Jesus Christ's Church Is Not Invisible | Pope Leo XIII

An excerpt from Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Satis Cognitum (On The Unity Of The Church).

These 10 Medieval Vegetables Are Worth More Than Your Entire Garden (Plant Them Today)

From Medieval Way

Discover ten historical crops that once powered thriving regional economies and sustained entire households. These versatile plants offer practical alternatives to modern gardening staples by providing food, medicine, and raw materials from a single, perennial source.

The average American backyard garden produces about $600 worth of food per year. A medieval cottage garden half that size generated the equivalent of $2,000 to $5,000 — in food, medicine, dye, and trade goods combined. Your garden grows tomatoes and zucchini. Theirs grew a plant that sells for $10,000 a pound today. Another one that made the city of Toulouse so wealthy it built stone mansions that are still standing 500 years later. And a root vegetable that replaced an entire medieval pharmacy.

You're not growing the wrong amount. You're growing the wrong plants. Ten crops that medieval families depended on have been quietly dropped from every seed catalog, every garden center, and every agriculture course in the Western world. Not because they stopped working. Because they worked too well to fit inside a system that needs you buying seeds every spring.

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.

You Think Trump and Leo Are Enemies: You're Half Right (See Note)

From Totus Catholica

Pope Leo XIV publicly rebuked President Trump over Iran, immigration, and the treatment of migrants at the southern border. Trump called him weak on crime. The media loves the fight. But buried beneath the public tension is a quiet agreement that goes deeper than politics. Both men defend human life from conception to natural death. In Isaiah 45, God calls pagan King Cyrus his mashiah, his anointed one, because Cyrus protected innocent life. Romans 13 teaches that civil authority is instituted by God. Acts 5:29 reminds us to obey God rather than men. The Consistent Ethic of Life is not a menu. It is Catholic dogma. Trump and Leo agree on the foundation. CHAPTERS: 0:00 The Public Clash Between Trump and Pope Leo 1:04 Isaiah 45: God Anoints Even Pagan Rulers 2:44 Romans 13 and Acts 5: Civil Authority Is Real But Not Absolute 3:48 The Consistent Ethic of Life From Apostles to Evangelium Vitae 5:51 The Quiet Agreement Beneath the Headlines 6:17 Why Pope Leo Is Not Just a Liberal in Vestments 7:08 The Objection: The Pope Should Stay Out of Politics 8:17 The Spiritual Danger of Picking and Choosing Church Teaching 🌍 Website: https://totuscatholica.org/ 📿 Rosary Guide: https://totuscatholica.org/rosary ✉️ Contact: https://totuscatholica.org/contact 🔍 Examination of Conscience: https://catholicexaminationofconscien...

Note - Trump is not nearly as pro-life as Dominic thinks he is, considering his support for in vitro fertilisation and other things condemned by the Church.

Pope on St Augustine for Muslims and Visiting Mosques

If weeping were possible in heaven, I'm sure the myriads of Martyrs killed by the "Religion of Peace" would be crying their eyes out, not to speak of the martyrs of Nigeria, etc.

From Aleteia

By I Media

The Pontiff touched down in Yaoundé on Wednesday to begin the second leg of his historic African tour, bringing a message of unity and peace.

The papal plane carrying Pope Leo XIV from Algiers to Yaoundé landed in Cameroon, the second stop on his international tour of Africa, on April 15, 2026, at 2:57 p.m. local time (3:57 p.m. Rome time). Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute and two children welcomed the Pope on the tarmac in a highly festive and warm atmosphere and presented him with a bouquet of flowers.

After receiving military honors, the Pontiff headed directly to the presidential palace, located about 12 miles away. There, he held a private meeting with President Paul Biya before delivering a speech to the country’s leaders.

Late in the afternoon of his first day in Cameroon, Pope Leo XIV will visit the Ngul Zamba orphanage. He will also meet privately with the country’s bishops at the headquarters of the episcopal conference. Finally, he’ll head to the apostolic nunciature, where he’ll spend the night.

A blessed trip to Algeria

At the start of the flight, the Pope came into the cabin to greet the 67 journalists on board, including the I.Media agency. Speaking in English for several minutes, he offered an assessment of his "very blessed" trip to Algeria. He first expressed his gratitude to the authorities, pointing out that the aerial escort flanking the papal plane to the border was a sign of the Algerian people's "goodness, generosity, [and] respect" for the Holy See. Fighter jets had also escorted him on Tuesday for his stop in Annaba, a coastal city in northeastern Algeria.

The pontiff also praised the "very small but significant" presence of the Catholic Church in Algeria, which consists of only a few thousand faithful. He then recalled his visit to Annaba, the site of ancient Hippo, the diocese of his spiritual father St. Augustine. In this context, the Pope highlighted the important legacy of this philosopher and theologian. He explained that Augustine's "writings, teachings, spirituality, [and] invitation to search for God and to search for truth" represent a "a message that is very real for all of us today as believers in Jesus Christ, but for all people."

"Even the people of Algeria, the majority of whom are not Christian, greatly honor and respect the memory of St. Augustine as one of the great sons of their land," remarked the Pope, who himself shares an Augustinian spirituality. He offered the fifth-century bishop's efforts "for unity among all people [...] despite differences" as a model to follow.

A message the world needs to hear

Pope Leo XIV also reflected on the meaning behind his visit to the Great Mosque of Algiers on Monday, marking the second mosque he has visited since his election. He emphasized that it is important "to promote that kind of image" to show that "although we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worshiping, different ways of living, we can live together in peace."

This is a message that "the world needs to hear today," he concluded, expressing his hope to continue working toward dialogue throughout the rest of his trip.

At the end of the only public Mass he celebrated in Algeria, he reflected on Augustine's role for the country, noting that "here Saint Augustine loved his flock, fervently seeking the truth and serving Christ with ardent faith."

"Be heirs to this tradition, bearing witness through fraternal charity to the freedom of those born from above as a hope of salvation for the world," he said, and in brief words of farewell, he added:

I regard this journey as a special gift of God’s providence, a gift that the Lord wished to bestow upon the entire Church through an Augustinian Pope.

The following is a fitting summary of my time here: God is love; he is the Father of all men and women. Let us therefore turn to him with humility and acknowledge that the current state of the world, which is in a downward spiral, ultimately stems from our pride.  We need him and we need his mercy. Only in him does the human heart find peace, and only with him can we, all together, recognize one another as brothers and sisters, and walk the path of justice, integral development and communion. Thank you, thank you all very much!

Protestants, Stop Saying This About Catholicism

From The Counsel of Trent

In this episode, Trent Horn shows why a particular slur against Catholicism is often used in a sloppy, self-defeating way, and why many anti-Catholic arguments about obedience, canon law, and Church authority collapse under closer examination.

Trump Is Not of Our Tribe

Until now, Mr Ruse has been unstinting in his praise of Trump. However, the current kerfuffle is giving him a problem. As he says, "I like Trump and I like Leo, and they ought to knock it off."

From Crisis

By Austin Ruse

Christianity is not Trump’s native tongue. He does not know our language or our ways, and he does not understand that you cannot go after the pope.

The president seems to be surprised that Catholics of all stripes are rushing to defend Pope Leo from his odd attacks.

On Tuesday he went after Giorgia Meloni of Italy. She said his attacks on Leo were “unacceptable.” He said, “She’s unacceptable. She’s unacceptable because she doesn’t mind that Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if they had the chance.”

He made a swipe at Riley Gaines of all people for criticizing his attacks on the pope.

To be sure, we wish the pope would not say certain things, such as when he appears to deny the concept of just war:

God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.

One also wishes the pope did not follow and react to the daily news cycle. You don’t have to speak to all microphones on all topics.

Having said all that, Trump ought not to go after Leo, and he ought to understand that Catholics of all stripes will defend Leo. I am not sure how true this was under Francis, but more Catholics are claiming Leo as their own than ever did under Francis.

The problem for Trump is that he is not of our tribe. Let me explain.

I use a taxonomy of Yoram Hazony’s from his masterful book The Virtue of Nationalism.

He argues that nations do not magically come together one day when there is a document and an agreement—the so-called “consent of the governed.” He argues instead for organic growth that begins with family, then clan, then tribe, and finally nation.

He argues correctly that we were a people long before we had a government. And if our government ever fell, we would remain a people. I will refer you to his book to explain how families become clans, which then become tribes, and then, finally, become nations. It mostly concerns trust, identity, and common defense. But we’ll apply at least a part of this to the Church.

I live in Northern Virginia, surrounded by faith-filled Catholic families, dozens and dozens of them, and several powerful schools of all levels. In my upcoming book, Not Just for Kings: The Secrets to a 500-Year Family, I refer to this grouping as the Great Northern Virginia Catholic Clan. Across the Potomac River in Maryland is the Great Montgomery County Catholic Clan. There are such clans all across the country: Dallas, Front Royal, Steubenville, Chicago, Orange County, Birmingham, Cincinnati, and many more. Our children gather at amazing schools like the University of Dallas, Franciscan, Benedictine, TAC, Belmont Abbey, Christendom, and many more.

There is, as Peter Wolfgang refers to it, a re-ghettoization. Many decades ago, there were ethnic parishes all over, in every city: Italian, Polish, German, Irish. These were derisively called ghettoes; they were embarrassing to some, but they were very valuable, more valuable than what happened after: the great vanillazation of Catholics and Catholicism.  

There seems to be a great effort at re-ghettoization, and this is a good thing. There is pushback from some, whose names I will not mention but who may have grown up in places like Steubenville and now find these places culturally and theologically distasteful, even harmful.

And there is this effort to make Catholicism weird again, what with Catholics processing through secular streets wearing funny clothes with incense filling the air. These customs tie us together.

So, what you see all across our country are families, clans, and then the Tribe. We are part of a Tribe that stretches across the country, from shore to shore, border to border. Meet someone somewhere and tell them your daughter goes to UD and dollars to donuts you will hear, “Oh, then you must know the Smiths…or the Tellers…or whomever.” “Oh sure, we know them well.”

Sometimes I wish our Tribe were bigger and that we did not know everyone. One day it will come.

But in the meantime, what Trump has inadvertently done is go after our Tribe. And he put up that meme of him as a healing Christ. Good grief. Talk about an own goal. At least he admitted it in his own way by taking it down and dissembling about it.  

Part of the problem is that he is not one of us. As I wrote several years ago, after the kerfuffle about Trump saying, “Happy Good Friday,” or the time he said, “Two Corinthians,” instead of “Second Corinthians,” Christianity is not his native tongue. He does not know our language or our ways, and he does not understand that you cannot go after the pope. Catholics of all stripes will step in to defend the pope.

The bottom line for me is that I like Trump and I like Leo, and they ought to knock it off.