I grew up in Augusta, Georgia, where Catholics are a minority and I have experienced first hand what the non-Catholic world in the south in the late 1950’s and 60’s and even today think about the pope, the Church. We were marginalized. Southern non-Catholics were not fans of the pope or his Church and often called her the Whore of Babylon.
They certainly didn’t think Catholics were going to heaven either. It was up to them through their political and religious prism to convert us to them and their way of doing things.
I am scandalized, though, when I hear Catholics more a fan of Donald Trump than of of the Pope.
What rubbish and may God have mercy on them! To think that Catholics who should know better have become know nothings!
If you don’t know about the Know Nothings and their current poltical party in the USA, here is an AI synopsis of the Know Nothing Party’s platform:
The Know-Nothings (1850s American Party) believed Catholic immigrants, particularly Irish and Germans, were part of a "Romanist" plot to destroy American liberty and subvert the republic under Pope Pius IX. They viewed Catholicism as incompatible with democracy, believing Catholic voters were blindly obedient to priests, and favored restricting immigration and banning Catholics from political office.
Core Beliefs and Fears:
Papal Conspiracy: They believed Catholic immigrants were loyal to the Pope, not the U.S. government, and intended to take over the country.
Political Threat: They argued that Catholic voters were controlled by bishops, leading to fears of a voting bloc acting against Protestant American interests.
Nativist Supremacy: The movement promoted the idea that the U.S. was designed exclusively for white Anglo-Saxon Protestants, seeing Catholicism as a foreign, corrupting force.
Religious Prejudice: They labeled the Catholic Church as "anti-American" and often used violent, inflammatory rhetoric, including accusations that convent life was immoral and that Catholics were conspiring to end religious liberty.
Actions Driven by Beliefs:
Political Exclusion: They advocated for a "None but Americans for Office" policy, aiming to keep Catholics and immigrants from holding public office.
Violence and Vandalism: Supporters engaged in rioting, such as the Cincinnati Riot of 1853, and the burning of Catholic churches.
Social Ostracization: They spread propaganda aimed at creating a climate of fear and suspicion around Catholic practices and institutions.
“I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the church is here to do,” the pope told reporters on his brief flight to Algiers April 13.
“We are not politicians, we don’t deal with foreign (leaders?)with the same perspective he might understand it, but I do believe in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker,” he said.
Leo said he did not want to enter into debate and clarified that the statements he makes condemning war and the violation of international law “are certainly not meant as attacks on anyone,” but he said he will also “not shy away from pronouncing the message of the Gospel.”
Trump is afraid of Leo XIV; that is why he attacks him.
Power that cannot bear to be judged invariably ends up judging itself. Donald Trump may not realize it, but in the unhinged and vulgar attack he leveled against Pope Leo XIV in recent hours, he has—inadvertently—penned his own truest portrait: that of a man who conflates strength with authority, popular support with legitimacy, and the silence of others with surrender. His words—published on his social media channels like the proclamations of a street-corner demagogue—would not merit a response were they not a disturbing symptom of something far broader and more dangerous: the tendency of a certain brand of populist politics to treat every moral institution as an obstacle to be dismantled, every critical voice as an enemy to be delegitimized, and every spiritual authority as a tool to be bent to its own electoral ends.
President Trump’s modus operandi is to belittle, mock, divide and conquer, create as much chaos as possible. The following is President’s Trump’s “tweet” about Pope Leo. Should we expect that a president be a statesman and perhaps make his case as a statesman and not as the Anti-Christ?
Here’s the President’s tweet:
Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy. He talks about "fear" of the Trump Administration, but doesn't mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian Organizations, had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everybody else, for holding Church Services, even when going outside, and being ten and even twenty feet apart. I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn't! I don't want a Pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don't want a Pope who thinks it's terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country. And I don't want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I'm doing exactly what | was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History. Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise. He wasn't on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. If I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican. Unfortunately, Leo's Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons, does not sit well with me, nor does the fact that he meets with Obama Sympathizers like David Axelrod, a LOSER from the Left, who is one of those who wantedchurchgoers and clerics to be arrested. Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It's hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it's hurting the Catholic Church!
Pope Leo is striving mightily to "heal the open wounds in the Church" left by Pope Francis and His Holiness' Vatican. What Pope Leo has done for the "Heralds of the Gospel" is certainly the manner in which His Holiness will heal the wound against those who faithfully followed Pope Benedict's Summorum Pontificum, which was canceled by Pope Francis in the most merciless and mean-spirited way! Pope Leo is a peacemaker! Blessed be the peacemakers!
I don’t know much about the Heralds of the Gospel other than I use to get facebook videos of the order celebrating Mass in a rather rigidly, non rubrical choreographed manner.
I did not know that St. Pope John Paul II, much of his papacy ignored or canceled by Pope Francis, along with Pope Benedict’s papacy, approved of the founding of this Order in South America.
Without a lot of fanfare, once again Pope Leo XIV, aka, Pope Leo the second greatest Leo, has reversed Pope Francis—God is good!
Press the title below for a 2019 article concerning the injustice of the Francis’ Vatican toward the Heralds of the Gospel. I have a few money bytes below the title:
The so-called “Heralds of the Gospel case” has become, over the years, an emblematic example of the shadows left by the previous pontificate in matters of ecclesial governance. The prolonged Vatican intervention on this international association—a reality present in 78 countries and erected by John Paul II as the first of the new millennium—continues without a convincing explanation and without a single proven accusation in civil or canonical proceedings.
During Pope Francis’s tenure, the internal life of the Church—especially in Latin America—was caught in growing polarization between progressive and conservative sectors. That dynamic tainted decisions that should have been strictly legal and pastoral. In that climate of suspicion, the Heralds were subjected to a forced administration initiated in 2019 following an apostolic visitation opened in 2017. What is troubling is that, as the two sources emphasize, it has never been officially explained why the investigation was initiated, nor what the objective reasons were that led to imposing this exceptional regime on them.
Here is an AI summary of yet again another reversal of Pope Francis by Pope Leo:
The Heralds of the Gospel, a private international association of the faithful that was under Vatican commissariat and faced restrictions since 2019, are resuming priestly ordinations in April 2026. Reports indicate that under Pope Leo XIV, the de facto suspension of their ability to ordain new priests has been lifted, marking a significant shift from previous Vatican intervention.
Key Developments in 2026
Resumption of Ordinations: The clerical society Virgo Flos Carmeli, associated with the Heralds of the Gospel, scheduled ordinations for 31 deacons and 26 priests during the Easter Octave, with ceremonies set for April 11 and 12, 2026.
End of "De Facto" Suspension: The upcoming ordinations officially mark the end of a suspension that has been in place since 2019, following investigations into the group regarding the "abuse of conscience and control" and strict disciplinary measures.
Shift in Vatican Approach: Reports suggest that Pope Leo XIV, through Cardinal Damasceno, sought to "heal one of the open wounds in the Church" and end the commissioner's office (commissariat) that had been overseeing the group.
The Heralds of the Gospel had been under investigation and subject to restrictions regarding the operation of their schools and the formation of their members since 2019, with the Vatican previously ordering the closure of their boarding schools in Brazil.
I wish Pope Leo would use the Traditional altar arrangement. It is clean, uncluttered and symmetrical.
Reflection by the Holy Father Leo XIV during the Prayer Vigil for Peace
Dear brothers and sisters,
Your prayer is an expression of that faith which, according to the words of Jesus, moves mountains (cf. Mt 17:20). Thank you for having accepted this invitation, gathering here—by the tomb of Saint Peter, and in so many other places throughout the world—to invoke peace. War divides; hope unites. Arrogance tramples; love uplifts. Idolatry blinds; the living God enlightens. All that is needed is a little faith—a mere crumb of faith, dearest ones—to face this dramatic hour of history together, as humanity and with humanity. Prayer, in fact, is not a refuge to escape our responsibilities, nor is it an anesthetic to numb the pain unleashed by such great injustice. Rather, it is the most gratuitous, universal, and transformative response to death: we are a people already rising again! Within each of us—within every human being—the inner Master, in truth, teaches peace, impels us toward encounter, and inspires our supplication. Let us, then, lift up our gaze! Let us rise again from the rubble! Nothing can confine us within a destiny already written—not even in this world where graves seem insufficient to hold the dead, for life continues to be crucified and annihilated, without right and without mercy.
Saint John Paul II, an untiring witness to peace, spoke with deep emotion during the Iraqi crisis of 2003, declaring: “I belong to that generation which lived through the Second World War and survived it. I have a duty to say to all young people—to those younger than myself who have not had this experience: ‘Never again war!’—just as Paul VI proclaimed during his first visit to the United Nations. We must do everything in our power! We know full well that peace at any cost is not possible.” “But we all know how great this responsibility is” (Angelus, March 16, 2003). This evening, I make his appeal—so relevant today—my own.
Prayer teaches us how to act. In prayer, limited human possibilities join with the infinite possibilities of God. Thoughts, words, and deeds then shatter the demonic chain of evil and place themselves at the service of the Kingdom of God—a Kingdom where there is no sword, no drone, no vengeance, no trivialization of evil, and no unjust gain, but only dignity, understanding, and forgiveness. Here we find a bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence which, all around us, is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive. The balances within the human family have been gravely destabilized. Even the holy Name of God—the God of life—is dragged into discourses of death. A world of brothers and sisters sharing a single Father in heaven then vanishes, and—as in a nightmare—reality becomes populated by enemies. Everywhere, one senses threats rather than calls to listen and to encounter one another. Brothers and sisters, those who pray are conscious of their own limitations; they do not kill, nor do they threaten death. Conversely, those who have turned their backs on the living God become enslaved to death, making of themselves—and of their own power—that mute, blind, and deaf idol (cf. Ps 115:4-8) to which they sacrifice every value, demanding that the entire world bow the knee before it.
Enough with the idolatry of self and of money! Enough with the display of force! Enough with war! True strength is manifested in serving life. Saint John XXIII, with evangelical simplicity, wrote: “From peace, everyone derives benefit: individuals, families, nations, and the entire human family.” And, echoing the trenchant words of Pius XII, he added: “Nothing is lost by peace. Everything may be lost by war” (Encyclical *Pacem in terris*, 62). Let us, therefore, unite the moral and spiritual energies of millions—billions—of men and women, of the elderly and the young, who today believe in peace, who today choose peace, and who tend to the wounds and repair the damage left behind by the folly of war. I receive many letters from children in conflict zones; reading them, one perceives—with the truthfulness of innocence—the full horror and inhumanity of actions that some adults boast of with pride. Let us listen to the voice of the children!
Dear brothers and sisters, certainly there are inescapable responsibilities incumbent upon the leaders of nations. To them, we cry out: Stop! It is time for peace! Sit at the tables of dialogue and mediation, not at tables where rearmament is planned and actions of death are deliberated! Yet, no less great is the responsibility resting upon all of us—men and women from so many different countries: an immense multitude that repudiates war through deeds, not merely through words. Prayer calls us to convert whatever remains of violence within our hearts and minds; let us convert ourselves to a Kingdom of peace that is built day by day—in our homes, in our schools, in our neighborhoods, and within our civil and religious communities—reclaiming ground from polemics and resignation through friendship and a culture of encounter. Let us return to believing in love, in moderation, and in good politics. Let us prepare ourselves and commit ourselves personally, each responding to their own vocation. Everyone has their place in the mosaic of peace!
The Rosary, like other ancient forms of prayer, has united us this evening in its steady rhythm, grounded in repetition: thus, peace carves out its space—word after word, gesture after gesture—just as a rock is hollowed out drop by drop, or as weaving progresses on a loom, movement after movement. These are the long rhythms of life, a sign of God’s patience. We need to resist being swept away by the frenetic pace of a world that no longer knows what it is chasing, so that we may return to serving the rhythm of life and the harmony of creation, and to tending to their wounds. As Pope Francis has taught us, "there is a need for artisans of peace, willing to initiate processes of healing and renewed encounter with ingenuity and boldness" (Encyclical *Fratelli tutti*, 225). Indeed, there is "an 'architecture' of peace, in which the various institutions of society play their part, each according to its own competence; yet there is also an 'artisanship' of peace that involves us all" (ibid., 231).
Dear brothers and sisters, let us return home with this commitment to pray always, without growing weary, and with a resolve for a profound conversion of heart. The Church is a great people at the service of reconciliation and peace, moving forward without faltering—even when rejecting the logic of war may cost it misunderstanding and scorn. It proclaims the Gospel of peace and teaches us to obey God rather than men, especially when the infinite dignity of other human beings is at stake—a dignity jeopardized by continuous violations of international law. "Throughout the world, it is to be hoped that every community may become a 'home of peace,' where hostility is learned to be defused through dialogue, where justice is practiced, and where forgiveness is cherished." "Today, more than ever, in fact, we must demonstrate that peace is not a utopia" (Message for the 59th World Day of Peace, January 1, 2026).
Brothers and sisters of every language, people, and nation: we are one single family—one that weeps, that hopes, and that rises again. "Never again war, an adventure without return; never again war, a spiral of mourning and violence" (St. John Paul II, Prayer for Peace, February 2, 1991).
Dearest friends, may peace be with you all! It is the peace of the Risen Christ, the fruit of His sacrifice of love upon the Cross. For this reason, we address our supplication to Him:
Lord Jesus,
You conquered death without weapons or violence;
You dissolved its power through the strength of peace.
Grant us Your peace—
just as You did to the women, uncertain on Easter morning,
and to the disciples, hidden away and afraid.
Send forth Your Spirit—
the breath that gives life, that reconciles,
and that transforms adversaries and enemies into brothers and sisters.
Inspire in us the trust of Mary, Your Mother,
who, with a heart torn by grief, stood beneath Your Cross,
steadfast in the faith that You would rise again.
May the madness of war come to an end,
and may the Earth be healed and tended by those who still
know how to bring forth life, how to cherish it, and how to love it.
Diane Montagna reports on the interview Cardinal Burke has given about the politicization by some media, fake media, of the “Vatican—U.S. Clash” between the Holy Father and the President of the USA.
There are those political operatives in both MAGA and the Democrat Party that want to create a fabricated fake news scenario to influence voters, against the visible head of the Catholic Church or against the President of the USA.
It has now been proven that the Pentagon did not threaten the papal nuncio as both the Vatican and the Pentagon have called the story not only exaggerated but fake.
My own personal opinion about papal interventions is that what is said is couched in such a way as not to be engaging any world leader, be it the president or any other head of state in a political debate. What is said should be carefully crafted as to avoid what is happening in an unfortunate way, either exaggerated or not, between two American world leaders, the pope and the president.
Keep in mind too, that Pope Francis entered into the fray of the USA’s presidential race when His Holiness indicated that Americans had to choose the lesser of two evils between Trump and Harris—that was a no-brainer, as Harris, an airhead, would not be respected on the world stage and promoted the worst kind of genocide, the killing of the completely innocent unborn and up to the 9th month of pregnancy.
Press title from Diane Montagna’s Substack for full interview:
In a new interview, His Eminence downplays claims of a widening rift between Pope Leo XIV and Donald Trump
MONEY BYTE:
The Pope Will Never Be a Hero of the Anti-Trumpers
By Nico Spuntoni
Hard times on the Vatican—Washington axis. The war is driving apart the two most important Americans: Donald Trump and Robert Prevost. This is no minor issue in a country where the Catholic electorate played a significant role in Trump’s victory. Some are already licking their chops, sensing in the current circumstances the possibility of “crowning” Leo XIV as Trump’s sworn enemy, as had been hoped since immediately after his election. Yet Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, a leading figure among conservative Catholics in America (and beyond), shows in this interview how one can remain loyal to the Pope without being hostile to the Trump administration.
Your Eminence, will you be at St. Peter’s today for the peace vigil? Certainly. I will join the Holy Father for this fundamental moment of prayer in a time of crisis like the present. I am very glad to respond to the call to pray that peace may be restored as soon as possible. We must follow what was revealed at Fatima in 1917 and recite the Rosary to Our Lady, who is Queen of Peace.
Do you agree with those who say that Leo XIV is turning out to be an anti-Trumper? The narrative of an ongoing clash is exaggerated. The Pope has invited everyone to work for peace, as he rightly should. His compass is the teaching of the Church, found in the Catechism and as classically articulated by Saint Augustine.
How do you judge Trump’s conduct? One may have differing views on how to address the problem, but one certainly cannot think that the situation in Iran was good prior to the attacks by the United States and Israel. I believe that, in his view, Trump also has peace as his goal—meaning he seeks to restore internal peace in Iran and in its relations with other nations. This is because the regime represents a nuclear threat to both its neighbors and others. And then, let me add something…
Please… We must also pray for the freedom of the Iranian people, who have suffered for too many years at the hands of the ayatollahs’ regime. We cannot forget the many civilians killed over the years by repression. It is painful to see a great nation, with a rich cultural heritage, destroyed by such a bloodthirsty regime.
When you read this Vatican News article on their website today, keep in mind that he seems to be walking back, somewhat, his desire for women priests. But he also shows how vapid his reasons are for wanting women priests, completely divorced from the Ordinary Magisterium of the Church, based on feelings, not on intellect!
Here’s the Kamala Harris quote of the day from the good Cardinal Hollerich:
He distinguished this from ordained ministry, which he said requires universal consensus to avoid division.
Finally, reflecting on pastoral concerns expressed by younger generations, he said, “I feel that, not just women who have studied theology, but when I am with young people, I can feel that many of the girls of our youth are sad because they feel that they are not completely recognized by the Church. “
“And that,” he concluded, “makes me sad as a pastor.”
Press title for poor Cardinal Hollerich’s Kamala moment:
The publication of the Synod Study Group report on women’s participation, according to Cardinal Hollerich, marks a “big step” toward greater inclusion in the Church. He stresses, however, that any possible development in women’s access to ordained ministry requires broad ecclesial consensus to preserve unity.
