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BUCKNACKT'S SORDID TAWDRY BLOG We should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive & well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate, bier or wein in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WHOO-HOO, WHAT A RIDE!!!!!!"
11 September 2026
VERSE AND VOICE FROM SOJOURNERS 11SEP26
26 April 2026
Pope Leo: 'I cannot be in favor of war,' talks migration, same-sex blessings, in press conference 23APR26
I am not a Catholic but I am a Christian and I appreciate Pope Leo XIV's commitment to our shared faith and his dedication to living our faith as a testimony and a teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I also appreciate his commitment to drawing Christian faiths together in peace and love as well as recognition of our different practices and beliefs. I am thankful Pope Leo is continuing the good work of Pope Francis and I hope and pray God will continue to bless and guide Pope Leo's papacy. This from National Catholic Reporter
Pope Leo: 'I cannot be in favor of war,' talks migration, same-sex blessings, in press conference
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Aboard the papal plane — April 23, 2026
"As a pastor, I cannot be in favor of war," Pope Leo XIV said about the war in Iran during his airborne press conference upon his return trip to Rome. "If there is regime change or no regime change, the question is how to promote the values in which we believe without the death of so many innocent people."
Flying high over the Sahara Desert after leaving Equatorial Guinea, Leo once again expressed his concern over the war in Iran, a position which garnered a vociferous social media attack from President Donald Trump at the outset of his trip through Africa 11 days ago.
Returning to Rome on April 23, the pope took questions from journalists in the traditional post-trip, in-flight press conference on topics of war, migration, same-sex blessings and the nature of his visits with the authoritarian leaders throughout Africa.
On the negotiations around the war in Iran, he said that Iran's innocent civilian population must be kept in mind and that the stop-and-start peace negotiations between Iran and the United States "has created this chaotic situation for the global economy."
The pope called for the warring parties to "make every effort to promote peace" and to respect international law.
"It is very important that the innocent may be protected, which has not been the case in many places," he said, before continuing to reveal a personal anecdote.
The pope shared that he carries with him a photo of a Muslim boy holding a sign that reads "Welcome Pope Leo," taken during his December trip to Lebanon. He said that the boy was recently killed during the war, without specifying at what stage of the fighting or by which side.
The pope was asked directly if he condemns the Iranian regime, which has been accused of carrying out executions against prisoners and violently cracking down on protests that began in February.
"When a regime, when a country, takes decisions which takes away the lives of people unjustly then obviously that is something that should be condemned," the pope said, without explicitly naming Iran. "I condemn all actions that are unjust. I condemn the taking of people's lives. I condemn capital punishment."
Ahead of his June 6-12 trip to Spain where he will visit the Canary Islands, a migrant hotspot for African migrants entering Europe, Leo said that while borders should exist, the developed world must assist the Global South to support and receive migrants.
"I personally believe a state has a right to set rules at its borders. I am not saying that all must enter as if without order, sometimes creating more unjust situations where they arrive than those that they had left," he said. "But in saying this, I ask what we do in richer countries to change the situation in poorer countries," suggesting that governments and corporations help underdeveloped nations to reduce the need to emigrate.
Leo added that even if a country has no capacity for migrants, they must be treated "in a humanitarian way" and not "worse than house pets, animals, et cetera."
"When people arrive they are human beings and deserve the respect that every human being deserves," he said.
Although the pope has not taken a strong public position on same-sex blessings within the Catholic Church, he was asked about the decision of Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising to issue in his diocese a guide for blessings of people in relationships outside of sacramental marriage, which includes same-sex couples.
"I think it's very important that the unity or division of the church should not revolve around sexual matters," Leo said, since issues of justice, equality and freedom of people and religion "would all take priority before that particular issue."
That said, Leo noted that the Vatican has already spoken to the German bishops to make clear its disagreement with the formalized blessing of same-sex couples "beyond what was specifically, if you will, allowed for by Pope Francis in saying that all people receive blessings."
A 2023 document approved by Leo's predecessor made explicit that "couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples" may receive an informal blessing from a priest, but without a formalized type of ceremony comparable to sacramental marriage.
"To go beyond that today, I think that the topic can cause more disunity than unity," Leo said. "We should look for ways to build our unity on Jesus Christ and what Jesus Christ teaches."
Leo was also asked about whether his tour through Africa, in which he traveled to four nations considered to be authoritarian, would legitimize the rule of their leaders. "We are actually trying to find a way to apply the Gospel to concrete situations so that the lives of people can be improved," he said.
"We don't always make great proclamations, criticizing, judging or condemning, but there's an awful lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to promote justice, to promote humanitarian causes, to look for at times situations where there may be political prisoners and finding ways for them to be freed," the pope continued.
After Leo's trip was initially overshadowed by the virtual invective spewed at him by President Donald Trump, and his subsequent response that he had "no fear of the Trump administration," the pope told reporters before answering questions that the purpose of his apostolic voyages is "to meet, accompany, to know the people of God," even though "many times the interest is rather political."
"I have talked about justice, and there are issues there, but that is not the first word," he said. "The trip is to be interpreted above all as an expression of wanting to announce the Gospel." After the pope decried the state of the world "ravaged by a handful of tyrants" in northwestern Cameroon, he told journalists that his message was not directed toward Trump despite much media coverage framing his words as such.
The moment marked a rare instance of a pope weighing in on his own depiction in the media, and by presenting the motive for his trip on his return flight in an unprompted move Leo showed once again that he is willing to intervene in the narrative around his pontificate.
"It is true that many times it is necessary to make comments, or look to how to encourage the people themselves to assume responsibility for their lives," Leo told journalists at the outset of his flight before taking questions. "The trip is to be interpreted above all as an expression of wanting to announce the Gospel, of proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ, which is a way of being close to people in their happiness, in the depth of their faith, but also in their suffering."
The National Catholic Reporter's Rome Bureau is made possible in part by the generosity of Joan and Bob McGrath.
16 April 2026
Where the Menoreh Hills whisper peace: Tolerance in quiet grace APRIL 2026
Where the Menoreh Hills whisper peace: Tolerance in quiet grace
By Stanislaus Jumar Sudiyana
Dusk falls gently upon the folds of the Menoreh Hills, west of Yogyakarta. The air turns cool, carrying the scent of damp earth and leaves. At the Pelem Dukuh Administrative Parish Church, within the West Yogyakarta Vicariate, Kulon Progo Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta, small candles are lit, simple lights flickering softly against the advancing dark.
In that stillness, some 713 Catholics enter the sacred rhythm of the Easter Triduum. Prayers flow unhurriedly, as though time itself pauses to listen.
Unspoken fraternity
Yet the evening holds a story that reaches beyond liturgy. Outside the pews, a quieter movement unfolds. Neighbours, village officials, and local youths, most of them Muslim, stand watch. Some guide vehicles along narrow village roads, others help secure the surroundings, while a few simply remain present, ensuring all proceeds well. There are no grand instructions, no expectation of recognition.
What emerges is sincerity, an unspoken fraternity among people. In this remote village, some 34 kilometres from Yogyakarta, tolerance does not raise its voice. It breathes. It endures.
Pelem Dukuh Parish forms part of the Archdiocese of Semarang, which by 2025 serves more than 362,000 Catholics across 109 parishes. Yet here, faith is not measured in numbers. It is revealed in conduct—in small, conscious acts carried out time and again.
In Patihombo Village, Purwosari, Girimulyo District, harmony is not newly built. It is inherited.
Village Head Sri Murtini, a Muslim, reflects on a tradition shaped across generations. Differences in belief are not lines of division, but threads that weave a shared life.
Tolerance is a collective memory
“We have lived this way for a long time. Even within one family, people may follow different religions, and it has never been an issue. It teaches us respect,” she said on Saturday (4 April 2026).
For her, tolerance is neither a programme nor a slogan. It is a collective memory—preserved, practised, and passed on. A quiet understanding that peace must be tended, like land that must never be left barren.
A similar spirit is echoed by community leader Suryadi. During Eid al-Fitr, he recalled, Catholic youths take part in safeguarding the prayers, ensuring their Muslim neighbours can worship in peace.
“We look after one another. Today we stand for them; tomorrow they stand for us. It is not merely duty—it is part of who we are,” he said.
In such reciprocity, difference loses its distance. What remains is trust. Thus, when Easter arrives, its meaning does not end at the altar. It extends outward, into action, into the simple willingness to be present for one another.
Muslim youths assist in organising vehicles for Catholic worshippers attending the Easter Mass, a quiet yet meaningful gesture of interfaith solidarity.
The essence of humanity
Fr. Martinus Suharyanto, who presided over the Easter Vigil Mass, sees in this togetherness something deeper than tolerance. He sees love in its most grounded form.
“What we witness here is more than coexistence. It is fraternity. When people of different faiths come to safeguard, to serve, and to ensure others may worship in peace, that is the essence of humanity,” he said in a message to Sonora.id.
He also expressed his gratitude to the police, the military, village officials, and residents who helped ensure the smooth observance of Holy Week.
“May all this goodness return as a blessing,” he added quietly.
At the western edge of the region, bordering Purworejo, life unfolds in rhythms both simple and profound. Interfaith encounters are not extraordinary—they are part of daily life.
Peace is not born of sameness
In the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Catholics make up around 4.3 per cent of the population, approximately 164,685 people. A minority in number, yet an essential part of Indonesia’s rich tapestry of diversity.
In a world often unsettled by difference, this small village offers a quiet lesson: peace is not born of sameness.
It grows from the willingness to care for differences.
It lives in the choice to stand for one another. And as night deepens over the Menoreh Hills, the candlelight remains—steady, faithful, unextinguished by the dark. In Pelem Dukuh, tolerance is not merely spoken. It is lived.
Fr. Martinus Suharyanto leads the Easter Mass, guiding the faithful in prayer amid an atmosphere of peace and unity.
15 April 2026
Vance Says Pope Leo Should Stay Out of U.S. Affairs & Hours Before News of Cease-Fire, Pope Leo XIV Issues Strong Rebuke of Trump 13&7APR26
Vance Says Pope Leo Should Stay Out of U.S. Affairs
Reporting from Washington
Vice President JD Vance, the highest-ranking Catholic in the federal government, said in an interview on Fox News on Monday that the pope should stay out of American affairs.
Mr. Vance, a convert to Catholicism who is about to publish a book detailing his turn to the faith, brushed off a backlash among Christians across the political spectrum to President Trump’s attacks against Pope Leo XIV. He said “that in some cases it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality.” Mr. Trump has clashed with the pontiff over matters of war and immigration, and on Sunday attacked him as “weak on crime.”
“Stick to matters of, you know, what’s going on in the Catholic Church,” Mr. Vance said on Fox News’s “Special Report with Bret Baier” when asked by Mr. Baier if he agreed with Mr. Trump’s attacks against the pope. “And let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy.” He added: “When they are in conflict, they are in conflict. I don’t worry about it too much.”
In a recent homily, Leo said that the Christian mission had often been “distorted by a desire for domination, entirely foreign to the way of Jesus Christ.”
Mr. Vance, who has often viciously attacked critics in much the same manner as Mr. Trump, offered a diplomatic tone as he spoke of Leo. “I think it’s a good thing, actually, that the pope is advocating for the things that he cares about,” the vice president said, adding: “We’re also going to disagree on substantive questions from time to time. I think that’s a totally reasonable thing.”
The vice president’s suggestion that Leo “stick to matters of morality” is also a notable distinction. Being a Roman Catholic requires acknowledgment of and adherence to the pope’s authority over the church, but not his political views. President John F. Kennedy, defending his Catholic faith during his 1960 presidential campaign, said that he believed in an America “where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the pope.”
The president’s social media tirade against Pope Leo on Sunday night accused him of being too liberal, “weak on crime,” and “terrible for foreign policy.” He even falsely claimed credit for the pope’s election.
Leo, speaking on Monday at the start of a trip to Africa, told reporters he had “no fear of the Trump administration.” He added that he was not afraid of “speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do.”
Mr. Vance was also asked about the president’s posting of an A.I.-generated image that depicted him as a Jesus-like figure; the vice president said that Mr. Trump “was posting a joke.” The president, speaking at the White House, told reporters that he had deleted that post, and Mr. Vance said that was done because Mr. Trump “recognized that a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor in that case.”
Earlier, Mr. Trump, in an interview with CBS News, said that he had meant the post to portray him as a doctor.
“I viewed that as a picture of me being a doctor in fixing — you had the Red Cross right there, you had, you know, medical people surrounding me,” Mr. Trump said in that interview. “And I was like the doctor, you know, as a little fun playing the doctor and making people better. So that’s what it was viewed as. That’s what most people thought.”
Chris Cameron is a Times reporter covering Washington, focusing on breaking news and the Trump administration.
A version of this article appears in print on April 15, 2026, Section A, Page 10 of the New York edition with the headline: Pope Leo Should Avoid U.S. Affairs, Vance Says.
More on Pope Leo XIV
Easter Remarks: With war in the Middle East casting a shadow over the celebrations of the most important date on the Christian calendar, Pope Leo XIV used his first Easter address as pontiff to renew pleas for peace and dialogue, and to condemn violence.
Comments on War: In sharp contrast to the Trump administration’s calls for Christian prayers for the war effort, the pope says military domination is “entirely foreign to the way of Jesus Christ.”
A Return to Tradition: Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of prisoners and refugees. His successor on Holy Thursday performed the rite of humility and service for priests, which is meant to recall Christ washing his apostles’ feet on the night before his crucifixion.
A (Virtual) Visit to the U.S.: Pope Leo declined an invitation from President Trump, but is set to make a virtual appearance on July 4 to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Hours Before News of Cease-Fire, Pope Leo XIV Issues Strong Rebuke of Trump
Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pontiff, issued a rare rebuke of President Trump on Tuesday, saying it was “truly unacceptable” to threaten to wipe out Iran’s “whole civilization.”
He did not mention the president by name, but it was clear whom he was referring to.
“Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran. And this is truly unacceptable,” the pope told reporters Tuesday evening in Italy, hours before an announcement by Mr. Trump that a two-week cease-fire had been reached. “There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more, it is a moral question concerning the good of the people as a whole, in its entirety.”
Mr. Trump had earlier threatened to destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran if Tehran did not allow commercial ships to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz. The deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure is forbidden under international law. Mr. Trump’s threat drew widespread condemnation from Democratic and Republican lawmakers, as well as United Nations officials and others around the world.
In his first year as pontiff, Leo has largely avoided wading directly into U.S. politics, but he has consistently called for an end to the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and a return to dialogue to resolve the conflict. He has also pointedly rejected efforts by some in the Trump administration to frame the war in Christian terms.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in March called on Americans to pray for victory in battle and the safety of their troops “in the name of Jesus Christ.”
The pope soon after warned against invoking the name of Jesus for battle, saying that Jesus “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.”
In a homily during a Mass before Easter last week, Leo said that the Christian mission had been “distorted by a desire for domination, entirely foreign to the way of Jesus Christ.”
Then, on Easter Sunday, he renewed his call for peace. “On this day of celebration, let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination and power, and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars,” Leo told tens of thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
Mr. Trump had imposed a Tuesday evening deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face devastation. Leo pressed for diplomacy. “Come back to the table. Let’s talk,” Leo said Tuesday evening. “Let’s look for solutions in a peaceful way.”
Hours later, shortly before his 8 p.m. deadline, Mr. Trump made the announcement about the cease-fire agreement. In a post on social media, Mr. Trump also claimed to be “very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East.”
Elisabetta Povoledo and Motoko Rich contributed reporting.
Ephrat Livni is a Times reporter covering breaking news around the world. She is based in Washington.
More on the Fighting in the Middle East
Global Economic Warning: War in the Middle East has upended the world economy, the International Monetary Fund said, warning in a report that disruptions to oil markets could slow growth, fuel inflation and raise the possibility of a global recession.
Strait of Hormuz: Shipowners and shipping experts said they did not expect a large number of vessels to return quickly to the strait because of concerns that the United States’ blockade plan lacked detail on how commercial vessels would be protected if they decided to go through the waterway.
Iran’s Internet Blackout: As the country’s near-total internet blackout extends into its seventh week, Iranian businesses and academics are arguing that the shutdown not only violates citizens’ rights but further destabilizes the country’s already weakened economy.
Israelis on the War: The ongoing war has left many in Israel despairing over how little they believe the fighting accomplished compared with the objectives laid out by their leaders.
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