P.S.
Saturday, May 16, 2026
Reflecting on meeting with Leo,...
Reflecting on meeting with Leo, Rubio emphasizes distinction between role of Church and nation state
“There are conflicts and issues in the world that cannot be solved diplomatically, no matter how hard you try,” Rubio said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press at the U.S. Embassy in Rome on May 8, 2026. | Credit: Stefano RELLANDINI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
By Amira Abuzeid, Ken Oliver-Méndez
May 14, 2026 at 6:45 PM ET
In a May 13 interview on Fox News, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reflected on his May 7 meeting with Pope Leo XIV, emphasizing the different vantage points and distinct roles of the Church and a nation-state.
In the interview, Rubio acknowledged the Catholic Church’s longstanding position advocating for peace and the avoidance of war while drawing a clear distinction between the Church’s role and the duties and responsibilities of nation states.
While saying the U.S. also seeks peace, Rubio affirmed that the countryʼs position on war is “different,” because it is “a nation state.”
“For a nation state, which is different from a religious office, for a nation state there are threats to your security and to the well-being of your people that have to be addressed, ideally through diplomatic means, but there are conflicts and issues in the world that cannot be solved diplomatically, no matter how hard you try,” Rubio said, pointing to years of failed diplomacy with Iran and other past examples.
He said there have not been “any results” despite “over a decade of work done to try to diplomatically solve Iran’s desire and ambition to have a nuclear weapons program."
“There are conflicts and issues in the world that cannot be solved diplomatically, no matter how hard you try,” Rubio said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press at the U.S. Embassy in Rome on May 8, 2026. | Credit: Stefano RELLANDINI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
By Amira Abuzeid, Ken Oliver-Méndez
May 14, 2026 at 6:45 PM ET
In a May 13 interview on Fox News, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reflected on his May 7 meeting with Pope Leo XIV, emphasizing the different vantage points and distinct roles of the Church and a nation-state.
In the interview, Rubio acknowledged the Catholic Church’s longstanding position advocating for peace and the avoidance of war while drawing a clear distinction between the Church’s role and the duties and responsibilities of nation states.
While saying the U.S. also seeks peace, Rubio affirmed that the countryʼs position on war is “different,” because it is “a nation state.”
“For a nation state, which is different from a religious office, for a nation state there are threats to your security and to the well-being of your people that have to be addressed, ideally through diplomatic means, but there are conflicts and issues in the world that cannot be solved diplomatically, no matter how hard you try,” Rubio said, pointing to years of failed diplomacy with Iran and other past examples.
He said there have not been “any results” despite “over a decade of work done to try to diplomatically solve Iran’s desire and ambition to have a nuclear weapons program."
From Rerum Novarum to Today: Pope Leo XIV Prepares to Add His Voice to the Church’s Social Teaching
Hannah Brockhaus
via EWTN
15.05.26
Pope Leo XIV presides over the Prayer Vigil for Peace in St. Peter’s Basilica on April 11, 2026. (photo: Simone Risoluti / Vatican Media)
During his recent apostolic trip to Cameroon, the Pope called on Catholic university students from central Africa to be ‘pioneers of a new humanism in the context of the digital revolution.’
With the publication of his first encyclical just around the corner, Pope Leo XIV is poised to add his voice to the Church’s tradition of social teaching, reflecting on what it means to be human in the midst of a digital revolution.
According to reports, the encyclical — a papal letter to the Church — will be called Magnifica Humanitas, Latin for “Magnificent Humanity.” It is expected to present the Pope’s moral guidance on how to approach artificial intelligence.
As Leo himself indicated in the first days of his pontificate, he will follow in the steps of his predecessor and namesake, Pope Leo XIII, whose encyclical Rerum Novarum, “Of New Things,” is widely considered the first in a long line of social encyclicals produced in the modern era of the papacy.
Catholic social teaching from the late 19th century to today is the Church’s attempt “to articulate itself in constantly new and evolving conditions,” said Anna Rowlands, a theologian and professor of Catholic social thought at Durham University in the United Kingdom.
During his recent apostolic trip to Cameroon, the Pope called on Catholic university students from central Africa to be ‘pioneers of a new humanism in the context of the digital revolution.’
With the publication of his first encyclical just around the corner, Pope Leo XIV is poised to add his voice to the Church’s tradition of social teaching, reflecting on what it means to be human in the midst of a digital revolution.
According to reports, the encyclical — a papal letter to the Church — will be called Magnifica Humanitas, Latin for “Magnificent Humanity.” It is expected to present the Pope’s moral guidance on how to approach artificial intelligence.
As Leo himself indicated in the first days of his pontificate, he will follow in the steps of his predecessor and namesake, Pope Leo XIII, whose encyclical Rerum Novarum, “Of New Things,” is widely considered the first in a long line of social encyclicals produced in the modern era of the papacy.
Catholic social teaching from the late 19th century to today is the Church’s attempt “to articulate itself in constantly new and evolving conditions,” said Anna Rowlands, a theologian and professor of Catholic social thought at Durham University in the United Kingdom.
Friday, May 15, 2026
CIA Chief Spotted In Cuba As Specter Of Regime Change Looms Large
May 15, 20269:23 AM ET
As the specter of the U.S.-led regime change grows, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) released photos of agency chief John Ratcliffe meeting with Cuban officials in Havana on Thursday.
Ratcliffe and several U.S. officials—some of whose faces were blurred by the CIA in images posted to X—held talks Thursday with Cuba’s Interior Minister, the head of Cuban intelligence and Raúl Castro’s grandson, Raulito Rodríguez Castro. A CIA official told The Associated Press that the director was there “to personally deliver President Donald Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes.”
As the specter of the U.S.-led regime change grows, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) released photos of agency chief John Ratcliffe meeting with Cuban officials in Havana on Thursday.
Ratcliffe and several U.S. officials—some of whose faces were blurred by the CIA in images posted to X—held talks Thursday with Cuba’s Interior Minister, the head of Cuban intelligence and Raúl Castro’s grandson, Raulito Rodríguez Castro. A CIA official told The Associated Press that the director was there “to personally deliver President Donald Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes.”
The threat of regime change in Cuba has grown in recent weeks. President Donald Trump has repeatedly mused about taking over Cuba and suggested May 8 that a U.S. aircraft might leave the Iran War theater and position itself off the country’s coast. The administration has also intensified its economic war, blocking oil shipments since January. Amid energy blackouts, a collapsing economy and protests in the capital, Cuba’s oil and gas supplies have now run dry, according to Cuban Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy.
Rededicate 250: Pastor Gary Hamrick to call for national repentance, rebuke 'lies of gender confusion, marriage redefinition'
By Ian M. Giatti, Christian Post Reporter
Thursday, May 14, 2026
An undated photo of Pastor Gary Hamrick teaching at Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia. | Courtesy Cornerstone Chapel
As thousands prepare to gather at the National Mall on Sunday to pray for the nation ahead of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, Cornerstone Chapel Senior Pastor Gary Hamrick is calling for national repentance and a return to the God of the Bible.
Hamrick, who is one of over a dozen pastors set to speak at “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving” on May 17, says his message to the nation is the same as that of the Apostle Peter at the dawn of the Christian era.
“Rededication begins with repentance,” Hamrick told The Christian Post. “Acts 3:19 says, ‘Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.’ We must turn from our sin and turn to God and stand upon the solid rock of Jesus Christ, because He is the only hope for the soul of our nation. Jesus is always the answer.”
While the “Rededicate 250” event is expected to mark the nation’s largest religious gathering in more than 50 years, Hamrick expressed concern that despite a rich heritage of religious freedom, the country has drifted from its founding principles when it comes to issues like abortion, marriage and gender identity.
As thousands prepare to gather at the National Mall on Sunday to pray for the nation ahead of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, Cornerstone Chapel Senior Pastor Gary Hamrick is calling for national repentance and a return to the God of the Bible.
Hamrick, who is one of over a dozen pastors set to speak at “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving” on May 17, says his message to the nation is the same as that of the Apostle Peter at the dawn of the Christian era.
“Rededication begins with repentance,” Hamrick told The Christian Post. “Acts 3:19 says, ‘Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.’ We must turn from our sin and turn to God and stand upon the solid rock of Jesus Christ, because He is the only hope for the soul of our nation. Jesus is always the answer.”
While the “Rededicate 250” event is expected to mark the nation’s largest religious gathering in more than 50 years, Hamrick expressed concern that despite a rich heritage of religious freedom, the country has drifted from its founding principles when it comes to issues like abortion, marriage and gender identity.
Thursday, May 14, 2026
BRICS foreign ministers meet in India as Iran war, fuel crisis dominate agenda
Deep divisions within BRICS over the Middle East war and criticism of Western powers have raised uncertainty over whether the meeting will produce a joint statement.
BRICS was created in 2009 as a forum for major emerging economies seeking greater influence in institutions dominated by Western powers. / AFP
Foreign ministers from the BRICS group of nations, including Iran and Russia, started their meetings in India on Thursday, with the Middle East conflict and related fuel crisis set to dominate discussions.
India, which holds the BRICS chair this year, is hosting the two-day gathering of foreign ministers from the expanded bloc, which now includes Iran and the United Arab Emirates, countries at odds over the conflict launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.
India's foreign ministry said talks will focus on "global and regional issues of mutual interest", spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters.
With India serving as the bloc’s chair, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is not attending the meeting as Beijing is currently hosting US President Donald Trump for a summit with President Xi Jinping.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi arrived in New Delhi late on Wednesday, Iran's embassy in India said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also attending. He met his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar after arriving in New Delhi on Wednesday evening.
Jaishankar said in a statement that their discussions included "trade and investment, energy and connectivity" as well as "global and multilateral issues".
"Our political cooperation is even more valuable in an uncertain and volatile global environment," Jaishankar added.
Foreign ministers from the BRICS group of nations, including Iran and Russia, started their meetings in India on Thursday, with the Middle East conflict and related fuel crisis set to dominate discussions.
India, which holds the BRICS chair this year, is hosting the two-day gathering of foreign ministers from the expanded bloc, which now includes Iran and the United Arab Emirates, countries at odds over the conflict launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.
India's foreign ministry said talks will focus on "global and regional issues of mutual interest", spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters.
With India serving as the bloc’s chair, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is not attending the meeting as Beijing is currently hosting US President Donald Trump for a summit with President Xi Jinping.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi arrived in New Delhi late on Wednesday, Iran's embassy in India said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also attending. He met his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar after arriving in New Delhi on Wednesday evening.
Jaishankar said in a statement that their discussions included "trade and investment, energy and connectivity" as well as "global and multilateral issues".
"Our political cooperation is even more valuable in an uncertain and volatile global environment," Jaishankar added.
Trump administration will join a prayer gathering criticized for promoting Christian nationalism
Some critics call the Rededicate 250 event an effort to “hijack” U.S. history with a false, Christian nationalist narrative — one they say fuses American and Christian identities and threatens a constitutional separation of church and state.
FILE – President Donald Trump speaks during the National Prayer Breakfast, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
By Associated Press
By Associated Press
PUBLISHED: May 14, 2026 at 11:16 AM EDT | UPDATED: May 14, 2026 at 11:23 AM EDT
By PETER SMITH
President Donald Trump and several top administration officials are joining with a cast of mostly conservative Christian clergy this Sunday on the National Mall in Washington for a prayer gathering billed as a “rededication of our country as One Nation Under God” upon America’s 250th birthday.
But some critics call the Rededicate 250 event an effort to “hijack” U.S. history with a false, Christian nationalist narrative — one they say fuses American and Christian identities and threatens a constitutional separation of church and state.
The daylong program is being organized by a nonprofit called Freedom 250. Its website describes it as a public-private partnership “leading the presidential programming for America’s 250th anniversary,” which culminates with the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4.
Congressional Democrats have questioned the organization’s structure and finances, which they see as a Trump-controlled end run around a separate commission charted by Congress a decade ago to prepare semiquincentennial events.
Top Republican officials promote event
Organizers expect thousands of people to attend Rededicate 250, which will include worship music, prayers and speeches from Cabinet heads and other Republican officials, along with religious leaders and others. Trump and several other speakers are addressing the crowd by video, while others will speak in person. The scheduled participants include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
“Our founders knew two simple truths,” Hegseth said in a promotional video for the event featuring a montage of Cabinet secretaries.
“Our rights don’t come from government, they come from God. And a nation is only as strong as its faith,” added Hegseth, whose use of Christian rhetoric to justify the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran and in other official settings has drawn scrutiny.
Mystery Babylon by Jonathan Malone
Mystery Babylon is a 574-page eschatological and religious non-fiction book written by author and pastor Jonathan Malone, published on August 1, 2021. The book reexamines biblical prophecy from the Book of Revelation, specifically exploring historical Protestant interpretations regarding the identity of the symbolic, monolithic figure known as "Mystery, Babylon the Great."
Amazon.com
Core Themes and ContentThe Identity of Mystery Babylon: Malone investigates what global system, nation, institution, or religion best fits the prophetic descriptions in Revelation 17 and 18.
Core Themes and ContentThe Identity of Mystery Babylon: Malone investigates what global system, nation, institution, or religion best fits the prophetic descriptions in Revelation 17 and 18.
Focus on Jesuitism: The book heavily analyzes modern Roman Catholicism through the lens of Jesuit history, philosophy, and influence on Western civilization, arguing that modern Catholicism has largely transformed into "Jesuitism."
Eschatological Framework: Malone traces the historical actions and tenacious philosophy of the Jesuits to determine if their past, present, and projected future character aligns with the biblical description of Mystery Babylon.
Geopolitical and Legal Context: The text explores the prophetic relationship between the Roman Empire and the Antichrist, international natural law, and the political actions surrounding the Vatican.
Amazon.com +2
About the Author
Jonathan Malone is a pastor who leads a small Baptist church in southern Arkansas. He holds an undergraduate degree in Art Education and writes on biblical prophecy, eschatology, and religious history. He is also the author of related works, including The Third Temple: Merging Agendas and The Scarlet Beast: Key of the Seven Kings.
About the Author
Jonathan Malone is a pastor who leads a small Baptist church in southern Arkansas. He holds an undergraduate degree in Art Education and writes on biblical prophecy, eschatology, and religious history. He is also the author of related works, including The Third Temple: Merging Agendas and The Scarlet Beast: Key of the Seven Kings.
Amazon.com +2
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
The Greatest Move of God, Part 3
May 12
Week19
The Greatest Move of God, Part 3
Rick Joyner
If a child has not been disciplined, or held accountable for their behavior, they will likely view any exercise of authority as cruel, extreme, and dictatorial. On the other extreme, those who have been wounded by abusive authority will tend to see even the wisest, most gentle, and caring authority as brutal and threatening.
Like wounded animals, wounded people tend to fear anyone that would try to get close to them, even those seeking to help them. These two scenarios capture a large part of the human population. This makes how we relate to and exercise authority one of the most important issues in our time. This also makes it understandable why the ultimate battle between light and darkness at the end of this age is a battle over authority.
The coming kingdom of God is about God’s authority being brought to the earth. Satan’s ultimate resistance to the kingdom of God is to expand his authority over the earth, and to poison people against God’s authority. He seeks to bind the entire world with his counterfeit authority. To resist this, we must first be able to recognize the difference between God’s authority and Satan’s, resolve to only obey God’s, and exercise His authority and not the devil’s.
The most basic distinction between God’s authority and Satan’s is that God’s authority is exercised in love for those it is serving, and Satan’s authority is exercised with fear to bind and control those by whom it wants to be served.
James Arrabito: A Life Cut Short A Compelling Legacy of Faith, Research, and Controversy
Falken
Oct 29, 2025
Evangelist, Historian, and Photographer of Faith
A Compelling Legacy of Faith, Research, and Controversy
The Man Behind the Lens
James “Jim” Arrabito (1950-1990) was a multifaceted figure whose life straddled the worlds of art, evangelism, and historical research. A Seventh-day Adventist artist, photographer, lecturer, and evangelist, Arrabito dedicated his life to documenting what he believed to be suppressed truths about church history and biblical prophecy.
Unlike many religious speakers of his era, Arrabito brought an artist’s eye and a photographer’s precision to his work. His exhibitions were not mere lectures but visual journeys through time, tracing the footsteps of Sabbath-keeping communities throughout history—what he called the “Church in the Wilderness.”
The Photographer’s Quest
Arrabito’s photographic work was nothing short of extraordinary. His most celebrated exhibition, displayed at the 1990 General Conference Session of Seventh-day Adventists in Indianapolis, featured stunning images documenting traces of Sabbath-keeping churches through the ages from around the world. These weren’t just photographs; they were visual arguments—evidence of a continuous thread of believers who maintained Saturday worship despite centuries of opposition.
His photography took him to remote mountain refuges, ancient Waldensian communities in the Alps, and historical sites across Europe and beyond. Each image told a story of faith under persecution, of communities who chose isolation over compromise. The exhibition, titled “The Israel of the Alps” among other presentations, left viewers profoundly moved by the visual testimony of forgotten believers.
Oct 29, 2025
Evangelist, Historian, and Photographer of Faith
A Compelling Legacy of Faith, Research, and Controversy
The Man Behind the Lens
James “Jim” Arrabito (1950-1990) was a multifaceted figure whose life straddled the worlds of art, evangelism, and historical research. A Seventh-day Adventist artist, photographer, lecturer, and evangelist, Arrabito dedicated his life to documenting what he believed to be suppressed truths about church history and biblical prophecy.
Unlike many religious speakers of his era, Arrabito brought an artist’s eye and a photographer’s precision to his work. His exhibitions were not mere lectures but visual journeys through time, tracing the footsteps of Sabbath-keeping communities throughout history—what he called the “Church in the Wilderness.”
The Photographer’s Quest
Arrabito’s photographic work was nothing short of extraordinary. His most celebrated exhibition, displayed at the 1990 General Conference Session of Seventh-day Adventists in Indianapolis, featured stunning images documenting traces of Sabbath-keeping churches through the ages from around the world. These weren’t just photographs; they were visual arguments—evidence of a continuous thread of believers who maintained Saturday worship despite centuries of opposition.
His photography took him to remote mountain refuges, ancient Waldensian communities in the Alps, and historical sites across Europe and beyond. Each image told a story of faith under persecution, of communities who chose isolation over compromise. The exhibition, titled “The Israel of the Alps” among other presentations, left viewers profoundly moved by the visual testimony of forgotten believers.
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
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