From the onset, I am sure we all feel a sense of anticipation about the new pontificate of Leo XIV. There is anxiety in the waiting and there is joy at the fulfillment. This is a theme of today’s Gospel as well, for Christ uses the image of childbirth in speaking to His Apostles in the Upper Room about His Ascension and then the descent of the Holy Spirit. May this new pontificate be fruitful…

Source

Matt Taibbi Reports on the closure of the inhumane torture of dogs at the NIH 

Paul Craig Roberts

Trusting, loving Beagle dogs were tortured for years at Fauci’s NIH by human monsters who should be tried and given the death penalty.  How many American taxpayers knew, and would approve of, the extraordinary torture of “man’s best friend” by white-coated criminals using Americans’ tax money?

This is what goes on when government is out of control, as the US government has been since Abe Lincoln.  Even Trump can barely do anything to bring the monster government under control.

The torture of animals by sadists under the cloak of “medical research”–what a joke!–has only been stopped at NIH.  As Taibbi reports, the NIH, the Department of Defense, the FDA and other agencies are still funding experimentation on dogs and cats outside of their agencies at colleges and universities and private companies across the country.  Clearly, there is no more integrity and humanity in American universities and private companies than at Fauici’s NIH.

People who torture innocent animals in the name of Satanic humans are evil beyond comprehension.  The “research” has never benefitted anyone.  But it has made inhumane monsters of people who will surely and deservedly burn in Hell. 

Big Pharma’s entire approach to medicine is wrong.  The chemical approach must be replaced by nutrition and the use of natural supplements.  But a correct approach to health would depreciate Big Pharma’s investments in treatments that undermine the human immune system.

We have the same problem with the food industry whose additives in processed foods undermine health.

Both Big Pharma and Big Food are entrenched institutionalized interests, and they will continue to kill us.

https://www.racket.news/p/timeline-beaglegate?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1042&post_id=163161489&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=dx5km&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email 

Harvard EXPOSED: How Corrupt Elites Destroyed American Education

https://sputnikglobe.com/20250507/harvard-exposed-how-corrupt-elites-destroyed-american-education-1122004575.html 

Is the Satanic Israel Lobby Losing Its Iron Grip on America?

https://www.unz.com/pgiraldi/fed-up-with-benjamin-netanyahu/

With Trump perhaps, but not with the Republican governor of red state Texas, who remains a firm Israeli stooge, as do Republican senators Lindsey Graham, Tom Cotton, and Ted Cruz.

https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-condemns-city-of-san-marcos-antisemitic-resolution 

https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/Letter_to_San_Marcos_04.29.25.pdf 

Now that Palestine has been destroyed, is President Trump going to give US recognization to a Palestinian state?

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-853387?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email 

Did Big Pharma Make a Large Donation to IPI?

Perhaps no industry is under as much pressure today from both Left and Right than the US pharmaceutical industry. But in yet another case of “the seen vs. the unseen,” demonizing the pharmaceutical industry is at best misguided and at worst will cost human lives.

Author, historian, and friend of IPI Tevi Troy has a compelling article in the April 2025 issue of Commentary Magazine entitled “In Praise of Big Pharma” that maps out the dangers of demagoguing against the pharmaceutical industry.

Please join IPI on June 17th for this important virtual policy briefing on the issues surrounding the pharmaceutical industry, and why we must not allow runaway populism to endanger one of our most critical industries. Regardless of your views, you will undoubtedly learn something. And we will allow a generous Q&A period for your questions and informed comments.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9E_74mtbRpKPNpwclk-nHw?mc_cid=ff5465dc4d&mc_eid=6241cf160d#/registration 

Bill Gates is the Typhoid Mary of our time

Dr. Anthony Phan, a Vietnamese-American doctor says Autism did not exist in Vietnam until Bill Gates introduced his vaccination program

 “There’s no such thing as autism in 1975, year 2000, year 2001, there’s no such thing — The Gates foundation introduced the vaccination program into Vietnam. Now Vietnam has over a 300% rise in autism”

“When Vietnam signed the WHO, and when Vietnam signed into the International Monetary Fund, the banking system, Bill Gates and the Gates foundation introduced the vaccination program into Vietnam. Now Vietnam has over a 300% rise in autism”

https://x.com/WallStreetApes/status/1921018603488280884 

Our hosts, Fr. Jon Tveit and Amanda, are joined by Pater Edmund and Fr. Joseph Hudson, OSB for a conversation about the role of the ordo amoris in Catholic intellectual tradition.

Fr. Joseph Hudson, a Benedictine priest of Clear Creek Abbey, studied philosophy before entering the cloister in 2008. In 2019 he went to Rome to earn a Licentiate in Sacred Theology at the Angelicum, later teaching at Clear Creek. In 2023, he returned to Rome to pursue a doctorate.

Bibliography:

• St. Bernard, Commentary on the Song of Songs, Sermon XLIX–L (PL 183, 1016–1025)
• St. Augustine, On Christian Doctrine, I c.27
• St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, II-II q.26

Header Image: Dirk Jacobsz Vellert, The Vision of St. Bernard (1524)

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Ankara is ready to help Moscow and Kiev pick up the settlement process “where they left off” in 2022, the president has said

Türkiye has accepted Russia’s request to mediate direct peace talks with Ukraine, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. The country previously hosted negotiations between Moscow and Kiev in 2022, which ultimately collapsed after Ukraine walked out.

In a phone call on Sunday, Erdogan welcomed Putin’s recent statement suggesting that “talks between Russia and Ukraine would continue in Istanbul from where they left off,” adding that Ankara “was ready to host negotiations that would lead to a permanent solution.”

The Kremlin has confirmed the call, stating that the two leaders “discussed in detail the Russian president’s initiative to resume direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations.” 

“The Turkish side will provide all possible assistance in organizing and conducting negotiations aimed at achieving a lasting peace.”

On the same day, Erdogan told French President Emmanuel Macron that “a historic turning point” to end the conflict had been reached, and that this opportunity should be seized.

This comes after Putin offered Kiev the opportunity to restart direct negotiations in Istanbul on May 15, “without preconditions.” Kiev ultimately walked away from reaching a settlement in 2022 under pressure from London, and Vladimir Zelensky later issued a decree banning himself from any negotiations with Putin. 

Zelensky and several of Kiev’s Western backers have been insisting that Russia agree to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire before direct talks. Putin noted that Kiev has not adhered to the three ceasefires offered by Moscow.   

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that while Moscow supports the idea of a ceasefire “in general,” “there are lots of questions” that remain unresolved. Moscow previously voiced concern that the halt in hostilities would allow Kiev to regroup its battered troops and has insisted that all Western arms shipments to Ukraine must be suspended for the duration of the ceasefire. 

Türkiye hosted several rounds of negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in the spring of 2022. Moscow later said the talks had yielded tangible progress, including a tentative draft agreement on Ukraine’s neutral status, security guarantees, and other core issues. However, Moscow accused then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson of derailing the peace process, claiming that he advised Kiev not to accept the terms and to “keep fighting.”

While Johnson has denied the claim, David Arakhamia, head of the Ukrainian delegation at the time, acknowledged that he had played an influential role in the process.

The US president has welcomed Moscow’s overture aimed at resuming direct negotiations with Kiev

US President Donald Trump has expressed support for his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin’s proposal to resume direct peace talks with Ukraine. Putin earlier suggested restarting negotiations, which have been on hold since 2022, in Istanbul, Türkiye next week.

Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday to praise what he called “a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine! Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending ‘bloodbath’ hopefully comes to an end.”

The US, he added, “wants to focus, instead, on Rebuilding and Trade. A BIG week upcoming!”

Putin previously proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul, where talks were last held in 2022. Moscow said that while the sides were making progress toward peace at the time and had reached a preliminary draft agreement, the process was derailed by then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who advised Kiev to “keep fighting.” Johnson has denied the claim.

”We propose resuming talks without any preconditions,” Putin said, stressing that Russia has never refused dialogue. He added that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed his readiness to facilitate the meeting.

Responding to the Russian leader’s new proposal, French President Emmanuel Macron called it “a first step, but not enough” to ensure a path to peace.

Putin’s remarks came after the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, Poland, the UK, and the EU floated a proposal for a 30-day “full and unconditional” ceasefire, which they claimed would “create room for diplomacy,” adding that the US supports the initiative. Several European leaders also threatened to impose new sanctions on Russia if it rejects the ceasefire.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Russia needs to “think about” the ceasefire proposal. He added that while Putin supports the idea of a ceasefire “in general,” “there are lots of questions” yet to be resolved.

Moscow previously expressed concern that Ukraine could use a pause in the fighting to regroup its battered and exhausted troops while continuing forced mobilization. Russia has also insisted that Western arms shipments must be halted during a ceasefire.

Regarding the threat of new sanctions from EU nations, Peskov said Russia is “resistant to any kind of pressure.”

Becoming acquainted with Bergoglio’s successor…

Introducing ‘Pope’ Leo XIV:
Who is Robert Francis Prevost?

Mr. Robert Prevost on May 9, 2025, playing ‘Pope Leo XIV’
image: Getty Images (Simone Risoluti/Vatican Pool)

Now that Robert Francis Prevost has been elected head of the Vatican II Church (stage name: Leo XIV), a lot of information must be processed to understand what his background is, and what his aims are.

In this post, we are featuring three video podcasts and one audio podcast giving first impressions and thoughts about the new ‘Pope’ and what lies ahead:

Panel Discussion: The New ‘Pope’ Leo XIV (Robert Francis Prevost)
with Kevin Davis (host), Fr.… READ MORE

As Friedrich Merz limps into the chancellor’s office on his second try, his term is already starting worse than his predecessor’s ended

It seems long ago already, but politically speaking, it was really only yesterday that the last, deeply unpopular German government collapsed on November 6 of last year.

Based on a fractious coalition and led by the hapless Olaf Scholz, it was a flop from almost the beginning to the bitter end. But what finally imploded Scholz’s cabinet was its finance minister’s refusal to hollow out Germany’s – back then – severe restrictions on public debt, specifically to throw even more money at Ukraine.  

Exactly half a year after this fiasco, the next and current German government produced another one, even before it had really started: On 6 May, its designated leader Friedrich Merz from the mainstream conservatives (CDU) failed to get parliament to elect him as chancellor. This may look like a formality because, after complicated and humiliating maneuvering, Merz managed to find enough votes on a second try.

Yet rest assured, no one in Germany thinks this was a minor glitch. For one thing, unlike a coalition breakdown, this was an entirely unprecedented failure: no post-World War II German chancellor has ever failed to be confirmed in the first round. That’s why, on the day of the disaster, some parliamentarians even spoke of a fundamental “crisis of the state.”

No wonder really, because would-be-chancellors only ask parliament for this vote when they believe they have a majority of deputies securely on their side. So did Merz, too. And that is why his initial dud was so much worse than just a sad historic first: The only way he could fail was by quiet but deliberate mutiny from below and, clearly, arrogant negligence on his side.

His coalition is made up of his own conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD). If every member of parliament from these two parties had supported him in the first round, a second one would not have been needed. Clearly, then, it was deputies from his own party or its coalition allies who refused to comply. We will never know who exactly because the vote was anonymous, but we do know that there were at least 18 rebels. A major conservative commentator was right: This blow below the belt from Merz’s own ranks will hurt for a long time.

This is an awful way to begin a chancellorship. And not only because from now on, right from the get-go, the “partners” – yes, those are scare quotes – now divvying up power and positions in Berlin will always have to wonder which one of them – SPD or CDU (or even both)? – is harboring snakes in the grass. And when might they strike again? Welcome to the all-new coalition: as backstabbing as the last one but faster off the mark.

More fundamentally, if you can’t keep your troops together on confirming you as the boss, how do you expect to get your budgets and laws through? But things are even more foreboding in this case. For Merz could only even have a shot at high office because Germany is in such a comprehensive mess: demography, the economy, infrastructure, the party system, foreign policy, technology, and, last but not least, the public mood. You name it – nothing, really nothing, is okay.

It is against this dark background that a major German economist serving on the government’s own council of experts is already asking the inevitable question: How can this new coalition government fulfill Merz’s key promise to finally address this national misery, if it is so obviously bereft of unity? And, we may add, of discipline and foresight, too, because it takes astonishing sloppiness to prepare a chancellor vote so badly. Another economist notes that the debacle has also sent a “devastating signal” to the rest of the world. Indeed. And good luck for Merz when trying to tell Trump off for his team’s meddling in German politics: Whether Trump will say it or not, it is certain that he has already slotted Merz as a “loser.”

And the American bruiser-in-chief has a point. Not only because of the embarrassing lack of professionalism that came to light in mismanaging this crucial vote, but also because Merz’s CDU and their SPD coalition partners under Lars Klingbeil richly deserved their come-uppance. Between the last elections and cobbling together their coalition, they engineered a crassly foul maneuver: Clearly against the spirit if not the letter of the constitution, they used the old parliament – de facto already voted out by Germany’s citizens – for perhaps the single greatest flipflop in German postwar history.

Remember those strict limits for public debt over which the preceding coalition collapsed? Merz ran his electoral campaign promising that he would not abandon this so-called “debt brake.” As a dyed-in-the-wool conservative, he was in an excellent position to make that claim and get voters to believe it. And yet, it was his first action – even before entering office – to break that promise.

And not in a small, corner-cutting way. Merz did not cut corners but razed the edifice to the ground. Having run and won (barely) as a fiscal hawk, he rapidly made a screeching U-turn to – in CNN’s words – “massively expand borrowing and super-charge military spending.” To the tune of a cool trillion or so over the next decade. Many voters and members of his own party were not only bewildered but aghast. We cannot know for sure, but I and many other Germans are probably right guessing that this massive breach of faith motivated at least some of the rebels during the chancellor vote.

What we do know for sure is that Merz’s personal ratings have crashed even before he almost failed to become chancellor. Never popular to begin with, he has reached a nadir: On the eve of the parliamentary vote, 56% of Germans were against Merz becoming chancellor, only 38% welcomed that prospect.

And Merz is not the only one who has emerged dented from this affair: For complicated procedural reasons, Merz needed the cooperation of the Die Linke party under its shooting star Heidi Reichinnek to get his second chance. For Die Linke, providing this help was probably a very bad move. Reichinnek is to Germany what Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is to the US: a social-media savvy lifestyle leftist with hubristic rhetoric (anyone for abolishing capitalism, all of it, right now and with tattoos, please?) and deeply tactical behavior in the real world. By helping out the unpopular arch-capitalist Merz, she may have overdone it even for some of her most devoted TikTok fans.

But it’s not all bad news. At least not for everyone. The AfD – under pressure from Germany’s domestic intelligence service and the possible threat of a complete ban – is likely to profit. It may have missed a superb chance of embarrassing Merz by actually voting for him. But there is another effect: The collaboration of the oh-so-terribly radical Reichinnek and her party, has already made some German observers ask a simple, plausible question: If both Die Linke and the AfD used to be treated as beyond the pale – or, in German parlance, “firewalled” – and yet Merz had no problem relying on Die Linke to get into office (no less!), then, clearly, that whole “firewall” thing is not all it’s cracked up to be. And if that is so, then the firewall against the AfD may well also crumble one day. In fact, as a matter of consistency and fairness, it should, whether you like the AfD or not.

What an odd way of becoming the new leader of Germany’s political mainstream: Limping through the entry gate, badly bruised and humiliated as no chancellor before, while once again de facto strengthening the country’s largest and most threatening insurgent party. Merz’s predecessor Scholz started with much undeserved advance praise and ended abysmally. Merz has managed to start abysmally already.

 From Catholic News Service

Powerful symbols: Vatican releases Pope Leo XIV’s official portrait and signature

By  AC Wimmer

Rome Newsroom, May 10, 2025 / 10:30 am

The Vatican unveiled Pope Leo XIV’s official portrait and signature Saturday, revealing the American pontiff’s embrace of traditional papal elements just two days after his historic election.

The formal portrait shows the 69-year-old pope wearing the red mozzetta (short cape), embroidered stole, white rochet, and golden pectoral cross — traditional papal vesture that present a visual contrast to the simpler style preferred by his predecessor.

This is Pope Leo’s official portrait:

7

This is based on the traditional symbol of the Augustinian Order. 

The fleur-de-lis has particular significance in Catholic iconography as a symbol of purity and the Virgin Mary.

The three-petaled lily design has also been connected to the Holy Trinity. It is prominently featured in French heraldry, which may hold personal meaning for the pope, who has French ancestry through his father’s lineage.

Beneath the shield runs a scroll displaying the pope’s episcopal motto: “In illo uno unum” (“In the one Christ we are one”), a phrase taken from St. Augustine’s commentary on Psalm 127. The motto reflects Leo’s roots in the Augustinian order and his commitment to unity in the Church.

These profound presentations of papal symbols — the portrait, signature, and coat of arms — traditionally occur in the early days of a new pontificate and provide insights into the theological priorities and pastoral style the new pope intends to emphasize.

Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, made history on May 8, becoming the first U.S.-born pope.

 On Thursday, you and I received the news: a new pope, Pope Leo XIV.

You and I can only imagine 

the sense of responsibility Pope Leo must feel. 

It may have taken a few hours or even a few days for it to sink in.

The most important response you and I can give, 

beyond our gratitude for having a shepherd, 

is to give him our best help.

Here’s how you and I can help Pope Leo:

First: pray for him!

Second: don’t impose unfair expectations on him. 

Namely, he’s not Pope Francis, 

nor is he Pope Benedict or Pope John Paul.

Third, remember that he is a human being, the same as you and I.

What we believe is that God gives the bishops – 

and the pope in particular – 

help to avoid running the Church “into the ditch,” as it were.

That doesn’t mean the pope is given divine illumination.

Nor does it promise that every decision he may make will be perfect.

We believe that the Holy Spirit protects the bishops, 

in their shared teaching office, from teaching error. 

That is what “infallibility” means, 

and it applies to the bishops when they act together, 

and when the pope acts as our chief pastor.

Today, you and I are also celebrating a special day 

for several of our children, 

who are receiving their first Holy Communion.

Children, maybe you noticed the curious words in the second reading: 

the Apostle John said he saw “a great multitude,

which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue.”

Think of how vast a crowd that must be! As far as the eye can see!

This is a promise of what Jesus will do to bring people to heaven.

But here’s something each of us needs to recognize:

Jesus chooses to do this, not all on his own, as he might, 

But rather, to do this through you and me.

He gathers this “great multitude” through his Church. That’s us.

It is your job and mine to tell people about Jesus.

To give everyone a welcome to know Jesus better.

To show in our daily lives, the difference Jesus makes.

Now, this is a good time to recall the first reading:

Paul and Barnabas and other Christians – 

when they did what I just described, in telling others about Jesus – 

did you notice what happened? 

They were insulted and beaten up.

Eventually, Paul and Barnabas and others were killed 

because they were faithful to Jesus!

You and I must not kid ourselves 

or mislead others about the cost of being a disciple of Jesus.

To say yes to Jesus is to say no to other things in life:

It may mean we don’t end up with as much money or stuff;

We may have to give up some fun things on the weekend, 

so we can attend Holy Mass.

Most of the time, the choice to be faithful involves small decisions, day-by-day, 

that maybe no one but God will know about.

It can seem easy to say “yes” one time to Jesus.

Where it gets harder is to keep saying “yes,” day by day by day.

This is why Jesus gave you and me the sacraments, in particular, 

the sacrament of confession, 

where we return to him after we lose our way;

and the Most Holy Eucharist, 

where we are united to him as fully as is possible in this world.

Remember: the Holy Eucharist isn’t just a symbol.

Holy Communion is union with Jesus himself.

He gives his Body and Blood – ALL of himself – to you and me.

He does this so that you and I can be able to make him real to others. 

To be faithful. To be strong. To remember who we are.

I can only imagine the first time Pope Leo offered Mass, 

after becoming our shepherd, 

he focused on how much more strength and courage and help 

he needed from Jesus. To be a witness.

You and I may not be pope. But we need that same help.

Today, second graders, you say yes to Jesus in a new way.

The rest of us are helped by your example: to consider our own “yes.”

Please, children, show us: not just a “yes” today, but every day,

Until one day, you help the rest of us join that great multitude!