A jury awarded a record $12.6 million to woman fired from Blue Cross Blue Shield Michigan for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
Read the full storyJury Awards Record $12.6 Million to Woman Fired for Refusing COVID Vaccine
Tag: Catholic
Michigan Catholic Bishops Slam Whitmer over Viral Skit Accused of Mocking Communion
The Michigan Catholic bishops conference on Friday slammed the state’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over a skit that appeared to mock people receiving Communion.
The video, which was posted on social media by podcast host Liz Plank, showed Whitmer placing a Dorito onto the kneeling Plank’s tongue in the same manner that priests place a wafer on the recipient’s tongue in the Holy Eucharist.
Read the full storyZelensky Meets with Pope Francis During His Tour Promoting a ‘Victory Plan’ amid War with Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Pope Francis on Friday during his European tour where he is touting a “victory plan” for Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia. Francis and Zelensky met privately and talked for 45 minutes, according to The Associated Press.
Read the full storyCatholic Healthcare System Plays Outsized Role in Transgender Surgery, Drugs for Kids: Database
America’s fourth-largest Catholic healthcare system performed so-called gender affirming surgeries on 81 children and prescribed puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones to 113 over the past five years, according to a national database launched Tuesday by Do No Harm, which fights identity politics in “medical education, research and clinical practice.”
Read the full storyCommentary: Gen Z Is More Religious than You Think
Many Americans believe our world’s becoming more secular. While that’s true, many of today’s fastest-growing religious denominations aren’t progressive—they’re traditional. Here’s what the data show.
In the 1990s, 90 percent of Americans identified as Christians on Pew surveys. Today, that number has fallen to about 67 percent. Among young adults, over 40 percent are religiously unaffiliated.
Read the full storyCommentary: Getting to Know the Hillbilly Conservative
Some quick polling numbers that should give people pause. The New York Times reports that 1 in 10 Americans believe “use of force is justified to prevent Donald Trump from becoming president.”
Statistics being a slippery and funny thing — one suspects Republicans aren’t echoing this statement — by extrapolation this means roughly 1 in 5 Democrats see the option for violence as a valid and legitimate path forward.
Read the full storyCommentary: I’m Prioritizing Family and Marriage as a Gen Z Woman
“When I grow up, I want to be a mom.”
These are common words to hear from young girls; they aspire to be just like their own mothers.
Read the full storyMissouri AG Claims Kansas City Doxxed Chiefs Kicker over Religious Views
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey accused Kansas City on Thursday of doxxing one of its NFL players over religious comments he made at a college over the weekend, where he criticized President Joe Biden for being a pro-abortion Catholic.
The city of Kansas City, which is primarily in Missouri, posted a since-deleted “reminder” that Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker lives in Lee Summit on Wednesday, but replaced it with an apology for the “error.” The city account did not include a physical address in the original post.
Read the full storyCommentary: Cabrini Film Calls Audiences to Dedicated Service and Unwavering Faith
On International Women’s Day, March 8, Angel Studios’ latest film, Cabrini, was released in theaters across America. The movie tells the incredible true story of the first American saint, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, and her mission to help vulnerable, impoverished, and destitute immigrants in the United States.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, millions of Italian immigrants came to America, most through Ellis Island, in search of their American dream. But many who journeyed in search of opportunity were met with poverty, desperation, and difficulty. Italian immigrants were ostracized from society, perceived to be of inferior intelligence, and struggled to speak English.
Read the full story‘Did Not Align with Our Mission’: Catholic University Fires Professor Who Brought in ‘Abortion Doula’
Catholic University confirmed to The Daily Signal that it has terminated the contract of the professor who invited a self-declared “abortion doula” to speak to students about coaching women through abortions and “pregnant men” through a “seahorse birth.”
Catholic University President Peter Kilpatrick announced to students on Jan. 30 that the university “terminated our contract with the professor who invited the speaker” after obtaining “clear evidence that the content of the class did not align with our mission and identity.”
Read the full story‘Seahorse Births’: Abortion Doula Normalizes ‘Pregnant Men’ Giving Birth in Lecture to Catholic University Students
A self-declared “abortion doula” spoke this week to Catholic University of America students about her experiences coaching women through delivering or aborting babies, as well as coaching “pregnant men” to deliver in what she called a “seahorse birth,” according to audio of the class lecture obtained by The Daily Signal.
A Catholic University nursing student described Tuesday’s lecture to The Daily Signal, saying the guest speaker said she also practices Reiki, a controversial Japanese method of spiritual healing and self-improvement.
Read the full storyCommentary: 100 Canadian Churches Torched or Damaged Following Indian Residential School Graves Hoax
To its credit, the London-based tabloid newspaper The Daily Mail recently carried a story most corporate news outlets have been avoiding: The Indian Residential School Graves hoax.
The paper, whose article titles are characteristically long and descriptive, leaves little mystery in the scandalous story’s headline: “Nearly ONE HUNDRED churches across Canada have been torched or damaged after activists lied that 200 indigenous children were buried under Catholic schools.”
Read the full storyCommentary: Americans Embrace Religion, Reject Religious Bigotry
More than half a century ago, Time magazine famously asked, “Is God Dead?” The black and red cover, the magazine’s first to include only text, sparked countless angry sermons and thousands of letters from readers accusing Time of engaging in tasteless nihilism, Marxist pandering, and outright blasphemy.
The question, which typified the counter-culture movement and the intellectual radicalism of the 1960s, was far off the mark both then and now. The United States has always been and remains a very religious nation despite steep declines in attendance at churches, synagogues, and mosques – trends that have captured far more headlines in recent years than the nation’s enduring faith. America is also a majority Christian nation, though other religious groups and affiliations and those identifying as non-believers are growing.
Read the full storyCatholic All-Girls College Reverses Trans Policy After Backlash
Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, is backtracking on its decision to allow men who identify as transgender women to enroll in the formerly all-female, Catholic institution.
The Daily Signal reported in November that Saint Mary’s College would allow men who identify as women to enroll at the college in the fall of 2024. That news was first reported by the Notre Dame student newspaper, The Observer.
Read the full storyTrad Catholic Family Dragged Out of Home at Gunpoint, Locked in Van After FBI ‘Goaded’ Teen to Post Offensive Memes, Dad Says
A traditional Catholic family was allegedly “dragged out of their home at gunpoint, handcuffed and locked in a van” earlier this year after the FBI “goaded” their 15-year-old son to post “offensive memes” online. The teen, a volunteer firefighter and altar boy, was then hospitalized on mental health pretenses, according to his father, Jeremiah Rufini.
The FBI’s aggressive “investigation” only resulted in a misdemeanor conviction against the boy for breach of peace, but financially devastated the family with substantial legal expenses.
Read the full storyCatholic All-Girls College Will Admit Men Who Identify as Trans Women
Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, will begin allowing men who identify as women to enroll at the college in the fall of 2024, an email obtained by The Daily Signal shows.
President Katie Conboy told faculty in an email sent Tuesday afternoon that “Saint Mary’s will consider undergraduate applicants whose sex assigned at birth is female or who consistently live and identify as women.” That news was first reported by the Notre Dame student newspaper, The Observer.
Read the full storyCommentary: A Time for Brave Words from Pope Francis
When I saw that Pope Francis would participate as a speaker at the Clinton Global Initiative this month, my heart sank.
Frankly, and I say this as a Catholic, former President Bill Clinton is one of the last people I would like Francis to prominently engage with.
Read the full storyAnti-Catholic, Queer Nuns Apologize After Former ‘Probationary’ Member Arrested for Masturbating in Public
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI), a group of queer “nuns” that regularly mock the Catholic faith, offered their “profound apologies” after a former “probationary” member was arrested in August for masturbating in public.
Clinton Monroe Ellis-Gilmore allegedly exposed himself on Aug. 12 in his truck with the door open, where the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department in California found him and arrested him, according to a police report obtained by The Daily Wire. Ellis-Gilmore was formerly a member of SPI’s Eureka chapter, who told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the behavior was “not representative of our Order, our values, or the hundreds of individuals who serve as Sisters,” according to a prepared statement.
Read the full storySchool District Misled Court on Why It Banned Opt-Out for LGBTQ Lessons, Religious Groups Say
Newly revealed teacher-training materials and sworn affidavits show Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools misled the federal court hearing a lawsuit by religious families against the district’s no-exemptions policy for gender and sexuality instruction in the English Language Arts curriculum, a national Muslim group claims.
School officials in the affluent suburb bordering Washington, D.C. told a judge last month it rescinded opt-outs and parental notification this spring because of the logistical challenges created by too many families choosing to remove their children from the “Pride storybooks,” which teach children as young as 3 about sex workers, kink, drag, gender transitions and prepubescent same-sex romance.
Read the full storyPope Francis Warns About the ‘Disruptive Possibilities’ of Artificial Intelligence
Pope Francis is warning about the possible adverse effects of artificial intelligence and the need to monitor the technology in his message for World Day of Peace.
The cautionary message came Tuesday when the Vatican released the theme of the pope’s message for World Day of Peace, which is Sept. 21.
Read the full storyMinnesota Catholic Church, School Vandalized in Separate Incidents
A Catholic church in Duluth and a school in Minneapolis were vandalized in separate incidents in late July.
St. Charles Borromeo School told families this week that two individuals broke into the school on the evening of Saturday, July 22, creating “an extensive mess that required 700+ hours of clean-up work and is still ongoing.” The school said its clean-up efforts “after this disaster cost thousands of dollars.”
Read the full storyIraq 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.
Read the full storyCommentary: Religious Conviction in Woke Sports
When the University of Oklahoma softball team showed up for the College World Series last week, reporters expected to hear pride and camaraderie from a squad on the way to winning its third consecutive national championship.
But several star Sooners players startled the press and went viral online by declaring that their joy in Christianity trumped their considerable athletic accomplishments.
Read the full storyCommentary: Thousands Travel to Visit Incorrupt Nun
Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster was known for insisting on wearing her traditional habit — even when most of the Oblate Sisters of Providence had adopted more modern garb.
“I am Sister WIL-HEL-MINA,” she would say. “I’ve a HELL of a WILL, and I MEAN it!”
Read the full storyConservative Commentator Fires Back at Deirdre Nansen McCloskey for Cancelling University of Pittsburgh Debate
Daily Wire commentator Michael Knowles on Wednesday responded to Deirdre Nansen McCloskey’s withdrawal from their scheduled University of Pittsburgh debate, calling the libertarian economist “scared” and “not honest.”
The event, sponsored by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), was to take place next Tuesday and Knowles said he and ISI are looking for a replacement for McCloskey. Knowles, a traditionalist Catholic, and McCloskey, a transgendered woman and professor emerita at the University of Illinois-Chicago, planned to argue over the nature of womanhood and current gender-policy issues.
Read the full storyCatholic College Fundraises to Cut Ties with ‘Intrusive,’ ‘Hostile’ Federal Government
A Catholic college is raising money to end its affiliation with the federal government and become financially independent, arguing the government has become “hostile to faith,” according to its website.
Belmont Abbey College (BAC), located in North Carolina, is operating a campaign called “Made True” that aims to raise $55 million to cut ties with the federal government and restore its purpose as a faith-based institution, its website reads. The money will “create innovative new financial structures and stewardship programs” with the intent of graduating students without debt as well as create public policy and health science programs that align with the college’s mission.
Read the full storyCatholic University Drops Theology Degree, Nine Others
The Board of Marymount University unanimously voted on Friday to eliminate ten degree programs in the humanities and social sciences, including English, History, and Theology and Religious Studies.
Founded as the first Catholic college in Virginia in 1950, Marymount is affiliated with the Sacred Heart of Mary and serves approximately 3,500 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs.
Read the full storyAuthorities Punish Catholic Priest for Silently Praying Outside Abortion Clinic
Authorities in the United Kingdom charged a Catholic priest with violating a censorship zone when he silently prayed outside an abortion clinic while holding a sign that said “praying for free speech.”
Father Sean Gough, a pro-life priest stationed in Wolverhampton, England, had also parked his car in the area near the abortion clinic, which is covered by a Public Spaces Protection Order, according to Alliance Defending Freedom International. Authorities also took issue with Gough’s car, which has an “unborn lives matter” bumper sticker on it, ADF said.
Read the full storyCommentary: Frank Pavone and the Fading Power of Pope Francis
There’s been a flurry of commentary in Catholic circles since Pope Francis decided to defrock pro-life advocate and priest Frank Pavone. One suggestion I’ve seen from many Catholic writers is that Francis is punishing Pavone because he believes clergymen should not be involved in politics. It’s a laughable argument. Francis is very frequently involved in politics and regularly encourages (leftist) priests in their activism.
Read the full storyCommentary: Nicaragua’s Brutal Catholic Crackdown
For millions of Christians around the world, the official religious Christmas season kicked off this week with a renewed sense of normalcy – an abundance of colorful lights, parades and processions, family and church gatherings, and even fireworks in some areas.
Many believers in countries where Christians are religious minorities such as China and India are embracing the festivities with new enthusiasm. Early December marks the first time annual public and private advent gatherings have been allowed since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read the full storyMan Attacks Catholic Cathedral with Fire and a Sword
A man used fire and a sword to attack an Oklahoma Catholic cathedral while school was in session on Wednesday, the school told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Daniel Edwards, carrying a large ice chest, attempted to break into the cathedral of Holy Family Cathedral School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, while students were outside taking school pictures, the school told the DCNF. Edwards then threw a flaming object into the side of the building and used a sword to attack the school’s front desk attendant when he confronted Edwards.
Read the full storyPennsylvania GOP Gubernatorial Candidate: Biden DOJ ‘Trying to Intimidate’ Conservatives Through Arrest of Catholic, Pro-Life Father
Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate and state Sen. Doug Mastriano warned Monday that President Joe Biden’s administration sought to “intimidate” anyone “on the political opposition” through the arrest of a Catholic, pro-life father last week.
Mastriano referred to the early Friday morning arrest of Mark Houck, whose wife told Life Site News that 25-30 FBI agents entered their home around 7 a.m. with “big, huge rifles” to arrest her husband as their children watched, crying and screaming, from the top of the stairs.
Read the full story‘It Should Be Everywhere’: Prolific Abortionist Spoke at University of St. Thomas Event
Around four years prior to preventing a Catholic conservative commentator from speaking on campus, an abortionist from Planned Parenthood spoke at a “workplace inclusion” conference affiliated with the University of St. Thomas.
In April 2018, Dr. Sarah Traxler, the medical director of Planned Parenthood North Central States, which is headquartered in St. Paul, spoke at the 30th annual “Forum on Workplace Inclusion.”
Read the full storyMinnesota Catholic School Offers ‘Social Justice Algebra’
Some students at Benilde-St. Margaret’s (BSM), a Catholic preparatory school for grades 7-12 in St. Louis Park, are actively working to weave “social justice” themes into the curriculum.
The school’s student newspaper, Knight Errant, published an article last Thursday which stated that social justice is “a key part of Catholic education,” though it did not make a necessary distinction between the historic meaning of the term and its contemporary 21st century meaning.
“BSM has committed to upholding the seven Catholic Social teachings in its strategic plan, and incorporating social justice into the BSM community is an important part of meeting that goal,” the article claims.
Read the full story60 Catholic Democrats Accuse Bishops of Weaponizing Eucharist Against Biden
Catholic congressional Democrats are accusing U.S. Catholic bishops of weaponizing the Eucharist against President Joe Biden.
Sixty Catholic Democrats issued a “Statement of Principles” Friday warning U.S. bishops against “the weaponization of the Eucharist.” Signers included Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro and New York Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez.
Most of the Democrats who signed the statement appear to publicly support abortion in direct conflict with Catholic Church teaching.
Read the full storyChina Will Control Appointment of Chinese Catholic Clergy Without Input from Vatican
New rules from the Chinese government indicate that China will exercise control over the appointment of Catholic clergy without any input from the Vatican.
The “Administrative Measures for Religious Clergy,” which will go into effect May 1, clarified that the state-run Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) will select candidates for clergy who will then be “approved and consecrated by the Chinese Catholic Bishops’ Conference.”
Read the full storyParents, Educators and Activists Fight Back Against Radical School Curriculums: Trend
Parents, educators and activists are taking on left-leaning school curriculums in a variety of ways, from speaking out and filing lawsuits to crowdsourcing solutions and creating alternative educational resources.
In California, for example, a group called “Educators for Excellence in Ethnic Studies” has banded together to lobby for the removal of critical race theory from the state’s ethnic studies model curriculum.
Read the full storyPro-Life Leaders Condemn ‘Devout Catholic’ Biden over His Vow to ‘Codify’ Roe V. Wade
Pro-life leaders heavily criticized President Joe Biden on Friday, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, after the Catholic president vowed to make Roe v. Wade the law of the land.
“Joe Biden repeatedly insists he is a devout Catholic,” tweeted Live Action founder and President Lila Rose. “He used this claim frequently during his campaign. He just released a statement praising Roe v Wade, but wouldn’t even use the word ‘abortion.’ His deception is disgusting. The violence of what he proudly supports is horrific.”
Read the full storyLate Justice Scalia’s Son Blasts Harris for Insinuating Catholic Charity a Hate Group
The Rev. Paul Scalia, son of the late Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia and a Catholic priest at St. James Catholic Church in Falls Church, Va., said Sunday he was wary of Sen. Kamala Harris, technology giants and other forces that he sees as encroaching on freedom of religion.
Scalia also hinted at possible tangles between a Biden administration and the Catholic Church over birth control coverage mandates imposed under the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act but repealed by the Trump administration.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Clarence Thomas-ing of Amy Coney Barrett
Former Vice President Joe Biden blurted out this reality not long ago when he told a black talk-show host that “if you’re for Trump you ain’t black.”
But as Judge Amy Coney Barrett is finding out this week, the idea of blacks as political property on the liberal plantation isn’t limited to blacks — it also includes women. (And, for that matter, Hispanics and gays.)
Read the full storyCardinal Says Biden ‘Not a Catholic in Good Standing,’ Should not Receive Communion
Cardinal Raymond Burke said Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who describes himself as a “devout Catholic,” is “not a Catholic in good standing” and “should not approach to receive Holy Communion.”
In an interview with Catholic Action for Faith and Family released last week, Burke said he doesn’t intend to endorse any political candidate, but simply wants to state that “a Catholic may not support abortion in any shape or form because it is one of the most grievous sins against human life, and has always been considered to be intrinsically evil and therefore to in any way support the act is a mortal sin.”
Read the full storyTrump Promises Navy, DOD Will ‘Not be Cancelling’ Contract with Catholic Priests
President Donald Trump promised Wednesday that neither the Navy nor the Department of Defense will cancel contracts with Catholic priests allowing serving military members.
“The United States Navy, or the Department of Defense, will NOT be cancelling its contract with Catholic Priests who serve our men and women in the Armed Forces so well, and with such great compassion & skill,” the president tweeted Wednesday morning, tagging the Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan. “This will no longer be even a point of discussion!”
Read the full storyMass Celebrated after Fire Damages Centuries-Old Church
Mass was celebrated Sunday on the grounds of a historic Catholic church in Southern California that had been heavily damaged by fire a day earlier.
The blaze early Saturday destroyed the rooftop and most of the interior of San Gabriel Mission, which was undergoing renovation to mark its upcoming 250th anniversary celebration.
Read the full storyFire Destroys Much of 249-year-old Church in California
A fire early Saturday destroyed the rooftop and most of the interior of a Catholic church in California that was undergoing renovation to mark its upcoming 250th anniversary celebration.
Fire alarms at the San Gabriel Mission rang around 4 a.m. When firefighters arrived, they saw smoke rising from the wooden rooftop in one corner of the historic structure, San Gabriel Fire Capt. Paul Negrete said.
Read the full storyConservatives Praise Supreme Court for Ruling States Can’t Discriminate Against Religious Schools
The U.S. Supreme Court said Tuesday that states can’t cut religious schools out of programs that send public money to private education in a 5-4 ruling.
Hailed as a victory for religious freedom, the justices upheld a Montana scholarship program that allows state tax credits for private schooling in which almost all the recipients attend religious schools.
Read the full storyVideo Appears to Show Mob Attacking Catholics Praying at St. Louis Statue
Multiple videos recorded after a Saturday prayer vigil in St. Louis appear to show Black Lives Matter agitators assaulting Catholics who participated in the event.
“Yesterday, while praying for peace and unity in our city and the protection of the St. Louis statue, Black Lives Matter protesters started to harass, berate, and assault the Catholics that were peacefully praying. We did nothing in retaliation,” Conor Martin, a candidate for Bedford Township Republican committeeman, claimed on Twitter.
Read the full storyCatholic Charities Leader: ‘My Catholic Church and Catholic Charities Organization Is Racist’
In a video expressing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement last week, the CEO of Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington denounced his own church and charitable organization as “racist.”
“In America, racism is no longer a question. But rather, it’s the toxic water in which we all swim,” said Rob McCann, president and CEO of the Spokane-based nonprofit. “My Catholic Church and my Catholic Charities organization is racist.”
Read the full storyMinnesota to ‘Allow’ Churches to Reopen After Faith Leaders Defy Governor’s Orders
Gov. Tim Walz announced Saturday that he would lift his restrictions on religious services and allow all places of worship to open for larger groups beginning Wednesday.
Read the full storyArchbishop Hebda Tells Priests Not to Vote in Primary Because of Privacy Concerns
Archbishop Bernard Hebda urged clergy in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to “abstain from voting” in Minnesota’s March 3 presidential primary.
Read the full storyDiocese of Grand Rapids Supports Priest Who Refused Communion to Gay Judge
The Diocese of Grand Rapids is standing by a priest who is refusing Holy Communion to a popular judge in the area because she is in a same-sex marriage.
Read the full story