"Washington did not destroy the Venezuelan state because it needed more oil; it did so because it is preparing for a possible war with China. ... The theory of “oil imperialism” does not stand up to a simple review of the facts. The United States is no longer the energy-hungry giant it was in the late 20th century. Texas alone now accounts for around 43 percent of total US crude oil production. ... Over the past two decades, while Washington was bogged down in the Middle East, the People's Republic of China has quietly and systematically built up political influence in the Western Hemisphere. ... In 2024, trade between China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) reached a volume of US$551 billion (£400 billion). It is particularly noteworthy that since 2005, Venezuela has accounted for around 44 percent of total Chinese development financing in the region. ... This strategic unrest is inextricably linked to the future of Taiwan. American military planners know …More
Raclette in Belgian Church: On 13 December 2025, a “giant raclette” dinner was held inside the church of Sainte-Julienne in Verviers, Belgium. The event was organized by the local scout group, with tables and a festive meal set up in the nave. On 17 December, an open letter was published by Yves Willemaers, former president and secretary of the church council of Sainte-Julienne. Addressed to Bishop Jean-Pierre Delville of Liège, the letter denounced the event as a misuse of a consecrated church. The author invoked Catholic doctrine and canon law, arguing that holding a secular meal inside a church constituted a profanation. The open letter circulated online and sparked discussion, yet no public response came from the bishop or anyone else.
CATECHISM OF PERSEVERANCE : AN HISTORICAL, DOCTRINAL,MORAL, AND LITURGICAL EXPOSITION OF THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. Translated from the French of Mgr Gaume by REV. F. B. JAMISON - COURSE FIRST - CHAPTER 25 - The Messiah promised and prefigured-Third and fourth promises-Sixth figure of the Messiah-Jacob . (A.C. 1739.)...to download, to print, to share !
On 6 January, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held discussions with Cardinal Pietro Parolin regarding humanitarian challenges, particularly in Venezuela, as well as global peace and religious freedom. The two parties reaffirmed their commitment to cooperating with each other. The Holy See issued no statement.
— “My mom is living her life all wrong. I really want to help her…” — “Help her how, exactly?” — “Teach her how to live the right way.” — “And you?” — “What about me?” — “Are you living the right way?” — “Why are we talking about me? I’m talking about my mom!” That’s how this story began—an ordinary one, yet deeply revealing. Sitting across from me was a young, beautiful woman in a bright dress, wrists full of shiny bracelets. Confident. Modern. Put together. Her mother, she said, lived “the wrong way.” Because despite having an apartment and even a voucher for a wellness resort, she stubbornly refused to relax. Instead, she wanted her garden, her vegetable beds, her potatoes. “I’ve told her a hundred times—just buy the potatoes, I’ll pay!” the daughter complained. “All she and her friends talk about are their grandkids.” “And what do you think they should be talking about?” I asked. “Spiritual growth,” she said without hesitation. “And you?” I smiled. “Me again?” …More
Because she understood: everything she has today grew out of those garden beds. “But you’re only talking about material things,” she objected softly. “There’s also spirituality, trust, love…” “It’s easy to talk about spirituality when your fridge is full,” I replied. “It’s much harder when it’s empty. Your mother gave you everything she could. And it worked—you now have choices. How to live. What to believe in. And now—it’s your turn.”
On December 6, 2025, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops released a statement about the 62 Vatican artifacts returned to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. Here's what the bishops said: (Montreal) – In celebration of the Jubilee of Hope declared by Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV gifted 62 cultural artifacts that had been part of the Vatican Museums’ Anima Mundi collection to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, for immediate transfer to Indigenous communities in Canada. Among the items is a rare, century-old kayak from the Western Arctic and other artifacts of cultural significance to Inuit, First Nations and Métis communities. Leaders of the Assembly of First Nations, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Métis National Council were in Montreal to receive the gifts when they arrived in Canada. Local First Nations leadership held ceremony to welcome the sacred items and First Nations bundles back to Canada. Elders and Residential School Survivors have …
"4, 5. And you have left your first love: remember whence you have fallen. He who falls, falls from a height: therefore He said whence: because, even to the very last, works of love must be practised; and this is the principal commandment. Finally, unless this is done, He threatened to remove their candlestick out of its place, that is, to disperse the congregation."
[Saint Victorinus – III-IV Century AD; Roman Greece/Pettau, Roman Greece; Spiritual Writer; Martyr under Diocletian] “From the Second Chapter 2. I know your works, and your labour, and your patience. In the first epistle He speaks thus: I know that you suffer and work, I see that you are patient; think not that I am staying long from you. And that you can not bear them that are evil, and who say that they are Jews and are not, and you have found them liars, and you have patience for My name's sake. All these things tend to praise, and that no small praise; and it behooves such men, and such a class, and such elected persons, by all means to be admonished, that they may not be defrauded of such privileges granted to them of God. These few things He said that He had against them. 4, 5. And you have left your first love: remember whence you have fallen. He who falls, falls from a height: therefore He said whence: because, even to the very last, works of love must be practised; and this is …More
The video presents the Vatican Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life. In its commentary on the video, SilereNonPossum.com recalls that, in recent years, the Dicastery has become widely known for commissariaments and disciplinary interventions, rather than with visible forms of pastoral accompaniment. The blog notes that several such acts have been issued under the current leadership, headed by Sr. Simona Brambilla as Prefect, with Sr. Carmen Ros Nortes serving as Under-Secretary. Although intended as a positive message, the video gives the impression of "entering a bocce players’ club in the final stage of their lives".
Questo, sulla carta, dovrebbe essere il Dicastero che si occupa della vita consacrata: quello chiamato a sostenere religiosi e religiose nella vita comunitaria, ad accompagnarli nelle fatiche e nelle scelte, a custodire la comunione. Il Dicastero da cui, invece, negli ultimi anni sono arrivati solo commissariamenti, reprimende e invettive, sottoscritte da due suore. In primo luogo bisogna domandarsi se questi video sono fatti per rendere più social una realtà istituzionale. L’immagine è la medesima che molti giovani hanno quando aprono le porte delle nostre chiese: sembra di entrare in un circolo di giocatori di bocce nell’ultimo stadio della loro vita. In secondo luogo non si può non notare come si parli ben poco di Gesù Cristo. da pagina facebook di SilereNonPossum
An anonymous song composed for the King of France Louis VII and his crossed knights for the outbreak of the Second Crusade in 1145, following the capture of the County of Edessa (present day in Turkey) in 1144 by the Muslim Zengids.
The Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops has condemned a money-laundering investigation targeting Archbishop Alick Banda, calling it political intimidation against the Catholic Church. Archbishop Banda was summoned by Zambia’s Drug Enforcement Commission. The accusation is that Archbishop Alick Banda allegedly received a vehicle from the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) that was improperly auctioned. The bishops say the probe is an abuse of state power meant to silence the Church’s criticism of government governance. They expressed full solidarity with the Archbishop, rejected what they describe as state-sponsored persecution, and urged prayer, peace, and unity ahead of Zambia’s 2026 elections.
Lusaka, 05 January, 2026 / 2:58 pm (ACI Africa). Members of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) have condemned what they describe as an attack against their colleague, Archbishop Alick Banda, and the entire Church in the southern African country, following a “money-laundering” probe initiated against the Bishop. Archbishop Banda was reportedly summoned to appear before the Anti-Money Laundering Investigations Unit of Zambia’s Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) on Monday, January 5. The Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lusaka is linked with investigations into allegations that he received a vehicle from the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), which allegedly auctioned several vehicles without following the law. In a statement that was circulated on Sunday, January 4, the Bishops say that Archbishop Banda received the summons on 31 December 2025. In the statement, the Bishops affirmed their solidarity with the Archbishop of Lusaka and all Catholics in Zambia amid …
Konferencia katolíckych biskupov Zambie odsúdila vyšetrovanie prania špinavých peňazí arcibiskupa Alicka Bandy z Lusaky a označila ho za politicky motivované. Arcibiskupa Bandu si predvolala jednotka pre vyšetrovanie prania špinavých peňazí Zambijskej komisie pre boj proti drogám v súvislosti s obvineniami, že dostal vozidlo od Zambijského daňového úradu (ZRA). Vozidlo údajne patrí medzi majetok, ktorý ZRA vydražil bez dodržania zákonných postupov. To vyvolalo obavy z nezákonného nakladania so štátnym majetkom a možných súvislostí s praním špinavých peňazí. Biskupi tieto obvinenia odmietli a vyjadrili plnú solidaritu s arcibiskupom Bandom. Povedali, že cieľom vyšetrovania je zastrašiť cirkev za kritiku vládnutia. V súvislosti s blížiacimi sa voľbami v Zambii v roku 2026 vyzvali k modlitbe a jednote.
A Conferência dos Bispos Católicos da Zâmbia condenou a investigação de branqueamento de capitais contra o Arcebispo de Lusaca, Alick Banda, considerando-a politicamente motivada. O Arcebispo Banda foi convocado pela Unidade de Investigação de Branqueamento de Capitais da Comissão de Combate à Droga da Zâmbia por alegações de que teria recebido um veículo da Autoridade Tributária da Zâmbia (ZRA). O veículo terá sido um dos bens que a ZRA leiloou sem seguir os procedimentos legais. Este facto suscitou preocupações sobre a alienação ilegal de bens do Estado e possíveis ligações ao branqueamento de capitais. Os bispos rejeitaram as acusações e manifestaram a sua total solidariedade para com o Arcebispo Banda. Afirmaram que a investigação se destina a intimidar a Igreja por criticar a governação. À medida que a Zâmbia se aproxima das eleições de 2026, apelaram à oração e à unidade.