Category: Catholics
Liz Wheeler drops truth bomb on Pope Leo’s ‘be less fearful’ of Islam comments
An old comment from Pope Leo XIV is circulating widely again on social media amid his ongoing apostolic journey to Africa, where he has been meeting with Muslim leaders and visiting Muslim holy sites, including the Grand Mosque of Algiers.
In December 2025, during an in-flight press conference on the papal plane returning from his trip to Turkey and Lebanon, the pope said, “I think one of the great lessons that Lebanon can teach to the world is precisely showing a land where Islam and Christianity are both present and are respected and that there is a possibility to live together, to be friends.”
He added: “I think those are lessons that would be important also to be heard in Europe or North America. We should perhaps be a little less fearful and look for ways of promoting authentic dialogue and respect.”
Liz Wheeler, BlazeTV host of “The Liz Wheeler Show,” is deeply disappointed to hear “the successor of Saint Peter [articulating] leftist political opinions.”
Liz shares some harrowing statistics: “93% of the 4,849 Christians who were murdered for their faith last year were murdered by Muslims, by Islamists, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa.”
“The pope is visiting Africa as we speak, and I would wonder if he visited the mass graves of the Catholics slaughtered in Africa,” she says, playing a video clip of a Nigerian Catholic priest pleading for Western intervention, as he stands behind the body of a woman murdered for her faith by Muslim radicals.
“[The pope] put a wreath on a Muslim grave yesterday in Algeria to commemorate Algerians that were killed in their war of independence. What he didn’t mention was these Algerians who were killed were fighting Catholics. They murdered Catholics,” she continues.
“It is discouraging to hear the pope tell us to be less fearful of Islam as if we’re in sin for this — for recognizing the fanatical nature of their religious belief in jihad, which is based on our observation that our differences with Muslims are not relegated to something in the past,” she says.
“It wasn’t just a battle during the Crusades centuries ago, but it’s happening now. The massacre of Christians is happening today in Africa at the hands of Islamists who are killing in the name of their religion.”
To hear more, watch the video above.
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What Christians can learn from a high school musical
Recently, while attending a musical with my children and niece, I suddenly found my faith in humanity partially restored. The actors performed with confidence and grace, the sets were beautiful and well crafted, and the orchestra below provided harmonious accompaniment all throughout the show.
From the beginning to end, the kids and I were immersed in the story and songs, somehow forgetting we were watching and listening to adolescents still in high school.
The whole experience reminded me how much is possible with this age group, given the right motivation. They can put in grueling hours, endure severe criticism, and embrace strict discipline, all in the hope of creating something compelling.
When those charged with performing the rituals of celebration and devotion only do so out of necessity, their celebrations will inevitably become ugly, superficial, and false.
Miraculously, they shunned the temptations of their screens, perhaps realizing that mindless scrolling offers them nothing of substance. The better part of their humanity took over and moved them to make a show for their community.
While I take solace in such knowledge, I cannot suppress the frustrations that also arise. If I could only witness a small modicum of this effort from these same students in my English classes, my job would be so much easier.
Compared to memorizing lines and music and performing before the bright lights and a large crowd for three hours straight, learning to write a clear and organized essay should be a breeze.
These frustrations aside, attending the musical and marveling at the work and energy involved reveal a deeper truth about what stirs young adults to noteworthy action: the intense desire to create something good, true, and beautiful.
If the possibility exists to participate in an event or project that merits large audiences, critical acclaim, and thoughtful analysis, this will inherently draw young people to its cause. By contrast, if those events and projects are performed out of a sense of duty and nothing more, those young people will take their talents elsewhere.
As many Christians can attest, this dynamic is readily apparent in religious worship. When those charged with performing the rituals of celebration and devotion only do so out of necessity, their celebrations will inevitably become ugly, superficial, and false.
The innumerable offenses against good taste and authentic piety afflicting so much of modern Christianity come not only from the infiltration of pernicious philosophies and ephemeral trends but also from a general retreat from the high ideals that formerly animated Christian life and expression.
This has resulted in a vicious cycle that drives away more young souls with each round. At some point in the last century, it was decided by pastors and other ecclesial authorities that they could best serve the needs of the Catholic Church by watering down the faith and making it less intimidating.
The heavy load that burdened Catholics — that is, the expectation of celebrating and participating in a service that was true, beautiful, and good — would be lifted, or at least lightened. In practical terms, this meant simplifying the liturgy, dumbing down the theology, and substituting superficial fashions for timeless traditions.
Never has it been so easy, yet so uninspiring, to be a Christian. Besides transforming Christianity into something cheap and unattractive, the changes wrought in the name of lowering barriers effectively drained the Church of its vitality.
For many Catholics, including myself, it is not so much the tacky felt banners and cheesy hymns that bother us, but the general lethargy and mediocrity that underlie such choices. Everything seems to be done out of a sense of familiarity and obligation, not a desire to make something excellent.
In light of the brilliant show that I just saw at my high school, I can see all the more clearly what it is that pushes away young people from the faith. Most of them want to create something significant, but churches no longer let them do this. So many parishes have relaxed standards so much that being a practicing Christian hardly feels like anything.
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William Gottlieb/CORBIS/Corbis/Getty Images
Older adults contending with the challenges of raising children, making a living, and participating in their local communities might appreciate these concessions. Younger adults, however, will invariably channel their aptitudes and abundant enthusiasm to singing in a musical, playing in the marching band, or competing in a sport.
Moreover, they will even cultivate a quasi-religious zeal in these endeavors. I only half-joke with my students when I tell them they are caught up in a cult. In a certain sense, they are.
These extracurricular programs often determine their community and give them a raison d’être. To adults, these shows and games might be wholesome pastimes that help build character; for the students, they offer the kind of fulfillment and meaning that should be coming from their Christian faith.
None of this is to argue against the existence of such programs — I hope to attend more musicals with my kids, after all — but for the restoration of these programs’ virtues in Christianity. In order to bring back the youth and reinvigorate today’s dwindling churches, pastors need to bring back the rigor required to realize the true, the good, and the beautiful.
Fortunately for Christians, they have a rich tradition of art and scholarship from which to draw and apply such rigor. They only need to overcome their own misgivings and exert themselves as far as they can, doing more both inside and outside worship. Once they experience the joy and satisfaction that come out of it, they will finally understand why such traditions exist in the first place and just how wonderful is our God.
Judicial Watch pushes for transparency in 2023 FBI memo linking extremist risk to some Catholics
From EWTN News: The conservative legal group Judicial Watch is continuing to push for more transparency around a memo targeting traditionalist Catholics, which was issued in early 2023 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Richmond field office. The memo detailed an investigation into a purported connection between “radical traditionalist” Catholics and “the far-right white nationalist movement.” […]
The post Judicial Watch pushes for transparency in 2023 FBI memo linking extremist risk to some Catholics appeared first on Judicial Watch.
Pope Leo calls out ‘inclusive’ language as a painful, ‘Orwellian’ movement in the West
Pope Leo XIV says Western nations need to guarantee the freedom of expression.
The pope gave his “State of the World” speech from the Vatican in Vatican City on Friday and delivered remarks that may agitate some of his more liberal followers.
‘A new Orwellian-style language is developing which, in an attempt to be increasingly inclusive, ends up excluding.’
Real name Robert Prevost, the noted Chicago White Sox fan championed free speech when he explained that words need to once again be used to “express distinct and clear realities.”
This is paramount in order to engage in “authentic dialogue,” the Catholic leader continued, noting that truth-telling is necessary for “preventing conflicts.”
This led Pope Leo into pointing out a “paradox” in modern self-expression in the West, which only strengthens his belief in the idea that freedom of speech and expression should be guaranteed.
“It is painful to see how, especially in the West, the space for genuine freedom of expression is rapidly shrinking,” the pope said. “At the same time, a new Orwellian-style language is developing which, in an attempt to be increasingly inclusive, ends up excluding those who do not conform to the ideologies that are fueling it.”
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The 70-year-old explained that the inclusivity paradox leads to other consequences, such as the restriction of human rights, including “freedom of conscience.”
Those were not the only remarks the pope gave that were seemingly controversial. Rather, he also spoke strongly against the act of surrogacy.
Leo XIV said that surrogacy amounts to transforming gestation into a “negotiable service” that violates the dignity of both the child and the mother. Surrogacy reduces the baby to a “product,” the pope said, and causes a mother to exploit her body and the generative process, which distorts “the original relational calling of the family.”
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Photo by Simone Risoluti – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images
Observers of the speech, reportedly including 184 ambassadors from states that have diplomatic relations with the Vatican, also heard the pope condemn assisted suicide as a form of “deceptive” compassion.
The leader said that the elderly and isolated — “who at times struggle to find a reason to continue living” — should be offered solutions to their suffering, such as “palliative care … rather than encouraging deceptive forms of compassion such as euthanasia.”
Leo concluded his speech by emphasizing the need for peaceful dialogue and living in truth. He added that a “peaceful world” is built by those who act from humble hearts.
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Pope Leo calls out gambling addiction and ‘demographic crisis’ in Vatican meeting
Pope Leo XIV says people need more face-to-face interaction in their lives.
Speaking with Italian mayors from the association of local Italian authorities, the Assocazione Nazionale dei Comuni Italiani, the pope touched on some of the biggest issues faces the world today.
‘Democracy atrophies, becomes just a name, a formality.’
During the Vatican meeting, Pope Leo noted that a “demographic crisis” and “struggles” among families and young people remain top issues. According to Vatican News, the Catholic leader also stated that social isolation and “social conflicts” are pervasive issues in Italy.
At the same time, the pope — Robert Francis Prevost — said he wanted to focus on one of the biggest topics in today’s world: gambling. The Chicago native explained that he wanted to “draw attention in particular to the scourge of gambling,” which has “ruined many families.”
Citing a “major increase” in gambling in Italy in recent years, Prevost cited a recent report that described gambling as a “serious problem” in terms of education, mental health, and societal trust for Italians.
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Photo by Simone Risoluti – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images
The pope stressed that gambling addiction is a form of “loneliness” and called on the local mayors to promote “authentically human relationships between citizens” as a way to tackle the issue.
Pope Leo reportedly drew from 20th-century Italian priest and activist Don Primo Mazzolari in order to illustrate the need for social interactions between Italians.
“[Italy] does not only need sewers, houses, roads, aqueducts, and pavements,” but also “a way of feeling, of living, a way of looking at one another, and a way of coming together as brothers and sisters.”
Photo by Jacopo Raule/Getty Images for Philipp Plein
To solve many of these modern issues, authorities must listen to the weak and the poor, the pope said. If not, he said, “democracy atrophies, becomes just a name, a formality.”
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