Religion, Nations, and Geopolitical Review: SATURDAY, MARCH 20

by A. Joseph Lynch

I. POPE FRANCIS AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

GOD CAN'T BLESS SIN: On the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Pope Francis approved a CDF statement that denied any Church blessing of same-sex "marriage". The statement includes some of the strongest words yet from the current pontificate concerning marriage and homosexuality. Included was a call to conversion from homosexuals, the statement that God "cannot bless sin," and a quote from Pope Francis himself regarding the radical difference between marriage and homosexual "unions": “there are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family.” This quote comes from Francis' apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia. Note how few conservative Catholics, who broadsided the pope over this exhortation, ever quoted these words. God love Pope Francis - we hope our readers see he is not as "liberal" as some would have them believe.

ELTON JOHN AGAINST FRANCIS: Did you know that $1 million dollars from Pope Francis' personal charity went to fund Elton John's biopic that celebrated his homosexuality and included gay sex scenes? Given this past, Elton John is rather upset by the new CDF statement. More on this from Taylor Marshall.

PETERSON-PAGEAU DISCUSSION: Jordan Peterson is still struggling to recover from his bout with akathisia, a condition that took him out of the culture war as the world turned upside down in 2020. As he makes a slow return and preps the release of a new book, Peterson had a good religious conversation with Orthodox Christian, Jonathan Pageau. Peterson seems to be increasingly open to Christianity, though his mind presents him with some undue roadblocks to faith. He notes how difficult it is to get through religious services. One wonders if he's ever attended a truly beautify liturgy. Someone needs to explain to him how liturgy is meant to be our participation in the Heavenly worship of God. To be swept up in it is exactly the medicine Peterson needs. 

SARAH SUPPORTS FRANCIS: The retirement of Cardinal Sarah deeply troubled conservative Catholics. Taylor Marshall has dedicated at least two videos to discuss the retirement and speculate over what is to come. Meanwhile Cardinal Sarah, who was appointed by Pope Francis, has since given his renewed support for the Holy Father and dispelled rumors that the two are at odds. Read the full interview with Sarah.

II. US AND THE NATIONS ROUND UP

BIDEN'S SLIP UPS: Joe Biden is slipping up in more ways than one. Not only has he accidentally called Harris the president, but shocking video out today shows him nearly falling down the stairs of Air Force One. Biden is not up to the job and leaders the world over know this. Just compare China's measured response to Trump last summer versus the outright dismissal of US diplomacy under Biden today. Is Biden making a series of mere faux pas or do all signs point to an early Biden exit? Maybe the New Yorker piece from last October on Biden and the 25th Amendment was prescient. 

PUTIN A KILLER? In his senility, Biden called President Vladimir Putin a killer and said he would soon pay for supposed US election interference. Putin's response? "It takes one to know one." The Russian president rightly recalled his US ambassador and then challenged Biden to a public debate. Such a face-to-face, manly debate is exactly what we need. Sadly we know this won't happen. Biden not only lacks the necessary courage and stamina, but most importantly the truth is not on his side. Plus we've all seen how he handles people who disagree with him (he swears at them and he calls them fat then challenges them to a push up contest).

WASHINGTON POST RETRACTION: It turns out that President Trump never told Georgia officials to "find the fraud." Those three words were plastered across mainstream media for days following their publication by the Washington Post. Many suspected they would be used by Pelosi to launch a second impeachment effort. Long after the fact, the Post has now issued a retraction of those words and indicated they came from within Georgia's secretary of state's office. More on this from the American Conservative. All this is a reminder that President Trump was not only up against Biden and the DNC but also against the media and establishment RINOs seeking his removal. 

III. CULTURE OF LIFE, CULTURE OF PROTECTION

CULTIVATING MASCULINITY: As the US military considers flattening out its physical fitness standards for combat in order to make them easier for women, China seeks to cultivate masculinity among its coddled male youth, often the only children of their parents. China's plan is to include more gym classes and more male teachers - both of which are excellent ideas. Young men need more male role models and it's important to remember that sports, in many ways ritualized combat, are aimed at preparing men for the possibility of war. The mainstream media may mock China's move, but as the sexual Left runs amuck in the atheist West, China's return to the natural sexual order puts them ahead of us in this regard.

ARRESTED FOR SPEAKING TRUTH: A Canadian father has been arrested for violating a court-order involving his daughter, who self-identifies as a transgendered male. His crime? He continued to refer to her as his daughter and used female pronouns. One of the key arguments used keep people from standing up to the LGBT movement is by saying that the movement won't harm the lives of average citizens - yet we see in Canada the loss of free speech and the imprisonment of a man speaking the truth about his child. And we cannot overstate the damage done to children whose bodies are permanently disfigured by the "medical procedures" they undergo as they "transition" to another gender. We hope American's watch Canada for signs of what is to come if we continue to indulge the rampaging sexual Left.

CHAUVIN TRIAL AND LAWSUIT: Minneapolis agreed to give the family of George Floyd an unseemly settlement of $27 million - more than ten times the amount of a typical settlement. The staggering figure was announced during the jury selection of Floyd's accused killer, Derek Chauvin. The judge since dismissed two seated jurors who admitted the vast sum would impact their deliberations of Chauvin's guilt or innocence.  For more information on the coming trial, we recommend watching the weekly legal discussions between Viva Frei and Robert Barnes. Barnes reminds us that the 8th Circuit ruled in the past that police kneeling on the neck is not only legal but also that police cannot be sued for any bodily injury caused by doing so. We expect information like this to be used in the coming trial.