Guatemala City (AFP) – Guatemalan authorities issued a warning Wednesday as the country’s Fuego volcano, located near the capital, spewed ash into the air. SOURCE

Jan 4, 2016

Two Catholic bishops who led a small Pennsylvania diocese helped cover up the sexual abuse of hundreds of children by more than 50 priests and other religious leaders over a 40-year period, according to a grand jury report that portrays the church as holding such sway over law enforcement that it helped select a police chief.

The 147-page report issued Tuesday on sexual abuse in the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese, home to nearly 100,000 Roman Catholics, was based partly on evidence from a secret diocesan archive opened through a search warrant over the summer. MORE

Months of below average rainfall have conspired to produce the worst drought in Vietnam in the best part of 100 years. It has been reported that the Mekong River is at its lowest level since 1926.

The ongoing El Nino weather pattern is thought to be the main cause of the lack of rainfall affecting the country.

Vietnam is not alone in suffering drought. Neighbouring Cambodia, and Laos, as well as Thailand and Myanmar have been experiencing water shortages as a result of the weather phenomenon. MORE

A BEETLE invasion of biblical proportions has hit beaches in seaside resorts.  Locals reacted with horror after seeing millions of the bugs swarm on to beaches 30 miles from the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires. In scenes straight out of a horror film, entire beaches turned black as beetles covered miles of coastline. Original Article

“I’m not saying I endorse everything about Trump. In fact, I haven’t formally endorsed him. But I do support his candidacy, and I support voting for him as a strategic action. I hope he does everything we hope he will do.”

The former Louisiana representative told listeners to start volunteering for Trump. MORE

Last year, Congressional legislators were astonished to learn that the Palestinian Authority was issuing monthly payouts totaling between $3 and 7 million as salaries and other financial rewards to specific terrorists and their families.

The money was channeled, in part, through the Ministry of Prisoners pursuant to the Law of the Prisoner. The law set forth a graduated scale, pegging monthly salaries to the length of Israeli jail sentences, which generally reflects the severity of the crime and the number of people killed and/or injured. MORE

Here, from Floating Sheep, is a map showing where different kinds of Christianity predominate in the United States. If you’re a little unclear on how these different branches of Christianity relate, there’s an overview here.

This comprehensive virtual tour allows visitors using a desktop computer (Windows, Mac, Linux) or a mobile device (iPhone, iPad, Android) to take a virtual, self-guided, room-by-room walking tour of the whole museum. You can even browse a list of past exhibits, which is included on the ground floor map (see upper right map buttons).  The visitor can navigate from room to room by clicking map locations or by following blue arrow links on the floor that connect the rooms. The desktop version includes camera icons to indicate hotspots where the visitor can get a close-up view of a particular object or exhibit panel. MORE or VIRTUAL TOUR

This could be big, if it comes to pass.

If the information below is correct, it looks like the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, i.e. Cardinal Muller has caved to all but one of the SSPX requirements in order to end their neo-modernist hissy-fit and regularize the Society.

Which has put the ball in Francis’ court. And if Bishop de Galarreta’s hunch is correct, it would imply that Francis is so desperate for any sort of success at present, that he is even willing to cave UNCONDITIONALLY to the SSPX.

If this is the case, all one can say is Deo gratias! I am reposting the SSPX article (original here) and will add emphasis. New post on The Deus Ex Machina Blog

A 38-year-old Christian postgraduate student in the U.K. has been expelled after he made a Facebook post supporting Kim Davis and protesting same-sex marriage.

Felix Ngole is a former Cameroon resident who received asylum from the U.K., received two degrees, and became a teacher. In the post, he quoted a bible verse from Leviticus in support of his antigay beliefs as a part of a discussion thread.

After another Sheffield University student complained about his post, he was called to a disciplinary hearing. As The Telegraph reports, this is where things get…complicated: MORE

This puzzling video shows what appears to be a white figure rising from the scene of what was the World Trade Centre. MORE

Insiders who were at a recent meeting between the Koch Bros. and Marco Rubio leaked intel on how exactly they’re going to try and steal the election from Donald Trump, GOP strategist Roger Stone revealed. MORE

The new study examined society’s current perceptions of faith and Christianity. Forty-five percent of atheists, agnostics, and religiously unaffiliated in America agree with the statement that “Christianity is extremist”.

Chants of “Si se puede!” — Spanish for “Yes we can!” — erupted from the super fan section of Bishop Noll Institute, a predominantly Latino school in Hammond, Ind. They responded to what spectator Ashley Howard calls a very racist exchange started by rival team Andrean High School.

She says the chants included “Build a wall!” and “Please speak English! No comprende!”MORE