David Cameron Pays Tribute to Queen as She Becomes Longest Reigning Monarch

Queen Elizabeth II Becomes Britain's Longest-Serving Monarch

Queen Elizabeth II today surpasses Queen Victoria's record as the UK's longest serving monarch

 

Read more at The Telegraph >> 

Conservative Dissent is Brewing Inside the Vatican

Thanks be to God that faithful churchmen are beginning to address the crisis fomented by this disastrous, destructive pontificate.  Lord, in your mercy, send us a conclave.

U.S. Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, left, stands by Pope Francis saluting bishops, at the end of weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sept. 2, 2015. (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)

VATICAN CITY — On a sunny morning earlier this year, a camera crew entered a well-appointed apartment just outside the 9th-century gates of Vatican City. Pristinely dressed in the black robes and scarlet sash of the princes of the Roman Catholic Church, the Wisconsin-born Cardinal Raymond Burke sat in his elaborately upholstered armchair and appeared to issue a warning to Pope Francis.

A staunch conservative and Vatican bureaucrat, Burke had been demoted by the pope a few months earlier, but it did not take the fight out of him. Francis had been backing a more inclusive era, giving space to progressive voices on divorced Catholics as well as gays and lesbians. In front of the camera, Burke said he would “resist” liberal changes — and seemed to caution Francis about the limits of his authority. “One must be very attentive regarding the power of the pope,” Burke told the French news crew.

Papal power, Burke warned, “is not absolute.” He added, “The pope does not have the power to change teaching [or] doctrine.”

Burke’s words belied a growing sense of alarm among strict conservatives, exposing what is fast emerging as a culture war over Francis’s papacy and the powerful hierarchy that governs the Roman Catholic Church.

Read more at The Washington Post >>

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo - 2015

From the unique setting of the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle, the 2015 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo marks the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, with the Massed Bands of the RAF and the Queen's Colour Squadron taking centre stage.

East meets west at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, with the east represented by a Bollywood dance extravaganza, the Military Band of the People's Liberation Army of China and the Changxing Lotus Dragon Dance Folklore Group.

From the west, the UK home team are joined by Charleston, South Carolina's own Citadel Regimental Band and Pipes and the United States Air Force Honor Guard, based in Washington DC.

Other highlights include a spectacular display from the Tattoo Highland dancers, precision percussion from Basel's Top Secret Drum Corps and the unforgettable sight and sound of the Massed Pipes and Drums.

Christian LeBlanc's Summapalooza, Class 3: "The 7 Arks of Salvation History"

This is the third class in Christian LeBlanc's catechetical series which uses the Bible to teach the Catholic faith.  LeBlanc, a deeply knowledgeable and effective catechist and evangelizer, offers profound insights into Holy Scripture and the doctrines of the Church which will profoundly enrich your spiritual life. Summapalooza was part of an adult education program offered by Saint Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville, South Carolina.

Christian LeBlanc is a revert whose pre-Vatican II childhood was spent in South Louisiana, where he marinated in a Catholic universe and acquired a Catholic imagination. During his middle school years in South Carolina, Christian was catechized under the benevolent dictatorship of Sister Mary Alphonsus, who frequently admonished him using the nickname “Little Pagan.” After four years of teaching Adult Ed and RCIA, he returned to Sr. Alphonsus’ old classroom to teach Catechism himself. This is his 12th year of teaching sixth grade.

Married to Janet, the LeBlancs have five children and two grandsons. He is the author of the highly acclaimed The Bible Tells Me So: A Year of Catechizing Directly from Scripture, on which these talks are based.