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CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.
Why religion matters at the EU-Balkans summit today
- By Michie
- OBOB General Politics Forum
- 0 Replies
In a strongly secular European Union, the Balkans’ complex religious reality plays an important role as officials and diplomats gather on Wednesday to discuss the membership plans for six nations.
The EU-Western Balkans summit on Dec. 17 brings together European Union representatives and their counterparts from six Western Balkan nations: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
As officials discuss EU enlargement and current challenges, religious leaders and analysts underscore that the churches — deeply woven into the region’s national identities, geopolitics, and social fabric — will be crucial to the success of both European integration and regional stability.
The EU considers itself the main trading partner, investor, and donor for the Western Balkans and provides substantial assistance and financial support to the region. However, the religious landscape — marked by Orthodox majorities, significant Muslim populations, and Catholic minorities — reflects complex historical, ethnic, and political tensions that shape the region’s future.
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
The EU-Western Balkans summit on Dec. 17 brings together European Union representatives and their counterparts from six Western Balkan nations: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
As officials discuss EU enlargement and current challenges, religious leaders and analysts underscore that the churches — deeply woven into the region’s national identities, geopolitics, and social fabric — will be crucial to the success of both European integration and regional stability.
The EU considers itself the main trading partner, investor, and donor for the Western Balkans and provides substantial assistance and financial support to the region. However, the religious landscape — marked by Orthodox majorities, significant Muslim populations, and Catholic minorities — reflects complex historical, ethnic, and political tensions that shape the region’s future.
Continued below.
What is the role of religions in the Western Balkans ahead of EU summit?
The EU-Western Balkans summit on Dec. 17 in Brussels brings together European Union leaders and their counterparts from six Western Balkan nations.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
Christian religious education in Northern Ireland ruled unlawful; bishops respond
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
A U.K. Supreme Court ruling has found that Christian religious education taught in schools in Northern Ireland is unlawful.
In its judgment, the court found that the current approach lacks an “objective, critical, and pluralistic” framework and leans more toward indoctrination than fostering a diverse understanding of beliefs.
Responding to the ruling, which does not apply to Catholic schools, Bishop Alan McGuckian, SJ, of the Down and Connor Diocese firmly challenged the idea that Christianity should be given no priority in all schools, stating that anyone seeking to do so is “cutting off their nose to spite their face.”
The landmark ruling follows a case brought by an unnamed father and his daughter who attended a non-Catholic state-controlled primary school in Belfast. The girl received nondenominational Christian religious education and took part in Christian worship.
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
In its judgment, the court found that the current approach lacks an “objective, critical, and pluralistic” framework and leans more toward indoctrination than fostering a diverse understanding of beliefs.
Responding to the ruling, which does not apply to Catholic schools, Bishop Alan McGuckian, SJ, of the Down and Connor Diocese firmly challenged the idea that Christianity should be given no priority in all schools, stating that anyone seeking to do so is “cutting off their nose to spite their face.”
The landmark ruling follows a case brought by an unnamed father and his daughter who attended a non-Catholic state-controlled primary school in Belfast. The girl received nondenominational Christian religious education and took part in Christian worship.
Continued below.
Christian religious education in Northern Ireland ruled unlawful
A U.K. Supreme Court ruling has found that Christian religious education taught in schools in Northern Ireland is unlawful, but it does not apply to Catholic schools.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
Truly Repent this Advent Season
- By johnnypapa
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
Truly Repent this Advent Season - Catholic Exchange
John the Baptist warns against ritual without repentance. Advent requires real conversion, bearing fruit that prepares the heart for Christ.
catholicexchange.com
Vogue magazine includes Pope Leo XIV on its list of best dressed of 2025
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
Although “papal fashion,” meticulously crafted down to the smallest detail, has evolved over time, the popes’ attire still holds profound symbolism that continues to capture the attention of many.
Proof of this is the recent naming of Pope Leo XIV as one of the 55 best-dressed people of 2025 by Vogue magazine, one of the most prestigious and recognized fashion and beauty publications in the world.
Pope Leo XIV shares this distinction with athletes, actors, singers, politicians, and models, including Rosalía, Rihanna, Bad Bunny, actress Jennifer Lawrence, and tennis player Venus Williams.
The American magazine, founded in 1892, highlights in its annual ranking that Leo XIV has broken “with the humble tastes of his predecessor,” Pope Francis, preserving “the papal legacy of impeccably crafted liturgical vestments.”
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
Proof of this is the recent naming of Pope Leo XIV as one of the 55 best-dressed people of 2025 by Vogue magazine, one of the most prestigious and recognized fashion and beauty publications in the world.
Pope Leo XIV shares this distinction with athletes, actors, singers, politicians, and models, including Rosalía, Rihanna, Bad Bunny, actress Jennifer Lawrence, and tennis player Venus Williams.
The American magazine, founded in 1892, highlights in its annual ranking that Leo XIV has broken “with the humble tastes of his predecessor,” Pope Francis, preserving “the papal legacy of impeccably crafted liturgical vestments.”
Continued below.
Vogue magazine includes Pope Leo XIV on its list of best dressed of 2025
Vogue magazine recently named Pope Leo XIV one of the 55 best-dressed people of 2025.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
The Evidence of Affirmation
- By johnnypapa
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
The Evidence of Affirmation
Intellectual honesty occasionally requires us to reconsider the foundations of our religious faith—not with Zechariah’s skepticism, but with John’s faith.
www.catholicculture.org
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Third Week of Advent (Ember Days)
- By johnnypapa
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 2 Replies
December 17, 2025
Our Morning Offering – 17 December – Let Me Sing the Song of Love By St Thérèse
anastpaul.com
www.morningoffering.com
One Minute Reflection – 17 December – ‘… Speak the word which is transitory and embrace the Word which is everlasting!’
anastpaul.com
Wednesday in Ember Week of Advent propers (EF)
Wednesday of Ember Week commentary & prayer (EF)
tlm-md.blogspot.com
Advent Embertide
O Antiphons of Advent
mycatholic.life
Advent Weekday readings & commentary (OF)
catholic-daily-reflections.com
Advent: December 17th O Wisdom (O Sapientia); Ember Wednesday readings & commentary (OF)
Other Commemorations: St. John of Matha, Priest; St. Josep Manyanet y Vives, Priest
www.catholicculture.org
Daily Gospel
ADVENTCAzT 2025: 18 – Ember Wednesday – 3rd Week of Advent – Embers and O and Golden Mass
Saint Olympia of Constantinople Widow and Deaconess
St. Olympias
catholicexchange.com
Saints of the Day
O Sapientia (December 17)
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Audio version of Gueranger
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Our Morning Offering – 17 December – Let Me Sing the Song of Love By St Thérèse
Our Morning Offering – 17 December – Let Me Sing the Song of Love By St Thérèse
Our Morning Offering – 17 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” Let Me Sing the Song of LoveBy St Thérèse of the Child Jesusand the H…
anastpaul.com
Morning Offering for December 17, 2025
www.morningoffering.com
One Minute Reflection – 17 December – ‘… Speak the word which is transitory and embrace the Word which is everlasting!’
One Minute Reflection – 17 December – ‘… Speak the word which is transitory and embrace the Word which is everlasting!’
One Minute Reflection – 17 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Ember Wednesday – Ferial Day – Isaias 7:10-15 – Luke 1:26-38 – Scr…
anastpaul.com
Wednesday in Ember Week of Advent propers (EF)
Wednesday of Ember Week commentary & prayer (EF)
Wednesday Mass Edition - Ember Wednesday of Advent - Missa 'Roráte Cœli' - Magnificat Antiphon: "O Sapientia" - December 17th, 2025
Daily Propers of the Usus Antiquior, News Roundups of Catholic Interest, Traditional Latin Mass in Maryland and Environs.
tlm-md.blogspot.com
Advent Embertide
O Antiphons of Advent
O Antiphons of Advent
The “O Antiphons” are prayed for 7 days in preparation for Christmas: December 17–23. For those familiar with the Liturgy of the Hours,
mycatholic.life
Advent Weekday readings & commentary (OF)
Fidelity to God’s Eternal Plan
Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - Advent Weekday - Catholic Daily Reflections from My Catholic Life!
catholic-daily-reflections.com
Advent: December 17th O Wisdom (O Sapientia); Ember Wednesday readings & commentary (OF)
Other Commemorations: St. John of Matha, Priest; St. Josep Manyanet y Vives, Priest
December 17, O Wisdom (O Sapientia); Ember Wednesday - December 17, 2025 - Liturgical Calendar
December 17 marks the beginning of the O Antiphons, the seven jewels of our liturgy, dating back to the fourth century, one for each day until Christmas Eve. These antiphons address Christ with seven magnificent Messianic titles, based on the Old Testament prophecies and types of Christ. The
www.catholicculture.org
Daily Gospel
ADVENTCAzT 2025: 18 – Ember Wednesday – 3rd Week of Advent – Embers and O and Golden Mass
Saint Olympia of Constantinople Widow and Deaconess
Saint Olympia of Constantinople, Widow and Deaconess
Lives of the Saints for every day - Saint Olympia of Constantinople, Widow and Deaconess
sanctoral.com
St. Olympias
St. Olympias - Catholic Exchange
St. Olympias was born around 361 into a wealthy and noble family in Constantinople. Orphaned at a young age, she inherited great wealth but chose to devote
catholicexchange.com
Saints of the Day
O Sapientia (December 17)
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Obamacare is collapsing. Republicans should let it
- General Politics
- 2 Replies
And what about pre- existing conditions? This was a big part of the ACA. People tend to forget this .Twenty years ago, I wrote my first book with the late Bishop Harry Jackson, Personal Faith: Public Policy. Among the major issues we examined were immigration and health care. And here we are — two decades later — still listening to the same debates. Some issues in Washington are like that proverbial leaking roof: everyone knows it needs fixing, and every storm reminds us of the problem. But instead of grabbing a ladder and repairing it, the buckets just get moved around.
The current storm was created when Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer used the manufactured COVID-19 crisis as cover to spend billions more taxpayer dollars to prop up the failing Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Many predicted this back in 2010, when Nancy Pelosi famously declared, “We have to pass it so we can read it,” as she pushed it through Congress without a single Republican vote. The so-called Affordable Care Act quickly became what many warned it would become — the unaffordable care act.
Democrats doubled down in March 2021 and again in August 2022, passing the American Rescue Plan Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, again without a single Republican vote. The first bill created temporary subsidies to mask the ACA’s structural failures, and the second extended this bailout until December 2025. Not only has the Affordable Care Act proven unaffordable — contrary to President Obama’s promises — it was deliberately crafted to bypass the longstanding bipartisan Hyde Amendment, which kept taxpayers out of the abortion business.
That brings us to the present dilemma for Republicans, who now find themselves the property managers of this leaking roof. They have inherited a failed, government-driven health system that funds abortion and pays for controversial experimental drugs and surgeries used in gender transitions.
Continued below.
Obamacare is collapsing. Republicans should let it
Some issues in Washington are like that proverbial leaking roof everyone knows it needs fixing, and every storm reminds us of the problemwww.christianpost.com
AI Generated
Prior to the Affordable Care Act , people with pre-existing conditions faced significant difficulty obtaining individual health insurance, as insurers could legally deny them coverage, charge them substantially higher premiums, or exclude coverage for their specific health issues.
Now let's look at why the the spike in premiums. Republicans caused it......
AI Generated
The ACA's foundational financial stability rested on the Individual Mandate, which was intended to force young and healthy people into the insurance risk pool to subsidize the costs of covering sicker individuals with pre-existing conditions. When the Trump Administration effectively eliminated the Mandate's tax penalty in 2017, this critical financial mechanism was broken. This action, combined with measures like expanding less comprehensive plans, effectively gutted the intended financial basis of the ACA by disproportionately retaining sicker, more expensive enrollees while allowing healthier, lower-cost participants to exit the system, leading directly to higher premiums in the individual market.
Thanks for sharing!
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PUTTING THE MASS BACK IN CHRISTMAS...
- Theologia Crucis - Lutherans
- 0 Replies
From and article first published back in 2018 by Rev. Dr. Timothy Teuscher, our Lutheran Church Canada President. Since then, a lot has happened in the world, and yet our National Bishop's message is as relevant now as it was then.
Full article can be found here:
www.canadianlutheran.ca
Blessings and peace to all!!
"...in order to put Christ back into Christmas, we need, above all, to put the “Mass” back into Christmas. After all, that is what the word “Christmas” literally means: “the Mass of Christ.”
St Peters Ev. Lutheran, Stratford Ontario, 2024.Full article can be found here:
From the President - Putting Christ Back Into Christmas - The Canadian Lutheran
By: Timothy Teuscher “Put Christ back into Christmas!” It’s a familiar exhortation we often hear at this time of year—and for good reason. After all, “Happy Holidays” rather than “Merry Christmas” has become the socially accepted and politically correct form of greeting this time of...
www.canadianlutheran.ca
Blessings and peace to all!!
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