Hostility toward Christians in Nicaragua continues to intensify: those who speak out against President Ortega and his government are viewed as destabilising agents. Changes to the law in recent years mean that church leaders are labelled terrorists and coup-plotters. The situation has deteriorated significantly since 2018, when widespread protests broke out against the country’s dictatorial regime. Years later, retribution continues against those perceived to have opposed the regime – even those who merely provided shelter and medical assistance during the protests.
Christians have been among those to raise their voice, but it’s coming at an alarming cost. Christian leaders have been harassed and arrested, Christian properties seized, Christian schools, TV stations and charities closed, and churches monitored and intimidated. In light of these pressures, many Christians – particularly church leaders – have felt forced to flee the country. Many more have been expelled and expatriated. Others who remain have been subjected to immigration restrictions and find it increasingly difficult to move freely within the country.
Christians continue to have an influence in Nicaragua, and this is one of the reasons the government targets them – aiming not just to silence the Church, but to undermine their credibility and prevent their message from spreading.

Meet María​

“This year, they denied again the legal status of my church but, approved or not, we continue to preach the Word of God.”
María (name changed), believer in Nicaragua.

What does Open Doors do to help?​

Open Doors strengthens the persecuted Church in Nicaragua by providing Christian literature, discipleship training, emergency relief aid, legal advice, and education for pastors who haven’t completed their studies.

Please pray​

• Pray for God’s protection for church leaders who courageously speak out against government injustice.
• Pray that Open Doors persecution preparedness training and discipleship seminars will help believers live as salt and light.
• Pray that believers monitored by the government will not be deterred from sharing the Gospel.

It appears Australian tourists are still travelling to the USA despite the overall slump. This link is from our ABC News.


But then again I don't suppose Australians are usually regarded as gangland links or whatever. All nations have criminals so we'd have a few, but they would be vastly outnumbered by Latin gangland connections.

No doubt there are a few who plan to overstay their visa hoping to get a green card, but I think employment conditions would be easier in Australia anyway. If the following AI article is correct there aren't very many.

It is not common for Australians to overstay their US green cards with the specific goal of getting another green card. While some Australians might overstay their visas for various reasons, including potentially seeking a green card, it's not a widespread or strategic approach to immigration. Overstaying a visa or green card can lead to serious legal consequences and difficulties in obtaining future immigration benefits, according to Boundless Immigration and Boundless Immigration.

Click to expand...

I've told this story before but a few years ago I was talking to a young bloke who'd recently returned from the USA. He hired a car but was pulled over by the cops for some reason.

He made the mistake of getting out of the car which is fine in Australia as it's very unlikely the driver or anybody else is going to pull out a firearm. The next thing he knew he was being handcuffed and taken to the police station.

But it got sorted out. They asked him how long he'd been in the US. He said "About three hours!". They laughed at that, but were rather apologetic for the whole thing.

Dear Family, Friends, and Neighbors (Everyone else),

There is something that is heavy on my heart which I need to share with all of you, which you are also free to share with anyone else. There are a lot of conversations on the internet, on various sites, which talk about the gospel of our salvation. And what I am hearing from so many people is a general consensus that someone can make a verbal confession of faith in Jesus Christ, or a confession of belief in what Jesus did in dying for our sins, and this would guarantee the person entry into heaven, no works required.

If this is what you believe, then I must respectfully disagree with that on biblical grounds, which I know I have mentioned before in my other internet posts. For the Scriptures do not teach a salvation from sin and the hope of eternal life with God based on a profession of faith in Jesus Christ only, no works required. For one day we are all going to stand before God on the day of judgment, and we will be judged by God according to our works, not according to our lip service (Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 2:5-10).

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

And we learn in 1 John 1-3 that if we claim that we have fellowship with God, but yet we walk in darkness (sin), we are liars. If we claim that we know God, but we do not obey his commandments, in practice, we are liars. For it is not the one who claims he is “in Christ” who is “in Christ,” but it is the one who has denied self, died with Christ to sin, and who is now walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice, and no longer in sin. They have the hope and the promise of eternal life with God in heaven.

And I am sharing this with you because I am concerned that if the gospel message I believe I am hearing from many of you is what you are teaching others as the gospel, that you could be held responsible by God for giving people a false hope of salvation from sin and of eternal life with God based on a lie. Thus, not based on the truth of what Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught, if read and understood in the correct context in which they said what they did. For many lies are being taught from Scriptures taught out of context and twisted to make them say what they do not say, in truth.

So, please prayerfully consider what I just shared with you, and please read these Scriptures prayerfully, asking the Lord to lead you to all truth. And please know that I must speak the truth of what these Scriptures teach, even if I am hated and rejected and persecuted, in return, because human lives depend upon hearing and believing the truth of what Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught, in their fulness, in the correct biblical context. And please know that I am saying this because I love you all dearly, and my heart’s desire is that all of you come to know Jesus Christ, but in truth!!

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

An Original Work / July 26, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

...no, not the virus, the odd connection between Jeffrey Epstein and William Barr.

Before anyone pounces and suggests this is delving into "conspiracy theory" realm, this is merely meant to point out the odd web of connections that exist with this whole case.


Donald Barr (William Barr's father, and headmaster of a prestigious school (Dalton)) hired Epstein to be a math and physics teacher (despite Epstein being a college drop-out) -- he was subsequently fired after a year, some say due to poor performance, others say due to inappropriate conduct pertaining to female students. -- that hiring decision was already an odd choice given that the headmaster of one of the most prestigious schools would've had his pick of the litter for math teachers, a 21 year old drop out is a odd choice.

Members of the Dalton School administration and a few student's parents helped Epstein get connected with “Ace” Greenberg, an executive at Bear Stearns (where he worked in the capacity of helping rich people hide their money) -- I know, sounds odd that a guy who's a college drop out with no experience apart from being a recently-fired math teacher with 1 year experience would get hired for such a position.

He was subsequently fired from Bear Sterns after irregularities and violations of firm policies

Despite being fired from there, an executive from that firm put him in contact with British arms dealer Douglas Leese (injecting him into elite Euro-circles -- one of which being, Robert Maxwell -- a media mogul with links to arms networks that worked with the Mossad -- whose daughter happens to be the woman sitting in prison right now).

Leese also made introductions between him Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi (if that name sounds familiar, it's because he's the uncle of Jamal Khashoggi -- the reporter who was killed at the embassy)

Adnan Khashoggi and Robert Maxwell were close business associates (and possibly more, given that he & Robert gave each other yachts (The Khashoggi gifted one that Maxwell ended up naming Lady Ghislaine, while Adnan received got called Nabila, which he later to sold to none other than Donald Trump)

Both Khashoggi and Maxwell had links to the Iran-contra scandal, during a time when William Barr held a senior post in the justice department, and just so happened to be advocating against congress having greater oversight over the CIA. (and then later was the guy who advised George HW Bush to pardon people involved in it)


Fast forward a few years, William Barr is the guy declaring Jeffrey Epstein's death a suicide before the investigation is even over, and Robert Maxwell died under mysterious circumstances on his yacht.

...oh and his father Donald Barr wrote a sci-fi novel involving a guy who sexually exploited girls with a female accomplice that's eerily similar to Epstein's story.





Again, I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but the connections in this whole web are extraordinary and the "what are the odds" factor has to be a billion to 1 in this whole thing.

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Catholics and bioethicists side with Church about the ‘deplorable practice.’
Surrogacy uses such techniques as in vitro fertilization (IVF) or artificial insemination, which the Church also deems morally unacceptable. (photo: Corona Borealis / Shutterstock)

When Pope Francis called surrogate motherhood a deplorable practice that he hoped the international community would prohibit universally, he was roundly criticized as insensitive and out of touch.

But a recent case in which 21 children, including 17 toddlers, were taken from a California couple who had them through their surrogacy business has revealed some of the practice’s inherent problems and potential for abuse, bolstering the arguments of those who believe it should be banned.

Born to various surrogate mothers using fertilized embryos from Silvia Zhang, 38, and her husband, Guojun Xuan, 65, the children were discovered as part of a police investigation after a 2-month-old from their home was taken to the hospital, the New York Post reported. That child had suffered a brain injury and is believed by police to have been shaken and struck by the family’s nanny, according to The Associated Press. The other children in the home also are believed to have been abused. All since have been placed in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services. The couple was arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment and neglect but were released from custody pending further investigation, NBC reported. The couple has not responded to requests for comment from multiple media outlets.

The surrogate mothers who bore the children apparently did not know they were carrying embryos from the couple who ran the surrogacy business. One of them, Kayla Elliott, now is seeking custody of the child she carried and has started an online fundraiser for legal fees.

Continued below.

The Holy See’s Secretariat for the Economy has launched a new page inviting laypeople to apply directly for open or upcoming positions across Vatican offices.

In a quiet modern turn, the Vatican is now accepting job applications online. Gone are the days of long recruitment processes and hand-delivered résumés through ecclesial backchannels. The Holy See’s Secretariat for the Economy has launched a new page — cheerfully titled “Work with Us” — inviting laypeople to apply directly for open or upcoming positions across Vatican offices.

The announcement came Tuesday, as reported by Vatican News, and marks a new chapter in the Vatican’s long journey toward administrative transparency and reform. Until now, hiring staff at the Holy See largely involved sifting through a pool of existing CVs, often gathered informally. That process, while time-honored, wasn’t exactly streamlined — or visible.

“A central theme in the economic reform concerns personnel,” said Maximino Caballero Ledo, Prefect of the Secretariat. “We need people with the appropriate competence, motivation, and, above all, an ethical sense.”

The new platform is designed to help match those qualities with actual job openings.

Continued below.

The “different short essays reflect different shades of the personality of a man who was anything but one-dimensional,” says Tracey Rowland, who compiled the collection Remembering George Cardinal Pell.

The late Cardinal Pell was a larger-than-life figure known for his outspoken orthodoxy and bluntness, as well as for being infamously jailed and then dramatically exonerated by the Australian courts.

But what was Pell like among friends, colleagues, and those he interacted with in a wide array of private and public settings? Remembering George Cardinal Pell: Recollections of a Great Man of the Church, compiled by noted theologian Tracey Rowland and published recently by Ignatius Press, gathers over three dozen essays by laity, religious, priests, and bishops who knew Pell as a friend, mentor, shepherd, and co-worker.

Among the contributors are Cardinal Gerhard Müller, George Weigel, Joanna Bogle, Andrew Bolt, Bishop Peter Elliott, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Sister Mary Grace, S.V., Canon Alexander Sherbrooke, Rev. Jerome Santamaria, and many more.

Tracey Rowland recently corresponded with CWR about her friendship with Cardinal Pell, and some of the insights and surprises found in this new book.

CWR: How did this book come about? With so many contributors, how did you pull it all together? What sort of criteria did you set?

Continued below.

Today is July 26, Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

We read at today’s Mass, “If you pull up the weed, you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, ‘First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn'” (Mt 13:29-30).

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that there is a time for judgment and that time belongs to God. For now, the wheat and the weeds grow together. Holiness and struggle exist side by side.

As we conclude this month reflecting on the life of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, that image feels especially fitting. Pier Giorgio’s life was not a postcard version of sainthood. It was marked by joys and friendships, yes, but also by effort and interior struggle.

Preparing ‘ourselves to be ready’​

Continued below.

If Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has any lasting impact for non-Swifties, it’s the marking of different seasons of life as eras. For women with parents in the baby boomer generation, who make up nearly 20% of the population at 65 million people, we are rapidly approaching our second daughter era. Or you may call it the Ruth era.

As our parents and older relatives age into older adulthood, we are now called to care for the elderly as they once cared for us. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly tells us that we must give our parents “material and moral support in old age and in times of illness, loneliness, or distress” (No. 2218). Where the Fourth Commandment to honor your father and mother previously called for our obedience and respect to our parents, as grown children, we are now called to become responsible for them.

Women, in particular, have a natural affinity as caretakers, especially for our parents. Numerous studies suggest that daughters are twice as likely as sons to care for an elder. This affinity has biblical roots in the story of Ruth, who embraced the burden of honoring and caring for her mother-in-law, Naomi, when the men of their family passed away. Ruth promised Naomi, “Wherever you go I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God, my God” (Ruth 1:16).

Intergenerational living and support​

Continued below.

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati’s Tagliatelle​

Serves 2​

— 2 large eggs
— 7 ounces of flour
— Butter, salt and Parmesan (to serve)

1. Pile the flour on a clean countertop, make a well in the middle and crack the eggs into the well. Scramble the eggs with a fork — don’t worry if bits of flour fall in and start to incorporate — and then keep whisking, slowly incorporating more and more flour. 2. Shore up the sides of the well with your hands as need be. Continue to fork-combine the flour and eggs until you have a sticky mass, then use your hands to continue bringing the dough together, adding more flour until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky. 3. Knead for 10 minutes, until elasticity develops and it bounces back quickly when you press it with your finger. 4. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. 5. Roll out as thin as you possibly can on a clean workspace and cut into 1/4-inch strips. 6. Cook in boiling, salted water for about 2 minutes. Serve with butter, salt and Parmesan cheese.

The other day, we had a heck of a time getting to Mass. The boring details included three cars, a sick kid, a kid who got sick in a different way on the way to Mass, and multiple texts and multiple trips back and forth to pick up stragglers.

When I was finally headed back to Mass with one final kid, I said I hoped we would make it on time. I had been taught you have to be at Mass for the Gospel reading for it to count as fulfilling your Sunday observation.

“Kind of a weird thing to have a rule about,” the kid said.

I said, “Well, it’s because if they don’t make a rule, people will pull some kind of nonsense like sticking their heads in the door for a minute, and saying they technically went to Mass.”

I told her that, when I was little, I had heard that you couldn’t spend a dollar bill if more than half of it were missing; so I spent a clownishly long time trying to work out how I could cut a bill in two in such a way that each part would be bigger than half, so I could spend them both. (Yes, I was kind of a dumb kid.) I wasn’t thinking about it having some particular value; I just wanted to get away with something.

Continued below.

It’s been almost a week since the Coldplay kiss cam scandal rocked the world, initiating a global conversation about tragically familiar topics like abuse of power, betrayal, infidelity, and, significantly in the Christian world, the “d” word — divorce.

Because I try to write mostly about things I know, I’ve written about divorce in the church a number of times, each time feeling more redundant and, perhaps a bit more jaded, than the last. I often feel like I’m swimming upstream against a heavy current of “Thou shalt not divorce, or your children will certainly die” messaging.

And I get it. We live in a throwaway culture that refuses to treat marriage as the sacred covenant that it is, and too much of this casual attitude seems to have crept into the church, where divorce rates are strikingly close to those of the secular world — around 27–32% for practicing Christians compared to 33–37% for non-religious individuals, according to a 2008 Barna Group study. The gap narrows further when including nominal believers who rarely attend church. You will not hear me say divorce is inconsequential, and I understand why so many Christian influencers feel compelled to reiterate how important it is for adults to put their grown-up pants on, prioritize their vows, and do what it takes to remain faithfully committed to each other through thick and thin as best they are able. Divorce does hurt children. You won’t hear me disputing this.

Continued below.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a pastor living in Maryland for over two decades for overstaying his visa. He was transferred to a federal detention facility in Louisiana, where he awaits an immigration hearing.

Daniel Fuentes Espinal, 54, originally from Honduras, was apprehended by ICE officers on Monday in Easton, a town in Maryland's rural Eastern Shore. The pastor of Iglesia del Nazareno Jesus Te Ama was detained while returning to a construction site after buying materials from a nearby Lowe's and picking up breakfast at McDonald's, The Baltimore Banner reports.

In a statement, an ICE spokesperson said that "Fuentes entered the United States on a 6-month visa and never left in 24 years."

Continued below.

Historic Poll Devastates Democrats: Worst Voter Approval Rating in 35 Years​

Am I the only Egalitarian that feels isolated or lonely from the rest of the Christians because of my beliefs?

Do others feel the same? How do you cope with it?

Hello.

I want to learn Byzantine Plain Chant. Does anyone know of some good resources for it? Some books, or some recordings I could use? I don't have musical knowledge but I am willing to learn it.

Here is an example: Login to view embedded media
Thank you.

I was raised in as traditional Roman Catholic as I think you could get.

My father was a seminary graduate, spoke Latin and German - could read Hebrew. The only reason he didn't become a priest is that he fell in love with my mother. I went to a Catholic school through most of my elementary and high school life I can still sing Latin and understand the Latin masses.

I left the church in my late teens and became an agnostic. If there was a God, I was not sure, but I was scared to say there wasn't in case I was wrong. Graduated High School and college, spent time with the DOD and towards the end of that assignment I had a one on one encounter with Jesus Christ that completely changed my life.

I tried going back to the Roman Catholic church because it was my roots, but it was lifeless to me. I found an Assemblies of God Church and WOW! What a difference. Fast forward 40 years and I am an Ordained minister - Assemblies of God pastor and I minister in Europe and the Middle East, training ministers.

Without bashing or tearing down the RCC - what difference have you experienced since you left.

With me - the biggest is the intimacy with Christ.

Thoughts?

As the world mocks a moment of public scandal, Catholics are called to look deeper: What does our faith say about sin and death, judgment and mercy, and the reality of heaven and hell?


Chris Martin performs at Coldplay’s July 16 concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where a viral kiss-cam moment involving two executives was captured. (photo: YouTube / Fair Use)


“Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy,” Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin quipped at the reaction caught on the kiss cam at a July 16 concert in Massachusetts. His guess turned out to be correct after Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his HR chief, Kristin Cabot, went from happy to horrified to hiding when they were caught cuddling on camera.

At first, I chuckled at some of the jokes and re-enactments on other kiss cams, at sporting events and beyond. I was laughing along with the world over two powerful people with no regard for morality — much less for their families, company and co-workers — going from the height of arrogance to global humiliation in a matter of seconds.

Continued below.

Truth, beauty and goodness — like a fine wine — get better with age, but Coca-Cola just fizzles out and goes flat.

Some time ago I wrote a series on “What’s Killing American Catholicism.”

The first post was on Cultural Catholicism, and I argued that this was countered by Comprehensive Catholicism — a Catholic faith that is truly universal and transcends all cultures and ethnicities.

The second installment was on Complacent Catholicism, which is countered by Compassionate Catholicism.

The third post focused on Cafeteria Catholicism versus Complete Catholicism, while the fourth installment was on Cut-Off Catholicism, which is countered by Continuous Catholicism.

Being kind of addicted to alliteration, I continued the series with Coca-Cola Catholicism. This has two aspects. The first is a critique of the sort of American Catholicism which, like Coca-Cola itself is sweet and fizzy, but has little nutritional value — in fact, after the first buzz it doesn’t even quench your thirst. The caffeine doesn’t really satisfy. It makes you thirsty and wanting more.

Coca-Cola Catholicism is characterized by worship that is warm and fuzzy and sweet. Anodyne sermons that are about anything but the gospel of Jesus Christ — bland exhortations to be nicer people or to be more tolerant — or pep talks to boost self-esteem. This is combined with hokey, sentimental music with saccharine songs about gathering together and feeling the Spirit all gooey and sweet.

Continued below.

Bishop Artur Bubnevych brings deep pastoral roots and a bold vision for growth to the expansive Eparchy of Phoenix.


Bishop Artur Bubnevych (photo: Courtesy of Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Church / Eparchy of Phoenix)

On Jan. 28, Father Artur Bubnevych was consecrated and enthroned as the sixth bishop of the Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix. Originally from Ukraine, Bishop Artur has served in the United States since 2013 and brings pastoral experience and missionary energy to his new role. In this interview, he reflects on his vision for the Church, challenges ahead, and the beauty of Eastern Catholic witness in the modern world.



You’ve served in the Eparchy of Phoenix since your arrival in the United States in 2013. What insights have you gained about the eparchy through your service?

It’s a very big eparchy in territory covering 13 states all the way to Alaska and Hawaii — very diverse and multi-national. The faithful are not an East European Church at all. We are a missionary eparchy, with converts and returnees to the Faith.

Continued below.

A viral image has Catholic corners of the internet smiling — and appreciating the real Scott Hahn all the more.


Winona Ryder and her boyfriend Scott Mackinlay Hahn attend the UK Premiere of 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' at Cineworld Leicester Square in London. (photo: Fred Duval / Shutterstock)

In a whirlwind week of viral moments lighting up the internet — including some that have upended people's lives — what a strange feeling to come across a composite image of all the men that actress Winona Ryder has dated. And there, among her former beaus, was a face most Catholics would instantly recognize: Dr. Scott Hahn.

A post from Viral to Viral on Facebook used a photo of Catholic theologian Dr. Scott Hahn instead of Scott Mackinlay Hahn.(Photo: Facebook )

Yes, it’s true that the Stranger Things actress is dating a man named Scott Hahn, who does bear some resemblance to the one we all know — complete with a distinguished beard.

But that is where the comparison ends.

Continued below.