• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • 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.

Christian preacher arrested in UK after saying ‘God bless you’ to Gaza war protesters

A Christian preacher in the United Kingdom who was arrested for saying “God bless you” to protesters at a pro-Palestinian demonstration now plans to sue Wiltshire Police, arguing officers have repeatedly violated his freedom of speech.


Shaun O’Sullivan, who preaches at the Awaken church in Swindon and often speaks to homeless individuals and addicts on the streets, says police have a “vendetta” against him. He has been arrested 16 times, yet none of the charges have resulted in a conviction. A jury unanimously dismissed the most recent case in just 90 minutes, according to the Daily Mail.

The incident occurred after he said, “God bless you,” which reportedly offended Muslims at the march. He had previously been accused of harassment for saying, “Pray for the Jews and pray for the Palestinians.” After the most recent remark, a female officer told him the phrase could be a crime “if it causes distress” and said that “if that person was a Muslim,” they may be distressed.


Under Section 5 of the Public Order Act, a person commits an offense if they use “threatening or abusive words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour…within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress thereby."

Continued below.

The New Testament begins in Acts not Matthew chapter one.

The New Testament Begins in Acts Not Matthew​

When you read the Gospels in the Bible, such as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, do they sometimes seem to contradict other parts of the New Testament Scripture? For example, in Matthew 6:15, Jesus said, “If you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Yet, in Colossians 2:13, the Apostle Paul wrote, “…God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins.” How can there be two different perspectives written in the same New Testament?

Many Christians experience confusion because they think all of Jesus’ teachings are part of the New Testament, also known as the “New Covenant.” However most of them are not. The New Testament, which is God’s New Covenant with mankind, actually starts in the book of Acts, not Matthew. How do we know this fact is true?

When reading the New Testament, ask yourself this question, “Had Jesus died yet when this was written?” If not, then those writings are part of the Old Covenant in most cases. If the writings are after Jesus died, then it’s part of the New Covenant.

When Jesus came to earth, He came directly to the Jews who were still under the Old Covenant with God. Want the gist of the Old Covenant? Deuteronomy 28 spells it out very clearly. If Israel obeyed God’s laws, there were 12 verses of blessings He would give them (see Deuteronomy 28:1-14). But, if Israel disobeyed God’s laws, there were 52 verses of curses He would give them. (see Deuteronomy 28:15-68).

Would you want to live in that kind of tension-filled relationship with God? No way! Unfortunately, many Christians today believe that is still how God treats them, even though we are under the New Covenant of grace. Therefore, Christianity feels more like a burden, instead of a blessing.

Many of the things that Jesus taught in the Gospels was Old Covenant instruction to the Jews of His day. When He taught them, He was raising the bar of how perfect they needed to be accepted and blessed by God. Here are some examples:
  • “Unless you are more righteous than the strictest religious leaders in Jesus’s day, the Scribes and the Pharisees, you will not go to heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)
  • “Calling someone an idiot or crazy because you are angry with them will send you to hell.” (Matthew 5:22)
  • “Lust is adultery.” (Matthew 5:27-28)
  • “You must live a perfect life exactly the way God does.” (Matthew 5:48)
These performance-based teachings were aimed to show the Jews and anyone who reads the Bible today that it’s impossible to get God’s unconditional acceptance by obeying the law. Jesus was preparing people to understand how much they needed Him to be their Savior.

God was about to bring into existence the New Covenant, and Jesus was preparing them and everyone else for it. But, here’s the key. The New Covenant did not begin until Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension were complete. For instance, Hebrews 9:15 says:

“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a New Covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the Old Covenant.”

Remember Jesus’ teachings we just listed from the book of Matthew? Let’s compare what the New Covenant says about you as a Christ follower:
  • God has already forgiven you whether you forgive or not. (Colossians 2:13)
  • God made you perfect in your identity in Christ. (Hebrews 10:14)
  • God made you a holy person and not a lustful person in Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:2)
  • God made you a patient person because you’re complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:10)
The Old Covenant was conditional based on mankind’s imperfect works. The New Covenant is conditional based on faith in Jesus’ perfect work. Do you see the amazing difference?

Read the New Testament with a lot more clarity now that you know the New Testament starts in Acts, rather than Matthew!

The New Testament Begins in Acts Not Matthew

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‘I believe in the Torah of Israel’: Ben-Gvir rejects pope call for Palestinian state

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Monday rejected Pope Leo XIV’s call for a Palestinian state to be established in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip.


“Our Torah says that the solution is one state: a Jewish state,” Ben-Gvir told JNS, speaking at the weekly faction meeting of his Otzma Yehudit Party at the Knesset.


“That’s what our Torah says. And I believe in the Torah of Israel. This is what we believe,” the senior minister said, urging Leo to focus on “other matters.”

Four arrests over alleged ‘international satanic child sex abuse material ring’

Four men have been arrested over their alleged involvement in an “international satanic child sex abuse material ring,” according to Australian Police, who say they’re still working to identify the victims.

Det. Supt. Jayne Doherty, commander of the New South Wales sex crimes squad, said the four men allegedly shared “abhorrent” content with an international network depicting children from infants to 12 years old – as well as animals.

“Police will allege in court that this international group were engaging in conversations and the sharing of material which depicted child abuse and the torture of children involving symbols and rituals linked to Satanism and the occult,” Doherty said Monday.

“Thousands of videos” were found on electronic devices seized during several simultaneous raids on properties in Sydney last week, Doherty said.


Continued below.

Canadian Activists Call For Child Euthanisia, Including Without Parental Consent For Older Minors

In 2016, Canada legalized euthanasia “for people whose natural death was ‘reasonably foreseeable’ and wanted to end their lives.” Less than a decade later, that definition has radically expanded—so much so that 1 in 20 deaths in Canada in 2023 were from euthanasia—and activists want it broadened still further to even include children as young as 12 years old! As we have warned, once the door is opened a crack, it will then be opened wider and wider.


Dying With Dignity Canada, a euthanasia (actually, murder) activist group, believes that “maturity” rather than age should determine who is eligible for medical assistance in dying and “recommends minors as young as 12 be included in the program, and goes as far as to suggest 16 and 17-year-olds shouldn’t even need parental consent to be killed by a doctor if they fit broad criteria.”

Please pray for me I'm really sick

I've been sick for 21 years and am currently bedridden. I'm really bitter and battling hopelessness. Please pray for me because I'm really discouraged.
Here's a link to a ministry that mails out free gospel tracts, as many as you want, and free delivery too. Some are available in Spanish, Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, French, and Filipino.
ingrace.us/tracts

Mamdani’s Socialist Grocery Store: Shopping in the Aisle of Denial

New York City’s new socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani has pledged to open city-run grocery stores to lower costs and help the working class with his socialist policies.

City-owned and managed grocery stores have resurfaced as eye-catching policy ideas to lower food costs and fight hunger. However, they will have the opposite effect: wasting taxpayer money, promoting inefficiency and hurting local food businesses.

Mamdani’s Plan: Bad Economics​

Mamdani bases the need for city-run grocery stores on a socialist theory rather than hard data. This is a blatant feel-good dream that denies basic economics. This sounds very good on paper, ‘free’ always does, until the money needed to fund the free goods cannot be found.

He argues that these stores are needed to address supposed food “deserts,” which are usually crime-ridden areas that retailers often avoid. He also claims the groceries will provide working-class New Yorkers with better access to affordable food. His pilot program consists of launching five stores across the city, one in each borough. It is all part of his socialist platform, which, besides lowering grocery costs, also includes freezing rent and increasing corporate taxes to fund this project.

A closer examination of the plan reveals it cannot succeed because it entirely replaces market signals—such as costs, property rights, profit and the profit motive—with bureaucratic decision-making. He proposes the classic Marxist alternative to a free market economy.

Continued below.
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My Role in the Pachamama Event.

Over the summer of 2019, there was a lot of righteous anger among traditional Catholics online (and in real life) over the fact that the folks in charge of the Vatican the last decade had placed Pachamama idols—idols Burgles’ staff admitted to Catholic News Agency were not the Blessed Virgin Mary—in various Catholic Churches in Rome, including St. Mary Transpontina near the Vatican.

Dr. Taylor Marshall and I had decided to go dunk these wicked idols, but he had to bail at the last minute. I still went to Rome, in any case, with a different Taylor M. (not kidding) and a traditional gentleman from England.

You see, Dr. Marshall and I had a big argument over this miscommunication but later reconciled. We actually discussed this reconciliation on his show on narcissism several years after the following event, but we did not exactly name the event you are about to read about because you-know-who was still alive. We discussed how narcissists don’t know how to apologize, and yet Dr. Marshall and I had to apologize each to each other for various parts of this event. I’m glad we did that.

In any case, Marshall sent Mr. Alexander Tschugguel into Transpontina to trash the idols very early on 21 October 2019. However, because I had lost contact with Marshall due to our argument, I didn’t know he sent in Tschugguel at 6am. Thus, the other Taylor M. and I went into Transpontina at 9am and got caught while trying to escape with the abominations in that temple. (Keep in mind Tschugguel bravely trashed several idols, but the wicked folks running Rome had many back-up idols at that point that we were able to intercept in the following body cam footage you are about to see.)

Continued below.
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Now does everyone understand why the "right to refuse illegal orders" video was made?

White House says admiral approved second deadly boat strike

The White House on Monday confirmed a second strike in September had killed wounded civilians after the first effort failed, and put responsibility largely on the naval commander leading the mission.
Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said U.S. Special Operations Command head Adm. Frank Bradley was “within his authority and the law” in conducting the second strike on alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean, after the force of the first strike tossed them from the boat.
I was listening to Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling last night. There are some here who may be currently in, or were in the military who can confirm this. Hertling was saying the code training literally uses as the example of shooting of survivors in the water as an illegal act. Not him but me, but I kind of remember soldiers of other nations being brought to trial and executed for those such acts. Feel free to correct me if I am misremembering.

Reactions mount in Canada to undercover video exposing late-term abortions

A week after The Catholic Register in Canada revealed that pro-life advocate Alissa Golob went undercover while 22 weeks pregnant to test whether late-term abortions were accessible in Canada without medical justification, the national response continues to intensify, with a new twist: a fourth hidden-camera video that Golob says she is legally barred from releasing.

Golob, co-founder of RightNow, posed as an undecided pregnant woman in abortion facilities in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary in 2023. The Nov. 19 Register story detailed her conversations with clinic counselors and physicians who told her late-term abortions could be arranged at nearby hospitals, sometimes “up to 32 weeks,” without needing to provide medical reasons.

Staff described procedures as a “mini stillbirth,” advised her she could “expel the fetus in the car,” and said reasons such as already having two children or “not wanting to be pregnant” were acceptable.

Those recordings — three of which have now been released — directly contradict long-standing political claims that late-term abortions in Canada are only performed in cases of maternal health risk or severe fetal anomalies.

In an email interview with The B.C. Catholic, Golob said the reaction from Canadians has been more visceral than she expected.

The dominant response has been “overwhelming shock and horror from the average Canadian who didn’t think late-term abortions were possible,” she said.

Many who describe themselves as pro-choice wrote to her saying the recordings were disturbing and that unrestricted late-term abortion “just shouldn’t be allowed.”

Continued below.

Rome’s Failure to Correct Germany’s Bishops has Emboldened Their Pro-LGBT Agenda

As the country’s bishops issue a new document encouraging diversity of sexual identities in Catholic schools, German Catholic sociologist Gabriele Kuby explains the full extent of the crisis.​


A recently published document from the German bishops encouraging Catholic school pupils to self-identify according to their “sexual identity” is the latest significant departure of the bishops’ conference from the Church’s teaching, re-igniting talk of a possible new, German-born schism.

The “orientation aid,” published on Oct. 30, states that Catholic schools should consider “diversity of sexual identities is a fact,” effectively normalizing any pupil to self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and non‑binary.

Teachers are further encouraged to use language that reflects “the diversity of sexual identities,” and are advised to present questions of sexual morality as “disputed,” allowing students to form their own judgments.

Only three German bishops have so far publicly voiced their opposition to the document: Bishops Stefan Oster of Passau and Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg, and Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, Archbishop of Cologne.

The Vatican has, at least in its teaching documents, been clear about its opposition to this “gender theory” approach, describing it as an ideology that denies the created difference of man and woman, and that undermines the anthropological basis of the family.

German Catholic sociologist Gabriele Kuby, a respected expert on the scourge of gender theory, believes this latest act of German episcopal dissent from the Magisterium is, to a large extent, a consequence of Vatican inaction against the German bishops.

In the following excerpt of an interview published in the latest edition of The Academy Review of the John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family (JAHLF), Kuby explains in illuminating detail the extent of the crisis related to the German episcopate which, aided by their 2019-2023 Synodal Path, has attempted to impose a change in the Church’s teaching on sexual morality, introduce liturgical blessings for same-sex couples, and is now trying to normalise sexual diversity identities.

Continued below.

A YouTube Priest Says You Shouldn’t Pray After Communion. Here’s Why He’s Wrong...

Jimmy Akin corrects popular Franciscan YouTuber Fr. Casey Cole’s claim that it’s “not appropriate” to pray privately after Communion and that EVERYONE must sing the Communion hymn. Jimmy goes through the argument line-by-line and exposes the claim as a classic “pious little legalism.” Jimmy quotes parts of the General Instruction that Fr. Casey never mentioned and reveals what Rome actually says about post-Communion prayer. A powerful, fact-packed defense of your right to thank Jesus after receiving him in holy Communion!

Society’s New ‘Sins’: Smoking and Having Too Many Kids

An excerpt from ‘Family Faith Under Fire’ by Dr. Ray Guarendi

This selection appears courtesy of EWTN Publishing. The full book is available here.



Dear Dr. Ray,

I’m a mother of five children and happily pregnant with my sixth. I’m amazed at how free people feel to disparage my family size. I’m reluctant to tell anyone I’m expecting again.

—Getting Quieter




Tolerance is the pervasive, preeminent new moral virtue. Whatever others want to do is their choice — indeed, their right — and is to be accepted, even celebrated. Yet our society is quite narrow in its tolerance. For all its vaunted openness, the tolerance movement is riddled with ironies.

Irony #1: Tolerance for all, except some

Not everyone deserves to think his or her own way. Tolerance is reserved for those who think the right way, as defined by reigning secular rules. In the largest group of “non-acceptables” are traditional values, especially those of the Christian faith and especially the Catholic Faith.



Irony #2: Tolerance redefines itself, moving with cultural winds

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Archbishop Alemany: The Dominican Who Built Catholic California

Amid fire, famine and the chaos of the Gold Rush, Archbishop Joseph Alemany worked tirelessly to revive the faith across a fledgling California.

This year, the Western Dominican Province of the United States is celebrating the 175th anniversary of its founding in Monterey, California, by Dominican Father Joseph Alemany, who arrived as a newly appointed bishop to restore and to build up the Church during the California Gold Rush.

He was born in 1814 in Vich, Spain. After his ordination to the priesthood at age 26, he was assigned as a missionary to the United States to serve in Ohio, where he became a United States citizen, and then later in Kentucky and Tennessee, where he was appointed Prior Provincial of all American Dominicans. Thanks to an account written by a native San Franciscan during the Gold Rush, we have a wonderful insight into the dedication of Alemany, who took up residence in San Francisco following his appointment as the first archbishop in California.

The account opens, explaining that firemen often collapsed after fighting conflagrations for hours in the burgeoning, fire-prone city comprised of hastily built structures. One day, the writer witnessed the following:

Continued below.

‘A Light in the Darkness’: Bethlehem Plans Joyous Christmas to Offer Hope in the Holy Land

Five Years After COVID’s and War’s Ravages, Site of the Nativity Plans Hopeful Celebration

JERUSALEM — Following two years of subdued Christmas celebrations due to the ongoing Hamas-Israel war, this year the holiday will be celebrated in the Holy Land in all its splendor, especially in Bethlehem.

“The tree is already up and employees are working 24 hours a day to prepare for Christmas,” Bethlehem Deputy Mayor Lucy Talgieh told the Register. “After five years of COVID closures and then the war, we want to celebrate.”

The festivities will include a tree-lighting ceremony at Manger Square, and the streets leading to the square and the Church of the Nativity will be full of decorative lights. A full-blown holiday gift fair and a Christmas Eve choir will both be back this year. The annual Christmas Eve Jerusalem-to-Bethlehem procession led by the Latin patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, which was so somber the past two years, is expected to be much more joyous.

The decision to restore the traditional public Christmas celebrations reflects the hope that the war in Gaza may be nearing an end, which in turn offers encouragement to Holy Land Christians, especially in Bethlehem, who have been facing a dire economic situation. Bethlehem’s fragile economy, and especially the local Christian community, are extremely dependent on pilgrimages. For the past century, the shops surrounding Manger Square, which sell beautiful hand-crafted mother-of pearl crosses and hand-carved Nativity scenes created by local Christian artisans, have supported entire extended families.

Continued below.

America’s Mental Health Crisis and the Religious Sister Who’s Confronting It in California

Sister Theres Hong Phuoc Tran utilizes spiritual tools to improve people’s well-being, especially youth.

When Sister Theres Hong Phuoc Tran teaches mental health workshops at Catholic parishes, schools and religious congregations, she uses this Scripture quote — “You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength (Mark 12:30)” to illustrate that wellness consists of four components: heart (connection with others, being loved and loving others), soul (intimacy with God, finding purpose in one’s life), mind (feeding the intellect with good thoughts, seeking counsel when uncertain), and strength (living a physically healthy lifestyle).

While a few people have serious emotional and psychological problems that require professional help, most can make use of the “good tools” outlined in her workshops to enjoy wellness and a happy, fulfilled life.

“Human life has a rhythm, but chaos can enter our lives and bring us problems out of our control,” Sister Theres said. “To know how to live well, we have to know how God intended us to live. To maintain wellness, we must learn how to trust in God and accept the rhythm of our lives with gratitude.”

Sister Theres was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and immigrated to the United States at age 11. In 2003, she joined the Lovers of the Holy Cross, a predominantly Vietnamese community whose motherhouse is in Los Angeles. As their charism includes social services, she became a licensed marriage and family therapist and began seeing patients pro bono. Today, she resides in Santa Ana, California, and offers mental health workshops in Southern California.

Continued below.

29 Inmates at America’s Largest Maximum-Security Prison Attend Father-Daughter Dance Thanks to God Behind Bars

Father-daughter dances usually don’t make the news. But a recent event in Louisiana went viral because of its setting: America’s largest maximum-security prison. On Nov. 22, the nonprofit organization God Behind Bars helped 29 inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola, reconnect with their daughters in a memorable way.

Incarcerated men who had been selected for their good behavior wore tuxedos, presented flowers to their dressed-up girls, and danced the night away with them. Organizers transformed a space in Angola’s Bible college into a prom-like setting, with pink petals, balloons, and drapes.

Tears flowed as some fathers met and hugged their daughters for the first time; others reconnected after years apart. The men surprised their guests by performing a line dance they’d been rehearsing. Dads also gave each of their girls a handwritten letter and a Bible with highlighted passages.

God Behind Bars Sponsors Father-Daughter Dance at Angola


Continued below.

Chris Pratt, Jonathan Roumie, and Gwen Stefani Invite People to Hallow’s Advent Prayer Challenge

Chris Pratt, Jonathan Roumie, and Gwen Stefani are helping to guide participants through Hallow’s Advent prayer challenge leading up to Christmas. Hallow is a prayer and meditation app, and, this year, its prayer challenge features John Mark Comer’s book “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.”

“It’s the most wonderful time of year: Christmas. The joy, the family time, the presents,” said actor Chris Pratt in a Dec. 1 Instagram video encouraging people to download Hallow and join the challenge. Pratt is an actor known for starring in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Jurassic World,” and “Parks and Recreation.”

The cookies,” he continued, holding up a plate of cookies before tossing them over his shoulder. “Of course, I don’t eat those any more.”

Continued below.
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A Shining Light for the Glory of God!’—Melissa Joan Hart ‘Bawling’ as Son Gets Baptized

Melissa Joan Hart, who is most known for her role in “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and who is an advocate for World Vision, is celebrating that her 16-year-old son, Brady, chose to be baptized.

“[My kids] witness a lot of that faith,” Hart told Us Weekly, referring to her family’s faith practices. “And I think through that faith, they’ve just felt stronger.”

Melissa Joan Hart Was a ‘Mess’ as Her Son Was Baptized

Faith has always been a huge part of Hart’s family. Hart, who shares three boys—Mason, Brady, and Tucker—with husband, Mark Wilkerson, mentioned how they all pray before meals, before traveling, and for loved ones who are going through difficult times. The boys see Wilkerson “reading the Bible every morning at 5:30,” said Hart.

Continued below.

CNA explains: When is a deportation policy ‘intrinsically evil’ and when is it not?

Catholic bishops in the United States have expressed unified disapproval of the “indiscriminate mass deportation of people” as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported over 527,000 deportations and another 1.6 million self-deportations since Jan. 20.

Several Catholics in the Trump administration, such as Vice President JD Vance and Border czar Tom Homan, have invoked their faith to defend the heavy crackdown on migrants who do not have legal status in the country after the bishops’ message of dismay.

Caring for immigrants is a clear command in Scripture. Catholic teaching on the matter of mass deportations is somewhat nuanced, with obligations on wealthy countries to welcome immigrants and responsibilities for immigrants to follow the laws of the nations receiving them. The Catholic approach to immigration in recent decades has underscored mercy and respect for the migrants’ human dignity and prudence on the part of public officials to safeguard the common good, with an emphasis on a response to migrants that “welcomes, protects, promotes, and integrates.”

While Catholic teaching affirms human dignity and the right to migrate when necessary, debate has centered on the means of immigration policy.

Continued below.

Official Vatican documents can now be drafted in languages other than Latin

The pope has approved the new General and Personnel Regulations of the Roman Curia, which come into effect Jan. 1, 2026, and which adapt the internal functioning of the Vatican bodies to the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium, promulgated by Pope Francis in 2022.

The document, approved “ad experimentum” (for temporary or provisional use) for five years, seeks to consolidate “an ecclesial service marked by a pastoral and missionary character.”

Documents in Latin... or in other languages​

Among the most significant innovations is a historic change in linguistic matters. For the first time, the regulations stipulate that “the curial institutions will, as a general rule, draft their documents in Latin or in another language.”

Continued below.

Austrian nuns who escaped nursing home reject compromise offer

An attempt at an amicable solution in the conflict over Goldenstein Monastery in Austria has failed: The three elderly Augustinian nuns have rejected a compromise offer from their religious superior, Father Markus Grasl, provost of Reichersberg Abbey. Now Rome is expected to decide.

“We are surprised and disappointed by the sisters’ decision. What Grasl already said is coming true: Now the next authority, namely Rome, will be involved,” Grasl’s spokesperson told the Austrian news agency Kathpress.

The religious superior had presented an agreement last Thursday that would have allowed the sisters, who are between 81 and 88 years old, to remain in Goldenstein. This accommodated their expressed wish, although he continued to prefer placement in a nursing home for medical reasons.

The agreement stipulated that the three sisters could continue living in the monastery — but under certain conditions. These included the restoration of the cloister, meaning the monastic rules for retreat and prayer that include areas off limits to nonmembers of the order. In addition, spiritual accompaniment by a priest from Reichersberg Abbey, 24-hour care, and reliable medical care were to be ensured. Registration on the waiting list of a nursing home in Elsbethen “within sight of the monastery” was also part of the offer.

Just one day later, the sisters rejected the agreement. According to APA (Austrian Press Agency), the proposal was turned down because of the conditions attached to it. Grasl had demanded the immediate “cessation of all social media activities” as well as “all active media contacts.”

Continued below.

Faceless Nativity scene on Brussels’ Grand Place sparks international controversy

A new Nativity scene featuring faceless cloth figures installed on Brussels’ historic Grand Place — and the theft of the infant Jesus — have ignited fierce debate across Europe, with critics calling it an erasure of Christian tradition and supporters defending it as inclusive art.

The traditional wooden figurines have been replaced with forms made from recycled textiles, with faces consisting only of patchwork fabric in beige and brown tones. Artist Victoria-Maria Geyer crafted the Nativity figures out of cloth with no identifying facial features.

The installation, titled “Fabrics of the Nativity,” was selected through a call for proposals after city officials said the previous wooden Nativity had become too deteriorated to use. The dean of Sts. Michael and Gudula Cathedral was involved in the search for a new project and approved it, according to both municipal and church sources.

The installation drew immediate criticism on social media. Belgian national team soccer player Thomas Meunier triggered widespread reaction on X with his comment: “We’ve hit rock bottom... and we keep digging,” a post that was shared thousands of times.

Continued below.

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