Pope Francis Punishes Another Conservative American Catholic Leader: Report

Cardinal Raymond Burke

Pope Francis is reportedly planning to remove an American conservative cardinal, who has been critical of the Vatican in the past, from his apartment over issues of “disunity,” according to ABC News.

Cardinal Raymond Burke, 75, was removed by the pope as the Vatican’s high court justice in 2014 and has been openly critical of Francis’ statements on LGBTQ issues and reform of the Catholic Church. Francis allegedly held a meeting with other Vatican leaders on Nov. 20 to discuss his plan to remove Burke’s apartment and salary as a retired cardinal because he is a source of “disunity,” according to ABC News, which cited two anonymous sources.

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Middle Tennessee Socialists Rally Behind Antisemitic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib

In a show of solidarity for arguably the most antisemitic member of congress, the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America is rallying around U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12) after she was disciplined by her colleagues in a rare congressional censure.

The local chapter’s X account reposted the national organization’s screed over the U.S. House of Representatives vote last week to punish Tlaib.

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Vatican Approves Allowing Transgender People to Receive Baptism and Become Godparents

On Wednesday, the Vatican released a document declaring that people who believe themselves to be “transgender” will now be allowed to be baptized and be named as godparents, with certain limitations.

As reported by Fox News, the document in question was an official response to a dubia seeking guidance on how to deal with the issue, submitted by Brazilian Bishop Giuseppe Negri of Santo Amaro. The document was signed by Pope Francis himself and promoted by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

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Phoenix Radicals Plan Anti-Israel All Out for Palestine Rally at World Series

Game 5 of the World Series will include a radical presence, at least outside Chase Field.

Far Left protesters plan to hold an All Out for Palestine at the World Series rally beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday in downtown Phoenix — as the baseball game begins —  in what could be the elimination contest for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Texas Rangers.

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Petition Organizers Say Sheraton Mesa Has Canceled Council on American-Islamic Relations Banquet Featuring Anti-Israel Congresswoman

Apparently bowing to public pressure, the Sheraton Mesa in Wrigleyville West has canceled the controversial Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) banquet featuring U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12).

“Thank you everyone! I am sure there were multiple groups working at this, but I believe we all contributed to this success,” celebrated the organizer of the change.org petition calling on the hotel to cancel the event, scheduled for Nov.18.

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Arizona Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Kari Lake Calls on Rivals Gallego and Sinema to Condemn Campaign Donor, Council on American-Islamic Relations

GOP U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake is calling on her rivals in the critical race to condemn the anti-Israel Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and their Israel-hating keynote speaker, U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib (R-MI-12).

Tlaib, a Palestinian American member of the House’s radical “Squad” and ardent supporter of the leftist Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, is scheduled to speak at the Arizona chapter of CAIR’s annual banquet, slated for Nov. 18 in Mesa. 

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Council on American-Islamic Relations Arizona Chapter Invites ‘Squad’ Member Rep. Rashida Tlaib to Speak at Banquet

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) bills itself as a leading advocate for justice and mutual understanding, with a mission to “enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.”

CAIR is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, say Jewish groups that have watched the council vilify Israel and stand silent on the unholy warriors of Hamas.

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Commentary: Pope Francis Creates 21 New Cardinals

On September 30, in advance of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality, Pope Francis created 21 new cardinals in St. Peter’s Square. The ceremony to install them, called a consistory, was the ninth during Pope Francis’s pontificate.

Cardinals play an important role in the Catholic Church and serve as principal advisors to the Pope, chief officials of the Roman Curia, and archbishops of major dioceses around the world. Additionally, cardinals under the age of 80 serve as cardinal electors in conclaves. 

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X-Rated Cam-Girl Running for Assembly a Religious Studies Major

The Virginia Democratic General Assembly candidate, who starred as a cam-girl with her husband, performing sex acts and soliciting viewers to send her money, was a religious studies major at the University of Virginia.

Susanna Gibson, who uses her maiden name professionally, is described here as a member of Glen Allen’s Virginia Weight & Wellness:

Susanna Payne grew up in Charlottesville, VA, and attended the University of Virginia, where she completed her undergraduate degree in Religious Studies. She then went on to complete her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at Columbia University in New York, before receiving her Master’s Degree in Nursing from the University of Virginia.

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Football Coach Who Won Landmark Court Case on Public Prayer Resigns

Joe Kennedy resigned from his position as assistant football coach at Bremerton High School on Wednesday after the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in June 2022 allowed him to pray on the football field, according to Kennedy’s website.

Kennedy coached his first game since 2015 on Sept. 1 after he was suspended for refusing to stop praying on the field after each game. He had expressed before the game that he was unsure how long he would stay on as a coach and ultimately offered his resignation this week, citing the ailing health of a family member out of state and a desire to become an advocate for religious freedom, according to a statement from Kennedy’s website.

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Commentary: Christianity and the Globalist Agenda

The power of these 10 words threatens the most powerful individuals and institutions on the planet, and what might otherwise be their total control over governments. These words express a principle that an authoritarian government cannot tolerate. They proclaim “Government is not the ultimate sovereign. God is the ultimate sovereign. And if you challenge my God and make me choose, I will obey God, and I will defy you.”

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Commentary: With Fewer than 1,500 Catholics in Mongolia, Pope Francis’ Upcoming Visit Brings Attention to the Long and Complex History of the Minority Religious Group

Pope Francis is set to make the first-ever visit to Mongolia, a country with fewer than 1,500 Catholics, all of whom have come to the faith since 1992. But the pope’s visit is a reminder that the country has a long and complex history with Christianity, among many other faiths.

Mongolia has only 3.4 million people, and at least 87.4% are Buddhists. The small Catholic community came into existence after this landlocked country, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, began to abandon its communist ideology and embraced different religions. At that time, it also restored diplomatic relations with the Vatican and welcomed Catholic missionaries.

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National Family Group Condemns American Medical Association’s ‘Ethics’ Journal’s Support for Taxpayer-Funded Uterus Transplants in Biological Men

The American Family Association (AFA) issued an alert Wednesday urging Americans to sign its petition that demands the American Medical Association (AMA) “do no harm” by ending its support for taxpayer-funded “unnatural and irreversible gender-modifying procedures,” such as uterus transplants from dead women for biological men in order to improve their “mental health.”

The petition, which, at the time of publication had collected over 25,000 signers, cites a paper, published in June, in AMA’s Journal of Ethics, that AFA asserts is “driven with political and social activism.”

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Judge Rules Michigan City Cannot Ban Catholic Farmer’s Market Vendor for Refusing to Host Same-Sex Weddings

A federal judge ruled Monday that the city of East Lansing, Michigan, cannot prohibit a local Catholic businessman from participating in a farmer’s market because it violates his faith beliefs to host same-sex weddings on his farm’s property.

In his opinion in Country Mill Farms, LLC v. City of East Lansing, Judge Paul Maloney of U.S. District Court Western District of Michigan, Southern Division, ruled, “The City has not established that the decision to deny CMF [Country Mill Farms] a vendor license is narrowly tailored to meet a compelling government interest.”

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Commentary: Presbyterianism Lost Its Clout When It Embraced Modernism

Rev. Dr. Rebecca Todd Peters, an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church-USA (PC-USA), recently treated a Unitarian Universalist congregation to a fiery sermon. Was it about heaven, hell, salvation, and the need to repent and believe the Gospel — messages that one would think members of a non-Christian group such as the latter would need from a Christian minister? No. Instead, she thundered from the pulpit that abortion, all abortion, anytime up through birth, is essentially good, including her own two abortions, for which, she assured everyone, she “felt no guilt, no shame, no sin.”

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Ohio GOP Congressman Apologizes After Condemning Christian for ‘Bigoted’ Post

Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller on Tuesday issued an apology after a heated Twitter exchange in which he appeared to condemn an activist in hist state for expressing a basic statement of her Christian faith.

“I posted something earlier that conveyed a message I did not intend. I will not try to hide my mistake or run from it. I sincerely apologize to Lizzie and to everyone who read my post,” Miller stated. He did not clarify what his intended message was.

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Massachusetts Couple Files Lawsuit Claiming Application to Become Foster Parents Denied Due to Religious Beliefs

A Catholic Massachusetts couple filed a federal lawsuit this week that makes the claim they were rejected as potential foster parents because of their faith beliefs about marriage and sexuality.

The couple, Mike and Kitty Burke of Southampton, said in their complaint they were told by a state employee of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) their religious beliefs conflict with the state’s policy requiring them to affirm same-sex relationships and gender ideology.

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Catholic Leaders Demand Answers from FBI on Bombshell Discovery Agency Probe into Traditional Catholics ‘Bigger than Believed’

National Catholic leaders said the FBI’s probe of Catholics, as revealed by documents obtained by the House Judiciary Committee, went far beyond a so-called rogue agent in a single field office in Richmond, as was explained in testimony by agency Director Christopher Wray.

The leaders of Catholic civil rights groups reacted to a letter to Wray sent Wednesday by Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government Chairman Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), who informed the FBI director evidence obtained by the Judiciary Committee shows the agency’s “assessment of traditional Catholics as potential domestic terrorists” was developed through information obtained “from around the country,” rather than from an isolated source.

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‘Jesus Revolution’ Immediately Lands in Netflix’s Top Ten

The faith-based film Jesus Revolution soared to popularity on the big screen in early 2023, and now has become an immediate hit on Netflix, landing in the streaming service’s Top 10 in the United States.

The film, which first hit theaters February 24, debuted on Netflix on July 31 and, by the next morning, was ranked in the number 8 spot of the top 10 movies viewed in the United States, reported What to Watch.

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Former Planned Parenthood Director Warns Ohio Parents What Could Happen to Their Daughters if Ballot Amendment Enshrines Abortion in State Constitution

National pro-life leader and former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson spelled out Sunday what could await pregnant teens in Ohio should a proposed constitutional amendment allow them to obtain abortions without parental consent.

Johnson spoke to a large crowd at a Rosary Rally, organized by Catholics for Catholics, to encourage Ohioans to vote “yes” on Issue 1 on Tuesday.

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Ohio Prayer Rally ‘To Save Children from Abortion and Genital Mutilation’ Amendment Draws Nation’s Top Catholic Speakers

An organization of faithful Catholics has drawn the nation’s top Catholic speakers to its Ohio prayer rally Sunday to “save children from abortion up to birth and genital mutilation without parental consent,” as allowed by the proposed ballot amendment to the state constitution known as Issue 1.

Catholics for Catholics, a group that helped organize the Los Angeles Dodgers prayer rally to protest the club’s decision to honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an anti-Catholic group of queer and transgender “nuns,” has now orchestrated the “Rosary Rally” that seeks to defeat “the diabolical effort to codify abortion-on-demand and genital mutilation in the Ohio State constitution.”

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Mark Levin: ‘Not a Single Democrat Congressman Attended’ Capitol Hill Showing of ‘Sound of Freedom’

Conservative author and host Mark Levin took to Twitter to observe that “not a single Democrat congressman” attended a special showing this week of the true-to-life film Sound of Freedom, arranged by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and to which the speaker invited members of both parties.

Levin explained in his post that, for the first time, he skipped his own radio show Tuesday night to attend a movie.

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Parental Rights Groups to Protest Against Drag Queens Party in Park for ‘All Ages’: ‘This Is Sexual Grooming of Our Children, and That Is Not Okay’

Wisconsin parental rights groups plan to demonstrate this weekend against a daylong pride event featuring a drag queen story hour and a children’s dance party.

Organizers with No Left Turn in Education, Parents Patrol, and Gays Against Groomers Wisconsin said they will be out in force at Pride in the Park, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Watertown’s Riverside Park. The protesters are planning a Classic Story Hour at the city park.

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Catholic Education Soaring in Popularity

The annual conference this month of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education offered an atmosphere of overall joy and confidence as Catholic schools committed to the teachings of the faith reported they “could not keep up with the demand” for their services, Mark Bauerlein, contributing editor at First Things, wrote this week.

Bauerlein appeared to revel in the stark contrast between the upbeat environment at the Catholic education conference which, he noted, featured tables run by “organizations dedicated to Western civilization, the liberal arts tradition, and Catholic study” that “offered materials blessedly free of the negative politics and rhetoric that fills the discourse of the National Education Association, the ed schools that train teachers, and all too many school boards.”

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Anti-Catholic Activists in Maine Target Federalist Society’s Leonard Leo After Latest Supreme Court Decisions

Federalist Society Co-Chairman Leonard Leo, who served as an advisor in the selection process of former President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court appointees, has been targeted in his home town in Maine by what a prominent Catholic leader calls “anti-Catholic bigots” in the wake of recent rulings by the High Court.

Activists have been protesting at Leo’s home in Northeast Harbor, tying him to Supreme Court rulings with which they disagree.

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Christian Book Author Kirk Cameron May Return to Tennessee Library for Brave Books’ ‘Library Takeover Day’

Christian book author and actor Kirk Cameron said he may be returning to a Tennessee library on August 5 for “See You at the Library,” a national “library takeover day” event sponsored by BRAVE Books that seeks to challenge left-wing censorship in public libraries.

Cameron told Human Events host Jack Posobiec last week that while the national event will be conducted in “hundreds and hundreds of libraries” across the country, he may be reading his books in the “same library” in Tennessee in which the librarian was fired for attempting to cancel his original event in February.

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Report: SSM Health Ends ‘Gender-Affirming Surgeries’ at its Wisconsin Aesthetic Center

One of Wisconsin’s larger health care systems has ended sex reassignment surgeries for adults and children following a directive from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Liberal lawmakers blasted the decision, first reported by Channel 3000 in Madison, as “misguided and dangerous,” while a conservative lawmakers who have championed bills prohibiting the “mutilation” of children called SSM’s change in protocol a “brave” decision.

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‘The Chosen’ Overtakes Mainstream Shows in CW Network Broadcast TV Premiere

The 90-minute broadcast-TV debut Sunday of faith-based series The Chosen on The CW Network averaged “a far mightier audience” than other CW shows, such as Riverdale and Nancy Drew, which aired at the same times the week before, TVLine reported.

While The Chosen “averaged 520,000 viewers and a 0.1 rating, 200,000 viewers watched Riverdale and 400,000 viewed Nancy Drew, SpoilerTV also reported.

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Iraq Summons U.S. Ambassador over State Department Comments on Treatment of Catholic Priest

The Iraqi government called U.S. Ambassador Alina Romanowski to Baghdad after the State Department made critical remarks about the government’s dismissal of a Vatican-appointed bishop, according to Reuters.

Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid recently rescinded a decree recognizing Cardinal Louis Sako the head of the Chaldean Catholic church in Iraq and all of its assets, claiming that no other state entity should appoint religious leaders in Iraq, according to Reuters. Rashid called Romanowski to Baghdad Wednesday after  State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the U.S. was disturbed by the Iraqi government’s decision.

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Republican Lawmakers Pitch Constitutional Amendment to Keep Wisconsin Churches Open

Wisconsin Republicans want to make sure churches in the state are kept open during the next emergency.

State Sen Cory Tomczyk, R-Mosinee, along with Rep. Ty Bodden, R-Hilbert, and Rep. Karen Hurd, R-Fall Creek, took a proposed constitutional amendment to a Senate committee on Tuesday. If the amendment becomes law, it would stop public health managers from closing churches.

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‘The Chosen’ Granted First Exemption Waiver to Continue Filming Fourth Season amid SAG-AFTRA Strike

Faith-based television series The Chosen has been granted the first known exemption waiver to continue filming amid the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union strike primarily due to its crowdsourced funding and independent production.

The blockbuster series about the ministry of Jesus as seen through the eyes of his disciples is in the midst of filming its fourth season in Utah, Deadline reported Monday.

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Wisconsin Constitutional Amendment Would Ban Places of Worship from Closing During States of Emergency

A proposed amendment to the Wisconsin constitution that would clarify that state and local officials “may not order the closure of or forbid gatherings in places of worship,” in response to a state of emergency declared at any level of government during a public health emergency, will go before a state Senate committee Tuesday.

State Republican lawmakers introduced the Senate Joint Resolution 54 in June in response to the 2020 COVID-19 shutdown order that restricted worship gatherings, even though the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down that order.

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Angel Studios’ ‘Sound of Freedom’ Projecting to Cross $100 Million in Box Office Revenue

Crowdfund platform Angel Studios announced Sunday its July cumulative-to-date box office revenue for its true-life child trafficking thriller Sound of Freedom is projected to be over $85 million through Sunday with the anticipation of crossing the $100 million mark this week.

Angel Studios, which has also distributed the blockbuster faith series The Chosen, said Sound of Freedom, driven by its star Jim Caviezel, showed a $27 million box office draw in the second week of the film’s release in America since it opened July 4, and earned the top spot at the box office with the help of its Pay It Forward fans.

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Angel Studios’ ‘Sound of Freedom’ Child Trafficking Exposé Becomes America’s Top Movie on July 4 Opening Day

Fans of Sound of Freedom, the true-life thriller that exposes the sinister world of child trafficking, have propelled the film to the top spot at the box office on its July 4 opening in America.

The film, distributed by Angel Studios (The Chosen), is based on the true story of former government agent Tim Ballard, played by The Passion of the Christ’s Jim Caviezel, who quit his job to rescue a little girl from sex traffickers in the jungles of Colombia, and ended up saving many more children and adults.

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Connecticut Baby Born at 22 Weeks Is ‘Story of Hope’ as She Survives Odds and Is Discharged Home

The smallest baby ever born at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut, was celebrated by staff across the hospital as she was discharged last week following four months in the neonatal intensive care unit.

“Born at just 22 weeks, Baby Zahraliz Francis Angueira, the smallest baby ever born at Saint Francis Hospital, graduated from our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) after four months and headed home today!” the hospital posted to Instagram. “Our colleagues from across the hospital gathered to provide well wishes to the family and celebrate their story of hope.”

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Drag Queen ‘Peaches Christ’ Blames ‘Bigoted Christians’ at Google for Tech Company’s Removal of Performance from ‘Pride’ Events

A drag queen who uses the name “Peaches Christ” lashed out against ‘bigoted Christians” in a social media post after Google removed its affiliation from his previously scheduled performance during the company’s “pride” events.

As CNBC reported, Google appeared to distance itself from its original plans to sponsor drag queen Joshua Grannell’s performance at a San Francisco LGBTQ bar as part of its “pride” month events after a petition circulating among the tech giant’s employees expressed opposition to its anti-Christian theme.

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Christian Organizations Celebrate Supreme Court’s Ruling Against Forcing Web Designer to Work for Same-Sex Weddings

Christian groups applauded the Supreme Court’s ruling Friday that held “The First Amendment prohibits Colorado from forcing a website designer to create expressive designs speaking messages with which the designer disagrees.”

Organizations, including the Catholic League, Family Research Council, and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, submitted friend of the court (amici) briefs in support of 303 Creative, the custom website design business owned by Lorie Smith.

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Connecticut U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro Draws Fire for Claiming Church Teachings Allow Catholics to Embrace Abortion

Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) has fueled the ire of many Catholics for asserting the teachings of the Catholic faith justify her claim that Catholics may support and promote ending the lives of unborn babies.

“I am a Catholic—baptized, raised, and confirmed,” DeLauro tweeted. “The fundamental tenets of my faith compel me to defend a women’s right to access abortion. I am proudly part of the faithful large majority of US Catholics who support legal protections for abortion access.”

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Minnesota Lutheran Church Recites ‘Sparkle Creed,’ Professes Belief in ‘Non-Binary God’

A Lutheran church in Edina stood for the reading of the “sparkle creed” during a church service, according to a livestream available on its YouTube page.

“I believe in a non-binary god, whose pronouns are plural,” Pastor Anna Helgen said during Sunday’s service. “I believe in Jesus Christ, their child, who wore a fabulous tunic and had two dads.”

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Google Backs Down from Pride’ Drag Show After Employees Claim Discrimination Against Christians

Tech giant Google has reportedly distanced itself from a ‘pride month’ drag performance it had planned to sponsor in San Francisco after several hundred employees signed a petition expressing opposition to the event, arguing it discriminates against the Christian faith.

According to a report Tuesday at CNBC, a drag queen known as “Peaches Christ” was scheduled to perform at Beaux, an LGBTQ bar in San Francisco, at a “pride” event sponsored by Google.

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Biden Administration Backs Down from Forcing Religious Hospitals to Perform Gender Transition Procedures

The Biden administration declined to appeal a federal court ruling that blocks the government from forcing religious doctors and faith-based hospitals to perform gender-transition procedures against their conscience and professional medical judgment.

The administration’s decision not to appeal the federal court ruling in Sisters of Mercy v. Becerra to the U.S. Supreme Court by a June 20 deadline means its mandate will be laid to rest.

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Commentary: The Problem with ‘Pride’ Month

Pride Month and the ubiquitous displays of rainbow colored flags as well as the concomitant ceremonies are puzzling practices to say the least. It is one thing not to be ashamed of one’s sexual orientation. But it is quite another to be proud of it. 

How does emphasizing the differences between people benefit American society as a whole? Ordinarily, the response to criticisms of lauding pride in sexual orientation is to compare it to Black pride and the struggle to eliminate racism. But this raises the same questions. Should one really be proud of one’s race? Is it not pride that got us into the racism mess in the first place? The idea of proclaiming one race superior to others? So why extend this exaltation to sexual behaviors? 

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Catholic Civil Rights Group Urges Major League Baseball to ‘Stay Out of Politics’ After Dodgers’ Move to Honor Anti-Catholic ‘Nuns’ Backfires

The president of the Catholic League is contacting all 30 owners of Major League Baseball (MLB), urging them to “just play baseball” and “stay out of politics” following a huge protest and significant drop in attendance at the Los Angeles Dodgers’ “pride night” event Friday during which the club honored a group of “queer and trans nuns” who promote anti-Catholic bigotry.

Bill Donohue wrote Monday to the club owners and to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, urging them not to repeat the Dodgers’ “stunt.”

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Commentary: Queering Jesus Is Going Mainstream at Progressive Churches and Top Divinity Schools

Vignettes from progressive Christianity today:

A Presbyterian church goes viral online for marking the Transgender Day of Visibility with a public prayer to the “God of Pronouns.” The congregants of the church, First Presbyterian of Iowa City, pay obeisance to “the God of Trans Being,” giving due glory to “the Great They/Them.”   

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