Church Militant The Vortex Feed

TRANSCRIPT

The relationship between the Church and politics is undeniable — so much so, in fact, that they are almost mirror images of each other. And considering fallen human nature, the enormous sums of money, the intrigue, the lies and anything else that could apply, no one could be surprised.

About a month ago, a perfect example of all this unfolded very nicely in Orlando, Florida, as well as Washington, D.C. — all on the same weekend. The so-called conservative movement, such as it is, subdivided into three separate gatherings, each occurring on the same weekend.

In D.C., the anti-Trump Republicans gathered to plot how to wrest the party back from the control of Trump. Good luck with that. Nonetheless, the intrepid bunch with headliners like Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger gathered and plotted, likely in vain.

At this point, the best they can probably hope for is to derail Trump just enough to pull the party back from what they see as its impending doom. Of the three gatherings, this was the least attended (about 400 people), a signal that not only do they have their work cut out for them, but they will also have to accept their role as mere saboteurs and begin what amounts to being behind enemy lines, at least philosophically.

From D.C., the focus shifts to Orlando, Florida, where not one but two gatherings were going on. One could be labeled the authentic conservative brand (as most people understand the word "conservative"). The other could be labeled as establishment conservatism.

While they do share common ground on various policy points, the difference between them when it comes to moral points is as wide as the gulf is between authentic Catholicism and "Church of Nice" Catholicism. So the conservative movement within the GOP is truly fractured.

The D.C. GOP crowd hates Trump, and they seem to have not realized they have forfeited any seat at the table when it comes to discussions of the future of the party and the overall movement.

That crowd is more akin to what used to be called "moderate Democrats."

These Liz Cheneys and Adam Kinzingers voted to impeach Trump, push the insane Jan. 6 narrative and so forth. They long ago gave up on conservatism and the Republican establishment. In the considerably more populated areas of the so-called conservative world, the authentic conservative and the establishment conservative are where the real struggle for the heart and soul of the movement is happening.

In Orlando last month, this couldn't have been any more clear than watching the duel play out between CPAC and AFPAC. CPAC is the large, well-funded establishment political action committee and AFPAC, which stands for America First Political Action Committee, is where all the youthful (read: future) energy is. Whoever wins this struggle will dictate the future of the party and, to a large extent, the nation.

The same dynamic is easily found in the Church between authentic Catholics and social Catholics, between those who really do believe all the Church teaches and those who attend and hang out for other reasons.

The Church, too, has its analogous "anti-Trump" crowd — and as the anti-Trump Republicans are barely recognizable as Republicans, this crowd is barely recognizable as Catholic. The difference, however, is the Church crowd just leaves and doesn't even pretend to be Catholic. The anti-trump "Depublicans" are still fooling themselves that they are somehow still Republican.

So as in the political world, so too in the Catholic world — a spectrum or continuum of theological adherence where only one part of that spectrum is the safe, authentic place to be. Establishment Catholicism mirrors establishment conservatism, in that each achieved the status of "establishment" precisely by compromising because, let's face it, the vast majority of humanity compromises and does so routinely.

What is the establishment, after all, other than that which is accepted by most people? The Church of Nice and political conservatism are mirrors of one another, comprised of grifters at the top and mindless sheep for members that are being led astray and willing to be led astray because they seek comfort before greatness — a condition of fallen human nature.

Both will go over the cliff — they are engineered that way. They can't help it. A compromised set of beliefs in either theology or politics will lead to destruction.

It's why the Left has been so successful — because they never compromise, they just keep pushing, unwilling to settle for just being comfortable. Each generation or two, in both Church and culture, there are some who rise up in response to the compromise and resist it. They are lambasted, roasted, mocked, attacked and, in the end, they are proven right.

Sometimes, historical events unfold in such a way that they actually win and a culture is preserved, even if temporarily. But win or lose, they are always proven right. Down deep, even the compromising sheep know the resisters, the fighters, those willing to sacrifice comfort for greatness, are right.

That's why movies like Lord of the Rings and Gladiator and others of that genre are always so successful — because they speak to that dynamic in the human soul, the desire for justice and right. But alas, too few are willing to do much about it, retiring to their homes after popcorn and a nice day at the movies, stirred in their souls, but not sufficiently.

They are easy prey for the grifters at the top of the Church or conservatism who speak to that yearning but compromise it for personal gain in whatever form they take it.

Yes, the hierarchy is comprised of consummate politicians, and the politically conservative world continues to pay just lip service to God — perfect mirrors of each other.

In today's Vortex, Michael Voris interviews former Iowa congressman Steve King, author of Walking Through the Fire: My Fight for the Heart and Soul of America. 

TRANSCRIPT

It is the idea that Church must conform to me, that the Church is a good and noble thing, but must possess a certain malleability so that I can live or express the Faith the way that is best suited to me. That is a lie. And what's worse, it is what we could call a "root lie," meaning it is such a foundational lie that many errors will spring from it.

This lie is presented very smoothly — almost sophisticated. It has slogans surrounding it to dress it up, so to speak; slogans that are deliberately worded in such a way that they can be interpreted in different ways.

"It's my Church," for example. On the one hand, that's true if you mean to say, "This is the Church to which I belong, believe, accept and live according to." In that case, the phrase or slogan refers to association.

However, the same words, "it's my Church," can just as easily mean I own the Church — it belongs to me and, therefore, I can deal with the Church in a manner most befitting me. Here, we drift from an association with the Church to a possession of the Church.

And, of course, what is really being talked about isn't the Church per se, but the teachings of the Church, the teachings which express the actual Faith. And once a person claims possession or ownership of the Faith — a.k.a., the teachings — it's "lights out."

But, quite often, these slogans all sound somewhat innocent and, as we said, even "true" in a certain sense. But words matter, especially when the words conceal or mask over a lie.

Take, for example, the latest offering from the largest spreaders of heresy on the planet — the Jesuits. Their flagship publication, America, is embarking on a marketing blitz to increase readership, and they are calling the ad campaign "Own Your Faith."

The plot to corrupt people's minds further — because the Jesuits apparently feel they haven't destroyed people's faith enough — is covered over by the reasonable-sounding Madison Avenue phrase.

Yet, if you break down the slogan into its constituent parts, you quickly see the lie. So let's tackle each word.

Own: No one "owns" the Catholic faith. It is not something that can be owned. As is the case with most slogans and lies, it is almost always the case that the exact opposite is, in fact, true. But a clever-sounding arrangement of words masks over that truth.

"Holy Roman Empire," for example (as historians note): It certainly wasn't Holy. It definitely wasn't Roman. And it wasn't much of an empire. But hey, aside from that, let's go with it.

The entire point of the Faith is not to own it, but to become owned by it, to be absorbed into it completely, soul and body. For the vast majority of us, this takes a vast amount of time and effort and struggle and all of that. The entire point of the Faith is to surrender ourselves, not take control. Perhaps the Jesuits need to go find the line from St. Paul about putting off the old man and putting on the new.

The second word in the slogan "Own Your Faith" is an extension of the first. Once again, it ain't your Faith. It existed before you and will exist after you. We are merely custodians or stewards of the Faith given us temporarily as a gift, for us to conform to, not own.

So to use the word "your" is extremely duplicitous because it connotes possession of something (in this case, something which is in no way yours).

It's like a friend handing you something to hold for them for a moment or brief period. Yes, you are in possession of it, but only in the most narrow understanding of that word. It is not yours in the sense that it now belongs to you. It belongs, and always will, to the owner of it, which is by no means you.

Why is this word, especially in conjunction with the first word, "own," so spiritually dangerous? Because each word (and especially in combination), "own" and "your," leaves absolutely no room for God. It's all about you.

The direct object, the last word, "faith," is now completely in your control. So you can approach it however you like. In this sense, faith itself ceases to be faith. An intimate part of the Catholic life is the mystery of Our Lord's love for us — and how it unfolds and is revealed to us as we awaken to it.

This is not something we control; it is something granted to us. We merely cooperate with it if — big "if" here — we are properly disposed to. No one can be properly disposed to cooperating with God's gift if they approach the gift with the mindset that they are in control or can do with the gift whatever they so please.

It's true, of course, owing to free will, a person can misuse a gift; but in the misusing of the gift, they change the nature of the gift into something else. Let's say someone gives you a car and allows you to use it to improve the quality of your life. You can now drive to work and no longer be reliant on other transportation.

It's not your car. Someone has merely given you physical possession of it in the sense that you can use it, use it to be better off. But somehow you get in your mind that you own it and are free to do whatever you want with it, and one day decide to run over your enemy and kill him with it.

The nature of the car as dictated by the reason it was given to you has now completely changed. What was supposed to be a means of transportation to improve your life has now been converted into a weapon, and you transformed into a killer.

In the realm of the spiritual, this is precisely what a lie can accomplish — the destruction of good. That, after all, is the very purpose and nature of a lie; to corrupt truth, destroy the good. But most lies are not presented as such: They come dressed up to the party so to speak, presenting themselves as a truth.

In the case of America's latest marketing campaign, Own Your Faith, the delineation of it is spelled out by Fr. Matt Malone, S.J., president and editor-in-chief of America Media. The slogan is the catchphrase that supports the bald-faced lie that is the title of the article — "The Catholic Church Belongs to All of Us."

First, no it doesn't. It belongs to Our Blessed Lord. It is His Bride, for whom He laid down His life. Second, Malone doesn't really believe his own lie.

Does anyone really think that Malone, operating under this specious framework of ownership of the Church by each Catholic, would concede that Church Militant has some "ownership" of the Church — that the millions of people who view Church Militant each month have "ownership" of the Church?

Because, frankly, we don't think he does, or any of the other twisted Jesuits spreading heresy in the body of Christ (however cleverly and thinly they may disguise it). In the most telling part of the article introducing the errors, Malone says, "I believe that the Church — and the country — are better off when we are free to wrestle with the most pressing issues of the day, unbound by ideological traps or that nagging sense that we are not supposed to ask difficult or controversial questions in Church."

Yeah, whatever.

His phrasing is rife with philosophical errors, foundational errors. Who gets to decide what the most "pressing issues" are, Father? Who determines how one becomes "unbound"? What gets to identify what the "ideological traps" are?

This is little else than the same theo-babble bullcrap the laity has been subject to for decades to promote sexual sin, perversion and overthrow of doctrine. This lot is always "re-imagining" this or that or "approaching" the other; pretending they are simply searching for greater depth. Blah blah blah.

They have their agenda very clearly understood, and they proceed full steam ahead. They just want to make you think they are reasonable and "journeying" with you — searching, on a mission to become "church."

They despise the Church because they despise Her teachings, Her doctrines, Her devotions — ultimately, Her beauty. They disfigure and mar Her beauty.

It is true: They want to own Her so they can destroy Her.

In today's Vortex, Michael Voris interviews Benjamin Harnwell, international editor for Steve Bannon's War Room. 

The interview was recorded on March 22, 2022. 

TRANSCRIPT

Shifting over to the Republicans, the same dynamic is going on right now — competing camps fighting over the right to direct the ship, each laying claim to the label of "conservative."

Part of the problem on the so-called Right is the word "conservative." Like many things today, it's a very elastic term, meaning different things to different people. Some associate it with simply not having the government interfere with personal choices, a kind of personal-freedom platform.

Matt Schlapp is chairman of the American Conservative Union — the group that sponsors CPAC. His ACU and CPAC even incorporate the word "conservative" into their titles. He's a practicing Catholic and graduated from Notre Dame in 1990.

He's also a big deal in Republican establishment circles, having worked in the Bush White House as well as having deep ties to Donald Trump. For some, those connections make him conservative.

But is that all there is to conservatism — just the government-needs-to-leave-me-alone philosophy? Well, this is where, as the saying goes, the rubber hits the road.

Schlapp and his style or understanding of conservatism starts to get a little murky once we enter into the arena of yet another ubiquitous term — "family values." He's co-authored a new book, The Desecrators, and, in it, he speaks directly about how God-and-family-values conservatives are being canceled left and right by the culture.

He also speaks quite openly about Catholicism — and what he sees as its role and the direction it needs to provide. But, when we spoke with him, he seemed to not quite understand significant aspects of the Faith. The confusion among Catholics over the past 60 years (thanks to the largely homosexual episcopate) has trickled down into every area of life, including politics.

Schlapp is an embodiment of that. What Schlapp and many in the self-identifying crowd of politically conservative Catholics attempt to do is incorporate their Faith into politics but, since they have a weak — even paltry — understanding of the Faith, they fumble about once pressed about their policies.

When Schlapp responds to a question about the Church's teaching, he (and many others) immediately falls into a vocabulary of Church policy and positions. But the Church doesn't have policies when it comes to salvation and damnation. It has divine teachings, and those teachings must be adhered to and believed and lived — or a person is damned. Period.

There is what you might label a kind of Catholic instinct in some quarters of the so-called conservative establishment. But it's weak, poorly formed, intellectually bereft and philosophically unstable, making it easy pickings for the well-organized communists — who have no lack of clarity when it comes to their own philosophy.

For example, the Church has a very clear understanding of what a family is. But in establishment conservative circles, the Catholic understanding of that falls by the wayside. Church teaching is blindingly clear — a child has a right to a mother and a father. To deprive a child of that, to enshrine it in law, is an abomination.

It is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a family value to place a child into a home (and raise him in that home) where two men are engaged in anal sex and inculcate into the child's mind that that perversion is OK, even good. Presumably, Schlapp wouldn't want his own children exposed to that, and it's a really safe bet he teaches his five daughters that homosexuality is immoral.

Yet, for some reason, that Catholic sense escapes Schlapp when he takes off his father hat and puts on his politics hat — even as he waxes on about his book (which makes some very good points about God and family values and our Christian roots as a nation and fighting back and all that).

How on God's green earth can anyone make the claim, on the one hand, that we need to do all that and, on the other hand, say children should be exposed to evil and perversion from their earliest beginnings? Schlapp and the establishment conservative movement have embraced homosexuality, and, for Catholics specifically in that camp, it can't really be all that surprising — since the bishops and clergy already did so decades ago.

That's why when you go to his CPAC convention, drag queens parade up and down the hall — the notable one being a man who calls himself "Lady Maga." It's a twisted understanding of family values, if there ever was one, because of how it dresses up that whole world of sexual perversion as somehow "American," which, actually, in some circles, it kind of is.

In one sense, Schlapp and his camp are victims of that errant theological thinking by queer bishops — living examples of what happens when theological evil spills over into the world.

The "gay family" question arose specifically because of the recent announcement by another "conservative" — Dave Rubin — that he and the man he engages in anal sex with have purchased two babies, currently residing in rented wombs. Schlapp and his "conservatism" give this a pass and call it a "family."

But (demonstrating the lack of any substantive Catholic analysis) he just doesn't think that, in order for those two innocent babies to have come about (through IVF), dozens of others would have to have been destroyed in the petri dish — because that's how IVF works.

So in his book (again, The Desecrators), he waxes on quite well about the right to life and the rights of the preborn but, somehow, fails to make the connection, proving himself unable to draw the very straight line because his pro-life stance crumbles in the face of the homosexual juggernaut. Whether or not he wants to admit or even think about it, Schlapp conservatives are "pro-life" but are willing to look the other way on the destruction of some preborns — if it benefits sodomites.

Maybe he hasn't thought about it in those terms, but that is the logical conclusion of his declaring that gay couples "creating" children constitutes a family.

Likewise, what about the rights of the babies after they are born? Schlapp and other Catholic political conservatives appear to take the "personally opposed, but" position on many of these social evils — IVF, homosexuality and so forth. On the one hand, they decry all this for themselves. But then they bring dozens of supporters of all this on stage to preach about tax policy or immigration reform.

But, when it comes to matters of sexual morality, they refuse to say the right thing for fear of losing support — which they would. That's not Catholic, and it's not a value. In fact, it's cowardice. Even when they know they are wrong, they refuse to correct the record.

Take, for example, Schlapp's dustup over the recent controversy about the male swimmer William Thomas — who is pretending to be a woman and calling himself "Lia." Schlapp tweeted, "No matter what one thinks of Lia's ability to swim with women, her story deserves our compassion. It will be interesting to hear Lia's POV [point of view] in 30 years."

OK, fair enough. Schlapp goofed in his terminology but, when asked if he would take it down, correct the record, he balked and said he wouldn't. All of this comes down to a question of integrity. Establishment conservatives are oftentimes correct when it comes to matters of actual policy — taxes, inflation, immigration, yadda yadda. But, when it comes to the actual lifeblood of a nation — morality — they balk, sacrificing truth on the altar of political power and expediency.

It was Catholicism (and Catholicism alone) that brought about Western civilization, the same Western civilization that self-identifying political conservatives claim to be trying to uphold, defend, reinforce or whatever. That was possible because of the uniquely held beliefs that Jesus Christ is King of the universe and to Him alone is homage due and that He established a Church, the Catholic Church (because there is no other Church), to carry His work of salvation throughout time and space.

Central to that work are the teachings (not policies) that guarantee salvation in the supernatural, and a well-ordered society in the temporal. You cannot return to a well-ordered society, a society that sees each person as made in the image of God and all that flows from that (everything flows from that truth), and yet reject the philosophical underpinnings of that well-ordered society.

Yet that is what Schlapp and the rest of the so-called conservative establishment try (in vain) to do — make a culture that tips its hat to God but abandons Him at the drop of that hat. Driving down the price of gas means nothing if you help drive a nation — and souls — into Hell in the process.

TRANSCRIPT

War is always a frightening prospect, and back in the days of the Vietnam War, a multitude of songs were produced decrying war — in particular, Edwin Starr's notable hit, "War (What Is It Good For?)." The answer to the rhetorical question in the smash hit was "absolutely nothing."

That's not always the case, however, depending on what's being fought over. Sometimes, in a fallen world, war is necessary. But thinking of war in a different type of world, it's not only necessary but demanded. We're speaking here of spiritual war. Here, it is good; it's good for our salvation. In fact, without engaging in spiritual war, there is no salvation.

Here at Church Militant, spiritual war is what we are all about. And, seeing as how it's Lent, we'd like to focus on that for just a moment. We are all aware of the three pillars of Lent — prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Here at Church Militant (as a reminder), you can join us in either or both of our morning and evening Liturgy of the Hours.

Each morning, right here on the site, we livestream (beginning at 8 a.m. ET) the dayside shift praying the Rosary — followed immediately by morning prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours. As always, we invite you to add your prayers to ours. If you only have time for one or the other morning offerings, each takes about 20 minutes.

We begin with Rosary and move immediately into morning prayer. We also devote some of our chapel time in the morning to praying from our St. Michael's Chapel Prayer Book with prayers specific to this apostolate and the work we do.

Any of you who have been on any of our retreats with us are familiar with our little black book (available in our store as well).

Also, given that it's Lent, there is, of course, a pretty severe dialing back around here of the usual table of goodies that would normally be descended on as though by an Old Testament swarm of locusts. Alas for the crew, the pickings are pretty slim.

As in any truly Catholic crowd, Lent is taken pretty seriously around here, although let's just say we were grateful for the Solemnity of St. Joseph and are grateful for the upcoming Solemnity of the Annunciation this coming Friday.

As a brief programming note, Church Militant will be live on the air 30 minutes before Pope Francis begins the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in union with the bishops of the world. We'll have those details for you as Friday approaches.

The last pillar of Lent, of course, is almsgiving and, along these lines, we like to bring to mind that this is a work of the Church. It's your apostolate — we just run it on the day to day. If you love what we are doing, please become a monthly supporter — which you can do by clicking on the provided link and donating what you can.

Your contribution helps us produce all of the articles, videos, investigative reports — and even this Vortex. We make much of what we produce free to you. But, of course, it isn't free for us to produce. We have a sizable staff, and television is freakishly expensive to produce.

We've grown — and continue to grow so much that it's difficult for us to keep up with. Between Evening News, Church Militant Resistance, political coverage, travel, conferences and so forth, we are delighted at the explosive growth. But it takes vast resources to keep up with it all and keep providing it.

So as we find ourselves in the middle of Lent, with the call to do what we can to support good works financially, please consider making a monthly donation to support all this. Again, please click on the link — and thank you in advance.

Human war may oftentimes be good for absolutely nothing. But spiritual war is good for everything.

TRANSCRIPT

That is the driving force behind our reporting on the corruption — to expose it and help end it. But given the nature of some of what we report (which is all-too-frequently gruesome), some people tell us things like, "I agree with what you're saying, it's just the tone."

Or another favorite (especially when we are exposing moral corruption, which largely centers around homosexuals in the clergy), "Its a little too, you know, direct."

This is not a truth issue. It's a sensitivity issue, and, frankly, the entire culture has been so emasculated that direct speak is frowned on because it offends people's politeness meter. Sometimes, often times, even, given what we're talking about, direct speak is not only preferred — but necessary.

Words, for example, like "gay" or "abortion" have become virtually emptied of their meaning because they are used so much. In the realm of homosexual predation by clergy, this topic also has become so frequently spoken of that it easy to forget that, behind each news report or story, there is a real victim — an innocent victim that is almost always a teenage boy.

But when we report on these evils, some people object and say our language isn't "nuanced" enough, that we should change up the vocabulary. Well, for those folks, we'd like to show you something and ask you how exactly you would speak of it — what words you would employ if you were trying to both expose the evil and defend the victim.

The report we are about to play for you is from three years ago and depicts the warped and twisted mind of a highly respected priest in the chancery in the diocese of Saginaw, Michigan, protected by his now-deceased bishop. The man is a pervert hiding behind his collar, seeking to sodomize a teenage boy he has been grooming for months, and, in this rare occurrence, there happen to be police audio recordings of the actual attempted anal rape — police recordings Church Militant obtained.

This is an up-close listen of what actually goes on, what the reality of all this evil is, not sanitized by soft, inoffensive language designed to cover up the truth. The Special Report is called "Inside the Mind of a Homopredator Priest."

As you view this, keep in your own mind that this is no isolated case. It is, in fact, normal for many bishops, their staffs and many priests. They promote and protect these sickos, these perverts, and knowingly set them loose on innocent young teenage boys.

The Church is rife with this filth, and the bishops who promote it by their silence and cover it up should be dealt with in the most severe manner possible. The clergy who do the deeds should never, ever be out in public again.

An update to this story before you view it — the homosexual pervert priest you'll hear in this report served only two years and is now out walking around.

When this is done, ask yourselves, does Church Militant really strike the wrong tone?

Today's Vortex is Michael Voris' talk from the Cleveland Right to Life's Bringing America Back to Life Convention. 

The talk was recorded on March 11, 2022.

TRANSCRIPT

For those of Irish heritage (which estimates place at roughly 25% of the U.S. population), today is a moment to stop and consider how the work of one man can change the world. 

Patrick converted Ireland, and, as the barbarian invasions of Europe began in earnest, it was Irish monks who preserved Western civilization by transcribing the classics and, of course, Scripture. 

They were among the first apostles of Patrick (after a manner of speaking), men whose families and earlier generations had converted to Catholicism and then committed themselves to the preservation of the Faith.

Eventually, Ireland became a mass producer of missionaries, carrying the Faith all over the world and, eventually, being one of the major sources of immigration to the United States thanks to the horrible conditions of life under British tyranny.

Today, however, the land of St. Patrick is barely recognizable as having any Catholic roots.

Hermann Kelly is the Founder of the Irish Freedom Party, a small political group looking to restore what has been wiped out in Ireland. He recognizes that much of the blame for what has happened in Ireland falls squarely on the shoulders of Church leaders.

With the collapse of moral and religious leadership, the entire nation has descended into darkness quickly. Ireland, perhaps the staunchest Catholic nation in the world at a time not too long ago, now accepts sodomy as marriage and child killing as a human right.

Ireland may, in fact, be the textbook example of what happens when a culture, thoroughly drenched and saturated in Catholicism, is betrayed by leaders and falls into complete secular darkness.

Michael Leahy is chairman of the Irish Freedom Party and recognizes that, in the absence of the Faith, the Irish nation began casting about for another direction — and walked away from the Church, opening themselves up for any storm that would come.

That storm would be a darkening of the mind and will when it came to controlling a population.

In many ways, Ireland has become emblematic of what has happened to the Church all over Western civilization. Religious leaders, unaccountable to anyone, eventually succumbed to the pleasures of earth.

They, in turn, perpetuated their own personal evil by recruiting, training and ordaining wicked men, disturbed men — many of them homosexual — who, in successive generations, warped the minds of the faithful, who gave them a free pass.

It would not be long after that (the corruption of the Faith) that the corruption of the culture would automatically follow, as automatic as night follows day.

That now places the onus squarely on the shoulders of the few remaining Catholics to dedicate themselves to the same work St. Patrick once did 1,600 years ago, converting pagans and barbarians to the One True Faith.

Saint Patrick was a man of intense prayer, but his love of souls was not confined to simply prayer. He was also a man of action — an ingredient in the work of the Church that many lay Catholics seem to happily overlook.

If you'd like to listen to that full interview with Hermann Kelly, please click on the provided link.

The best way to honor the Apostle of Ireland on this, his feast day, is to resolve within yourself that you are going to do something, to roll up your sleeves and get involved.

Catholics have always been willing to leave their comfort zone and get out into the world and fight.

In fact, if that had not been the case with the Roman Patrick, many of us would not have the Faith today.

TRANSCRIPT

I'm Michael Voris, coming to you from the "Bringing America Back to Life" conference just outside Cleveland, where pro-lifers are gathered in record numbers, determined to do something about the Marxist domination of the culture.

A common theme here is the favorability and high regard in which Donald Trump is held.

In 2016, Trump won a slight majority of the Catholic vote, helping propel him into the White House — as the Catholic vote almost always does. Likewise, in 2020, according to exit polls, Trump either tied or eked out a slight advantage among Catholic voters over Biden.

However, there is an odd twist in this case (with phony-Catholic Biden being in the White House). Trump, the non-Catholic, is more admired than the baptized Catholic, among Catholics.

In addition to being a polarizing force in the political world, Trump has pulled off the same feat in the Catholic world. The bishops generally detest (as does their entire retinue of liberal, loathsome lackeys) anything and everything Trumpian, including conservative Catholics.

Their overall despise for all things Trump is generally bound up with their overall despise for anything related to conservatism. The bishops are, almost to an individual, weak men — and weak men loathe strong men.

In fact, these weak men have a general overall distaste for muscular Catholicism. The fact that so many "muscular" Catholics are attracted to Trump's straight talk and direct manner is just another reason so many bishops detest Trump.

As much as the bishops say it's about his policies, underneath it all, it's really his style — the same style so many Catholics are drawn to.

What Trump has tapped into in the culture is precisely the same thing he has tapped into in the Church — an anger on the part of Catholics, men in particular, at being treated horribly by effeminate, weak men. Strong men normally just don't like weak men; they choose not to associate with them.

But weak men despise and loathe strong men. They become enraged in their presence because they see in them what is lacking in themselves. It's an interesting psychology at play, the same psychology at play when bishops sideline strong, masculine priests.

The crisis of manhood in the culture has its parallel in the Church, and it's what's behind everything. In fact, the bishops hate Church Militant and other similar Catholic outfits for exactly the same reason they hate Trump.

"Plainspeak" and direct language are the vocabulary of authentic manhood. But the flip side of that is also true. People like Trump as well as authentic expressions of the Faith precisely because they are both straightforward and unrelenting in calling out the garbage of weak-minded and weak-willed men.

Somewhere back in time, muscular Catholicism became viewed in a negative light, and the rise of the effeminate bishop began.

So now, Catholics, who no longer see any trace of masculinity in their religious leaders are looking outside the clergy and, in the political world, are focusing their attention on men like Trump.

Trump won the White House in 2016 because of the Catholic vote. In a certain sense, Trump is actually an unintended consequence of homosexuality and effeminacy in the U.S. hierarchy. It was, and is, their ongoing rejection of manhood that has caused Catholics to go scrambling outside of the official Church to recapture that reality.

And as long as they continue to cling to their pearls, real Catholics will continue to ignore them.