Courage, Conviction, and the Culture of Death

What began as the "live and let live" slogan of the LGBT is ending in prison time for anyone who dares to say, "this is wrong," and "what you are doing is sinful."

• 
  Joseph Pearce

Many years ago, I was told a joke that was not in particularly good taste, nor was it particularly funny. I’m going to retell it, irrespective of the aforementioned reasons for not doing so, because it illustrates something greatly ironic about the culture of death and the dictatorship of relativism in which we find ourselves.

A man to his friend: Why are you leaving the country?

Friend: They’ve made homosexuality legal and I want to get out of here before they make it compulsory.

I know it’s not funny, and I know it’s in highly questionable taste; but it does highlight a great irony. The irony is that homosexual practice has not been made compulsory, but endorsement of homosexual practice has been. Such is the intolerance of the dictatorship of relativism toward those who fail to show tolerance of the things that it says must be tolerated.

This intolerance in the name of tolerance, this Orwellian doublethink, is currently rampant, especially in Europe. In the United Kingdom, more than 12,000 people a year are being arrested for criticizing the government of Sturmführer Starmer on social media.

The fact that the dictatorship of relativism is wedded to the culture of death is evident in Iceland, which boasts of finding the Final Solution to the “problem” of Down syndrome in the systemic extermination of all those babies who are discovered in the womb to be “guilty” of the genetic “defect.” It is in Iceland, too, that the intolerance of those who fail to endorse homosexual practice is especially evident.

Fr. Jakob Rolland, chancellor of the Catholic Church in Iceland, was threatened with arrest by the police after he gave an interview with state broadcaster RÚV in which he stated the Catholic Church’s position on homosexuality. Such a position is no longer tolerated in Icelandic law, following the passing of a parliamentary statute in 2023 banning so-called “conversion therapy” of those experiencing same-sex attraction. According to those seeking to silence Fr. Rolland, his adherence to Catholic teaching and his refusal of the Eucharist to those living in same-sex relationships are forms of “conversion therapy.”

Fr. Jakob Rolland, chancellor of the Catholic Church in Iceland, was threatened with arrest by the police after he gave an interview with state broadcaster RÚV in which he stated the Catholic Church’s position on homosexuality.Tweet This

Asked whether he should obey the new law, Fr. Rolland responded in a manner reminiscent of the courage and conviction of St. Thomas More: “Yes, as long as the laws align with God’s laws, then it’s fine. It has been known in law from the very beginning that when the laws of the land and God’s laws conflict, God’s laws apply.” As with all good disciples of Christ, he is happy to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, but he will not render, or surrender, the things that are God’s to Caesar.

The courage of his convictions was evident in an earlier interview, in 2019, when Fr. Rolland stated:

If two women came to us and wanted to marry, then I’d say, “Unfortunately, that won’t work for us.” If they wanted to press charges, I’d say, “Do it.” If I go to prison, then I go to prison, but it won’t change my position.

Apart from having the courage of his convictions, Fr. Rolland also has the deep understanding of the things of which he is convicted and the ability to express them with clarity and charity:

Sexual orientation is only one factor among many that concern an individual’s tendencies towards some lifestyle that is not good for the individual and not good for society. And “conversion”—change of heart—this is a key word in the daily life of Catholic people. We are constantly in the position of turning away from what is evil towards what is good.

Against the charge that he is discriminating against those struggling with the disorder of same-sex attraction, Fr. Rolland makes it clear that we are all disordered in one way or another. Each of us struggle with sin and its harmful consequences. In this sense, those struggling with one form of disorder are no different from those struggling with different disorders. We are all sinners, and we are called to love one another; but there’s a difference between loving the sinner and endorsing the sin, a difference and a distance which is as wide as the chasm that separates Heaven from Hell:

Everyone who comes to church has their problems and sins, struggling to some degree with bad tendencies towards something. Everyone is kneeling, sometimes crying before God, before the statue of the Holy Virgin Mary, and asking for help. We are all really in the same position.

In recent interviews, Fr. Rolland has affirmed that Catholics with homosexual inclinations may receive the Eucharist—but not if they are engaged in intimate same-sex relationships. In other words, those struggling with a moral disorder are welcome to receive the Sacrament as repentant sinners. This is obvious because all human persons are in some sense morally disordered. The key word is not the noun, sinners, but the adjective, repentant.

In the face of the intolerance of the state, Fr. Rolland remains resolute, gaining great encouragement by the number of young people taking an interest in the Faith:

Yesterday I had a meeting for people who want to learn more about the Catholic faith and the Church’s teachings. And it was just a large group, and the vast majority were young people. So maybe it’s also part of the zeitgeist to be looking for an anchor, for answers to life’s questions. You want to find security and a sanctuary and community, and that’s the kind of people who come to us.

Fr. Rolland’s sense of encouragement at the number of young converts is also being felt in other countries. In France, over 13,000 adults and 8,000 teens were received into the Church this Easter, a new record for adult converts. The increase in the number of teenagers is simply startling. In 2017, only 1,385 teenagers requested baptism. This year, that number skyrocketed to 8,152.

Especially encouraging is the overall youthfulness of these new French converts. Older generations make up a tiny fraction of the total number. Only 1 percent of adult baptisms involve people over 65. In contrast, the overwhelming majority of new converts (82 percent) are between 18 and 40 years old. A similar, if less dramatic, upswing is being seen in the United Kingdom and other countries.

What are we to make of this resurgent Catholicism in the midst of the culture of death? Perhaps, as Fr. Rolland surmises, young people are “looking for an anchor, for answers to life’s questions.” They are seeking “security, sanctuary and community.”

In brief and in sum, they are seeking what can’t be found in the disordered world of relativism and nihilism. All that is needed is for the leaders of the Church to have the courage and conviction of good and resolute priests, such as Fr. Rolland. Such courage and such conviction will provide the rock to which young people need to cling as the culture of death continues its slow, sordid, and self-assisted suicide.

 

Sodom and Begorrah  latest ...

Gay Pride Rises at the Lowest Place on Earth (Literally)

The official X account of Israel, which is run by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, is promoting an upcoming four-day LGBTQ+ pride festival in June at the Dead Sea. They are doing this on the traditional location of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24-29).

Aaron Cohen, the main producer and initiator of the event, told the outlet that the scale of the festival is unprecedented,

"This is not just another festival, it's the biggest thing we've done here," he said.

He misspelled ‘dumbest.’

Pride rises at the lowest place on earth 🌈 This June the Dead Sea becomes Pride Land, the biggest LGBTQ+ festival ever in the Middle East. Four days of nonstop celebration community and connection.

Israel celebrates its LGBTQ+ community bigger than ever 💙 pic.twitter.com/JxqjQGNB7z

— Israel ישראל (@Israel) April 20, 2026

The event boasts four days of nonstop celebration, community, and queer connection in the same neighborhood traditionally known as Sodom and Gomorrah. The plan: turn a chunk of Judean Desert into a 24/7 pop-up city with hotels, beaches, and a main stage pumping Israeli talent round the clock.

Family zones for the kids, workshops, the whole package. Producer Aaron Cohen basically said they’re going full mad-scientist: “We bought entire hotels and built a city in the desert. It’s not a festival, it’s an experience.”

Yeah, nothing says family values like exposing innocent children to something that God calls an abomination (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13).

To the Jewish Derangement Syndrome crowd (you know who you are), this event is a private initiative led by producer Aaron Cohen and his team — not a government-funded or state-run event like some official national project. Just as San Francisco's awful pride stuff doesn't represent all of America, this doesn't speak for every Israeli, especially the more religious ones—including over 820 Seventh-day Adventists in Israel. So, please don’t turn this thread into another JDS rant.
That said, the official Israeli government account did promote it, and shame on them.

The optics, as the more biblically faithful among us have noted, are… impressive. Leviticus 18 and 20 are still clear, using that sturdy old Hebrew word to'evah — abomination — with the clarion bluntness of an Old Testament prophet who hadn’t yet received sensitivity training. And Romans 1 adds its own New Testament clarity for those keeping score at home (Romans 1:26-27).

I wonder if Israel’s trying to spur tourism while dodging rockets. Because nothing says “come visit!” like throwing the gayest party in history on the ashes of divine fire-and-brimstone real estate.

Abominable.
I hope they repent (2 Peter 3:9).

****

“For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.  Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting” (Romans 1:25-28).

 

REPOSTED

THE EVIL OF ASSISTED SUICIDE...

Pastoral Letter on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

5/6 April 2025

Fifth Sunday of Lent

 

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

 

I wish to speak with you today about the process in which our Parliament is currently considering legalising assisted suicide through the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. As I have made clear earlier in this debate, as Catholics we have maintained a principled objection to this change in law recognising that every human life is sacred, coming as a gift of God and bearing a God-given dignity. We are, therefore, clearly opposed to this Bill in principle, elevating, as it does, the autonomy of the individual above all other considerations.

 

The passage of the Bill through Parliament will lead to a vote in late April on whether it progresses further. This will be a crucial moment and I, together with all the Bishops of England and Wales, am writing to ask your support in urging your MP to vote against this Bill at that time.

 

There are serious reasons for doing so. At this point, we wish not simply to restate our objections in principle, but to emphasise the deeply flawed process undergone in Parliament thus far. We wish to remind you that it is a fundamental duty of every MP to ensure that legislation is not imposed on our society which has not been properly scrutinised and which will bring about damaging consequences.

 

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will fundamentally change many of the key relationships in our way of life: within the family, between doctor and patient, within the health service. Yet there has been no Royal Commission or independent inquiry ahead of its presentation. It is a Private Member’s Bill. The Bill itself is long and complex and was published just days before MPs voted on it, giving them inadequate time to consult or reflect upon it. The time for debate was minimal. The Committee examining the Bill took only three days of evidence: not all voices were heard, and it comprises an undue number of supporters of the Bill. In short, this is no way to legislate on such an important and morally complex issue.

 

One consequence of this flawed process is that many vital questions remain unanswered. Can MPs guarantee that the scope of the Bill will not be extended? In almost every country where assisted suicide has been introduced the current scope is wider than was originally intended. What role, if any, will the judiciary have in the process? We were told that judicial oversight was a necessary and vital part of the process; now we are told it isn’t needed at all. What will protect the vulnerable from coercion, or from feeling a burden on the family? Can the National Health Service cope with assisted suicide or will it, as the Health Secretary has warned, cause cuts elsewhere in the NHS? Can MPs guarantee that no medical practitioner or care worker would be compelled to take part in assisted suicide? Would this mean the establishment of a ‘national death service’?

 

In contrast to the provisions of this Bill, what is needed is first-class, compassionate palliative care at the end of our lives. This is already provided to many in our society but, tragically, is in short supply and underfunded. No one should be dispatched as a burden to others. Instead, a good society would prioritise care for the elderly, the vulnerable, and the weak. The lives of our families are richer for cherishing their presence.

 

It is a sad reflection on Parliament’s priorities that the House of Commons spent far more time debating the ban on fox hunting than it is spending on debating bringing in assisted suicide.

 

I am sure that you will share these concerns. It is now clear that this measure is being rushed without proper scrutiny and without fundamental questions surrounding safeguards being answered. This is a deeply flawed Bill with untold unintended consequences.

 

Every MP, and Government, has a solemn duty to prevent such legislation from reaching the statute book. This, tragically, is what may happen. So I appeal to you: even if you have written before, please make contact now with your MP and ask them to vote against this Bill not only on grounds of principle but because of the failure of Parliament to approach this issue in an adequate and responsible manner.

 

In his Letter to the Philippians, which we heard in the Second Reading, St Paul reflects on the difficulties and responsibilities of life. He speaks of ‘pressing on’ and ‘striving’ for the fullness of life promised in Christ Jesus. Yet he is totally confident in his struggles because, as he says, ‘Christ Jesus has made me his own’.

 

We too have many struggles. We too know that Christ Jesus has made us his own. So we too press on with this struggle, so important in our times.

 

May God bless you all.

 

Yours devotedly,

Cardinal Vincent Nichols

 OVERHEARD IN HARRIS & HOOLE...

(An occasional feature)

3rd May 2026

Myself, Mary Winterbourne, Tony of the Big Saloon and Frances 'Fanny' Dango got together this afternoon in Harris & Hoole. 

MARY WINTERBOURNE:  Gene I see Detterling is still breathing fire against you. He is threatening to set A.N. Wilson to take legal action against you.

GENE:  Yes Mary. I am not concerned. This will never happen. Detterling knows that I have two deadly trump cards up my sleeve. If I use either of them against him the sky will fall on his head. Detterling is all bluff and bluster.

MARY WINTERBOURNE: I see that he and Delia have gone on retreat to Corrymeela. 

GENE: Yes a place that's not for me. I can hear Kumbayah  being sung around the campfire.

FRANCES 'FANNY' DANGO: Oh! dear. How uncool.

GENE: 

ASSISTED SUICIDE

IT SHALL NEVER BE

NOT IN MERRIE ENGLAND

LAND OF THE FREE.