Staten Island is renewing its push to secede from the city of New York and be its own city following the mayoral victory of Democratic Socialist (communist) Zohran Mamdani.
The post Staten Island Renews Push to Secede From New York City Due to Zohran Mamdani Mayoral Win appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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MSNBC is dead.
The post MSNBC IS DEAD – Watch Their Final Broadcast Before They Switched to MSNOW (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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A Democratic congressman was caught red-handed looking at inappropriate pictures while on a flight this week, forcing him to do damage control.
The post Democrat Congressman Gets Caught Staring at Very Naughty Images During Flight – Then Is Savagely Mocked After Offering a Silly Excuse for Why He Did (PHOTOS) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read MoreO God, our Creator, all life is in your hands from conception until death. Help us to cherish our children and to reverence the awesome privilege of our share in creation. May all people live and die in dignity and love. Bless all those who defend the rights of the unborn, the handicapped and the aged. Enlighten and be merciful toward those who fail to love, and give them peace. Let freedom be tempered by responsibility, integrity and morality.
Read MoreA reading from the Book of Malachi
3:19-20a
Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
and the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.
A reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians
2, 3:7-12
Brothers and sisters:
You know how one must imitate us.
For we did not act in a disorderly way among you,
nor did we eat food received free from anyone.
On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day
we worked, so as not to burden any of you.
Not that we do not have the right.
Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you,
so that you might imitate us.
In fact, when we were with you,
we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work,
neither should that one eat.
We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a
disorderly way,
by not keeping busy but minding the business of others.
Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly
and to eat their own food.
From the Gospel according to Luke
21:5-19
While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, "All that you see here–
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."
Then they asked him,
"Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"
He answered,
"See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end."
Then he said to them,
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.
"Before all this happens, however,
they will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives."
Today, too, in fact there are false “saviours” who attempt to replace Jesus: worldly leaders, religious gurus, even sorcerers, people who wish to attract hearts and minds to themselves, especially those of young people. Jesus warns us: “Do not follow them, do not follow them!”. The Lord also helps us not to be afraid in the face of war, revolution, natural disasters and epidemics. Jesus frees us from fatalism and false apocalyptic visions. The second aspect challenges us as Christians and as a Church: Jesus predicts that his disciples will have to suffer painful trials and persecution for his sake. He reassures them, however, saying: “Not a hair of your head will perish” (v. 18). This reminds us that we are completely in God’s hands! The trials we encounter for our faith and our commitment to the Gospel are occasions to give witness; we must not distance ourselves from the Lord, but instead abandon ourselves even more to him, to the power of his Spirit and his grace. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 17 November 2013)
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ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 15, 2025 / 13:00 pm (CNA).
In a Saturday meeting, Pope Leo XIV received Monsignor Pierre Goudreault, Bishop of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière and president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, at which the Holy Father gifted dozens of artifacts that originated with Indigenous peoples of the North American country.
Leo at the meeting donated 62 pieces from the ethnological collections of the Vatican Museums to the Canadian bishops. Bishop Goudreault was accompanied by Archbishop Richard Smith of Vancouver and Father Jean Vézina, secretary general of the Canadian bishops.
“It is an act of ecclesial sharing, through which the Successor of Peter entrusts to the Church in Canada these objects, which bear witness to the history of the encounter between the faith and cultures of indigenous peoples,” the Vatican said.
The 62 donated objects come from various indigenous communities and are part of the collection received during the 1925 Vatican Missionary Exhibition, promoted by Pope Pius XI during the Holy Year to bear witness to the faith and cultural richness of the peoples.
“The Holy Father Leo XIV wanted this gift to represent a concrete sign of dialogue, respect, and fraternity,” the Holy See said.
“Sent to Rome by Catholic missionaries between 1923 and 1925, these objects became part of the Lateran Missionary Ethnological Museum, which later became the Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum of the Vatican Museums,” the Vatican added.
Pope Leo’s gift is part of the observance of the Jubilee Year 2025. All the pieces are accompanied by information from the Vatican Museums “certifying their provenance and the circumstances of their transfer to Rome for the 1925 Exhibition.”
“They were handed over to the Canadian Episcopal Conference, which, in a spirit of loyal cooperation and dialogue with the Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Vatican City State, has committed to ensuring their proper care, promotion, and conservation,” the Vatican said.
During a July 2022 visit to Canada, Pope Francis left a message of reconciliation and emphasized the need to “start afresh” by looking together at Christ crucified.
Throughout his trip, the pope had expressed his shame and regret for the role played by the Catholic Church in the management of many of the government-sponsored residential schools for Indigenous children.
These residential schools, which operated until the late 1990s, aimed to eradicate aspects of Indigenous culture, language, and religious practices. Former students have described mistreatment and even abuse at the residential schools.
According to the Holy See, the meeting on Nov. 15 concludes “the path begun by Pope Francis through his Apostolic Journey to Canada in 2022, the various audiences with indigenous communities, and the publication of the Declaration on the Doctrine of Discovery in 2023.”
That year, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education and the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development stated that the so-called “Doctrine of Discovery,” which European colonizers allegedly used to justify their actions against indigenous peoples, is not part of Catholic teaching.
The Vatican agencies then specified that “many Christians have committed acts of evil against indigenous populations, for which recent popes have asked forgiveness on numerous occasions.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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CNA Staff, Nov 15, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).
The Archdiocese of Denver and a coalition of Catholic preschools are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to allow them to access a Colorado universal preschool program.
The petition to the high court comes after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit ruled in September that Colorado may continue to exclude Catholic preschools from its Universal Preschool Program because of their religious beliefs.
Catholic preschools in Denver ask teachers and families to sign a pledge promising to uphold their religious mission, including teachings on sexuality and gender identity. The Colorado preschool program’s nondiscrimination clause, however, requires schools to uphold provisions on sexual orientation and “gender identity.”
Two Catholic parish preschools and the Denver Archdiocese first filed suit in August 2023 against the requirement.
In a Nov. 14 press release, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty — which has represented the schools and the archdiocese in the lawsuit — said the Catholic schools “are asking the Supreme Court to ensure that Colorado makes good on its promise of universal preschool.”
“Colorado is picking winners and losers based on the content of their religious beliefs,” Nick Reaves, a senior lawyer at Becket, said in the release.
“That sort of religious discrimination flies in the face of our nation’s traditions and decades of Supreme Court rulings,” he said. “We’re asking the court to step in and make sure ‘universal’ preschool really is universal.”
Scott Elmer, who serves as chief mission officer for the Denver Archdiocese, said the schools are seeking “the ability to offer families who choose a Catholic education the same access to free preschool services that’s available at thousands of other preschools across Colorado.”
Becket in its press release said the Colorado rules have had a “predictable effect” in which “enrollment at Catholic preschools has swiftly declined, while two Catholic preschools have shuttered their doors.”
The law group said the lower court rulings go against recent Supreme Court decisions on religious freedom, including Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which held that the Montana Constitution’s bar on public funding of religious institutions violated the First Amendment.
In May the Supreme Court declined to rule in a contentious case involving what was proposed to be the nation’s first religious charter school, leaving untouched a lower court ruling that forbade the Oklahoma Catholic institution from accessing state funds.
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CNA Staff, Nov 15, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that aims to improve the nation’s foster care system, including the modernization of the current child welfare system, the development of partnerships with private sector organizations, and prioritizing the participation of those with sincerely held religious beliefs.
The executive order issued Nov. 13 states that the Trump administration is “dedicated to empowering mothers and fathers to raise their children in safe and loving homes.”
The order says current problems with the foster care system include overworked caseworkers, antiquated information systems, and policies that “prohibit qualified families from serving children in need as foster and adoptive parents because of their sincerely-held religious beliefs or adherence to basic biological truths.”
The legal group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has represented Christian families who were barred from serving as foster parents because of their faith, suing on behalf of Brian and Katy Wuoti and Bryan and Rebecca Gantt after the Vermont Department for Children and Families informed the two families that their belief that persons cannot change biological sex and that marriage is only between a man and a woman precluded them from serving as foster parents in the state.
Despite describing the Wuotis and the Gantts as “amazing,” “wonderful,” and “welcoming,” state officials revoked the couples’ foster care licenses after they expressed those beliefs. The state said these beliefs made them “unqualified” to parent any child, regardless of the child’s age, beliefs, or identity.
ADF Senior Counsel Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse, who represents the Wuotis, Gantts, and other Christian families who are prohibited from fostering in lawsuits in Massachusetts, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, told CNA that he hopes the executive order will lead to the states “prioritizing the best interests of children rather than ideological agendas.”
In the face of shortages of foster families, he said the states should be “pursuing a big tent, welcoming as many loving families as possible. But they’re doing the opposite while children who need foster care are sleeping in unlicensed group homes, police stations, and hospitals.”
Trump’s executive order directs the department of Health and Human Services, the White House Faith Office, and the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to “take appropriate action to address state and local policies and practices that inappropriately prohibit participation in federally-funded child-welfare programs by qualified individuals or organizations based upon their sincerely-held religious beliefs or moral convictions.”
It also directs those agencies to “increase partnerships between agencies and faith-based organizations and houses of worship to serve families” involved with the foster care system.
Widmalm-Delphonse told CNA it is “difficult to say how the states will respond” to the executive order, indicating that he hopes either the order or the pending lawsuits will lead to changes in their “discriminatory” policies against families of faith.
“The path the states should take is obvious: It’s a win-win when you open up foster care to people of faith and put the interests of children first,” he said.
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Puebla, Mexico, Nov 15, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).
As the centenary of the Calles Law, which precipitated the bloodiest wave of religious persecution against Mexican Catholics, approaches in 2026, the Mexican Bishops’ Conference (CEM, by its Spanish acronym) paid tribute to the more than 200,000 martyrs of the Cristero Resistance, recalling that they said “with their lives what they proclaimed with their lips: Christ is King, not the oppressive state; Christ is King, not the dictator of the day who is wrapped up in his pride.”
The Mexican bishops expressed this sentiment in their message to “the people of God,” titled “Church in Mexico: Memory and Prophecy — Pilgrims of Hope Toward the Centenary of Our Martyrs,” released Nov. 13.
The message is a fruit of the 119th plenary assembly of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference held Nov. 10–14, which brought together 121 bishops at Casa Lago in Mexico state.
The bishops recalled that “just a few months after the proclamation of the solemnity of Christ the King, in July 1926, the so-called ‘Calles Law’ came into effect in our country, unleashing the most brutal religious persecution in our history. This is why, in January 1927, the repressed Catholic population began the armed uprising known as the Cristero Resistance.”
“A coincidence? No, brothers: a providential event,” the bishops affirmed.
The CEM referred to the legislation officially known as the “Law on Crimes and Offenses Related to Religious Worship and External Discipline,” enacted by then-President Plutarco Elías Calles. This law, which brought to a critical point the severe restrictions imposed on the Church by the 1917 Constitution, established strict control over believers and ministers of religion under penalty of fines and imprisonment.
Among other provisions, the Calles Law, which came into effect on July 31, 1926, dissolved “monastic orders or convents,” severely restricted the pastoral work of priests, prohibited foreign priests from ministering in the country, forbade public worship “outside the church premises” and expropriated any building “constructed or intended for the administration, promotion, or teaching of a religion,” which was to pass “into the direct ownership of the nation.”
The Cristero War, as the conflict between Catholics and the secularist government of Calles became known, officially ended in June 1929, although the persecution and murdering of believers continued. Relations between Church and state would not be reestablished until 1992, when an amendment to the 1917 Constitution and the Law on Religious Associations and Public Worship recognized the legal existence of the Catholic Church.
The Mexican bishops noted that “when the totalitarian state attempted to impose its absolute dominion over consciences, our martyrs understood with crystal clarity the centrality of Jesus Christ: To die shouting ‘Long live Christ the King!’ was to affirm that no human power can claim absolute sovereignty over a person and his conscience.”
“Today we wish to honor the memory of the more than 200,000 martyrs who gave their lives defending their faith: children, young people, the elderly; farmers, laborers, professionals; priests, religious, and laypeople; the heroic Mexico of the Cristeros who gave their lives for a sacred cause, for the freedom to believe and to live according to their faith — all of them wrote a luminous page in the history of the universal Church and of our homeland.”
For the CEM, “the centenary of 2026 cannot be a mere nostalgic commemoration. It must be an examination of conscience and a renewed commitment. Our martyrs ask us today: Are we willing to defend our faith with the same radicalism? Have we lost our sense of the sacred? Have we accommodated ourselves to a culture that seeks to relegate faith to the private sphere?”
The Mexican bishops also noted Pope Leo XIV’s repeated call for unity in the Church, emphasizing that his words “challenge us because we know that unity among us is not a guaranteed fact but a grace that we must receive and cultivate each day with humility and fraternal charity.”
“And we want you to know, brothers and sisters, that this unity among us is to better serve the unity of all the people of God,” they stated.
“We live in a country that longs for peace and needs credible witnesses of reconciliation. And we want you to know, brothers and sisters, that we want to give this witness together: pastors and people, walking together in Christ,” they added.
The CEM also referred to the upcoming celebration in 2031 of the 500th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, emphasizing that “Guadalupe is a remembrance of reconciliation.”
“In the 16th century, when two such different worlds met in these lands, Mary appeared at Tepeyac as a bridge between cultures and races, as a mother who welcomed all her children without distinction. Guadalupe teaches us that unity is not built by erasing differences but by recognizing the image of God in every face,” the conference stated.
“Guadalupe has, at another point in history, inspired our people’s yearning for freedom. Today, it must also be a sign of strength to liberate ourselves from violence, poverty, and injustice,” they stated.
The bishops then clarified that their words were not “political or partisan,” explaining that they could not “be indifferent to the suffering of our people. We cannot remain neutral when human dignity is at stake.”
“Our nation remains under the control of the violent,” they decried. “We are living through difficult times; violence has become commonplace. This cancer of organized crime, which we have suffered for years, has spread its tentacles to many corners of the country. None of the leaders who have governed this country have managed to eradicate this evil.”
However, they emphasized, “we must not be afraid to speak about what we all know but some prefer to keep silent about.”
At the same time, they noted that “forced migration continues. Thousands of Mexicans are forced to leave their homeland, not only in search of better opportunities, but also to flee violence. And those who migrate encounter new forms of violence along the way.”
“Thousands of our Central American brothers and sisters, and those from other continents, cross through our territory, victims of extortion, kidnapping, trafficking, and death,” they charged.
The Mexican bishops also warned that “this whole worrying reality begins in the family: a society that does not protect the family leaves itself unprotected.” The prelates lamented the “alarming” data that show a scenario of “disintegrated families, domestic violence and violence in school environments, and addictions that destroy the lives of young people.
The bishops then criticized public policies implemented “without genuine dialogue with parents and other stakeholders in education,” while “a subtle, and sometimes explicit, anthropological vision alien to the integral dignity of the human person is promoted.”
Recalling the witness of the martyrs, within the context of the Jubilee Year of Hope that is now ending, the bishops affirmed that “Christian hope does not consist in closing our eyes to evil, but in keeping them open, recognizing that Christ has conquered evil with good. Only by acknowledging our errors can we correct them.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Read MoreIn 1976, the Soviet Union began development of the Buran orbiter. Concerned that the American space shuttle program might be used for military purposes, the Soviets responded with Buran and its Energia booster rocket, which were capable of carrying antisatellite and antimissile weapons and targeting locations on Earth’s surface. Though the nonmilitary objectives for BuranContinue reading “Nov. 15, 1988: The Buran orbiter launches”
The post Nov. 15, 1988: The Buran orbiter launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 15, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).
Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, said the country can simultaneously protect its borders and treat immigrants with respect.
In a Nov. 14 interview with “EWTN News Nightly,” Burbidge said the U.S. bishops’ special message on immigration in the United States is a call for respect of the human dignity that belongs to every person as a child of God.
The bishops voted to approve the statement on Nov. 12 at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2025 Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore. The message said bishops oppose “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people.” It is rooted in Jesus’ teachings, Burbidge said.
The bishops have called for a meaningful immigration law “that will provide safe pathways” to citizenship, Burbidge said. “There’s not an easy solution, but there has to be a solution.”
“The bishops understand that a country, of course, has a right to protect its borders for the sake of the common good, but at all times must treat persons with respect,” Burbidge said. He also said the country must do everything possible so people don’t live in distress.
Pastors in the bishops’ dioceses have said the execution of immigration laws is “causing a lot of fear and anxiety,” Burbidge said. The bishops are continuing to minister to immigrants who are “contributing to the good of the Church” and “the good of our communities,” he said.
“We’re representing those who seek no harm to our country, who only want to do good, and we want them to be treated with the respect that is necessary,” Burbidge said. “Again, we also say this does not have to be in conflict with a country protecting itself.”
“We express gratitude to our elected officials for the dialogue that we have had in the past and hopefully that we will continue to have. We love our country. We love the immigrants who have contributed to our country, and we would like our country to be freed from this violence, from rhetoric, from fear,” Burbidge said.
“There has to be a way that we can live together in harmony, and we want to work together,” Burbidge said.
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CNA Staff, Nov 15, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
A new Vatican-set thriller based on a true story is currently in the works, according to Variety.
“Santo Subito!” will follow Father Joseph Murolo, an American priest asked by the Vatican to serve as the “devil’s advocate” in the investigation of Pope John Paul II’s life and his path to sainthood.
The film will take place after the pontiff’s death and follows Murolo, who “must make sure that nothing undermines the sanctification of Karol Wojtyla, the first non-Italian pope in 450 years,” the synopsis reads, as he interviews candidates and witnesses. The description goes on to say that the priest will navigate a “moral labyrinth” that will “put his own faith to the test.”
Murolo will be played by actor Mark Ruffalo, known for his role as Bruce Banner, or the Hulk, in “The Avengers” movies.
Filming is expected to begin on March 9, 2026, on location in Italy and Poland.
“The film offers a genuine behind-the-scenes investigation of the Vatican world, while also taking us into the deeper realm of faith and values,” a co-producer of the film, Nicolas Brigaud-Robert, said. “The script itself is a page-turner, and I can’t imagine any audience remaining indifferent to Father Murolo’s journey.”
In the canonization process of the Catholic Church, the “advocatus diaboli,” or the devil’s advocate, was established to ensure rigorous scrutiny of a candidate’s life, virtues, and reported miracles. The role’s purpose was to consider all possible doubts and inconsistencies, and to present evidence that might challenge claims of holiness, so that only those truly worthy would be declared saints.
However, in 1983, Pope John Paul II reformed the process through the apostolic constitution Divinus Perfectionis Magister, changing the role of the devil’s advocate, also known as the “promoter of faith.” The emphasis shifted from an adversarial model to one more focused on collecting and verifying evidence, with the Congregation for the Causes of Saints overseeing the process.
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This image shows two massive galaxy clusters. The vast number of galaxies and foreground stars in the image were captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in near-infrared light. Glowing, hot X-rays captured by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory appear in pink. The blue represents the dark matter, which was precisely mapped by researchers with Webb’s detailed imaging.
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AUBURN HILLS, MI — Truck manufacturer Dodge unveiled new headlights today that would come standard with new models and were designed specifically to blast gamma ray bursts into your eyeballs.
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ALEXANDRIA, VA — Inspired by the Trump White House’s move toward 50-year mortgages, popular burger chain Five Guys announced it would be addressing the ongoing "Five Guys Affordability Crisis" with convenient 50-year burger financing.
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Fork-tailed flycatcher (Tyrannus savana monachus), chasing prey in Cayo, Belize. This is what the bird looks like when it is flying normally, but not grabbing an insect.
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