are accustomed to watching celebrities or sports figures answer victory — and sometimes defeat — with prayer and a call to glorify God in all things, those words are more striking when they come from scientists because so often culture teaches us that science and faith must be at odds with each other.
But Glover says otherwise, loudly and boldly — and when he&#8217;s given a microphone, even hundreds of thousands of miles from Earth, he says it again.
The naval test pilot holds three master&#8217;s degrees in flight and engineering fields, and he explained in a 2023 <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-artemis-ii-pilot-victor-glover-reframes-race-question.html">interview</a> that his faith feeds his academic and career pursuits.
&#8220;My career is fed by my faith. Anytime I do something that’s pretty risky, I pray. Before I fly, every time I fly. Definitely when you go sit on top of a rocket ship,&#8221; he said. &#8220;In the military, there’s a saying that there are no atheists in foxholes. There aren’t any on top of rockets, either.&#8221;
Throughout Artemis II&#8217;s mission, Glover took every opportunity to share his faith — particularly in the context of God&#8217;s creation, to which he&#8217;d just been given a front-row seat.
On Easter Sunday, he gave an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/artemis-ii-pilot-pauses-during-lunar-mission-to-deliver-powerful-easter-message">impromptu speech</a> from aboard the Orion capsule.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 JUST IN: Artemis II pilot Victor Glover just gave this BEAUTIFUL Easter message
&#8220;So far from Earth, looking at the BEAUTY of creation.&#8221;
“When I read the Bible and I look at all of the amazing things that were done for us&#8230;this amazing place.&#8221; ❤️🙏🏻<a href="https://t.co/cjZscnGz2A">pic.twitter.com/cjZscnGz2A</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2040566651788157186?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;You know, when I read the Bible and I look at all of the amazing things that were done for us, who were created, it’s — you have this amazing place, this spaceship, you guys are talking to us because we’re in a spaceship really far from Earth,&#8221; Glover said, adding, &#8220;You’re on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe, in the cosmos. Maybe the distance we are from you makes you think what we’re doing is special, but we’re the same distance from you, and I’m trying to tell you, just trust me, you are special.&#8221;
&#8220;In all of this emptiness, this is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe, you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together,&#8221; he said.
Just before they circled around the moon and lost contact with Mission Control, Glover once again took the microphone and brought the conversation back to his faith: &#8220;Christ said in response to what was the greatest command, that it was to love God with all that you are &#8230; He said the second &#8230; that is to love your neighbor as yourself.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
JUST IN: Astronaut Victor Glover shares the Gospel from Artemis II before losing communication.
&#8220;Christ said in response to what was the greatest command, that it was to love God with all that you are.&#8221;
&#8220;He said the second &#8230; that is to love your neighbor as yourself.&#8221;
The… <a href="https://t.co/9xErKPxmQU">pic.twitter.com/9xErKPxmQU</a>
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/2041296734312423857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
When the crew finally splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, marking the end of their lunar mission, Glover&#8217;s first public comments were once again rooted in his faith: &#8220;I wanted to thank God in public, and I want to thank God again, because even bigger than my challenge trying to describe what we went through, the gratitude of seeing what we saw, doing what we did, and being with who I was with — it&#8217;s too big to just be in one body.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 WOW! Artemis II pilot Victor Glover spreads the gospel after a safe return home from space
This dude is a MASTERCLASS!
&#8220;I wanted to thank God in public, and I want to thank God again, because even bigger than my challenge trying to describe what we went through, the… <a href="https://t.co/VnCljIxdqX">pic.twitter.com/VnCljIxdqX</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2043079388887953721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2026</a></blockquote>
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When Glover was granted a hero&#8217;s welcome at home, his thoughts remained on shining the light outward. &#8220;Some of us have never met before. And you know whose fault that is? Ours. So let&#8217;s choose to do this. Let&#8217;s be this more. Let&#8217;s be neighbors,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know if you heard me say it, but God told us to love Him with all that we are and love our neighbors as ourselves.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: Astronaut Victor Glover shares the gospel to a crowd who welcomed him back home to Houston, Texas.
People were seen lining the streets to welcome Glover back home.
“Some of us have never met before. And you know whose fault that is? Ours. So let&#8217;s choose to do this. Let&#8217;s… <a href="https://t.co/xMLozkJtLr">pic.twitter.com/xMLozkJtLr</a>
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/2043704154120724796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The response was overwhelming: People everywhere heard him, and they loved what they heard.
&#8220;Loves Jesus. Loves his wife. Loves his daughters. Literally new fav astronaut,&#8221; commentator and Daily Wire contributor Elisha Krauss <a href="https://x.com/ElishaKrauss/status/2043513849769574698">posted</a>.
&#8220;It&#8217;s really beautiful to see someone in the government, in the military, and most definitely in the public eye giving glory to God for a mighty achievement. Our society needs so much more of this,&#8221; another <a href="https://x.com/CynicalPublius/status/2043396363002765561">responded</a>.
&#8220;Victor Glover is currently my favorite American,&#8221; journalist Olivia Rondeau <a href="https://x.com/rondeaulivia/status/2043405151730643408">added</a>.
&#8220;No need to send poets to the Moon, we have NASA Astronaut Victor Glover,&#8221; someone else <a href="https://x.com/OwenSparks/status/2041273387801030964">observed</a>.
But Glover himself said it best: &#8220;We need Jesus — whether on Earth or circling the moon.&#8221;

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Artemis II Pilot Gets A Front-Row Seat To The Universe And Then Points Straight To God

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Yesterday was Divine Mercy Sunday. This special day for Catholics around the world builds on the Gospel accounts of the resurrected Jesus&#8217;s appearances to his inner circle of followers. His most common and consistent message to his followers after rising from the dead?
“Peace be with you.”
Not long after Pope Leo closed the holy Easter Octave on this important liturgical day by leading an evening peace vigil at the Vatican, President Donald Trump <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-pope-leo-xiv-02f6b4554ea4b83af02af15987ae1f2d">tore into the Holy Father on social media</a>, calling him “WEAK on Crime” and “terrible on foreign policy.”
In many ways, the post was classic Trump: the most powerful man in the world was not just writing with the random capitalizations and uppercase blocked phrases, but offering a series of unhinged attacks interspersed with increasingly questionable accounts of his own record. (How many times do we have to hear that someone who won the 2024 election by 1.5 percentage points did so “IN A LANDSLIDE”?)
Even as a Catholic who hated this post on multiple levels, parts of it do remind me of what makes Trump genuinely appealing to so many, even now. He refuses to play pietistic games and directly criticizes those whom he feels deserve it. He does so with a performative self-assuredness that, even as it misleads, makes easy, sweeping analysis more complicated because it often brushes up against something true. (He was not wrong to speculate that Pope Leo is probably not pope today if someone else were president.) Despite hurting so many people with his words and actions, he is also at times genuinely funny and engaging, not least because he puts his humanity on full display. His supporters (and sometimes even his detractors) love this humanity, especially when contrasted with the inauthentic, poll-tested, AI-scrubbed, robot-like affect we get from most other politicians.
But Trump’s humanity needs redemption. Badly.
Saying so isn’t a politically motivated attack; it is simply asserting the truth of Christianity. Human beings are born with fallen natures, with primordial wounds which play out in our desire to accumulate, to dominate, and to prove ourselves worthy of love and affection at the expense of others. Trump’s wounds in this regard are not different in kind from those writ large on the hearts of humanity.
But his wounds are on full display in front of the whole world. Not just on social media, but on the skyscrapers and other massive buildings with his name on them, in his renaming institutions after himself, and in his ferociously putting other people down in an attempt to build himself up. These are obviously not the marks of a man who is at peace with himself.
And then there was the assassin’s bullet in Pennsylvania, which came less than an inch from ending his life. At a <a href="https://cbn.com/news/us/it-changed-something-me-trump-admits-attempted-assassination-transformed-his-belief-god">recent prayer breakfast</a>, Trump said that this “changed something in me.” And in what appeared to be a moment of self-reflection on his own life, he told the crowd, “You can&#8217;t be happy without religion—without that belief.”
In speaking with those who know him and have discussed this topic with him, I’ve come to believe that we should take this shift in him seriously and not be cynical about it.
But we must also ask whether the person who said this believes it. Really, really believes it. In his bones. In the deepest part of who he is.
If Trump truly believes that faith in God is what brings one true happiness, would he be on social media launching unprecedented attacks on the pope? If the kid from Queens really knew that he is loved beyond measure—loved in this unimaginable way before he accomplished even one single thing in his life—would he still need to build himself up by tearing his perceived enemies new metaphorical holes?
We are now weeks away from celebrating the 250th anniversary of a founding document that declared we are created equal by God. Our equality and value come from one source and one source alone: the way God made us. Nothing about our position, age, size, level of dependence, IQ, net worth, families, health, successes, or failures—nothing—can add to or take away from the intrinsic dignity that makes all human beings equal. We are loved with the unconditional love of a heavenly father for a child. And in the president’s case, a son.
What would Trump’s life (including, but not at all limited to, his presidency) look like if he really believed that he was loved in this way? Unconditionally, warts and all? If he knew that if he sincerely asked for forgiveness, the Peace that Christ offers all of us (and in a special way at this time of year) could be his? Would he feel the need to portray himself as a Christ figure, King of Kings, and spiritual healer, as he did in a post on his social media site, Truth Social, over the weekend?
I feel comfortable saying that he wouldn’t spend time on social media attacking the pope and others like this. Reasonable people, including faithful Catholics, can and do disagree with the pope on prudential policy matters. But a man at peace doesn’t feel the need to humiliate someone else when offering a different point of view.
Perhaps the most important thing a Christian should do in this context is wish something for Donald Trump, the person, the child of God, quite apart from Donald Trump the politician and president.
Donald, you’ve been used by Christian leaders and others in the faith who wanted to advance their own agendas through you. I’m genuinely sorry that your primary exposure to the faith and to Christians over the last decade has been like this. I want to genuinely invite you to put aside the wisdom of the world, which has made you and so many others anxious and angry. I want to genuinely invite you to embrace the unimaginable good news of the Cross and Resurrection. It turns the wisdom of the world on its head: we lead authentically when we put others before ourselves; the proper way to respond to our enemies is with love; we receive in direct proportion to what we give away; and it is in dying to self that we find who we truly are.
The peace that comes from this divine wisdom is what you are missing, Donald. You know this on some level. It is the only thing that truly satisfies and makes one truly happy.
Mr. President, Peace be with you.
***
Charles Camosy is a professor of moral theology and bioethics at the Catholic University of America.

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President Donald Trump deleted a post from his Truth Social account on Monday after he was condemned by some of his Christian supporters for depicting himself as Jesus Christ.
The image showed Trump, dressed in a white tunic and red robe, healing a man in a hospital bed as people around Trump looked on in adoration and prayer. The image appears to have originated on social media in February when conservative social media personality Nick Adams <a href="https://x.com/nickadamsinusa/status/2019100728078348415?s=46&amp;t=o-U3qwC25WnWaylJ0oeG7Q">shared</a> it on X with the caption, &#8220;America has been sick for a long time. President Trump is healing this nation.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1076721" style="width: 394px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1076721" class="wp-image-1076721 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-13T075044.115-384x576.jpg" alt="" width="384" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-13T075044.115-384x576.jpg 384w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-13T075044.115-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-13T075044.115-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-13T075044.115.jpg 800w" sizes=" (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" />Screenshot: Truth Social</div>
The image was a step too far in the minds of many of his Christian supporters, who often defend the president&#8217;s unconventional social media tactics. Many of Trump&#8217;s Christian supporters urged the president to take it down, with some Christians calling the image &#8220;<a href="https://x.com/JonnyRoot_/status/2043545923192758693">blasphemous</a>.&#8221;
&#8220;I assume someone has already told him, but it behooves the President both spiritually and politically to delete the picture, no matter the intent,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/michaeljknowles/status/2043539668227039475">wrote</a> Daily Wire host Michael Knowles.
&#8220;I don’t know if the President thought he was being funny or if he is under the influence of some substance or what possible explanation he could have for this OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/megbasham/status/2043532479194075630">said</a> Megan Basham, &#8220;But he needs to take this down immediately and ask for forgiveness from the American people and then from God.&#8221;
The Daily Wire reached out to the White House for comment.
Trump posted the image less than one hour after he blasted Pope Leo XIV in another social media post, calling the pope &#8220;weak&#8221; and suggesting he didn&#8217;t deserve to be chosen for the position. The pope has been critical of Trump&#8217;s immigration policies and the military campaign against Iran.
&#8220;God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs,&#8221; Pope Leo <a href="https://x.com/Pontifex/status/2042588417578668338">said</a> last week. &#8220;Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.&#8221;
In his Palm Sunday message last month, Pope Leo also said that Jesus &#8220;rejects war&#8221; and &#8220;does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.&#8221;
Trump responded to the pope&#8217;s comments Sunday evening, writing, &#8220;I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History.&#8221;
&#8220;Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.&#8221;

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Trump Removes ‘OUTRAGEOUS’ Post Depicting Himself As Jesus Christ After Backlash From Supporters

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Former Nebraska Republican Senator Ben Sasse said he does not fear his death during an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/opinion/ben-sasse-death-pancreatic-cancer.html">interview</a> with Ross Douthat earlier this week.
Sasse <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-senator-ben-sasse-reveals-stage-four-cancer-diagnosis-ive-got-less-time-than-id-prefer?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Former+Senator+Ben+Sasse+Reveals+Stage-Four+Cancer+Diagnosis%3A+%E2%80%98I%E2%80%99ve+Got+Less+Time+Than+I%E2%80%99d+Prefer%E2%80%99">said</a> in December that he had been diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, calling it a “death sentence.”
“I was incredibly blessed to be quickly at peace,” Sasse told Douthat. “I kept hearing the Pauline phrase, ‘To live is Christ, to die is gain.’&#8221;
“Death is terrible,” Sasse added. “We should never sugarcoat it. It is not how things are meant to be. But it is great that death can be called the final enemy. It’s an enemy, but it’s a final enemy, and then there will be no more tears.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Former Sen. Ben Sasse, who is facing terminal illness, opens up about how his faith in Jesus Christ is sustaining him during this difficult time:
“I believe in the Resurrection, and I believe in a restoration of this world, and so I did not feel great fear about my death.” <a href="https://t.co/MhZrV5ULra">pic.twitter.com/MhZrV5ULra</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/2042661373125984542?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Sasse is now in the fourth month since his diagnosis, having been told he had three to four months to live.
“I believe in the Resurrection, and I believe in a restoration of this world, and so I did not feel great fear about my death,” Sasse said. “I didn’t want the pain I was going through, I didn’t want to be a pansy-ass in my final moments.”
Sasse had a bloody face during his interview, a side effect of a new cancer treatment, he told Douthat. The treatment is extending the lives of cancer patients, but causes bleeding, peeling, and rashes.
“It’s a nasty drug,” Sasse said. “It causes crazy stuff, like my body can’t grow skin, and so I bleed out of a whole bunch of parts of me that shouldn’t be bleeding.”
Sasse has done several interviews since his diagnosis, and he told Douthat he has “time to redeem.”
“You gotta redeem the time, and there’s only so many bits of unsolicited advice I can give my children,” Sasse said when asked why he is choosing to talk to journalists. “You journalists want to talk, and if you don’t have anybody better, I’m your man.”
Although Sasse said he has made peace with his mortality, he added that he does have regrets about having prioritized poorly throughout his life.
“We’re all on the clock, and I wanted to have prioritized better, and whether I really only had three or four months left or if I get nine to 12 months left, I wanna prioritize better from then. But in my tradition, in Christianity, the need for daily repentance is just a truth. I am broken,” Sasse said. “And I get to repent every day of my sins — of both omission and commission. And yet, at a slightly bigger level, if you’re only gonna get three or four months, you really wanna get some of your affairs in order.”
Sasse said he has felt a heaviness about the diagnosis because he does not want to leave his children without a father.
“I knew that God was not surprised by the diagnosis,” Sasse said. “There is not a maverick molecule in the universe. But I didn’t like the idea of my 14-year-old son not having a dad around at 16. I didn’t like the idea of my daughters, who are 22 and 24, not having their dad there to walk them down the aisle.”
Despite his concerns, Sasse said, he is still at peace.
“I’ve continued to feel a peace about the fact that death is something that we should hate, we should call it a wicked thief, and yet, it’s pretty good that you pass through the veil of tears one time and then there will be no more tears,” Sasse said.

Ben Sasse

‘To Die Is Gain’: Ben Sasse Faces Terminal Cancer With Unshakable Faith

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You know, many people ask me to explain how to be a Christian. Well, not many people. Maybe, like, three or four. It’s hard to count them because they’re invisible. But whenever some lost soul begs me to point the way toward the light of God’s love, I always take time out of my busy schedule and say to them, “Of course. That’ll be twenty-five dollars.” A man’s gotta eat.
There are many misconceptions about the experience of Christian faith. Even an honest seeker can lose his way and begin to believe that Christianity is just a matter of establishing a relationship with a loving God who sacrificed his own son to win forgiveness for his sinful creation and wants nothing more from you but that you turn from your destructive desires and live into His image to find peace and joy and eternal life. But that’s absurd. It’s difficult and you miss all the fun.
Instead, you must turn your eyes to the Lord’s eternal dwelling place: social media. There, you’ll find to your delight that the moment you accept Christ into your heart, you instantly receive the power to tell other people that they’re doing it wrong. When Jesus said, “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” he didn’t mean, “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” He meant, “Hey, tell that stupid schmuck over there I am sending him to hell if he doesn’t shut his fat face right now.” Of course, those of you who are only just starting on your Christian journey, might wonder, “Why did our savior say the exact opposite of what he meant?” But as you grow in social media faith, you’ll understand: it’s because our blessed Lord was a Jew, and you just can’t trust those people.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1274-the-andrew-klavan-show?elementPosition=2&amp;row=5&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974735 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-1024x171.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-1024x171.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-768x128.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-1536x256.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now.jpg 1800w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Also, when you become a Christian, you’ll develop the ability to see things no one else can see, almost as if you were a prophet or a schizophrenic or a CNN anchorwoman. To explore this ability, social-media-Christian Tucker Carlson recently interviewed an exorcist, Father Brendan O’Paguey. 
Here’s a brief portion of the transcript:
<blockquote>Father O: In order to cast out demons, you must first be able to discern the presence of evil.
Tucker: Your mother has sex with animals in hell. Look, my head spins 360 degrees. Fall down and worship me.
Father O: You must learn to look for small, subtle signs of demonic influence.
Tucker: Behold, I levitate and spider walk across the ceiling. I am legion. Abandon the Holy One and despair.
Father O: Next, you must learn to speak Syriac …</blockquote>
Well, the full interview is available online, but you get the idea.
But religion isn’t all fun and games. Sometimes you have to make an effort. For instance, to be a good Christian, it’s essential that you marshal your will power to overcome your sense of humor. Knowing Christ can make your heart light with celestial joy and cause you to laugh even amidst the corruption of a fallen world. You don’t want that. Non-Christians might see it and start to join in. Then we’d have to live with them forever in heaven, and I hate those people.
Fortunately, once you’ve stripped yourself of any propensity for laughter, all self-awareness will also melt away and you’ll at last be prepared for the pious act of pretending to believe absolute nonsense in the name of God. For example, when the Bible says “Do not mistreat the immigrant among you,” you can pretend that means, “Allow 20-million illegal crap-heads to exploit your tolerance, sack your coffers, and rape and murder your women.” Or you can pretend that when Jesus says, “Love your neighbor,” he means “Sexually mutilate your children so they can delight in being the gender of their choice right up until the moment they commit suicide.” And okay, pretending to believe such things may not win sinners eternal life, but it could get professors tenure, which is almost the same thing.
Now some of you may be asking yourself, “Gee, where in the Bible does it say Christ’s titanic liberating sacrifice is supposed to turn us into humorless, pious scolds who pretend to believe complete nonsense?” But it’s right there in John 11:35, where it says: “Jesus wept.”
* * *
This excerpt is taken from the opening satirical monologue of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-andrew-klavan-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Andrew Klavan Show</a>.”
Andrew Klavan is the host of “The Andrew Klavan Show” at The Daily Wire. Klavan is the bestselling author of numerous books, including the Cameron Winter Mystery series. The fifth installment, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/After-That-Cameron-Winter-Mysteries/dp/1613166869/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3EGZUC370LG46&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Y_NI0mDOKeowShheDQTVx5NH-fAeimJoCD56_T0Acpl8C0mup7uJf-nGGSRLEItaaekoDnvS2vWLMa4Zd2UBXQ8Y-g-P502jOWz-Y8IX3ZQsdlO7WMLrg1xIhNoKmjCorSWUR4C2l_RbiZ7apJ1MfPzGOrrEf7AdAXX6xwnJRVP_XqUfWuMuVthTWscaU3P4vgmS86-96n-721enHfX12CFQWTajqFbVnrsDkexfUf4.6_gTH6h1Bb9Pn375QdF_VAVZSayDvjQBBKGXE-MTiFo&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=klavan&amp;qid=1754049918&amp;sprefix=%2Caps%2C80&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">After That, The Dark,</a> is NOW AVAILABLE. Follow him on X: <a href="https://x.com/andrewklavan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@andrewklavan</a>.

Online klavan

When People Ask Me How To Be A Christian Online, Here’s What I Say

Andrew Klavan

Humor

Satire

Tucker Carlson

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

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

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

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War Secretary Pete Hegseth shook things up at the Pentagon during Holy Week when he fired several top generals — including Major General William Green Jr. the U.S. Army chief of chaplains.
Green&#8217;s job as the Army chief of chaplains is to advise the Army Chief of Staff on issues of religion and morality, as well as to oversee the Army Chaplain Corps — and he was three years into what would normally be a four-year term when Hegseth removed him from the role.
Green served as an enlisted soldier prior to becoming an ordained minister, and has served as a chaplain in the Army since the 1990s. His promotion to Major General was recent, according to <a href="https://www.military.com/daily-news/headlines/2026/04/02/army-chief-forced-out-iran-war-hits-new-phase.html">Military.com</a>, and he had become the Army chief of chaplains in 2023.
While no official reason has been given for Green&#8217;s termination — marking the first time that an Army chief of chaplains has been fired since the position was created under the National Defense Act of 1920 — Hegseth had previously voiced his displeasure with Green&#8217;s Army Spiritual Fitness Guide, published in 2025.
The <a href="https://www.militaryatheists.org/regs/ArmyFM7-22_subv202507-SF-Guide.pdf">112-page guide</a> — and accompanying Battle Book — featured &#8220;secular-inclusive&#8221; principles aimed at encouraging resilience and strength. It was written to be a part of the Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness program (H2F), for which development began in 2024 during former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin&#8217;s tenure.
The guide was published in August of 2025, and Hegseth disliked it so much that he ordered the War Department to scrap it entirely by December, less than six months after it was implemented.
&#8220;It mentions God one time. That’s it. It mentions feelings 11 times. It even mentions playfulness, whatever that is, nine times,&#8221; Hegseth said at the time, complaining that in the military, &#8220;chaplains have been minimized, viewed by many as therapists instead of ministers.&#8221;
The guide was summarily <a href="https://www.army.mil/article/287513/spiritual_fitness_battlebook_equips_soldiers_with_tools_for_inner_resilience">scrubbed</a> from the Army&#8217;s website.
Two other top generals were removed the same week: Gen. David Hodne, a former Army Ranger in charge of the Army’s Transformation and Training Command, and Army Chief of Staff Gen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hegseth-removes-armys-top-general-asks-him-to-retire-immediately">Randy A. George</a>.

US-POLITICS-SECURITY-HEGSETH

Hegseth Fires Army Chief Of Chaplains During Holy Week

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Military

Pete Hegseth

U.S. Army

Sarah Trone Garriott has a Harvard Divinity degree, a Lutheran ordination, and a history of calling Christianity a threat. Now she wants to be your Congresswoman.
Garriott, who is currently serving in the Iowa State Senate and running to flip Iowa’s Third Congressional District blue, made remarks in 2023 that should follow her to every campaign stop, debate stage, and Iowa church pew between now and November. Speaking about religious conservatives, she described them as &#8220;uncomfortable&#8221; — as something that “feels very threatening” — and linked Christianity itself to “political violence.” Not radical Islam. Not jihadist ideology. Christianity. 

She said this as an ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Three years later, with Holy Week upon us and a string of Islamic terror attacks fresh in the national memory, Garriott’s remarks deserve to be exhumed, examined, and explained. Not because they were gaffes — they weren’t. They deserve attention because they are a window into exactly what the modern religious Left believes: that the greatest threat to civil society is not the ideology responsible for over 60,800 terror attacks in the last half-century, but the people filling church pews on Palm Sunday.
During Holy Week, as Christian communities are still burying their dead from coordinated massacres in Nigeria, this inversion of morality is morally obscene.
Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world, so it was unfortunately not a complete shock that on Palm Sunday, while progressive politicians were busy casting aspersions on churchgoing Christians, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/30/world/africa/palm-sunday-attack-nigeria-dead.html">coordinated attacks</a> devastated Christian communities across central and northern Nigeria in what survivors are calling the Palm Sunday Massacres. Entire congregations were targeted. Families were slaughtered on one of the holiest days of the liturgical calendar. Christianity is not causing violence, Reverend Garriott; it is absorbing it. 
This is not an anomaly. It is an escalating pattern that cowardly politicians refuse to name. In March of 2026 alone, there were four confirmed Islamist terror attacks on Western soil, with at least four additional major plots thwarted before they reached fruition. As we approach the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks, the trend driving mass-casualty violence is not Christian nationalism — it’s the jihadist radicalism that’s been methodically seeping into this country for decades: Over 60,800 Islamic terror attacks were carried out globally in the last fifty years. The comparable figure for attacks attributed to Christian or Jewish extremism amounts to a few hundred. These are not remotely equivalent threats, and any elected official who pretends otherwise is either ignorant or dishonest. 
So what, precisely, does threaten these power-hungry clerics? It is not the Sermon on the Mount. It is not the notion that He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). What threatens them is the downstream consequence of a populace that actually lives by those words. Christians grounded in Scripture are harder to manipulate, less dependent on the government as their provider, and far less likely to hand power to pseudo-believers whose lives represent the antithesis of everything Christ commands. This dynamic was on full display just this week when Daily Wire host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/daily-wire-host-fires-back-after-the-view-melts-down-over-her-support-for-young-families">Isabel Brown</a> was publicly castigated for the radical act of suggesting marriage and children are worth pursuing — a principle so foundational it runs from Genesis through the Pauline epistles. Garriott herself has voted against protecting women’s sports from biological males and against banning gender-transition procedures for minors. That is the true threat they fear — not violence, not extremism, but a people too grounded in faith to go along with these cultural lies. 
 
Certainly, there are wolves in the pulpit. There are leaders who have abandoned orthodoxy, twisted Scripture for popularity and applause, and led congregations into confusion rather than conviction. That apostasy is real and genuinely threatening to the Church and her faithful. But the solution to bad theology is not to hand political power to the theologians perpetrating it. In a world where America is still called the “Great Satan” by those who mean it literally, and where our cultural foundations are being eroded daily, authentic Christians are not the problem. They are the last best hope of restoring the Christian values upon which this republic was built.
Sarah Trone Garriott is a wolf in pearls — ordained, Harvard-educated, interfaith-credentialed, and deeply hostile to the faith she claims to represent. A minister who thinks Christianity is an imminent threat is not a pastor; she is a politician in a collar. Don’t let her do to Iowa’s Third District what Judas did in the garden — betray it with a kiss, wearing the vestments of a friend.

Midterm Fight Over Trump Bill, Tariffs Starts Early At Iowa Fair

She Said Christianity Feels ‘Threatening.’ Now She Wants Your Vote.

She Said Christianity Feels 'Threatening.' Now She Wants Your Vote.

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Podcaster Jack Posobiec stirred controversy last week with an explosive accusation: J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is pagan.
“I’ve heard people try to make the argument that ‘Lord of the Rings’ is overtly Christian and I hate to burst the bubble, guys, but you’re just wrong,” Posobiec said. “There’s nothing overtly Christian about ‘Lord of the Rings.’ Uh, there’s no church in it, there’s no faith in it, there’s no Christ figure — there’s none of these things. And honestly, ‘Lord of the Rings,’ if it’s anything, ‘Lord of the Rings’ is overtly pagan … You have a pantheon of powerful creatures, and figures.” The fact that Stephen Colbert likes the trilogy is further proof that Lord of the Rings is bad, Posobiec added. He <a href="https://x.com/JackPosobiec/status/2037574821417038127">doubled down</a> on X, arguing that the Lord of the Rings couldn’t be Christian with “no Christ figure, no religion, not even prayer.”
First, let’s dispense with the baffling Colbert argument. Stephen Colbert is a liberal moron. But “something must be bad because a liberal moron likes it” is the logic of a child. I’m sure there are plenty of liberal morons who love their children, but that doesn’t mean loving your children is bad.
Moving on — sure, you could say that Tolkien’s masterpiece isn’t a Christian work because there’s no explicit Christ figure in it. You could also say that The Old Man and the Sea is a book about fishing. But in both cases, you would sound like an idiot.
For starters, there’s what the author himself said about his work: Tolkien doesn’t beat you over the head with religious allegories precisely because the book is shot through with his Christian worldview.
In a 1953 <a href="https://archive.org/details/lettersofjrrtolk00tolk_1/page/172/mode/2up">letter</a> to a priest friend, Tolkien made that clear: “The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. That is why I have not put in, or have cut out, practically all references to anything like ‘religion,’ to cults or practices, in the imaginary world. For the religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolism.”
Or, as Tolkien <a href="https://library.pepperdine.edu/news/posts/2020-01-jrr-tolkien.htm">said</a> elsewhere (emphasis mine): “I am a Christian (which can be deduced from my stories).”
Tolkien’s work backs up his words. After all, in the trilogy’s final book, Return of the King, it’s the Christian virtue of mercy that ultimately saves the day.
Frodo journeys to the fires of Mount Doom to destroy the ring, only to succumb to temptation at the last moment and claim the ring for himself. But in a twist of fate, Gollum — whose life Frodo spared earlier in the trilogy — bites off Frodo’s finger (and the ring) before falling into the fire, thereby completing the mission of destroying the ring. If not for Frodo’s mercy towards Gollum, Tolkien notes in a letter to a fan who questioned whether Frodo had “failed” as a hero, Frodo or Samwise Gamgee may well have had to cast themselves with the ring “into the fiery abyss” in order to destroy it.   
“Frodo indeed &#8216;failed&#8217; as a hero, as conceived by simple minds: he did not endure to the end; he gave in, ratted. I do not say &#8216;simple minds&#8217; with contempt: they often see with clarity the simple truth and the absolute ideal to which effort must be directed, even if it is unattainable. Their weakness, however, is twofold. They do not perceive the complexity of any given situation in Time, in which an absolute ideal is enmeshed. They tend to forget that strange element in the World that we call Pity or Mercy, which is also an absolute requirement in moral judgment (since it is present in the Divine nature),” Tolkien notes in <a href="https://www.tolkienestate.com/letters/letter-to-eileen-elgar-september-1963/">the letter.</a>
He goes on to add: “Frodo had done what he could and spent himself completely (as an instrument of Providence) and had produced a situation in which the object of his quest could be achieved. His humility (with which he began) and his sufferings were justly rewarded by the highest honour; and his exercise of patience and mercy towards Gollum gained him Mercy: his failure was redressed.”
Mercy. Redemptive suffering. Providence. Those are all Christian themes — you just have to look a little harder beyond “Is Jesus in this book?” to find them.
Finally, I’ll leave you with what Tolkien wrote about the Eucharist — what Catholics believe is the true body and blood of Jesus. Tolkien wrote about his love for the Eucharist in the most emotional, passionate terms — the way a romantic might write about his lover (or the way Jim Acosta might write about himself).
Here’s a sample, from a <a href="https://archive.org/details/lettersofjrrtolk00tolk_1/page/52/mode/2up">long letter</a> that Tolkien wrote to his son: “Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament… There you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth, and more than that: Death: by the divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the surrender of all, and yet by the taste—or foretaste—of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy) be maintained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, which every man’s heart desires.”
Are we seriously supposed to believe that the man who wrote that used his pedestal to promote paganism?
The Lord of the Rings is a Christian masterpiece. The trilogy’s fans know it. Tolkien knew it. And hopefully Jack Posobiec will read this piece so he can know it too.
***
Peter J. Hasson is an editor at The Washington Free Beacon and author of  <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07YL7FH5F/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=">The Manipulators: Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Big Tech&#8217;s War on Conservatives</a>.

J.R Tolkien first edition

The Lord of the Rings Reminds Us That Great Stories Have Christian Roots

Culture

JRR Tolkien

Lord of the Rings

Israeli police prevented senior Catholic leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday, marking what church authorities say is the first time in centuries that the site’s top clerics were barred from celebrating one of Christianity’s most sacred observances.
According to a joint statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Father Francesco Ielpo, the Custos of the Holy Land and official guardian of the church, were stopped en route to the church and turned back by police.
The two clerics were traveling privately and “without any characteristics of a procession or ceremonial act,” the statement said, and were denied entry to the site where they were scheduled to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass. “For the first time in centuries, the Heads of the Church were prevented from celebrating the Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” the statement noted, calling the incident “a grave precedent” that disregards “the sensibilities of billions of people around the world.”
Church authorities emphasized that they had complied with all restrictions imposed since the start of the war, including canceling public gatherings and arranging for services to be broadcast remotely to the faithful worldwide. “Preventing the entry of the Cardinal and the Custos … constitutes a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure,” the statement said, adding that the decision represented “an extreme departure from basic principles of reasonableness, freedom of worship, and respect for the Status Quo.”
The Patriarchate and Custody expressed “profound sorrow” that prayer on one of the most sacred days of the Christian calendar had been prevented in Christianity’s holiest site.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani publicly condemned the move, <a href="https://x.com/Antonio_Tajani/status/2038202709585662223">expressing</a> “heartfelt solidarity” with the Patriarch and Custos — both Italian nationals — and calling the decision “unacceptable.”
“For the first time, the Israeli police denied the leaders of the Catholic Church the possibility of celebrating Palm Sunday Mass in one of the holiest places for millions of believers around the world,” Tajani wrote, adding that Italy had <a href="https://x.com/Antonio_Tajani/status/2038213804081783242">summoned</a> the Israeli ambassador to lodge a formal protest and reaffirm its commitment to defending religious freedom.
Israeli authorities, however, pointed to ongoing wartime conditions and security concerns as justification for the restrictions. In a statement obtained by former Israeli spokesman <a href="https://x.com/eylonalevy/status/2038235514583609854?s=46&amp;t=ghpHusspWPjTMisXwpsMaA">Eylon Levy</a>, police said that all holy sites, including the temple mount and Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City have been closed in accordance with Home Front Command guidelines amid the ongoing conflict.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, police said, lacks adequate protected space, and recently Iranian missile shrapnel has landed nearby. They also cited the difficulty of navigating emergency vehicles through the Old City’s narrow alleyways in the event of a mass casualty incident.
According to the statement, Cardinal Pizzaballa had requested an exception to the restrictions, which authorities declined after explaining the security concerns. “‘Freedom of worship will continue to be upheld, subject to necessary restrictions,’” the police statement read, adding that Israel’s top priority remains “protecting human life.” 
Israeli government officials, for their part, have pointed squarely to escalating security threats as the driving force behind the decision. In a <a href="https://x.com/israelipm/status/2038252865865519479?s=46&amp;t=ghpHusspWPjTMisXwpsMaA">statement</a> released by the Prime Minister’s Office’s official X account, the government said that “over the past several days, Iran has repeatedly targeted the holy sites of all three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles,” underscoring the severity of the situation unfolding in the Old City.
The statement noted again that in at least one recent strike, missile fragments landed just meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre itself, an incident Israeli officials cited as evidence that even the most sacred sites are no longer insulated from the widening conflict.
“As a result, Israel has temporarily asked worshippers from all faiths not to worship at the holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City to protect them,” the Prime Minister’s Office said, framing the restrictions as a blanket security measure rather than one targeting any single religion or denomination.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also addressed the specific decision to block Cardinal Pizzaballa, emphasizing that it was made “out of special concern for his safety,” and insisting that “there was no malicious intent whatsoever, only concern for his safety and that of his party.”
At the same time, the government acknowledged the extraordinary nature of the restriction, particularly given the timing during Holy Week. The Prime Minister’s Office said Israel’s security agencies are now “putting together a plan to enable church leaders to worship at the holy site in the coming days,” suggesting that the restrictions could be adjusted as conditions allow.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry echoed that explanation in a separate statement on <a href="https://x.com/israelmfa/status/2038252596343845310?s=46&amp;t=ghpHusspWPjTMisXwpsMaA">X</a>, stressing that all current limitations in the Old City are “a direct result of Iranian missile fire,” which has struck in the vicinity not only of the Holy Sepulchre, but also the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Western Wall.
“In light of this, and in order to protect the lives of worshippers of all faiths, precautionary instructions have been issued for all holy sites of all religions, and mass gatherings are not possible,” the ministry said. “The concern over a mass-casualty event in the Old City is particularly acute given the area’s density and the difficulty of deploying first responders in such an incident,” the statement said, appealing to the logistical challenges facing security officials.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, however, took issue with that reasoning. While acknowledging the security-driven closure of all holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City he described the specific denial of entry to the Catholic leaders as being perhaps overzealous. “While all Holy sites in the Old City are closed due to safety concerns for mass gatherings &#8230; the action today by the Israel Nat’l Police to deny Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and 3 other priests from entering the Church to offer a blessing on Palm Sunday is an unfortunate overreach already having major repercussions around the world,” Huckabee wrote in a statement on <a href="https://x.com/govmikehuckabee/status/2038267075592872362?s=46&amp;t=o-U3qwC25WnWaylJ0oeG7Q">X</a>. 
<div>He noted that Home Front Command guidelines restrict any gatherings to 50 people or less, a limit the four Catholic representatives were well below. Although Israeli government statements have cited safety reasons for the decision, Huckabee observed that churches, synagogues, and mosques throughout Jerusalem have continued to operate under the same 50-person restriction. “For the Patriarch to be barred from entry to the Church on Palm Sunday for a private ceremony is difficult to understand or justify,” he added.</div>
Despite the restrictions, Israeli authorities indicated that dialogue with Church leadership is ongoing. The Foreign Ministry said police are expected to meet with Cardinal Pizzaballa to “explore solutions that allow for as normal a routine as possible while ensuring public safety,” signaling a potential path forward as tensions remain high.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, located in Jerusalem’s Old City, is revered by Christians as the site of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, making it one of the most sacred places in the world. The decision to bar access on Palm Sunday, the day marking the beginning of Holy Week, has heightened tensions between church authorities and Israeli officials, raising broader questions about the balance between security measures and religious freedom during wartime.

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Israel Blocks Catholic Cardinal From Holy Site On Palm Sunday Over Safety Concerns

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