The Canonisation Of Pope Francis Has Begun

An astroturfed campaign (meaning its supposed to look like a grassroots campaign but really isn't) to canonise Pope Francis has begun. Meanwhile, Pope Leo says some things that sound orthodox if taken out of context, which is what most Catholic media is of course doing.

What Happens When You Bake Rye Bread Like Medieval Peasants Did

From Medieval Way

You probably think of rye bread as that dense, dark loaf you see at the deli counter. Something old-fashioned. A little heavy. Maybe something your German grandmother used to eat.

But for a medieval peasant in Northern Europe, rye wasn't a choice. It was the only thing standing between their family and starvation. Wheat couldn't survive in their soil. Barley barely rose when baked. Rye was the grain that grew where nothing else would — in frozen Scandinavian fields, in the sandy soil of Northern Germany, in the thin dirt of the Polish lowlands. It grew through snow. It survived frost that killed every other crop.

And when those peasants turned that grain into bread, they used a process so specific that modern science is only now figuring out why it worked. A fermentation method that didn't just make bread rise. It dismantled a chemical weapon hidden inside the grain itself, unlocked minerals your body couldn't otherwise absorb, and created compounds that fed bacteria in your gut that most modern bread actively starves.

Traditional Catholic Morning Prayers in English | April

Traditional Catholic morning prayers to help start your day in a godly way! The month of April is dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament. May our devotion to Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist ever increase! We've included the litany of the Blessed Sacrament and a Spiritual Communion. Give your first thoughts and energy to daily morning prayer. This video is a compilation of many traditional morning prayers Catholics say, and should not be considered a replacement for those who have an obligation to pray the Divine Office morning prayers.

The Old Testament Verse That Proves Jesus is God

From Totus Catholica

Many people believe that the hypostatic union was a late Greek philosophical invention imposed at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD. But Zechariah 12:10, written 500 years before Christ, contains a grammatical impossibility in the original Hebrew that no rabbi has ever fully explained. The Lord God speaks in the first person: "They shall look on me whom they have pierced." Then in the same clause the text shifts: "they shall mourn for him." Me. Then him. In one sentence. The divine nature and the human nature, one speaker and one victim, joined in a single verse. The Jewish scribes preserved this anomaly for 2,000 years even when they could not explain it. The Babylonian Talmud in Sukkah 52a debated a suffering Messiah but could not resolve why God says me. Chalcedon did not invent the mystery. It named what Zechariah had already seen. CHAPTERS: 0:00 The Greek Invention Myth 1:05 The Impossible Pronoun Shift in Zechariah 12:10 2:34 The King Who Steps Into the Screen: An Analogy 3:05 Dakar: The Hebrew Word for Pierce 3:42 Yakid, the Only Child, and the Sacrifice of Isaac 4:32 John 19:37 and Why John Chose the Hebrew Text Over the Septuagint 5:38 The Bronze Serpent, the Elevation of the Host and the One Sacrifice 6:50 Why the Harder Reading Is the More Reliable Reading 7:20 The Talmud on a Suffering Messiah 8:10 The Catholic Both And: Messiah Son of Joseph and Messiah Son of David 🌍 Website: https://totuscatholica.org/ 📿 Rosary Guide: https://totuscatholica.org/rosary ✉️ Contact: https://totuscatholica.org/contact 🔍 Examination of Conscience: https://catholicexaminationofconscien...

The “Princess” Who Charmed the Paris Marathon

She ran the entire marathon dressed as a "Princess" to raise money for the charity she hopes to work with when she finishes medical school.

From Aleteia

By Cerith Gardiner & Cécile Séveirac

At first, it looked like a moment of lighthearted spectacle, but what followed was something far more meaningful.

There are always a few runners in a marathon who stand out, but at this year’s Paris Marathon, one in particular seemed to belong to another world entirely.

Wearing a bright red ball gown and a tiara, Isaure Delhay ran the full 26.2 miles looking as though she had taken a wrong turn on the way to a ballroom, and in a sea of technical fabrics and determined expressions, she brought with her something altogether lighter, a sense of surprise that rippled through the crowd as she passed.

It is difficult not to smile at the image, and perhaps that is precisely where it begins. Because once something catches the eye like that, it has already done half the work. People look, they laugh, they wonder what on earth is going on, and then, almost without realising it, they begin to ask why.

Delhay knew this would happen. Her decision was not simply playful, but purposeful, as she explained to Aleteia France when she said that her first aim was “to bring visibility to the fundraising campaign I am running with the Helebor association.” The gown, as improbable as it seemed, became a way of opening a conversation that might otherwise never begin.

And it worked.

The video of this “princess” running through the streets of Paris has now been viewed over half a million times online, drawing attention far beyond the marathon itself, while her fundraising campaign for Helebor has already raised nearly €6,000 in support of palliative care.

Devotion to those in need

It's an impressive move, because behind the tiara and the swish of fabric is a young medical student who hopes to work in palliative care, choosing to devote herself to those at the end of life, a path that rarely finds itself in the spotlight. Helebor, the association she supports, works precisely in this quiet space, accompanying patients with dignity, presence, and care, often far from public view.

And through her marvelous marathon, Delhay has understood something very simple about human nature: “When people see something unusual, they stop, they look, and then they listen,” she said, and in that small pause lies the whole strategy. There is no need to insist, no need to persuade too heavily; attention, once captured, has a way of doing its own quiet work.

By the time she crossed the finish line in 3 hours and 50 minutes, the achievement itself almost felt secondary, not diminished, but gently overshadowed by the meaning it carried. What remains is not only the memory of a “princess” weaving her way through the streets of Paris, but the realisation that the image was never about spectacle at all.

And that, perhaps, is where the marvel truly lies. That something so light, so unexpected, could carry something so weighty, and that in the middle of a race defined by endurance, a young woman chose to run not only toward a finish line, but toward a conversation that matters.

St Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest & Martyr

The Crowns of the East: The 8 Men Leading the Catholic Church’s Other Lung

From Purely Catholic

While it’s easy to think of the Catholic Church as a monolith centered in Rome, there’s a whole other world of ancient traditions led by some of the most influential figures in global Christianity. In this video I’m breaking down the "Big Eight" Eastern Catholic Churches, focusing on the Patriarchs and Major Archbishops who steer these communities. Let’s find out what’s behind the weight of the lineages they carry, the political tightropes they walk, and how they manage to stay in lockstep with the Pope while fiercely guarding their own unique liturgies and laws.

Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day ~ R+I+P 1.5 Million Christians Killed by the Turks

Today is the 111th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide, carried out by the Government of the Khalifat Rasul Allah, the Caliph of Islam. The Muslim Turks managed to kill 1.5 million Armenian Christians.

To this day, it is a crime in 'Western, Enlightened, European' Turkey to deny the stark historical facts surrounding this heinous, inhuman crime. As an example of the attitude of the current Turkish Government toward anyone brave enough to mention the genocide,  Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink (left) advocated Turkish–Armenian reconciliation and human and minority rights in Turkey and was critical of Turkey's denial of the Armenian Genocide. He was prosecuted three times for 'denigrating Turkishness' under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, whilst receiving numerous death threats from Turkish nationalists, and was ultimately assassinated in 2007.

Below are some pictures that illustrate the horror inflicted on the Armenian Nation for the simple crime of being Christian, for believing in Our Blessed Redeemer, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

An Armenian woman kneeling beside a dead child in a field 

"within sight of help and safety at Aleppo"

The remains of Armenians massacred at Erzinjan

Armenian civilians, escorted by Ottoman soldiers, marched through 

Harput (Kharpert) to a prison in nearby Mezireh (present-day Elâzığ), April 1915.

This picture is taken from 'Ambassador Morgenthau's Story', by Henry J. Morgenthau, Jr., Ambassador to the Court of the Caliph, detailing the genocide. His caption reads, '"Those who fell by the wayside. Scenes like this were common all over the Armenian provinces in the spring and summer months of 1915. Death in its several forms—massacre, starvation, exhaustion—destroyed the larger part of the refugees. The Turkish policy was that of extermination under the guise of deportation"

Some Armenian intellectuals arrested on 24 April 1915, 

and following weeks, then deported and killed.

A 1918 photo of an Armenian church in Trabzon, which was 

used as an auction site and a distribution centre for confiscated 

Armenian goods and belongings after the Armenian Genocide.

The front page of the Ottoman newspaper İkdam on 4 November 1918 after the Three Pashas fled the country after being indicted for war crimes against the Armenians and Greeks. It reads: "Their response to eliminate the Armenian problem was to attempt the elimination of the Armenians themselves. The 'Three Pashas' were  Mehmed Talaat Pasha, the Grand Vizier and Minister of the Interior (head of the police); Ismail Enver Pasha, the Minister of War; and Ahmed Djemal Pasha, Minister of the Navy.

But the victims of the Muslim monsters are not forgotten! Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day is observed by Armenia, the Republic of Artsakh, the State of California, Canada, Iran, Lebanon, and Argentina, as well as throughout the Armenian Diaspora. It would also be observed in the US except for Gerald R Ford's pandering to the Islamic successors of the perpetrators, which led to the defeat in the US Congress of a Resolution recognising it.

Here is the main Memorial to the victims on the hill of Tsitsernakaberd, in Yerevan. Every year on this day, hundreds of thousands of Armenians gather at the memorial to commemorate the victims of the genocide. The people who gather in Tsiternakaberd lay fresh flowers out of respect for all the people who died in the Armenian genocide. Over the years, a wide range of politicians, artists, musician, athletes, and religious figures have visited the memorial.

Give rest, O Christ, to thy servants with thy saints: where sorrow and pain are no more; neither sighing but life everlasting.

Thou only art immortal, the creator and maker of man: and we are mortal formed from the dust of the earth, and unto earth shall we return: for so thou didst ordain, when thou created me saying: “Dust thou art und unto dust shalt thou return.”

All we go down to the dust; and weeping o’er the grave we make our song:

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Memory Eternal!

Pope Leo: “We Do Not Agree with the Formalized Blessing of …Homosexual Couples”

Like all modernists, he throws in some Catholicism every once in a while, just to keep us all off balance and guessing. Francis did the same.

From One Peter Five

By Timothy Flanders, M

"To go beyond that ...can cause more disunity than unity"

The Holy Father has commented in English one of the most controversial aspects of the Francis pontificate. From Vatican News:

Verena Stefanie Shälter (Ard Rundfunk): Holy Father, congratulations on your first papal trip to the Global South. We saw a lot of enthusiasm and even euphoria; I can imagine that was very moving for you as well. I would like to know how you assess the decision of Cardinal Reinhardt Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising, that he gave permission to the blessing of same-sex couples in his diocese, and in light of different cultural and theological perspectives, especially in Africa, how do you intend to preserve the unity of the global Church on that particular matter?

[Pope Leo XIV, in English:] First of all, I think it’s very important to understand that the unity or division of the Church should not revolve around sexual matters. We tend to think that when the Church is talking about morality, that the only issue of morality is sexual. And in reality, I believe there are much greater, more important issues, such as justice, equality, freedom of men and women, freedom of religion, that would all take priority before that particular issue. The Holy See has already spoken to the German bishops.

The Holy See has made it clear that we do not agree with the formalized blessing of couples, in this case, homosexual couples, as you asked, or couples in irregular situations, beyond what was specifically, if you will, allowed for by Pope Francis in saying all people receive blessings.

When a priest gives a blessing at the end of Mass, when the Pope gives a blessing at the end of a large celebration like the one we had today, they are blessings for all people. Francis’ well-known expression ‘Tutti, tutti, tutti’ is an expression of the Church’s belief that all are welcome; all are invited; all are invited to follow Jesus, and all are invited to look for conversion in their lives.

To go beyond that today, I think that the topic can cause more disunity than unity, and that we should look for ways to build our unity upon Jesus Christ and what Jesus Christ teaches. So that’s how I would respond to that question.

We note again how the Holy Father ignores the concerns of the “rich” countries – Europe and America – where these sexual issues are paramount. He already said to Crux very early in his pontificate that these issues are not really the concern of most of the world (and he’s right on that, ladies and gentlemen, considering the global south which is subject to extreme poverty).

But what is fascinating here is that Pope Leo appears, again, to be attempting to “sanitise” the Francis pontificate by subtlely altering the prima facie Modernism which was latent (or lamentably and arguably, sometimes explicit) within the Francis Pontificate.

We noted back in 2023 that the infamous Fidcuia Supplicans appears to make the sodomotical relationship itself into the object of the blessing. Let’s review those infamous words:

Within the horizon outlined here appears the possibility of blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex, the form of which should not be fixed ritually by ecclesial authorities to avoid producing confusion with the blessing proper to the Sacrament of Marriage. In such cases, a blessing may be imparted that not only has an ascending value but also involves the invocation of a blessing that descends from God upon those who—recognizing themselves to be destitute and in need of his help—do not claim a legitimation of their own status, but who beg that all that is true, good, and humanly valid in their lives and their relationships be enriched, healed, and elevated by the presence of the Holy Spirit.

At that time I commented:

Notice that what is blessed, the object of the blessing is the couple. This statement asserts that a relationship of sodomy can be blessed. This asserts that there is such a thing as “couples of the same sex.” This relationship can be blessed, he says, because there’s some positive element in it somewhere (another straw man on fire).

So the man committing adultery with his mistress becomes a “couple in an irregular situation.” Their relationship gets a blessing.

The two men who are committing sodomy become a “same-sex couple.” Their relationship gets a blessing.

The issue is that there no metaphysical reality of a same-sex couple. Such an object of blessing cannot exist. It’s simply metaphysically impossible to exist, since “same-sex marriage” does not exist. Therefore this thing, since it exists only in virtual reality, cannot ever become an object of blessing.

What is interesting is that the Holy Father seems to be saying that very thing. He seems to be saying that “to go beyond that” – i.e. blessing “all the people” of the congregation – is not right.

However, what matters more than what Pope Leo says is what he does. Will he confirm the charitable anathema in order to bring unity in truth? This, in our view, is the only proven solution.

Bishops Against Bishops: the Only Proven Solution

St Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Martyr

Today's Holy Mass from SSPX ANZ-District. You may follow the Mass at Divinum Officium.