Two Traditional Pastors Removed in Under Three Years - Is This What Pastoral Care Looks Like?

Once again, a small minority of liberal, modernist, anti-Catholic heretics get their way, and the majority of Catholics are hung out to dry.

From Rorate Cæli

The following article was submitted by a reader to Rorate. We publish it here without further comment. Since the time of writing, the CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh has picked up the story (see here and here). - PAK

Over the last few years, parish mergers have become the norm here in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Our parish, Mary, Queen of Saints, is comprised of four churches in four different communities throughout Beaver County. We've been blessed with Benedictine monks from St. Vincent Monastery in Latrobe, PA who have served as pastors and parochial vicars. Our parish has been thriving - packed churches, young families, an increase of converts to the faith, baptisms, and weddings. 

In the last two and a half years, we've had two monks - both pastors - removed from our parish by the Abbot of St. Vincent Monastery, Right Reverend Martin Bartel, and Bishop David Zubik. These two priests, along with the parochial vicars, have been a blessing to our faith community. They are traditional from a liturgical sense, and are doctrinally conservative. A few of them were celebrating the Latin mass at a parish church until they were banned by the Abbot (who ironically was our former pastor). 

Just yesterday, June 16, it was announced our current pastor, Father Canice McMullen, OSB, who is beloved by almost all people in the parish, was being recalled by the Abbot and will be returning to monastic life at St. Vincent. He is in his third year of a six year assignment. No reason was given. People are outraged over this sudden announcement. From what has been conveyed to me, it is due to a small handful of people who were opposed to their traditional liturgical practices - no use of eucharistic ministers, no female altar servers, no gift processionals, etc. The formal diocesan announcement read as follows:

"At the direction of the Right Reverend Martin R. Bartel, OSB, Archabbot of Saint Vincent Archabbey, the Reverend Canice McMullen, OSB, has been recalled to Saint Vincent Archabbey for reassignment effective Tuesday, July 1, 2025.  On that day, he will conclude his assignment as Pastor of Mary, Queen of Saints Parish, Aliquippa/Center/Hopewell/Monaca.

The Reverend John B. Gizler III from Senior Parochial Vicar, Holy Spirit Parish, Lawrence County, to Pastor, Mary Queen of Saints Parish, Aliquippa/Center/Hopewell/Monaca, effective Tuesday, July 1, 2025.

At the presentation of the Right Reverend Martin R. Bartel, OSB, Archabbot of Saint Vincent Archabbey, the Reverend Gilbert Heater, OSB, newly ordained, is appointed Parochial Vicar of Mary, Queen of Saints Parish, Aliquippa/Center/Hopewell/Monaca, effective Tuesday, July 15, 2025."

After receiving significant backlash on social media following this announcement, the diocese then released another statement:

"We understand and deeply appreciate the affection and gratitude many parishioners feel for Fr. Canice McMullen, OSB, who has served the faithful of Mary, Queen of Saints Parish with dedication and pastoral care.

Fr. Canice is a Benedictine priest of Saint Vincent Archabbey. He served at the parish on the recommendation of his superior, and with the approval of Bishop Zubik. His transfer is the result of several conversations with Father Canice regarding personal personnel matters.

To continue to provide for the pastoral care for the parishes in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Bishop Zubik has appointed Fr. John Gizler, a diocesan priest with experience in parish ministry, as pastor to serve the faithful of Mary, Queen of Saints during this time of transition.

We know transitions can be difficult and we ask for prayers for all involved — Fr. Canice, Fr. Gizler III, and most especially the people of the parish. We remain committed to providing strong, compassionate pastoral leadership as we move forward in faith together."

Needless to say, our faith community has suffered a tremendous and devastating blow. Losing one great priest is difficult enough, let alone two in such a short span of time. The people of this parish deserve answers.

Europe’s Woke Police State Is Targeting Social Conservatives

"Peaceful pro-lifers, grandmothers, priests—even the pregnant—are being arrested for “offending” progressive orthodoxy. This is persecution, not law enforcement."

From The European Conservative

By Jonathon Van Maren

Peaceful pro-lifers, grandmothers, priests—even the pregnant—are being arrested for “offending” progressive orthodoxy. This is persecution, not law enforcement.

Last week, a young Dutch woman was arrested outside an abortion clinic in Utrecht in the Netherlands. Thirty-five weeks pregnant herself, she had offered leaflets to two people; one took a brochure, the other declined. The police arrived and, without evidence, arrested the woman on fictitious allegations of “disturbing the peace.” It was the ninth recent arrest made for peacefully engaging in pro-life outreach outside an abortion facility, even though it is not against the law to do so.

It is the third arrest for the young woman—who chose to remain unidentified—and at times she has been held in jail for three to six hours. Two other Dutch women have been similarly arrested three times each. Dirkje de Ruiter, for example, was arrested last year outside a clinic in Utrecht before she had even passed out a single leaflet; the police informed her that, despite doing nothing illegal, her mere presence constituted “disorder.” 

De Ruiter had been previously arrested in Rotterdam; a couple turned away from the clinic as the officers were confronting her. “When I arrived at the police station, all my things had to be handed in, and I was put in a cell measuring 2 metres by 1.5 metres,” she told me. “Some of my clothes had to come off, and I was given a blanket against the cold. In the cell I thanked God for the life that had been saved… I was not afraid.” Again: De Ruiter had not broken any laws. 

The arrests of citizens doing peaceful pro-life outreach in the Netherlands are part of a broader continental crackdown on social conservatives, usually Christian, for expressing their beliefs in public. In Brussels earlier this month, Lois McLatchie of the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and Chris Elston, the anti-trans ideology activist known to his social media followers as “Billboard Chris,” were arrested, strip-searched, and detained for hours by police merely for holding signs reading “Children Are Never Born In The Wrong Body” and “Children Cannot Consent To Puberty Blockers.” Their signs were destroyed. They were charged with no crime. 

In the United Kingdom, pro-lifers have been arrested for the thought crime of silent prayer so frequently that the Trump administration took the extraordinary step in March of sending “a team of U.S. officials to the UK to investigate concerns over freedom of speech restrictions,” according to GB News. Diplomats from the U.S. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, led by State Department adviser Samuel Samson, met with five British pro-lifers who had been arrested for silent prayer at clinics across the country.

The U.S. diplomats met with Adam Smith-Connor, the veteran (famously referenced by Vice President J.D. Vance in his Munich Conference Speech in February) arrested for praying about his own aborted son near a clinic in Bournemouth; Catholic priest Fr. Sean Gough; Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, who was interrogated by officers and arrested when she said that she “might be praying in her head;” Livia Tossici-Bolt, arrested for silently holding a sign reading “Here to talk, if you want”; and Rose Docherty, the 74-year-old grandmother arrested outside Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

J.D. Vance was criticized, including by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, for his condemnation of Europe’s crackdown on dissent; Scottish MSP Gillian Mackay, the parliamentarian responsible for Scotland’s draconian “buffer zone” bill, insisted that Vance’s allegation that people could be arrested for praying in their own homes if they fell within the buffer zone was “absolute nonsense.” In an interview with the BBC, Mackay was forced to admit that her bill could, in fact, be applied in precisely the way that Vance described if someone was praying near their window and someone happened to see them.

The contrast between the state’s treatment of social conservatives and the free rein given to their ideological opponents is stark. Earlier this month, Dutch activist Kees van Helden told me a “group of [pro-life] protesters was threatened. Materials were destroyed with a karate shovel. Three reports were filed that morning and the police did not come.” When he called the police, it turned out someone had deleted the reports. Abortion activists threaten peaceful pro-life events across the continent, frequently engaging in actual violence and harassment, but are rarely disturbed by police. 

Europe’s social conservatives frequently find themselves between the pincers of state crackdowns and street-level opposition—especially those who oppose the transgender agenda, who face violence from trans activists and investigation and prosecution for recently-invented crimes such as “misgendering” (Norway) or “transphobia” (Greece). Even though charges are often not pursued, the process is the punishment. By arresting a heavily pregnant woman for handing out pamphlets and offering help to other pregnant women, the state dramatically raises the price of peaceful pro-life speech and sends a clear message to others. That, of course, is the point.

A Washington source connected to the Trump Administration recently told the UK Independent that U.S. Vice President JD Vance has become “obsessed by the fall of Western civilization” in general and the collapse of free speech in Europe specifically. It is about time somebody is. 

Bishop Challoner's Meditations ~ Corpus Christi Day

ON THE INSTITUTION OF THE BLESSED EUCHARIST

Consider first, how our Lord, having finished the course of his mortal life, 'when his hour was now come that he should pass out of this world to the Father, having his own who metre in the world,’ says the beloved disciple, John xiii. 1, ‘he loved them unto the end,’ and gave them in the last stage of his life the most evident tokens of his boundless love, as well in what he endured out of pure love for us in his passion and death as in the institution of the eucharistic sacrifice and sacrament at his last supper, as an admirable legacy of love; in which, and by which, he might not only always be with us to the end of the world, but might also unite himself to us in such a manner as that we should abide in him and he in us, John vi. 56. O how wonderful are the ways of his divine love! How incomprehensible the riches of his bounty and goodness to us! What could he give us more than when he gives us himself? What could he do more to testify his affection for us? Is it possible, my soul, we should ever forget or be ungrateful to such a lover.

Consider 2ndly, the infinite treasures which our Lord has bequeathed to us in the institution of these divine mysteries, which contain an inexhaustible source of divine grace: the living bread, the food, the nourishment, the strength, and the life of our souls; the manna of heaven, the tree of life, spirit, truth, and life itself; the remedy of all our evils, the most powerful medicine for all our diseases; the sovereign antidote against the poison of the infernal serpent, the comfort of our banishment, the support of our pilgrimage, the price of our ransom, the earnest of our eternal salvation, the great sacrifice and victim of the New Testament, by means of which we are enabled to give worthy praise, adoration, and homage to God; to return him acceptable thanks; and to apply daily to our souls all the fruits of the death and passion of the Son of God - as well for the remission of all our sins as for the obtaining of all good through him, both for time and eternity. In a word, he has bequeathed to us in these heavenly mysteries his own sacred body and blood, together with his soul and divinity - so rich a present that heaven can give nothing greater.

Consider 3rdly, what could be the motive that induced our Lord to communicate himself and all his treasures to us in this wonderful manner by the institution of the blessed Eucharist? O my soul, it was no other but his own pure goodness and love. It was that by this means he might always be with us, 'for his delight is to be with the children of men.’ Prov. viii. 31. It was that he might unite us to himself, that he might abide in us and we in him. O, who ever heard of such love as this! But what didst thou see in me, dearest Lord, that could claim thy love, and such a love - in me, a poor worm of the earth, and what is infinitely worse, a most ungrateful, wicked sinner, a traitor to thee and to thy Father, who has so often crucified thee by my repeated crimes? O ye heavens, be astonished at this prodigy of my Saviour’s bounty and love for me, and of my wickedness and ingratitude in not making him a better return! O, my soul, let us begin now at least to be wholly his; let nothing henceforward be capable of separating us any more from this divine Lover.

Conclude to be ever thankful for this unspeakable benefit of the institution of the blessed sacrament and sacrifice of the altar. Join now with the church in celebrating this octave with an extraordinary devotion, in acknowledgment of thy Saviour’s goodness and love, which he has shown to us in these mysteries, and make the best amends thou art able, by thy diligence in this devotion, for the many affronts, abuses, and sacrileges to which thy Saviour has here exposed himself for the love of thee.

19 June, Antonio, Cardinal Bacci: Meditations For Each Day

The Holy Mass
1. The sacrifice of the Mass is the noblest act of our religion. In it is renewed in a real but unbloody manner the Sacrifice of Calvary.

Jesus desired to remain with us throughout the centuries in the Blessed Eucharist as our friend, comforter, and spiritual food. Similarly, not being satisfied with having shed His precious Blood on the Cross for our redemption, it was His wish that this sacrificial action should be renewed daily in every corner of the world in such a way that everyone could participate in it and benefit from it. When we are present at Holy Mass therefore, we should imagine that we are on Calvary at the foot of the Cross on which our divine Redeemer is voluntarily giving His life as an innocent victim for our sins. Let us see Him hanging between earth and sky, a holocaust of propitiation between God and men. Let us see Him imploring with His dying glance forgiveness for His executioners and for us sinners.

Let us imagine, moreover, His most holy Mother as she gazes sorrowfully upon her suffering Son. With love far greater than that of any other human creature, she offers herself in union with Jesus for our salvation.

We should make a similar offering when we assist at the Sacrifice of the altar. We should sacrifice ourselves along with Jesus. If we are tormented by sufferings, let us offer them up along with those of Jesus. If we are troubled by passionate inclinations to sin, let us sacrifice these bravely along with Jesus for love of Him. If we are full of hatred and coldness towards others, let us sacrifice these feelings for love of Jesus, Who forgave everybody and prayed even for His executioners.

Let us remember that the Sacrifice of the Mass should be our sacrifice also. It is not only the priest who offers it, but we offer it along with the priest and with Jesus. “Receive, O Holy Trinity, this oblation which we make to Thee.” Let us unite the offering of our entire selves to the Sacrifice of Jesus and we shall obtain great spiritual benefits.

2. Let us meditate on the fact that the Sacrifice of the Eucharist was instituted for four ends, namely:

(1) To honour God.

All the Angels and Saints of Heaven and all the human beings upon earth could not possibly honour God as He ought to be honoured, because they are creatures who derive everything which they possess from God. Only Jesus the God-Man could offer the Eternal Father the infinite honour due to Him by offering Himself.

(2) To make adequate satisfaction for all our sins.

In so far as they are a revolt against God, our sins are in a certain way infinite. This is because they offend an Infinite Being. Only Jesus, being at the same time man and God, could offer for us, His brothers, an infinite satisfaction to the Eternal Father. Only He could redeem us from the debt of crime and punishment which we had contracted by offering Himself without reserve in the Eucharistic Sacrifice. It must be explained, however, that although the Mass is of infinite value in itself, God applies this value to us in a finite way only, according to His good pleasure and according to our dispositions. For this reason we should do well to attend Mass as often as possible and with the maximum fervour.

(3) To give thanksgiving to God for all the benefits which we have received from Him.

(4) Finally, to obtain all the graces and favours of which we and other people stand in need. The Mass is an extraordinary gift. Let us attend at Mass with recollection and devotion. It will be for us the source of every grace and virtue.

3. Let us pray:

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water flowing from the side of Christ, purify me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O my good Jesus, hear me.
Hide me within Thy wounds.
Never permit me to be separated from Thee.
From the malignant enemy defend me.
At the hour of my death call me;
And bid me to come to Thee,
That with Thy Saints I may praise Thee
For everlasting ages.
Amen.

Eastern Rite ~ Feasts of 19 June AM 7533

Today is the Feast of the Holy Apostle Jude, Brother of the Lord According to the Flesh.

✠✠✠✠✠

The Holy Apostle Jude, one of the twelve apostles of Christ, is descended from King David and Solomon and was the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed (Sunday after the Nativity of the Lord) by his first wife.

The Holy Apostle John the Theologian writes in his Gospel, “... neither did his brethren believe in Him” (John. 7:5). Saint Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, explains this passage. He says that at the beginning of the Lord Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry, Joseph’s sons, Jude among them, did not believe in His divine nature. Tradition says that when Saint Joseph returned from Egypt, he began to divide his possessions among his sons. He wanted to allot a share to Christ the Saviour, born miraculously and incorruptibly from the All-Pure Virgin Mary. The brothers were opposed to this because Jesus was born to another mother. Only James, later called “The Brother of God,” offered to share his portion with Him.

Jude came to believe in Christ the Saviour as the awaited Messias, and he followed Him and was chosen as one of the twelve Apostles. Mindful of his sin, the Apostle Jude considered himself unworthy to be called the Lord’s brother, and in his Epistle, he calls himself merely the brother of James.

The Holy Apostle Jude also had other names: the Evangelist Matthew terms him “Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddeus” (Mt. 10:3). The Holy Evangelist Mark also calls him Thaddeus (Mark 3:18), and in the Acts of the Holy Apostles he is called Barsabas (Acts 15: 22). This was customary at that time.

After the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, Saint Jude travelled about preaching the Gospel. He propagated the faith in Christ at first in Judea, Galilee, Samaria and Idumea, and later in the lands of Arabia, Syria and Mesopotamia. Finally, he went to the city of Edessa. Here he finished the work that was not completed by his predecessor, Saint Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy (August 21). There is a tradition that Saint Jude went to Persia, where he wrote his catholic Epistle in Greek. In the Epistle, much profound truth was expressed in a few words.

Saint Jude’s Epistle speaks about the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, the good and bad angels, and the dread Last Judgment. The Apostle urges believers to guard themselves against fleshly impurity, to be diligent in prayer, faith and love, to convert the lost to the path of salvation, and to guard themselves from the teachings of heretics. He also says that it is not enough just to be converted to Christianity, but faith must be demonstrated by good works. He cites the rebellious angels and men punished by God (verse 6) to support this.

The Holy Apostle Jude died as a martyr around the year 80 near Mt. Ararat in Armenia, where he was crucified and pierced by arrows.

Troparion — Tone 1

Divinely we praise you, O Jude, as a faithful witness, / knowing you to be the brother of Christ. / You trampled on delusion, / and so preserved the faith. / Today as we celebrate your holy memory, / by your intercessions, we receive remission of sins.

Kontakion — Tone 2

You were chosen as a disciple for your firmness of mind: / An unshakable pillar of the Church of Christ, / you proclaimed His word to the Gentiles, / telling them to believe in one Godhead. / You were glorified by Him, receiving the grace of healing, / healing the ills of all who came to you, / O most praised Apostle Jude!

IN LUMINE FIDEI: 19 JUNE – SAINT JULIANA FALCONIERI (Virgin)

IN LUMINE FIDEI: 19 JUNE – SAINT JULIANA FALCONIERI (Virgin): Juliana of the noble family of Falconieri was the daughter of the illustrious nobles Chiarissimo and Reguardata Falconieri who found...

IN LUMINE FIDEI: 19 JUNE – FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI

IN LUMINE FIDEI: 19 JUNE – FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI: Dom Prosper Guéranger: A great solemnity has this day risen upon our Earth: a Feast both to God and men, for it is the Feast of Chris...

19 June, The Chesterton Calendar

JUNE 19th

Herein lies the peculiar significance, the peculiar sacredness even, of penny dreadfuls and the common printed matter made for our errand-boys. Here in dim and desperate forms, under the ban of our base culture, stormed at by silly magistrates, sneered at by silly schoolmasters—here is the old popular literature still popular; here is the unmistakable voluminousness, the thousand-and-one tales of Dick Deadshot, like the thousand-and-one tales of Robin Hood. Here is the splendid and static boy, the boy who remains a boy through a thousand volumes and a thousand years. Here in mean alleys and dim shops, shadowed and shamed by the police, mankind is still driving its dark trade in heroes. And elsewhere, and in all ages, in braver fashion, under cleaner skies, the same eternal tale-telling still goes on, and the whole mortal world is a factory of immortals.

'Charles Dickens.'

Corpus Christi, The Chesterton Calendar

CORPUS CHRISTI

All great spiritual Scriptures are full of the invitation not to test but to taste; not to examine but to eat. Their phrases are full of living water and heavenly bread, mysterious manna and dreadful wine. Worldliness and the polite society of the world has despised this instinct of eating, but religion has never despised it.

'Daily News.'

19 June, The Holy Rule of St Benedict, Patriarch of Western Monasticism

CHAPTER XV. At what times of the year Alleluia is to be said

18 Feb. 19 June. 19 Oct.

From the holy Feast of Easter until Pentecost, without interruption, let Alleluia be said both with the Psalms and the responsories. From Pentecost until the beginning of Lent it is to be said at the Night-Office with the six latter Psalms only. But on every Sunday out of Lent let the Canticles,* Lauds, Prime, Tierce, Sext and None be said with Alleluia: Vespers, however, with an antiphon. The responses are never to be said with Alleluia, except from Easter to Pentecost.

20 June, The Roman Martyrology

Duodécimo Kaléndas Iúlii Luna vicésima tértia Anno Dómini 2025

June 20th 2025, the 23rd day of the Moon, were born into the better life:

The holy martyr Pope Silverius. He refused to restore the [Eutychian] heretic Anthimus, who had been deposed [from the Patriarchate of Constantinople] by his predecessor, Pope Agapitus, and in consequence of this, through a plot of the wicked Empress Theodora, was exiled by Bellisarius to the island of Ponza, where he died for the Catholic faith, broken down by sufferings and hardships, [in the year 538.]
At Rome, the holy Novatus, son of the blessed Senator Pudens and brother of the holy Priest Timothy, and of Christ's holy Virgins Pudentiana and Praxedes, who were taught in the faith by the Apostles. Their house was turned into a church, and called that of St. Pastor, [in the second century.]
At Tomi, in Pontus, the holy martyrs Paul and Cyriacus.
At Petra, in Palestine, the holy Macarius, Bishop [of that see,] who suffered many things of the Arians, and was exiled to Africa, where he fell asleep in the Lord, [in the fourth century.]
At Seville, in Spain, [in the year 630,] the holy Virgin Florentina, sister of the holy Leander, Bishop [of Seville,] and holy Isidore, Bishop [of Seville.]
℣. And elsewhere many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
℟. Thanks be to God.

Meme of the Moment

Compline

From St Thomas Aquinas Seminary. You may follow the Office at Divinum Officium.

Brussels Tightens Control Over Parties With New ‘EU Values’ Rule

If parties refuse to endorse the Left-wing, authoritarian, and insane ideas of the European Union, they will now lose funding from the EU.

From The European Conservative

By Javier Villamor

What the “values of the European Union” really are is anyone’s guess.

The EU has quietly passed a rule that forces political parties to pledge allegiance to its “values” or lose funding.

Under a deal struck on Tuesday, June 17, between the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, political parties and foundations must now formally endorse the bloc’s supposed “values” to receive financial support. While Brussels presents this as a step forward in transparency and safeguarding against foreign interference, it imposes an ideological filter on who can participate in the EU’s political life.

What the “values of the European Union” really are is anyone’s guess. This requirement extends to all member parties, including those outside the EU. This means that winning elections is no longer enough to gain a voice in Brussels—it is now also mandatory to pledge loyalty to a set of principles arbitrarily defined by the EU elite; principles that reflect the latest progressive orthodoxy rather than Europe’s historical values.

It is telling that this measure was approved at a time when conservative and sovereigntist forces are gaining ground in the European Parliament. For years, while the Left dominated European and American institutions, there was little concern over the influence of foreign actors such as USAID, private foundations, or global progressive networks. Now that the balance is shifting, Brussels is entrenching itself, protecting itself with rules and red tape that make real political alternatives almost impossible.

The paradox is stark: while the EU condemns political transparency laws passed by countries like Georgia, Hungary, or El Salvador as “undemocratic,” it now enforces even stricter measures at home. The same EU that threatens sanctions against governments for regulating foreign funding is now doing precisely that—but under the banner of “common values.”

This double standard reveals a troubling trend: the so-called defense of democracy is being used to fortify a power structure that no longer tolerates genuine opposition. Citizens’ will is subordinated to the enforcement of doctrines that were never put to a vote, and that marginalize anyone unwilling to abandon national sovereignty, cultural identity, or Europe’s Christian heritage.

Far from opening the Union to a diversity of voices, the new regulation reduces it to an ideological club. Winning elections is no longer enough; one must also think like Brussels. Anything else becomes heresy, a foreign threat, a justification for exclusion. What remains is an increasingly conditional, monitored, and selective democracy.

65% of American Catholics Have Favorable View of Pope Leo XIV: Poll

I, for one, am still reserving judgement. Yes, there are things I like, but I'm also worried about other things, the ongoing attacks on Tradition and the persecution of tradition-minded nuns, among other things.

From LifeSiteNews

By Ray Hilbrich

The AP compared this result to a 2015 poll on Pope Francis' favorability among American Catholics, where 59 percent said they viewed Francis favorably.

Although Pope Leo XIV assumed the papal office only one month ago, American Catholics are already feeling hopeful about his papacy.

In a recent survey conducted by the Associated Press NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 65 percent of Catholics in the United States reported viewing Pope Leo favorably. Additionally, 29 percent said they do not know enough to say, while 6 percent reported being unfavorable to him.

The AP compared this result to a previous poll on Pope Francis’ favorability among American Catholics. In that 2015 poll, 59 percent said they viewed Francis favorably, while 15 percent reported being unfavorable.

In addition to widespread support among Catholics, Pope Leo’s appeal also crosses political lines, with similar levels of approval among both Democrats and Republicans. 48 percent of Democrats and 42 percent of Republicans expressed support for his messaging.

This broad support is largely credited to Pope Leo’s American heritage and his consistent calls for unity within the Catholic Church.

As the first American-born pope, Leo has openly embraced his Chicago roots, most recently addressing a crowd at Rate Field, home of his beloved Chicago White Sox, through a video message.In his message, Pope Leo expressed gratitude and hope for the faithful, emphasizing the importance of building stronger community ties within the archdiocese. He encouraged those gathered to “continue to build up community [and] friendship as brothers and sisters in your daily lives, in your families, in your parishes, in the archdiocese, and throughout our world.”

Pope Leo has garnered the reputation of being a “bridge builder” early in his papacy by promoting messages of unity. In his homily at the Mass marking the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Leo emphasized that the Church must serve as a beacon of unity for the world.

“With the light and the strength of the Holy Spirit, let us build a Church founded on God’s love, a sign of unity, a missionary Church that opens its arms to the world, proclaims the word, allows itself to be made ‘restless’ by history, and becomes a leaven of harmony for humanity,” he said.

As Pope Leo XIV begins his pontificate, many observers find that his strong early support, especially in the United States, signals a unique opportunity to renew trust in Church leadership and foster unity in a time of global division.

‘Hammer Girl’ Escapes Justice Again—Thanks to Brussels

They lift immunity so patriot MEPs can be prosecuted for so-called "hate crimes", but refuse to lift immunity for one of their own accused of a violent crime.

From The European Conservative

By Tamás Orbán

Conservatives say the delays show clear double standards, as their own immunity is swiftly lifted even over minor speech offences.

Brussels' double standards are getting ridiculous, especially when it comes to protecting a violent criminal for political reasons.

Italian Green MEP Ilaria Salis—known as the ‘Hammer Girl’—has escaped justice once again as the EU Parliament’s legal affairs (JURI) committee postponed a crucial vote on whether to lift her immunity and allow Hungarian prosecutors to resume the case against her after a final vote in the plenary. 

She is charged with three counts of attempted assault—beating innocent passersby senseless with a group of far-left “anti-fascist” extremists in Budapest, simply because they decided the victims “looked like” neo-Nazis. Prosecutors are seeking an 11-year sentence, but they were forced to let Salis go when she was elected to the EU Parliament as an Italian Greens MEP last year. The party made a martyr out of her as a campaign strategy.

What is most outrageous is that this is the third time the JURI has postponed Salis’ immunity case. The debate and vote in the committee were initially scheduled for January, then delayed to April, and then a second time to June 24th. Now it looks like it will not even take place before the Parliament’s summer recess, with September being eyed by the committee’s leftist coordinators.

It’s almost like the mainstream parties know that what Salis did is inexcusable, and that’s why they’d rather keep the whole issue off the agenda. The intention may be to keep delaying until early next year, hoping that the current conservative government will lose in the coming parliamentary elections in Hungary, which would magically solve the issue.

Salis, a primary school teacher, traveled to Hungary along with a group of militant antifascists, mainly from the German Hammerbande (‘Hammer Gang’) in 2023. Without any provocation, the group attacked nine people based on their clothing with batons and hammers, nearly killing some of them. 

CCTV footage of the brutal attacks and gory images of the aftermath are publicly available for all to see, yet Salis and the EU Left are insisting on her innocence and arguing that she is the victim of political persecution by Hungary’s conservative government.

On the other hand, the Parliament is usually very quick to rule in favor of lifting the immunity of conservatives even for the clearest politically motivated charges, such as in the cases of Polish MEP Patryk Jaki (PiS/ECR) or German lawmaker Petr Bystron (AfD/ESN), who both lost their diplomatic protection over a single tweet—the former for liking a post containing real footage of migrant criminals; the latter for mocking a former Ukrainian ambassador who was sacked for Holocaust relativism by posting a picture of Merkel and Scholz “waving goodbye” with their arms raised.

A few days ago, Salis posted a video on her YouTube channel, pleading to her fellow MEPs not to revoke her immunity and let her become a “political prisoner” of Viktor Orbán’s “fascist” regime.

In response, conservative MEP Roberto Vannacci—representing Matteo Salvini’s Lega party—posted a video on social media, pointing out that parliamentary immunity is supposed to shield representatives from undue harassment and prosecution after their election, not from the consequences of crimes they are accused of having committed before becoming parliamentarians. 

Afghan Asylum Seekers on Trial in Germany for Rape of Teen Girls

I'm sorry, but invading armies do tend to rape the women of the country they're occupying. You'd think the Germans would remember the Red Army.

From The European Conservative

By Michael Curzon

The trial comes as migrant flights from Afghanistan continue under new chancellor Merz, despite pre-election promises.

Two Afghan asylum seekers this week appeared at Heilbronn Regional Court in Germany, accused of drugging and raping two girls, aged just 13 and 15.

The men, identified as “Mustafa M.” (21) and “Amanola N.” (22), are alleged to have secretly drugged the teenagers before assaulting them both sexually and physically (in one case, by choking).

The eldest suspect has previously been convicted of sexual harassment. Both of their asylum applications are still pending, according to German daily Bild.

The paper added that the 13-year-old victim was in such a bad state due to drug intoxication that the defendants are also accused of attempted manslaughter.

These events are alleged to have taken place in November last year, before Friedrich Merz came to power. But the case is bound to bring fresh criticism of continued Afghan migrant flights under his watch, which have broken pre-election pledges.

Officials have attempted to justify this movement by pointing to Afghans on board the flights who supported German troops in Afghanistan, but these now only make up a small proportion of the migrants coming over.

Both suspects being tried in Heilbronn have denied the charges, according to reports, saying the sex was consensual and that no drugs were involved. A verdict is expected to be delivered on July 23rd.

St Ephraem the Syrian: Butler's Lives of the Saints

The Holy Rosary

Wednesday, the Glorious Mysteries, in Latin with Cardinal Burke.

The Daughter Of Marie Antoinette - Marie Thérèse of France

The Daughter of Marie Antoinette, Marie Thérèse Charlotte of France, Countess of Marnes, was born in Versailles, December 19, 1778 and died in Vienna, October 19, 1851. She was the daughter of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. She was the only one of the imprisoned royal family to survive the French Revolution. Despite her traumatic experiences during the revolution, she remained French-minded and, after the revolution, supported the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in France.

Did Jesus Know He Was God?

With Fr Dominic Legge, OP, JD, STL, STD, Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Director of the Thomistic Institute.

Did Jesus know that he was God? Did he discover gradually the real meaning of his life and the Father’s plan for him? Did Jesus have faith in God? Did he grow in wisdom and knowledge of God, or did he already know everything at the beginning of his life? Questions like this about Jesus growing in knowledge are simply probing what it means for God to become man.

Why Is St Ephrem Called the “Harp of the Holy Spirit”?

Today is the Feast of St Ephrem the Syrian, Confessor & Doctor of the Church. Mr Kosloski explains how he got the epithet, "Harp of the Holy Spirit".

From Aleteia

By Philip Kosloski

Ephrem, the "Harp of the Holy Spirit," wrote a number of hymns that are used by many Eastern Christians.

St. Ephrem, an influential saint from the 4th century, is known as the "Harp of the Holy Spirit."

He was born into a pagan family, but was instructed as a youth in the Christian faith, finally being baptized at the age of 18. Eventually it appears that he was ordained a deacon, on account of his ability to preach in public.

A VaticanNews biography of his life explains how St. Ephrem saw symbolism in everything:

Ephrem saw symbols, that is, connections, or things that open up to reveal deeper and greater things – ultimately, the Lord Jesus Christ – everywhere. He saw these symbols in the Scriptures, but also in the whole creation: “In every place you look, His symbol is there… For by Him were created all creatures and He imprinted His symbols upon His possessions when He created the world.” Elsewhere Ephrem exclaims, “This Jesus created so many symbols that I have fallen into them as into the sea!”

There are many legendary stories about St. Ephrem, but it is difficult to ascertain the historical truth about many of these stories that were written about his life.

Why is that?

St. Ephrem is called the "Harp of the Holy Spirit" primarily because of the number of hymns and poems that he wrote.

Even his homilies were written in verse, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Most of Ephraem's sermons and exhortations are in verse, though a few sermons in prose have been preserved. If we put aside his exegetical writings, the rest of his works may be divided into homilies and hymns. The homilies are written in seven-syllable verse, often divided into two parts of three and four syllables respectively. He celebrates in them the feast of Our Lord and of the saints; sometimes he expounds a Scriptural narrative or takes up a spiritual or edifying theme.

As a result, "[i]n the East the Lessons for the ecclesiastical services were often taken from the homilies of Ephraem." He is known as a Syriac Doctor of the Church, and the greatest hymnographer of the Christian East.

Even today St. Ephrem's hymns and homilies are used extensively in various Eastern Christian liturgies.

St. Ephrem was clearly inspired by the Holy Spirit and let that inspiration form everything that he wrote.