David Quinn: The Pope was not a ‘liberal', nor was he a ‘conservative' – he was, in fact, a Catholic
Francis was seen as being opposed to strict doctrine. How much of that is true?
Often, there is the image of a Pope on the one hand, and the reality on the other. Take Benedict XVI, for example.
Even before becoming head of the Catholic Church in 2005, he had a long-established reputation as 'God's Rottweiler', or the 'Panzer-Kardinal'. This is because he was German and, for years under John Paul II, was the head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is basically the church's doctrinal watchdog.
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The Journal
a day ago
- The Journal
Mass anti-Trump protests held across US as president hosts Washington military parade
DONALD TRUMP HOSTED the largest US military parade in decades on his 79th birthday, as protesters rallied across the country to accuse him of acting like a dictator. Trump hailed the United States as the 'hottest country in the world' after watching tanks, aircraft and troops file past him in Washington to honour the 250th anniversary of the US army. But it formed a stark split screen with turmoil at home and abroad, as police used tear gas to disperse protesters in Los Angeles and US ally Israel traded missile fire with Iran in a rapidly escalating conflict in the Middle East. Trump's parade on an overcast night in Washington came after hundreds of thousands of 'No Kings' demonstrators thronged the streets in cities including New York, Philadelphia, Houston and Atlanta. Trump largely avoided his usual domestic political diatribes in an unusually brief speech, and instead focused on praising the US army, saying that they 'fight, fight, fight, and they win, win, win.' The display of military might comes as Trump asserts his power domestically and on the international stage. Trump salutes during the military parade in Washington. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo In his address to the parade, the US President sent a warning to Washington's adversaries of 'total and complete' defeat, with the United States increasingly at risk of getting tangled up in Israel's conflict with Iran. 'Time and again, America's enemies have learned that if you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you,' Trump said. 'Happy Birthday' Trump had openly dreamed since his first term as president of having a grand military parade, of the type more often seen in Moscow or Pyongyang than Washington. The last such parade in the United States was at the end of the 1991 Gulf War. When it came, Trump stood and saluted on a stage outside the White House as tanks rumbled past, aircraft roared overhead and nearly 7,000 troops marched past. People blanket New York's 5th Avenue as far as the eye can see. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Troops and military hardware from different eras of US history passed by, with an announcer reeling off victories in battles with Japanese, German, Chinese and Vietnamese forces in past wars. The army said the parade cost up to $45 million (€38 million). But while the crowd sang 'Happy Birthday' and there were occasional chants of 'USA! USA!', the atmosphere was less intense than one of the barnstorming rallies that swept Trump to power. Advertisement The White House said that 'over 250,000 patriots showed up' for the event, without providing evidence. Communications Director Steven Cheung described the 'No Kings' protests as a 'complete and utter failure.' 'No Kings' organisers said protesters gathered in hundreds of cities, with AFP journalists seeing large crowds in several cities. Organisers said they were protesting against Trump's dictatorial overreach, and in particular what they described as the strongman symbolism of the parade. Tens of thousands of demonstrators spill onto Dearborn Street in Chicago. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo 'I think people are mad as hell,' Lindsay Ross, a 28-year-old musician, told AFP in New York, where tens of thousands of people rallied. Some protesters targeted Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida – while a small group even gathered in Paris. 'I think it's disgusting,' protester Sarah Hargrave, 42, said in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, describing Trump's parade as a 'display of authoritarianism.' 'Display of authoritarianism' Thousands turned out in Los Angeles to protest Trump's deployment of troops in the country's second-largest city following clashes sparked by immigration raids. After a day of largely peaceful protests, police unexpectedly began moving people away from the protest area, igniting confusion and anger among demonstrators caught off guard and unsure of where to go. Demonstrators march with a Trump balloon in Los Angeles. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Police on horseback pushed crowds back as law enforcement fired tear gas and flash-bang grenades hours ahead of an 8pm (4am Irish time) curfew. A police spokeswoman said a 'small group of agitators' had begun throwing rocks, bottles and fireworks at officers, prompting the decision to order the crowd to disperse. If people refused to leave, 'we will make arrests,' she said, adding: 'We have been patient all day.' Violence shattered the calm elsewhere, too, with a shooting at a demonstration in the western US city of Salt Lake City leaving at least one person critically injured, according to police. The killing of a Democratic lawmaker and her husband Saturday in the northern state of Minnesota – in what the governor called a targeted attack – also cast a pall over the parade. Trump was quick to condemn the attacks outside Minneapolis in which former state speaker Melissa Hortman was killed along with her husband, while another state lawmaker and his wife were hospitalized with gunshot wounds. © AFP 2025 Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Journal
3 days ago
- The Journal
Irish Catholic bishops accuse Israel of ‘genocidal actions' and 'ethnic cleansing' in Gaza
IRISH CATHOLIC BISHOPS have accused the Israeli government of 'genocidal actions' and 'ethnic cleansing' in the Gaza Strip. In a statement today, the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference called for arms supplies to Israel to be 'cut off' and urged parishioners to lobby their local politicians. At Masses this weekend across Ireland parishioners will be invited to pray together for peace in Gaza and during the month of June, parishes are asked to express solidarity with Gaza. The Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference added that 'it seems clear that famine is being used as a weapon of war' in Gaza, where adequate aid is being denied. It noted that more than 600,000 Palestinians have been displaced since 7 October, 2023 and said that the 'evidence points to a staged strategy of ethnic cleansing aimed at removing the Palestinian people from their homeland'. 'It is becoming increasingly clear to people on the ground that these are genocidal actions sanctioned by the Government of Israel,' said the Bishops' Conference. It also described what is happening in Gaza and also the West Bank as 'unconscionable and disproportionate'. 'It is immoral for world leaders to stand by inactively in the face of this outrageous tragedy for humanity,' said the Bishops' Conference. It called for the international community to 'intervene' and to cut off arms supplies to Israel. The Bishops' Conference said such a move will require 'courage' from international leaders and added: 'Examples of courage are being given every day by heroic doctors, nurses and aid workers risking their lives in service of the wounded and those who have been displaced.' Advertisement The Bishops added that people in parishes across Ireland are 'horrified by what they are witnessing' and many feel helpless. They called on parishioners to lobby their political representatives, support humanitarian aid, and also to pray for an end to the conflict, including the return of all hostages and prisoners. The Bishops' Conference also recalled a message delivered from Pope Leo XIV during a recent general audience at the Vatican where he renewed a call for a ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and 'full respect for humanitarian law'. 'In the Gaza Strip, the cry of mothers, of fathers who clutch the lifeless bodies of children and who are continually forced to move in search of a little food and safer shelter from bombing, rises ever more intensely to the sky,' said Pope Leo. The Church and Palestine In 2015, the Vatican formally recognised the State of Palestine. Israel warned at the time that the move would have 'implications for future cooperation between Israel and the Vatican' and described it as a 'hasty step' that 'damages the prospects for advancing a peace agreement'. Meanwhile, the late Pope Francis described some of Israel's actions in Gaza as 'terrorism' in his memoir released in January. Francis daily called the Holy Family Church in Gaza and warned that the Church complex had 'become a theatre of death'. And in his final months, the late pope gave his blessing for a popemobile that had been used for a papal journey to the Middle East in 2014 to be converted into a health clinic for Gaza children. Popemobile being readied for its new use as a mobile health clinic for children in Gaza However, the aid blockade has meant the transformed vehicle has not yet been allowed access to Gaza. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Israel shuts global embassies after attack on Iran
Israel is shutting its embassies around the world and has urged citizens to stay alert and not display Jewish or Israeli symbols in public places, statements posted on embassy websites said on Friday after Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iran. The statements said Israel would not be providing consular services and urged citizens to cooperate with local security services if faced with hostile activity. No timeframe was given for how long the embassies would be closed. A person picking up the phone at the embassy in Berlin gave no further details, and Israel's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for a comment. Israelis abroad were encouraged to fill out a form to update the foreign ministry on their location. This was also done after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel to coordinate the return of reservists and organise rescue flights. "In light of recent developments, Israeli missions around the world will be closed and consular services will not be provided," the statement said. German chancellor Friedrich Merz, who spoke with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, said Germany was stepping up protection of Jewish and Israeli sites. The area around the Israeli embassy in Berlin was largely quiet and empty except for some police and police cars. Visible security was increased outside the Great Synagogue of Stockholm, with a police van and car parked near the building, a Reuters witness said. Earlier, Israel said it had attacked nuclear facilities and missile factories in Iran and had killed a swathe of military commanders in what could be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon. US president Donald Trump suggested that Iran had brought the attack on itself by resisting US demands in talks to restrict its nuclear programme, and urged it to make a deal, "with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal".
