Behind a “prayer gathering for peace” in the papal gardens of Castel Gandolfo on July 29 was a secret dinner with wealthy donors, primarily Americans, reports Nd.nl on August 17. The evening was organised by the Vatican foundation Borgo Laudato si’, with the Andrea Bocelli Foundation as co-organizer. Employees of the dicasteries of the Holy See, the Governorate of Vatican City State and the offices of the Roman Curia were invited. Images show that several chairs remained empty. A Vatican employee said that the invitation wasn’t put up on the notice board until the morning of the concert. The evening consisted of a concert by tenor Andrea Bocelli and an interreligious children’s choir. Leo XIV then gave interviews to the American television networks NBC and Telemundo. Journalists from other media who were present were not allowed to speak with visitors and were kept under tight control. The incoming head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, the divorced lawyer Montse Alvarado, …More
[Blaise Pascal – XVII Century AD; born: Clermont-Ferrand, France/died: Paris, France; Mathematics/Physics/Theology] 73. But perhaps this subject goes beyond the capacity of reason. Let us therefore examine her solutions to problems within her powers. If there be anything to which her own interest must have made her apply herself most seriously, it is the inquiry into her own sovereign good. Let us see, then, wherein these strong and clear-sighted souls have placed it and whether they agree. One says that the sovereign good consists in virtue, another in pleasure, another in the knowledge of nature, another in truth, Felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas, another in total ignorance, another in indolence, others in disregarding appearances, another in wondering at nothing, nihil admirari prope res una quae possit facere et servare beatum, and the true sceptics in their indifference, doubt, and perpetual suspense, and others, wiser, think to find a better definition. We are well satisfied. …More
"76. To write against those who made too profound a study of science: Descartes. 77. I cannot forgive Descartes. In all his philosophy he would have been quite willing to dispense with God. But he had to make Him give a fillip to set the world in motion; beyond this, he has no further need of God. 78. Descartes useless and uncertain. 79. Descartes.—We must say summarily: "This is made by figure and motion," for it is true. But to say what these are, and to compose the machine, is ridiculous. For it is useless, uncertain, and painful. And were it true, we do not think all Philosophy is worth one hour of pain."
Pastor John Cao served every day of his seven-year prison sentence. Now he's fighting stage 4 cancer, and China still will not let him come home to his family in the US. Please join me in petitioning President Trump to personally raise Pastor Cao’s case with President Xi on Sept. 24. Add your name and help bring Pastor Cao home: Help Bring Pastor John Cao Home#BringCaoHome
While I hope the best for Mr. Cao, and agree that he needs our prayers, it would be completely inappropriate to pray for his intentions. He is a schismatic heretic, and hence his intentions would not be that people join the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, but rather that people follow a schismatic and heretical path that will lead them not to eternal life but to perdition. . To clarify his situation, he is not a citizen of the United States, he is a citizen of China. After being duly prosecuted under Chinese law, and while in prison, his passport (Chinese, of course) expired. Because of his violation of Chinese law and subsequent conviction, his hukou was revoked, and he has been denied a passport renewal. I don't quite see how a diplomatic request by President Trump or anyone else would be perceived by the Chinese as anything other than interference in Chinese affairs.
Catholics shouldn't be cross posting Russian propaganda. Isn't that a sin against the Faith?
The KGB’s “active measures” didn’t die with the Soviet Union—they evolved. When Russia abandoned communist ideology publicly, it freed Kremlin propagandists to become “much more ecumenical in devising propaganda and disinformation themes,” using diverse tactics and language patterns to target both left and right.
The question of Russia from the Catholic point of view is quite simple and confirmed by Our Lady of Fatima message. Russia is to be converted, not to be a role model/exemplar/true alternative for the apostasy in the West. Eastern schism (mixed with some heresies) and its tsaropapism is not the alternative for post-conciliar-synodal revolution desolating the Church in the West.
After entering a civil ceremony in Cascais, Portugal, on August 11, Cristiano Ronaldo and his concubine Georgina Rodríguez received for their Amoris Laetitia relationship a blessing à la Fiducia Supplicans from a priest at the Shrine of Fátima. This was followed a Eucharist behind closed doors in the Chapel of Nossa Senhora das Dores. Ronaldo's management confirmed the civil marriage to Reuters. Portuguese and Spanish reports say the ceremony took place in the couple's living room. Both have publicly identified with “Catholicism”. On August 10, Ronaldo and Rodríguez signed a prenuptial agreement in Lisbon establishing separation of property. They retained their respective surnames, while the marriage record reportedly lists their residence as Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “Their” children were present at the event in Fatima. Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., born in 2010, is Ronaldo's eldest son. His mother's identity has never been publicly disclosed, and Ronaldo has said he has custody of him. Twins …More
Irish Female Preacher at Eucharist: "I’d Love to See Women Priests" Worse than Germany: On 13 August, Irish TV broadcaster Mary Kennedy delivered the homily during the 'National Novena' at Knock Basilica, Ireland. Kennedy is divorced, has had subsequent relationships and said she “shouldn’t really be receiving Holy Communion” but is an “à la carte Catholic”. She added, “that’s the kind of Catholic that suits me.” Furthermore, Kennedy said that she loves “the sound of the Muslim call to prayer”. Later in the address, Kennedy criticised what she described as the “male-dominated” ministry: “I would love to see women priests. I really would.”
On 13 August 2026, Irish broadcaster Mary Kennedy delivered a roughly 15-minute guest address entitled “Faith in Full View” during the National Novena to Our Lady of Knock in Knock Basilica, Co. Mayo, following the Gospel: “I would like it if it weren’t such a male-dominated ministry. I think there is real value in having women in important positions in the Church. It’s not going to change in my lifetime, or in the lifetimes of other people present here, but I really do feel that women would have a huge contribution to make to the Church, and I would love to see women priests. I really would.”
It has been prophesied recently (Brandon Biggs) that a big earthquake will happen on the Temple Mount (probably in late 2026), which will split this Islamic abomination in half: Jerusalem will shake, and this Mosque will be destroyed! Divine Justice finally arriving, exposing the false religion of Islam?
On August 15, InfoVaticana.com noted a pattern in Leo XIV’s 2026 liturgies: the Roman Canon has been absent from nearly all the year’s major solemnities. At the Assumption Mass, Eucharistic Prayer III was used instead, as it was at Easter, Pentecost, Corpus Christi, and Saints Peter and Paul. The Canon has not disappeared entirely: Leo XIV used it on Holy Thursday and at a Sacred Heart Mass in Tenerife on June 12. For more than fourteen centuries, the Roman Canon stood at the heart of the Roman rite, its roots reaching deep into the earliest centuries of Christian worship in Rome. #newsQwvjswksfd
St. Louis Marie de Montfort ~ God the Father gathered all the waters together and called them seas...He gathered all His Graces together and called them Mary...
In fact, he say: Do not "proselitize"! Just be expert in listening to all other heretics, who are outside of the Church (as he is, and his, oh so beloved teacher Bergoglio was). Th only difference between those two is that this one bravely reads all de scripts which are written for him, by we can guess who.
How young Catholics live in Northern Ireland today | Young & Faithful For decades, Catholics in Northern Ireland were a marginalized minority during the conflict known as The Troubles. Today, Catholics make up the largest religious group in the region. In this video, 18-year-old Anthony takes us inside his daily life as a Catholic in Northern Ireland. From attending Mass and praying with family to reflecting on history, identity, faith and modern social issues, Anthony shares what Catholicism means to him and how religion continues to shape life after The Troubles. What role does religion play in your life? Let us know in the comments. CHAPTERS 00:00 Meet Anthony, a young Catholic in Northern Ireland 00:39 The history behind Northern Ireland's religious divide 01:33 Catholic schools and community life 02:10 What Catholics believe: Anthony explains his faith 02:58 Church, prayer and finding purpose 03:32 Irish history, identity and The Troubles 04:19 Faith, values and modern social …More
[advaticanum] Massimiliano Menichetti, Deputy Director of the Editorial Directorate of the Dicastery for Communication and head of Vatican Radio–Vatican News, has reacted to the new Massachusetts law that legalises abortion up until birth. Menichetti made the comments in an article for Vatican News entitled Abortion is never a real choice. He opened the editorial by commenting on a mother who had protected the life of her newborn son with her own body after the recent earthquake in Cali, Colombia. He described the images appearing online of the woman and child being brought out alive as “stories that underscore truth, beauty, communion”. He contrasted this “fraternal, supportive society, intent on saving, taking care of, taking responsibility for the other” with recent events in Massachusetts, where abortion has been legalised for any reason up until birth. Menichetti said: “About 4,300 kilometers away, in Massachusetts in the United States, the scene is completely different: it is …More
Where the Teacher Is a Hero nytimes.com/2026/08/15/opinion/poverty-america-ar… By Nicholas Kristof Opinion Columnist, reporting from a road trip from Oklahoma to Kentucky. Aug. 15, 2026 Crystal Barnes teaches high school biology in Pine Bluff, Ark., and in March she had a student who kept falling asleep in class. Barnes could have scolded the girl, sent her to the principal’s office or simply let her fail. Instead, she asked the student why she was always sleepy. It turned out that the girl’s parents were out of the picture, so she had been sent to live with her grandmother. The grandmother didn’t have a bed for her, so the girl didn’t get much sleep. Barnes then bought a bed frame and mattress topper on Amazon for $119.97 and a mattress for $43.80 from a shop owner who gave her a discount when he heard the purpose. Barnes made the purchases with savings from her $50,000-a-year teacher’s salary. Another teacher contributed sheets and a comforter. Barnes went to the girl’s house and set …More