On 18 August 2026, Pope Leo XIV appointed twelve new consultors to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Leo XIV fills the Vatican's social-policy apparatus with mostly anti-Catholic figures. 1. Peter G. Kirchschläger, 49, Social ethicist, University of Lucerne, Switzerland In December 2018, he said that the Catholic Church has an unresolved human-rights problem regarding the impossibility of women's ordination to the priesthood. He even claimed that the state "may not look away" but has an obligation to press the Church on it. When presented with the argument that women dissatisfied with Catholic teaching can leave, he answered: “That would be protecting the perpetrator.” 2. Kathryn A. Koch, 45, Wall Street Finance Kathryn Koch spent 20 years at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, became a Goldman partner and ran its approximately $300 billion public-equity business. In 2015, Koch was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Since 2024, Koch has …Okuninzi
'Education' is the misnomer; this is indoctrination. It is mired in ideological fantasies and obfuscations alien to any scientific or moral moorings. For any pope to remain silent in the face of such child abuse "It would be better for him if a millstone were placed around his neck and he were thrown into the sea...".
St. Anthony's Church in Jaffa has been vandalized by an Israeli extremist. Several statues inside the catholic church were knocked over and smashed, while broken crosses were discovered scattered across the floor and on chairs. Suspect taken into police custody.
David M. Morens — who worked under Anthony Fauci from 2006 to 2022 — admitted he hid government communications to skirt public records laws and thwart inquiries into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
Italian priest Lino Zatelli, 75, killed himself on August 12. He had been parish priest of San Carlo Borromeo in Trento for a quarter of a century. He was found dead inside the rectory of his parish after he didn’t show up to celebrate the Eucharist. Corriere del Trentino reported the death as a voluntary act. Two months earlier he had learned that he would have to leave San Carlo in November for another pastoral assignment. Zatelli publicly said he had not asked to leave. Sad detail: During his Easter homily, Don Zatelli preached about Judas's suicide. He discussed Judas as someone overwhelmed by despair who could no longer see beyond the obstacle before him, but emphasized Christ's forgiveness and imagined Jesus ultimately embracing Judas in heaven. Eucharists Beyond Rubrics A 2019 interview called him the “eternal bad boy of the Trentino Church.” A November 2020 profile describes Zatelli as working in a kind of laboratory parish. His Eucharists went beyond formulas and interpreted …Okuninzi
We are obliged to pray for all of the lost, but the point is clear - current theological aberrations are poisoning the Faith and the Faithful. We are being led by those who "are like whitewashed sepulchers, which outwardly appear brilliant to men, yet truly, inside, they are filled with the bones of the dead and with all filth." Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.
Today, Leo XIV accepted the resignation of Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann, 66, of Speyer, Germany, due to health reasons. He had led the Diocese of Speyer since March 2008. Bishop Wiesemann said that "the burden of the extensive responsibility has taken a serious physical and psychological toll on me." Depression and Health Bishop Wiesemann had previously suffered from depression. In 2021, he withdrew from his duties for about seven months for health reasons, including inpatient treatment. He later publicly identified the illness as depression. In May 2026, he spoke about his experience at the Katholikentag in Würzburg during an event on depression and mental health. He attributed his depression to prolonged pressures including the demands of episcopal office, financial and structural problems in the diocese and, above all, the Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis. Pro-Homosexual Bishop Bishop Wiesemann was among the German bishops supporting changes in the Church's approach to homosexuality …Okuninzi
Natalie Harp wouldn’t take no for an answer. It was October 2023, and Donald Trump was due at a New York City courthouse to fight his latest set of legal troubles. But as the motorcade idled outside his Trump Tower residence, staffers confronted a more immediate problem: There wasn’t room for Harp, the hyper-loyal aide whose devotion to Trump had quickly entrenched her within his orbit. A screaming match in the lobby ensued, with Harp insisting that Trump had personally asked her to attend the court appearance, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. Denied a seat but determined not to be left behind, Harp jumped into an SUV trunk, according to the two sources and confirmed by a photo obtained by CNN. 0:00 Trump's relationship with aide Natalie Harp 3:55 Inside Natalie Harp's SUV trunk ride 6:58 Is it normal for a presidential aide to ride in a trunk? Panel discussion Watch 24/7 live news with CNN Headlines: https://bit.ly/4eIvlTr
The Vatican’s Dicastery for Education has responded to a Catholic mother involved in a parents’ campaign against a new sexual-education framework for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Hamburg, reports LaNuovaBq.it on August 18. Hamburg is led by Archbishop Stefan Heße. The response was sent to Varinia Arauco, a Peruvian-born mother involved with the ‘Parents’ Network for Child Protection and Prevention’. Arauco and other parents have appealed to Church authorities in Germany and Rome over the Archdiocese of Hamburg’s framework “Male, Female, Diverse: Framework for Sexual Education at Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Hamburg.” The framework was published in 2025 and is intended to be implemented in the archdiocese’s 15 Catholic school locations from the 2026/27 school year. It explicitly supports the “acceptance of diversity with regard to sexual orientations and gender identity” The parents also submitted a petition to Pope Leo XIV through the Apostolic Nuncio in Germany and …Okuninzi
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 …Okuninzi
RFK Jr. says Fauci paid UNC scientist Ralph Baric to develop a technique called "no-see-em," which makes pathogens MORE dangerous and COVERS UP the evidence of human manipulation. Baric went on to teach this technique to the "Bat Lady" at the Wuhan Lab. Fauci knew this. Then spent years telling the public COVID came from a "natural origin." RFK JR: "He was lying about the origins from day one. Why was he lying? Because he funded those studies at the Wuhan lab, and he funded the studies at the University of North Carolina that developed the techniques for weaponizing COVID-19." "And then [he] gave those to Ralph Baric, his funded scientist at the University of North Carolina, gave those to Shi Zhengli, the scientist, the 'bat lady' scientist in the Wuhan lab. And he taught her a technique that Anthony Fauci had paid him to develop called seamless ligation, which is also called 'no-see-em.'" "It's a way of manipulating the virus to make it deadly to human beings and then covering up the …Okuninzi
Amy-Jill Levine was elected the first Jewish president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America on July 20, 2026. In February 2020, Levine stated: “So I'm not a Christian, I'm not a Messianic Jew, I do not worship Jesus as Lord and Savior, and for me the New Testament is not sacred scripture.” Discussing the Gospels, she continued: “I will argue, that not all the comments the gospel writers attribute to Jesus were spoken by him. I think they added some things.” She added: “My bias or my agenda is in part to help Christians stop making Jewish practice and belief look bad in order to make Jesus look good.”
1. Jüdin Präsidentin der Catholic Biblical Association Amy-Jill Levine, 1. jüdische Präsidentin der Catholic Biblical Association (USA): "I'm not a Christian. I'm not a Messianic Jew. I do not worship Jesus as Lord and Savior and for me the New Testament is not a Sacred Sripture. I will argue, I hope convincingly or at least I'm convinced that not all the comments the gospel writers attribute to Jesus were spken by him. I think they added some things." „Ich bin keine Christin. Ich bin keine messianische Jüdin. Ich verehre Jesus nicht als Herrn und Erlöser und für mich ist das Neue Testament keine Heilige Schrift. Ich werde darlegen – hoffentlich überzeugend, oder zumindest bin ich selbst davon überzeugt –, dass nicht alle Äußerungen, die die Evangelisten Jesus zuschreiben, tatsächlich von ihm gesprochen wurden. Ich glaube, sie haben einiges hinzugefügt" Amy-Jill Levine wurde am 20. Juli 2026 zur 1. jüdische Präsidentin der Catholic Biblical Association der USA gewählt: National Catholic …Okuninzi
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
On 13 August 2026, Irish broadcaster Mary Kennedy delivered a roughly 15-minute guest address entitled “Faith in Full View” during the National Novena to Our Lady of Knock in Knock Basilica, Co. Mayo, following the Gospel: “I would like it if it weren’t such a male-dominated ministry. I think there is real value in having women in important positions in the Church. It’s not going to change in my lifetime, or in the lifetimes of other people present here, but I really do feel that women would have a huge contribution to make to the Church, and I would love to see women priests. I really would.”
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 …Okuninzi
After Drone Strike, a Famed Cathedral in Ukraine Stirs Back to Life nytimes.com/…pe/ukraine-kyiv-cathedral-russia-dro… Volunteers and priests rallied to clean up Kyiv’s Dormition Cathedral, still smelling of smoke from a massive blaze, for an anniversary celebration.0:00 By Carlotta Gall and Stanislav Kozliuk Visuals by Brendan Hoffman Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine Aug. 19, 2026, 5:29 a.m. ET There was a bustle on a recent morning on the quiet grounds of Kyiv’s oldest monastery, as volunteers gathered beside Orthodox priests with hoes and rakes to assist in a grand clean up. Mostly parishioners, military veterans and charity workers, the volunteers had answered a call from the head of the monastery after a Russian drone struck the Dormition Cathedral, at the center of the monastic complex, in June. It is unclear whether the drone, which was part of a broader bombardment of Ukraine’s capital, had intentionally targeted the cathedral. Still, the strike damaged one of its golden domes …Okuninzi
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 …Okuninzi
A right of defense for accused priests is supported on paper in the Diocese of Manchester, but in this case it has been suppressed and obstructed at every turn.
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.