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Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy - The Catholic Thing
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy - The Catholic Thing
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
Robert Royal
Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Yes, even the title of the popular song said it three times. But that’s virtually nothing compared to the repetitions of the word, over and over, during and after the papal funeral in Rome these days, by commentators, lay and clerical alike, as if it were a recent and novel discovery by Pope Francis. And as if the day after the funeral (Divine Mercy Sunday) had not been instituted by St. John Paul II in 2000, a full quarter century previously. Or his encyclical Dives in Misericordia (“Rich in Mercy”) had not been issued in 1980, two decades before that.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re used the term multiple times in his homily for the Requiem Mass. The Cardinal also preemptively canonized the just departed pope by asking him to pray for us: “May you bless the Church, bless Rome, and bless the whole world from heaven.” Not even a brief stop in Purgatory.
Of course, discussions are already underway as to what the next pope will need to be and do. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, for instance, the Vatican Secretary of State under Pope Francis – to some observers a strong contender to succeed Francis – is saying, very publicly, that the Church needs to continue Francis’ legacy of “mercy.” (I myself believe that Cardinal Parolin will have a steep climb to the papacy, though he’s trying very hard, after his disastrous, still “secret” accord with Communist China, which has been anything but a mercy to Chinese Catholics.)
Mercy is, of course, a central theme in both the Old and New Testaments, and should remain so, along with truth, justice, and fidelity. Because an overemphasis on a naked mercy, of a somewhat superficial sort, without those other and quite crucial elements of the Faith, accounts for many of the divisions in the Church of recent years:
Communion for the divorced and remarried,
the “blessing” of gay couples,
the overturning of the teaching on the death penalty,
an essentially unrealistic plea to welcome even greater illegal immigration,
a shocking lack of urgency about missionary work (and fear of “proselytizing”),
a false universalism and indifferentism that views all religions as “valid paths” to God.
Yes, amidst all the talk of mercy, there have also been some words about following Jesus. But when you ignore the Lord’s own teachings, sometimes even changing the words he’s recorded to have said, and the doctrines of His Church developed over centuries by men and women of great learning and holiness, it’s difficult to see what mercy is, other than a kindliness understood in current worldly, not Christian, terms.
The Church in the coming years needs to speak of a more robust mercy that understands, forgives, and expects weakness and sin, but isn’t sentimentally indulgent. The Church was founded by a Savior who had to suffer and die a horrible death to redeem us from all that. Because the stakes, not only in this life but in the next are crucially, cosmically, eternally high.
The Seven Works of Mercy by the Master of Alkmaar, 1504 {Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam]
As Monsignor Charles Pope makes clear in his stunning new book The Hell There Is: An Exploration of an Often-Rejected Doctrine of the Church, Jesus spoke often of Hell and even warned us that few find the way that leads to eternal life. The good monsignor recounts, however, what is probably not all that rare a response to that teaching these days:
Some years ago, I was preaching on heaven and hell since the Gospel for that Sunday was of the wide and narrow roads just mentioned. Afterward, a woman approached me, angry that I had mentioned hell at all, and said, “Father, I didn’t hear the Jesus I know in your words today.” I replied, “But Ma’am, I was quoting Him directly.” She didn’t miss a beat and simply replied, “Well, we know He never really said that.”
If we’re looking for a program for the next papacy, we could do worse than reaffirming that, in His love for us, God gave us freedom to choose between Good and Evil. (Without that freedom, our love for Him would be impossible since we’d simply be beings determined by our environment.) The next pope should directly counter the false belief that virtually everyone ends up in Heaven, which probably leads a good woman to believe that she knows what Jesus said and meant better than what the Gospels tell us he said.
In that respect, the recent version of mercy may face a similar fate to the recent emphasis on synodality. Many in the Church, I suspect, will be glad to have to stop pretending that synodality means anything or moves anything. I’d be surprised if it doesn’t peter out now rather quickly, whoever becomes pope.
And with good reason.
There are large numbers of cheery and quite Catholic-looking young people in group attire of various kinds still moving around Rome together – the soon-to-be Saint Carlo Acutis’ canonization was scheduled for Sunday but had to be postponed because of the papal mourning period. These youthful hordes seem to have come to Rome anyway since buses had been scheduled, hostels reserved, and why not? Why not see a papal funeral?
It’s telling, however, that no one has suggested that these young people were there because of the much-anticipated but never observed “Francis effect.” The same seems true of the large crop of young people who came into the Church at Easter in France, the UK, the United States, and elsewhere.
From everything that those investigating that phenomenon have discovered, it was not “inclusiveness” and “listening” that those surprising numbers of young people were seeking (their home politicians already talk plenty about that). They’re seeking a firmer guide to how to live a good life in a world increasingly lacking not only in solid truths but rapidly discrediting the very institutions that normally help form new generations.
The Church can and should be something quite different. Let’s hope the next successor of Peter can read such signs of the times.
What are the seven corporal works of mercy? - Get Fed™
What are the seven corporal works of mercy? - Get Fed™
What are the seven corporal works of mercy?
These works are the perfect guide for imitating Jesus.
The Catholic Church has always preserved the teaching of Christ that both faith and works are important in living out our faith. We prove our faith by imitating Jesus’ good works and His command to serve one another—and by living out our values in real, practical ways
When He told the story of separating the sheep from the goats on the day of judgement, He said to the sheep, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). The goats were those who did not perform these works of mercy
Thankfully, the Catholic Church provides us with a summary of the works of mercy to help us serve the least of Christ’s brethren. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines these works of mercy as “charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities.”
We have the spiritual works of mercy (works that help a person’s soul) and also the corporal works of mercy (works that provide for someone’s physical needs).
The seven corporal works of mercy are:
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit prisoners
Bury the dead
Clothe the naked
We can do corporal works of mercy in both small and large ways. Sometimes our daily lives get so busy that we can’t spend the day volunteering at a homeless shelter, or we can’t afford large donations to alleviate many people in povert
That’s when we find small ways to administer the corporal works of mercy. We can stop by a hospital or nursing home to say hello to a lonely patient or buy a meal for a homeless person on the street. Even giving just five dollars to a local charity counts!
These simple acts can make a great difference. St. Catherine of Sienna's famous quote is a great reminder of the good God can do through you; "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire." Hang up a framed print of this powerful quote in your home or office and be inspired to serve throughout the day! Order your print from The Catholic Company today!
Monday, April 28, 2025
MoA - Russia Rejects Trump's Freeze Of The War In Ukraine
MoA - Russia Rejects Trump's Freeze Of The War In Ukraine
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2025/04/russia-continues-to-reject-trumps-attempt-to-freeze-the-war-in-ukraine.html
Russia Rejects Trump's Freeze Of The War In Ukraine
April 28, 2025
The details of the ceasefire negotiations between the U.S., Europe and Ukraine continue to make headlines despite being largely irrelevant for an end of the conflict in Ukraine.
In an interview with Brazilian paper O Globo (in Portuguese) Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov again repeated the Russian demands for peace in Ukraine.
It requires:
an end of Ukraine's ban on negotiations with Russia,
for Ukraine to go back to the status of a neutral and non-aligned country in accordance with the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine in the 1990's,
an end of the policies of legally and physically destroy everything Russian: the language, media, culture, traditions, and Russian orthodoxy
the international recognition of Russia's ownership of Crimea, the DPR, LPR and the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions.
There must also be measures to legal fix those positions, to make them permanent and to have enforcement mechanisms.
Also required is, says Lavrov, (edited machine translation):
.. a schedule for the task of de-and desnazifiction in Ukraine, and the lifting of the sanctions, actions, lawsuits and arrest warrants, and the transfer of assets to Russia which are 'frozen' in the West. Also, we will look for reliable warranties for the security of the Russian Federation, and against the threats created by the hostile activity of Nato, the European Union and its individual member states on the country's borders in the west.
There is then no change in the Russian position since its President Vladimir Putin explained it at length on June 14 2024.
Meanwhile the U.S. is very publicly negotiating with Ukraine and Europe about some ceasefire conditions along the lines the pro-Ukrainian (and neo-conservative?) General Kellogg has long promoted (also here):
Kellogg’s implicit assumptions were that Russia is highly vulnerable to a sanctions threat (its economy perceived as being fragile); that it had suffered unsustainably high casualties; and that the war was at a stalemate.
Thus, Kellogg persuaded Trump that Russia would readily agree to the ceasefire terms proposed – albeit terms that were constructed around patently flawed underlying assumptions about Russia and its presumed weaknesses.
...
All of Kellogg’s underlying assumptions lacked any basis in reality. Yet Trump seemingly took them on trust. And despite Steve Witkoff’s subsequent three lengthy personal meetings with President Putin, in which Putin repeatedly stated that he would not accept any ceasefire until a political framework had been first agreed, the Kellogg contingent continued to blandly assume that Russia would be forced to accept Kellogg’s détente because of the claimed serious ‘setbacks’ Russia had suffered in Ukraine.
Given this history, unsurprisingly, the ceasefire framework terms outlined by Rubio this week in Paris reflected those more suited to a party at the point of capitulation, rather than that of a state anticipating achieving its objectives – by military means.
In essence, the Kellogg Plan looked to bring a U.S. ‘win’ on terms aligned to a desire to keep open the option for continuing attritional war on Russia.
In his O Globo interview Lavrov again made it known that Russia can not and will not commit to a temporary freeze of the conflict without having a clear path towards the larger peace agreement.
In sight of this it is funny how Russia has managed to hand the tar-baby of blocking a ceasefire to the (former) Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenski.
Despite U.S. pressure for a fast deal Russia does not expect any quick resolution of the conflict. It just announced a new unilateral ceasefire from May 8 to May 10, i.e. around the 80th anniversary of its victory in World War II on May 9.
It is another public sign that Russia is willing to adhere to a ceasefire agreement IF the conditions are right.
Trump still tries to behave like a neutral mediator in a conflict between Kiev and Moscow. He wants to impose a peace deal that projects his personal 'greatness'.
But the U.S. has been and continues to be the main party of the war with Russia while Ukraine is the mere proxy force that does the bleeding. Trump can not impose a fast solution to end the war because he still can not accept that he is a main party in it.
Russia is winning the war. A solution can only be found when the U.S. is ready to (silently) acceptance its defeat.
Trump can still end the war and declare it a "win". But only if he agrees to the conditions that Russia laid out.
Posted by b on April 28, 2025 at 15:41 UTC | Permalink
Sunday, April 27, 2025
Saturday, April 26, 2025
Friday, April 25, 2025
The Road to War in Ukraine — The History of NATO and US Military Exercises With Ukraine — Part 1
https://larrycjohnson.substack.com/p/the-road-to-war-in-ukraine-the-history
Thursday, April 24, 2025
The Ever-Expanding War Machine - CounterPunch.org
The Ever-Expanding War Machine - CounterPunch.org
In the age of Donald Trump, like every era before his in my lifetime, the military-industrial complex that President Dwight D. Eisenhower first warned us about in his 1961 farewell address is only getting ever better funded and our American world ever more militarized. I doubt, in fact, that there has been a president in this century who hasn’t launched or continued an (unsuccessful) war of some sort. Donald Trump started quickly his second time around with the now-ongoing bombing of the Houthis in Yemen (which is also, of course, devastating parts of the civilian population and infrastructure there).
But when it comes to the Pentagon these days, war abroad isn’t by any means the whole story, especially when the president happens to be focused on non-White immigrants right here in the United States as The Enemy. Yes, he may feel such immigrants are a disaster for the country, but they’re not for the Pentagon and the Silicon Valley tech companies now supporting it who are hot to further militarize our borderlands for plenty of dough, while strengthening the border-industrial complex.
And don’t forget the growing immigrant detention system in this country. The White House is plugging for a sixfold increase in funding for it, and Senate Republicans have already proposed $175 billion over the coming decade just for “immigration enforcement.” While much of that money might not go directly to the Pentagon but to private detention operators, it will certainly help to further militarize this country of ours.
Of course, as TomDispatch regular William Hartung, co-author of the forthcoming book The Trillion Dollar War Machine: How Runaway Military Spending Drives America into Foreign Wars and Bankrupts Us at Home, has noted for years at this site, the Pentagon budget only grows (and grows and grows). And that’s no less true in the era of a president and his billionaire buddy whose goal otherwise is to cut, cut, cut. Tom
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
[Salon] The Trump administration policies’ impact on Yemen - Guest Post ArabDigest.org
The Trump administration policies’ impact on Yemen
Summary: under President Trump the US bombing campaign in Yemen has intensified, causing significant casualties and costing taxpayers billions, while failing substantially to weaken the Huthis. The Huthis' designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and interruption of humanitarian aid will severely worsen the living conditions for Yemenis.
We thank our regular contributor Helen Lackner for today’s article. An expert on Yemen, Helen's latest book Yemen In Crisis, now subtitled Devastating Conflict, Fragile Hope, is published by SAQI Books. Helen will be speaking on ‘From past and present: finding a positive path between ideals and possibilities in Yemen’ at LSE this Thursday 24 April at 5.30pm. More information is available on the LSE’s Middle East Centre’s website.
Although the death toll from the first month of Trump’s US bombing of Yemen was ‘only’ about 150, the second month is starting far bloodier. A major strike on Ras Isa’s oil port killed more than 80 people on 17 April, followed by another on the 20th on Sana’a market that killed at least 12. The total number of strikes has reached 400 which, by mid-April, had cost US taxpayers about USD 1 billion overall including USD 200 million on ammunition. Earlier this month, congressional aides revealed that ‘there has been only limited success in destroying the Houthis’ vast, largely underground arsenal ….. [despite] bombing … much bigger than what the Defense Department has publicly described’. Meanwhile the Huthis have now claimed the downing of their 4th MQ-9 drone in recent weeks, costing more than USD 30 million each. Pentagon officials are also expressing concern about a shortage of ammunition in the Pacific zone due to the quantities being diverted to the Middle East.
The Huthis claim to have shot down 21 Reaper drones since October 2023 - each valued at around $30 million [photo credit: Ansar Allah]
This offensive has also led to considerable chatter about a renewal of the ground war, as various ‘militias’ [according to the Wall Street Journal, but actually some of the military factions of the internationally recognised government (IRG)] are hoping to gain US practical support for a renewed attack on the Red Sea coast, aiming to take Hodeida. Whether this is actually forthcoming is debatable: Trump has been clear that he is focused on maritime navigation rights, and has no interest in solving the Yemeni crisis as such. There is little doubt that the Saudi authorities are not enthusiastic at the prospect of an expanded war, but are keen to see the current Iranian-US ‘negotiations’ succeed. Both issues were certainly part of the exchanges when KSA Defence Minister visited Tehran last week.
US increasingly widespread and destructive air strikes against the Huthis are obviously the main immediate experience for Yemenis of Trump’s presidency, but two others deserve discussion, the designation of the Huthi movement as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and the interruption of humanitarian aid. Both will cause serious additional suffering for Yemenis in different ways: the increased difficulty of transferring funds for international NGOs involved in humanitarian work, additional payment complexities for companies importing basic commodities, food and medical supplies among others. One element which is of direct and immediate concern for Yemeni households is remittances.
For millions of Yemenis, remittances play a vital role in their daily survival, ranging from those who rely almost entirely on them to others for whom they finance a few non-essentials. The war’s impact on the economy [more than 54% drop in GDP since 2015] has increased their importance given that these funds go directly to households, by-passing the overheads charged by government and international institutions. Available data are indicative, rather than statistically accurate as many transfers are informal. However, remittances have been estimated at USD 3bn annually for years and it must be remembered that they have historically contributed more to the economy than international development or humanitarian assistance. In 2023 remittances represented 20% of the country’s GDP.
The overwhelming majority of Yemenis abroad are in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, between them hosting about 2 million. Some are settled with their immediate families and send little to relatives at home, but the majority are short-term workers who transfer most of their income home through informal exchange offices, some of which have become recognised banks in recent years. Although the former may continue operating reasonably easily, the latter are likely to encounter administrative complications as a result of the FTO.
Many Yemenis have moved to Egypt, Jordan and Turkiye, most of those with assets chose these destinations for two reasons: an accessible cost of living and comparatively less difficult visa and residence regulations. There are about 32 000 in Jordan, 40 000 in Turkiye. and between 100 000 and 700 000 in Egypt, Yemenis who don’t have access to informal transfer mechanisms depend on banks which are likely to become inaccessible for fear of US retaliation.
The majority of Yemenis in the global north are in the US [about 90 000], Canada and Australia where there are a few thousand mostly highly qualified professionals and the UK where there are estimated to be between 70 000 and 80 000, including the majority who came in the 1950s and 1960s to work in heavy industries in the Midlands and north. Later arrivals, political migrants, arrived in recent decades and mostly settled in London and the south-east. They depend on the banking system for remittances when they don’t have personal routes.
Recent immigrants include highly educated people deeply involved in the current Yemeni crisis as commentators, representatives of political organisations, think tank experts, and the like. Some of them are involved in the UN’s ‘peace process’. Their ability to relay the needs, views, hopes and concerns of ordinary Yemenis is debatable despite the fact that they have far better access to international decision makers.
The FTO has enabled the Central Bank of Yemen in Aden to renew its demand for Sana’a-based banks to relocate their headquarters to Aden. Contrary to what happened in 2024 when a similar order was cancelled under Saudi pressure, most banks have agreed to comply, but both Huthi pressure and technical complications are delaying the process as most banking activities take place in Huthi controlled areas where 70% of the population and most businesses are based.
So, while the impact of the FTO designation will take time to be noticeable, the interruption of USAID funded development and humanitarian financing is already felt. By mid-April the overall UN Humanitarian plan had received a mere 8% of its appeal, and the World Food Programme (WFP) only 12% of its needs, including not one dollar from the US. By contrast, in 2024, the US provided 62% of WFP’s Yemen funding. Even then, WFP had more or less stopped providing assistance to the 70% of Yemenis surviving under Huthi rule.
In summary, the least that can be said about Trump’s Yemen policies is that they are systematically worsening survival conditions of Yemenis and further delaying a peaceful conclusion to the Yemeni crisis, now in its 11th year. Indeed, far from showing any compassion and humanity, one of Trump’s recent media interventions gloated over the killing of a group of tribesmen meeting outdoors to mark Eid, re-iterating his total disregard for human lives, and utter disinterest for Yemenis.
Members can leave comments about this newsletter on the Arab Digest website.
UPDATE: Vatican announces date and arrangements for the funeral of Pope Francis - Relevant Radio
UPDATE: Vatican announces date and arrangements for the funeral of Pope Francis - Relevant Radio
he Vatican has officially announced the funeral arrangements for Pope Francis, whose funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 10:00 AM local time (3 AM CT) in St. Peter’s Square. The Mass will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, and concelebrated by bishops, cardinals, and priests from around the world.
Relevant Radio will provide a live broadcast of the funeral from the Vatican at 3 AM CT on April 26th, as well as a rebroadcast later in the day. Stay tuned for more details regarding the broadcast of the funeral.
The liturgy will conclude with the Ultima commendatio and Valedictio, solemn rites that mark the formal farewell to a pope and the start of the Novemdiales—nine days of mourning and Masses offered for the repose of his soul. Following the funeral, Pope Francis’ body will be entombed at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, a place of deep personal devotion for him.
In preparation for the funeral, the body of the late Holy Father will be transferred from the Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday, April 23, beginning at 9:00 AM. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will lead the rite of translation, which will include a moment of prayer.
The procession will pass through Santa Marta Square, continue through the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs, and enter St. Peter’s Basilica through the Arch of the Bells and the central door. At the Altar of the Confession, Cardinal Farrell will preside over a Liturgy of the Word, after which public visitation will begin.
Ashley Noronha LIVE from Vatican City: "The Lord gave him this final moment with his people." - Relevant Radio
Ashley Noronha LIVE from Vatican City: "The Lord gave him this final moment with his people." - Relevant Radio
Reporting live from Rome, Relevant Radio correspondent Ashley Noronha shared an intimate glimpse of the scene from Vatican City, where thousands of pilgrims and tourists gathered under the shadow of the Pope’s passing.
“The square is still beautifully adorned with Easter flowers,” Noronha described, “tulips from the Netherlands line the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica. But today, joy is mingled with grief.” Among the crowd, some are just learning the news. Others—like a Lebanese pilgrim who filmed the Pope’s Easter appearance from the day before—remain in stunned disbelief. “But I just saw him,” she told Ashley.
On what now appears to have been a providential farewell, Pope Francis rode through the square in the open popemobile on Easter Sunday. Though visibly weak and his voice frail, he greeted the faithful one last time. “There’s a sense,” Noronha noted, “that the Lord gave him this final moment with his people.”
Among those blessed to see him were students from the University of Mary’s Rome campus, and even U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his family, who shared a brief visit and received rosaries and Easter gifts from the Holy Father just hours before his death.
Reflecting on her years covering the Vatican, Noronha recalled the Pope’s legacy as a pontiff of action and mercy. “Pope Francis emphasized the corporal works of mercy,” she said, “and lived as a shepherd with a heart for the poor.” He also had a profound devotion to the Blessed Mother, regularly visiting the Basilica of St. Mary Major before and after every apostolic journey.
Though he is gone, the spirit of Pope Francis lives on in his unwavering plea for peace and compassion. “In nearly every address,” Noronha said, “he asked the world to pray for peace. That will be his enduring legacy.”
Will Defense Policy Board continue to be a refuge for the Blob? | Responsible Statecraft
Will Defense Policy Board continue to be a refuge for the Blob? | Responsible Statecraft
Tucker's interview with Dan Caldwell, who was recently sacked from his job in the E-Ring, has drawn fresh attention to the Defense Policy Board, which is quite unknown outside the Beltway, but does wield influence inside the Pentagon as a repository for former high level national security officials who are tasked with providing “independent, informed advice and opinions on matters of defense policy” to the E-Ring.
More like providing conventional, doctrinaire, and failed advice -- looking at this who's who of blobomatons. It won't be long until the Trump DoD sacks them, but will it be smart enough not to put another roster of War Party denizens in their place?
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
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