There once was a farmer who did not believe in God and never hesitated to say so. His wife, however, had a deep faith and raised their children in the Christian tradition. One Christmas Eve, she and the children were getting ready to attend the evening service at their small country church. Before leaving, she asked her husband whether he would come with them. He shook his head. “Christmas makes no sense to me,” he said. “Why would God lower Himself, become human, and come down to earth? The whole idea is ridiculous.” His wife did not argue. She simply gathered the children, wished him a peaceful evening, and left for church. The farmer remained alone in the house. Outside, the weather quickly grew worse. Snow began falling heavily, and a powerful wind swept across the fields. Soon, a full winter blizzard was raging around the farmhouse. The farmer settled into his favorite chair beside the fireplace and watched the flames crackle. Suddenly, he heard a loud thud against the window. A …More
A City of London Banker Takes the Helm at the Vatican Bank: On 15 July, the Vatican's Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR) announced the appointment of Giovanni Boscia as its next Director General. He will take office on 1 October, succeeding Gian Franco Mammì after eleven years. Unlike his predecessor, who spent his entire career within the IOR, Boscia comes from international finance. Before joining the Vatican in 2019, he spent nearly three decades in the City of London with leading global investment banks, including Wall Street firms Salomon Brothers and Citigroup, as well as RBS and Credit Suisse First Boston.
Christians sing Ave Maria outside a former Catholic church in Sydney that had been converted into a nightclub after a performance inside mocked Christian symbols, including the Eucharist.
Talking to Diane Montagna on July 16, Cardinal Robert Sarah argues that Leo XIV wants to allow the Roman rite, but fails because of the bishops and that the pope will be “very prudent” about the dissemination of the pro-homosexual final text of the synod's Study Group Number 9. On Leo XIV's letter to the French bishops "It seems to me that the Holy Father did well to write to the French Bishops, encouraging them to be more open to the traditional Mass, because it is a Mass we have celebrated for centuries." Follow what Leo XIV says "I think that what was written to the French Bishops must apply to all bishops: be more open, so as not to create division for no reason." "We must follow what Pope Leo says - that is, not be so averse toward something holy, something beautiful, something conducive to recollection." Traditionis Custodes should be abrogated "Yes, let's hope so. This depends on the Holy Father's decision, but perhaps the Holy Father could be helped. If, for example, in a Consistory …More
The SSPX excommunications have forced the Church crisis out in the open Faith & Reason July 15, 2026 The excommunications of the Society of Saint Pius X have done what decades of debate could not: They have forced the crisis in the Catholic Church out into the open. Cardinals, archbishops, and faithful are now publicly divided over whether Pope Leo XIV is preserving or departing from historic Catholic teaching. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo praises the Pope’s leadership. Archbishop Jan Paweł Lenga labels Leo a “False Peter.” Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò defends the SSPX and questions the Vatican’s response. The battle lines are drawn, not over personalities but over authority, tradition, and the very identity of the Church. The SSPX’s decision to appeal its excommunication decree is a strategic move to force a public examination of the Vatican’s justification. Father Charles Murr argues that Catholics should not fear respectfully questioning Church leaders. The pope is not beyond criticism,…More
“I am filled with hope … that the formal Ministry of Catechist will give many women an opportunity to take a leadership role in parishes, in faith formation and in liturgical celebrations,” the bishop said in his homily on the Synod in 2024.
Today, Leo XIV has appointed Monsignor Michael Router, 61, as Bishop of Derry, Ireland. He was ordained a priest in 1989 for the Diocese of Kilmore and has served as Auxiliary Bishop of Armagh since 2019. Francis Was "Commited to Gospel" In April 2025, Bishop Router wrote a warm statement on Francis's death. He described the late pope as a spiritual and inspirational leader who guided the faithful over twelve years with humility, compassion, and commitment to the Gospel. He also said Francis embodied simplicity and service from his earliest days as priest and bishop. Demanding Irish Houses for Immigrants On [Muslim] immigrants, in a January 2020 statement, Bishop Router urged Ireland, as the country of "a thousand welcomes," to consider with compassion its responsibility to welcome the stranger. The Irish should meet the housing needs of immigrants, he demanded. Praise For and From the Wrong Faction In January 2025, the US Episcopal woman bishop Marianne Edgar Budde attacked Donald …More
Paul VI accused Archbishop Lefebvre of acting like an 'antipope' As the Vatican again excommunicates members of the Society of St. Pius X, this 2018 article revisits never-before published documents detailing St. Paul VI's unsuccessful attempt to reconcile the group's founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
He worked for twenty straight years, and on the day he was finally ready to leave, his employer offered him a strange choice: take every dollar he had earned, or trade it all for three simple pieces of advice. His coworkers thought he was out of his mind for even considering it. Years earlier, the man had left his small hometown to find work and send money back to his wife. Before beginning the job, he made an unusual agreement with his employer. “Keep my entire paycheck,” he said. “Do not give me any of it until the day I return home.” So the years passed. He worked from sunrise to sunset, saved every cent, and dreamed of the day he would finally see his wife again. After twenty years, that day came. His employer sat him down and said, “I have all the money you earned. But I’m offering you a choice. You can take the cash and leave right now, or I can keep it and give you three loaves of bread for the journey, along with three lessons that may serve you for the rest of your life.” The …More
26 Years Later: Why Jeanette Hall Is Still Grateful to Be Alive: In Oregon, USA, on July 17, 2000, Jeanette Hall was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Believing she had no future, she asked her doctor for assisted suicide under Oregon's newly enacted law. Instead of writing the prescription, Dr. Kenneth Stevens took the time to understand her fears and encouraged her to consider treatment. One question changed everything: "Wouldn't you like to see your son graduate from the police academy?" Jeanette chose treatment. She survived, attended her son's graduation, and years later told Dr. Stevens: "You saved my life. If I had gone to a doctor that believed in assisted suicide, I would not be here."
Photos from the Benedictine foundation at Notre-Dame de Bellefontaine Abbey: On the Feast of Saint Benedict, July 11, twelve monks from Le Barroux assumed responsibility for Notre-Dame de Bellefontaine Abbey in Maine-et-Loire, France, following the transfer of the monastery from the Trappist community. During the ceremony, the decree establishing the new priory was read, a message conveying the Apostolic Blessing of Leo XIV was presented, and the charter transferring the abbey to the founding monks was signed.
Official photos of the liturgical celebration marking the founding of the Traditional Benedictine Monks of Le Barroux at Notre-Dame de Bellefontaine Abbey in Maine-et-Loire, France. Source: Abbaye du Barroux
Securing our elections is vital to preserving trust in American democracy. Post-2020 concerns led to thorough examinations of voting systems, security, and registrations. Key documents and reports available below. wh.gov/Election-Integ… The White House (@WhiteHouse) on X
Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira Excerpts from Saint of the Day, Wednesday, 11/20/1963 (*) It seems to me that this invocation (Mother of God) has a very important point: it is that since Our Lady is the Mother of God, by a series of consequences She also is, and especial so, the Mother of men, and therefore, our Mother. I believe that the most precious grace that one can have in terms of devotion to Our Lady comes when She deigns to establish with each of us, through ineffable ties, a truly maternal relationship. This can take place in a thousand ways, but in general Our Lady shows to be our Mother especially when She saves us from some predicament in a way that becomes completely unforgettable. Or when She forgives us for some particularly unforgivable fault through one of those kindnesses that only mothers can have; She passes by, forgives us, and removes all rubbish much like Our Lord Jesus Christ would heal leprosy: nothing is left. [Our fault was such that] nothing deserved to be forgiven …More