Italian Diocese Expands Women’s Roles in Church Administration. Worse than Germany: The Italian Diocese of Trapani, is increasingly appointing laypeople - including women - to formal Curia and diocesan roles as the number of priests declines. The diocese now has fewer than 100 diocesan priests and is bringing in priests from Madagascar, Tanzania, and religious institutes to fill parish vacancies. Among the most significant appointments, lawyer Susanna Catalano has been named the diocese’s second vice-chancellor. Four lay Catholics will receive the instituted ministry of catechist, including two women, Francesca Messina and Caterina Vesco.
Trapani, mancano i preti ma crescono i laici in Curia: Fragnelli cerca sacerdoti all’estero e nomina la seconda vicecancelliera
Cardinal Pizzaballa Visits Taybeh: Standing With Palestine’s Last Christian Village | SG News Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, has visited Taybeh, Palestine’s last remaining fully Christian village, bringing a message of courage, solidarity, and hope to its residents. During Mass at the Church of Christ the Redeemer on the Feast of the Assumption, the Patriarch stood alongside a community facing growing uncertainty and restrictions. The visit follows a July Israeli military order declaring Taybeh and nearby Rimon a closed military zone. The restrictions have affected access to agricultural lands, historic sites, and religious landmarks, while also making it more difficult for pilgrims, journalists, and international volunteers to reach the area. Despite the challenges, Cardinal Pizzaballa urged the faithful not to surrender to fear, reaffirming the Church’s commitment to preserving the Christian presence and witness in the Holy Land. Watch the full report …Higit pa
US Sisters and the Macarena Retirement Tour: The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) held its 70th anniversary gathering in Orlando, Florida, from 11 to 14 August. They posted a video on Facebook showing elderly women in civilian clothes dancing the Macarena (1995). The fitting headline: "When Catholic sisters get together, watch out for the dance parties! ". Macarena was popular when the sisters were in their 50s. The LCWR represents the leaders of many women's religious congregations in the United States.
Dance party of "nuns": The LCWR 70th Anniversary Gathering was held August 11–14, 2026, in Orlando, Florida. The event brought together Catholic women and men religious from the United States, Canada, Latin America and other parts of the Americas for prayer, worship, talks, discussion and community events.
And you wonder why vocations to the nunnery have collapsed. People who have a religious vocation take their lives seriously and look for serious opportunities
2. Historical Context and "Dance Manias" Catholic history records instances where mass dancing was interpreted through the lens of spiritual affliction or divine punishment. [1, 2] St. Vitus’ Dance (Chorea): In the Middle Ages, outbreaks of compulsive, uncontrollable dancing (now understood as a neurological or psychological phenomenon) swept through Europe. [1, 2, 3, 4] Spiritual Intercession: Victims were sent to shrines of St. Vitus, a Christian martyr, to pray for deliverance and healing from what many at the time feared was a demonic curse or affliction. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] 3. Ritual Dancing and Entry Points Catholic moral theology warns against practices that willingly open a person up to the influence of evil spirits. Trance Induction: Repetitive, frenzied, or rhythmic dancing used in occult or neo-pagan rituals is designed to lower conscious defenses and alter the state of mind. [1, 2, 3] The Danger of Invitation: Exorcists warn that participating in dances meant to invoke …Higit pa
"You are a chosen generation, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people; that you may declare his virtues, who bath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light" ( 1 Pet. 2, 9). You are a chosen generation, for the Saint of saints has elected you to the holy office of the priesthood. To you particularly He addresses these words: "But according to him that bath called you, who is holy, be you also in all manner of conversation holy; because it is written: 'You shall be holy, for I am holy"' ( 1 Pet. 1, 15-16). You are clothed and adorned with a kingly priesthood. You are priests and kings as Jesus Christ Himself is the Supreme Priest and King. You are a purchased people in a very special significance. It is true that Our Blessed Redeemer purchased all mankind at the price of His Blood and that Almighty God gave Him to all nations. Nevertheless Jesus acquired you in a particular manner and so His Heavenly Father manifests a unique love for you. After the Blessed Virgin …Higit pa
In Lungo’s case, it seems likely that some at least will take this same line in response to his apparent Freemasonry. But for the Vatican, the case is — or should be — much more acute, since it involves the wholesale moral condemnation by the Church of a legal category of persons.
Lourdes Bans FSSPX Masses: On August 13, Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes, France, issued a statement concerning the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX) pilgrimage to Lourdes. He cited the episcopal consecrations at Écône on July 1 and the subsequent decree of the Holy See. The FSSPX is no longer authorized to celebrate Mass or other sacraments inside the Lourdes Sanctuary, nor to organize public prayers there. Individual pilgrims remain free to pray privately. Bishop Micas wrote that he was aware the decision would cause “pain” and “perhaps incomprehension.” The FSSPX had held organized public worship at Lourdes for many years, including Masses, confessions, processions and public prayers within the Sanctuary.
Relationship With Female Staffer CALLED OUT By Press and Senators Trump is lashing out at the press as questions grow over his relationship with longtime aide Natalie Harp and Melania Trump’s absence from major public events. The scrutiny intensified after Sen. Jon Ossoff publicly questioned Harp’s unusually close role in Trump’s inner circle. Trump is now attacking CNN correspondent Kristen Holmes after she questioned him. Popok reports. Subscribe: youtube.com/channel/UCJgZJZZbnLFPr5GJdCuIwpA Become a member of Legal AF YouTube community: youtube.com/channel/UCJgZJZZbnLFPr5GJdCuIwpA Become a member of the Legal AF Substack: Subscribe to Legal AF's Substack Follow Legal AF on Bluesky: Legal AF (@legalafmtn.bsky.social) Follow Michael Popok on Bluesky: POPOK (@mspopok.bsky.social) Subscribe to the Legal AF podcast feed here: Legal AF by MeidasTouch Subscribe to the Intersection with Michael Popok podcast feed here: The Intersection with Michael Popok Subscribe to Unprecedented with …Higit pa
Natalie Harp - Wikipedia According to the journalist Alex Isenstadt, in one instance, Trump's wife Melania discovered Harp in his private quarters—an area reserved for the Trump family—delivering papers to him at night. Her proximity to Trump concerned other aides, some of whom attributed Trump's relationship with Harp to her decision to remain with him after the January 6 Capitol attack. Aides who spoke to The New York Times called Harp a "conduit" and an "instant enabler of his impulses". Trump purportedly remarked that Harp was the only aide who cared about him after his arraignment in connection with the Georgia election racketeering prosecution, according to the Times. The paper additionally reported on a series of letters Harp sent Trump in 2023 that unnerved people in Trump's inner circle, citing phrases such as "You are all that matters to me" and "I want to bring you joy." Her access to Trump allowed people to send her damaging clips of their rivals and she served as an …Higit pa
After entering a civil ceremony in Cascais, Portugal, on August 11, Cristiano Ronaldo and his concubine Georgina Rodríguez received for their Amoris Laetitia relationship a blessing à la Fiducia Supplicans from a priest at the Shrine of Fátima. This was followed a Eucharist behind closed doors in the Chapel of Nossa Senhora das Dores. Ronaldo's management confirmed the civil marriage to Reuters. Portuguese and Spanish reports say the ceremony took place in the couple's living room. Both have publicly identified with “Catholicism”. On August 10, Ronaldo and Rodríguez signed a prenuptial agreement in Lisbon establishing separation of property. They retained their respective surnames, while the marriage record reportedly lists their residence as Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “Their” children were present at the event in Fatima. Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., born in 2010, is Ronaldo's eldest son. His mother's identity has never been publicly disclosed, and Ronaldo has said he has custody of him. Twins …Higit pa
A depiction of Our Lady by Romanian artist Teodora Axente has sparked controversy in Siena, Italy. The Virgin on this year's Palio banner os androgynous and departs from any Marian iconography. The Municipality of Siena commissioned Axente to create the Drappellone, the painted silk banner awarded to the winning contrada, one of Siena's historic districts, in the city's centuries-old Palio horse race. Axente was appointed by the city government on the proposal of Mayor Nicoletta Fabio. The banner was unveiled on August 10. It places the Virgin above Siena and its contrade, protecting the Golden Rose associated with Pope Pius II, and commemorates the 500th anniversary of the 1526 Battle of Camollia. Axente called the figure her personal vision of the Madonna and said the figures in the work were “more androgynous” and therefore “universal characters.” On August 13, the Archdiocese of Siena published a statement by Father Enrico Grassini, rector of the Collegio dei Correttori. He rejected …Higit pa
New FSSPX Chapel in Poland: On August 1, the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX) blessed a new chapel in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The previous chapel had become too small for the growing congregation. The FSSPX has maintained an apostolate in Poland's Kuyavian-Pomeranian region for more than 20 years. According to PiusX.org.pl, by April 30, 2026, a fundraising campaign for the new chapel had raised 306,595.86 PLN (about €71,000). The chapel was not newly built, but created by adapting existing premises over several weeks, including the sanctuary, sacristy, altar, and liturgical furnishings.
Une nouvelle chapelle de la FSSPX a été bénie le 1er août à Bydgoszcz. Depuis l’ouverture de la précédente chapelle en 2022, le nombre de fidèles assistant aux messes dominicales n’a cessé de croître, au point de rendre les locaux trop exigus.
OF THAT CAUSE OF SIN WHICH IS MALICE - EVIL HABITS, i.e. VICES AND SINS (QQ[71]-8 - First Section - Summa Theologica - Thomas Aquinas...Download, print, and above all share !to be continued
On July 20, at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, the 88th Annual Meeting of the Catholic Biblical Association (CBA) elected Amy-Jill Levine, 70, as president for 2026–2027. She is the first Jewish president in the CBA’s history. Founded in 1936, the CBA is an independent association with longstanding institutional ties to the U.S. bishops. Its constitution says it pursues biblical scholarship “in conformity with the teaching of the magisterium of the Catholic Church.” Levine is a New Testament scholar and is a longtime member of the CBA. In spring 2019, she became the first Jewish scholar to teach New Testament at Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute. She has also had three audiences with Pope Francis. In a sermon at Washington National Cathedral on March 7, 2021, Levine said: “I’m a Jew. I don’t worship Jesus as Lord and Savior.” "Lectionary Revision Is Only A Start" In an interview published by The Christian Century in June 2023, Levine describes parts of the Gospel of John as …Higit pa
Leo XIV’s Peru Visit Prepared By Pachamama Offering: On 13–14 August, “Entrelazando Voces por la Dignidad,” a regional gathering of social organizations and Indigenous communities, took place in Cusco, Peru. Spanish-language outlets, including Vatican News, linked it to preparations for Pope Leo XIV’s November visit. Bishop Lizardo Estrada Herrera, auxiliary bishop of Cusco and CELAM secretary-general, inaugurated the gathering; Bishop Miguel Ángel Cadenas of Iquitos also attended. InfoVaticana video shows the event opening with an Andean offering to Pachamama/Mother Earth. Participants received coca leaves, performed guided breathing, blew three times on the leaves, and placed them with food offerings in bowls on the ground. Bishop Estrada is shown adding coca leaves to the offering. Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, Vatican official overseeing the dissolution of the community Sodalitium, also took part, placing coca leaves in the offering.
Un comisario pontificio y un obispo depositan coca en un «pago a la tierra»: Jordi Bertomeu oferente a la Pachamama
Half-naked dance in Brazilian church. Worse than Germany: A video posted on Instagram on 25 May shows members of the traditional Caiapós de São José group dancing inside St Benedict's Church in Poços de Caldas, Brazil, wearing their minimal pagan-looking attire. The group said they entered the church at the end of the festivities to thank St Benedict for his blessings.
Semi-nude members of the folkloric group Caiapós de São José are seen rehearsing inside St. Benedict Church in Poços de Caldas, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Feast of St. Benedict is celebrated there from May 1-13. The festivities honor St. Benedict, patron saint of Black Brazilians, and recall the abolition of slavery and the traditional assistance Caiapós gave to enslaved people.
Overwhelming Pro Life Support in Cork City! Volunteers of Irish Society for Christian Civilisation did a pro life Honk Campaign in Cork City! Sign our pro life petition here: Pray and act to stop the sin of abortion! - ISFCC Read the full article on the Caravan here: Large Group of Young Catholics Campaign … To find more information, email rosary.rally@isfcc.org What is the best way to restore Catholic Ireland? To form a new generation of young Catholic leaders who love God and wish to stand up – just like Saint Patrick -- against the current wave of secular paganism harming our precious heritage, culture, and family. Irish Society for Christian Civilisation is at the forefront of this good fight, forming young Catholic men at the Call to Chivalry Camps. If you love God, please consider attending our next Call to Chivalry Camp. To get more information, just click here: Call to Chivalry Summer Camp - ISFCC Read more about who we are here. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira - ISFCC Subscribe …Higit pa
During a secret Vatican consultation in 2016, six voters didn't simply doubt the Medjugorje apparitions but reportedly concluded that the devil was behind the phenomenon, Italian journalist David Murgia reported August 17 on IlSegnoDiGiona.com. Six participants in the confidential consultation of the Vatican's then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith concluded that Medjugorje could not be explained without the “original, direct and foundational intervention” of the Evil One. Three of the six were reportedly cardinals. In Murgia's account, they considered Medjugorje not a “Mariophany” - an appearance of Mary - but a “Satanophany.” Their proposed judgment was constat de praeternaturalitate maligna: essentially, a finding of malign preternatural origin. The six were part of a larger group of 33 Church figures who submitted opinions on Medjugorje in 2016. According to Murgia, 21 rejected a supernatural origin, nine favored it, and three remained undecided. The six who attributed the …Higit pa