Rescue of US service member shot down over Iran called ‘Easter Miracle’; Artemis II pilot issues Easter message from space; Pope grants plenary indulgence at Easter Urbi et Orbi address; Pam Bondi OUT, Todd Blanche in as acting AG; Colorado court throws out Tina Peters’ sentence; RFK Jr. declares war on microplastics; Trump issues presidential message on anniversary of JPII’s death; JD Vance promotes upcoming book on faith journey; Decade-long charge finally dismissed against pro-lifer David Daleiden; Thousands convert to Catholicism at Easter Vigil; and more —
US Service Member Missing After Iran Shot Down Fighter Jet Has Been Rescued
The United States said Sunday it rescued a service member missing behind enemy lines since Iran downed a fighter jet, as President Donald Trump escalated pressure on Tehran with a new looming deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran showed no signs of backing down, striking new economic and infrastructure targets in neighboring Gulf Arab countries.
The airman’s extraction followed a frantic U.S. search-and-rescue operation after the Friday crash of the F-15E Strike Eagle, as Iran also promised a reward for anyone who turned in an “enemy pilot.” Trump said he was injured but in stable condition.
“This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour,” Trump wrote on social media.
A second crew member was rescued earlier.
Read more at Newsmax
Rescue called an ‘Easter Miracle‘
Watch @RapidResponse; read ‘An Easter Miracle in Iran’ at The Free Press (behind a partial paywall)
President Trump’s post upon rescue of US Service member downed over Iran
See @RapidResponse47
Details of the rescue
Watch @nicksortor
Trump’s Easter Greeting
Watch @WhiteHouse
Artemis II pilot delivers Easter message
Watch @CollinRugg
Artemis II astronauts to reach their closest approach to the moon today (April 6)
See @NASA
Pope Leo’s Easter Urbi et Orbi blessing
Watch @CatholicSat; read Pope Leo’s full address at OSV
Spectacular drone light show of the Crucifixion
Watch @GuntherEagleman
Pam Bondi OUT, Todd Blanche in as acting AG
Watch @glennbeck
Health secretary declares war on microplastics
See @OANN
Colorado court throws out Tina Peters’ sentence
See @nicksortor
New York Times mocked for bungling meaning of NATO: ‘How embarrassing and sad’
A New York Times headline that laughably mischaracterized NATO as “A North American Treaty Organization” drew widespread scorn on Friday.
The glaring mangling of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s name quickly spread across X.
Within minutes, a post pointing out the egregious error drew a wave of ridicule, disbelief and anger — much of it aimed not just at the mistake itself, but at what users framed as broader failures in mainstream media.
Read more at the New York Post
Presidential Message on the Anniversary of the Death of Pope Saint John Paul II (April 2)
Today, Melania and I join with Catholics and freedom-loving people around the world in honoring the immortal legacy of His Holiness Pope Saint John Paul II—a man of profound faith, a lion of liberty, and one of the fiercest defenders of human dignity to ever live.
As a young man during the barbaric Nazi occupation of Poland, the future saint formed an unbreakable conscience grounded in holiness, virtue, and moral courage. Later as a priest, a bishop, and the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, he worked tirelessly as a witness to hope in proclaiming the timeless truths of the Christian faith to all the nations of the Earth.
In the face of atheistic socialism, religious persecution, anti-Semitism, and other threats to human dignity and freedom, Pope John Paul II sparked a moral and spiritual revolution that led to the defeat of Soviet communism and the liberation of the Captive Nations of Europe. He transformed relations between the Christian and Jewish communities—expressing the Catholic Church’s profound and enduring solidarity with the Jewish people. And he boldly reaffirmed Western civilization’s Christian identity and religious foundations, stirring countless hearts toward the good, the true, and the beautiful.
Read more at WhiteHouse.gov
Decade-long charge finally dismissed against pro-lifer
See @JamesOKeefeIII
Chicago Bulls guard cut from team expounds on Christian beliefs
Watch @LilaGraceRose
JD Vance’s upcoming book on his faith journey
See @JDVance
CNN reports on surge in Catholic converts
Watch @BoLoudon
Surge in Catholic converts
See @Sachinettiyil
Human rights abuses against Christians are shamefully ignored
More must be done to oppose violence and religious discrimination worldwide
Over the bank holiday weekend, millions of Britain’s Christians have observed the annual rituals of Easter, the most important festival in their religious calendar. But it is all too easy for those afforded the protections of liberal democracies to take that security for granted. Though the world’s 2.5 billion Christians still constitute its largest religion, they are increasingly oppressed outside the West. Human rights infringements have become particularly acute in the Middle East and north Africa, where Christians stand out as an increasingly harassed minority.
Yet, either through complacency about the scale of the abuses or squeamishness about appearing to defend religious practices associated with European institutions and values, this wrongdoing is often marginalised in discussion of foreign affairs. That omission is inexcusable. Britain’s political class must do more to expose and alleviate the injustices directed at Christian minorities.
Though rarely highlighted, hostility toward Christians is an alarmingly entrenched phenomenon outside the West. In many areas, it has also been long gestating. In the Middle East, it is estimated that whereas Christians made up 20 per cent of the population a century ago, that figure has dwindled to just over 3 per cent today. War and immiseration have contributed to demographic collapse. After the rise of Isis, Christian populations, particularly in Iraq and Syria, fell dramatically. Syria, home to 1.5 million Christians in 2011, retains just 400,000. Prior to civil war, half the population of Lebanon were Christian; now just 32 per cent are. High-profile incidents across the Middle East — such as last year’s imprisonment by the Taliban in Afghanistan of Peter and Barbie Reynolds, both Christian missionaries by background — have contributed to a widespread perception that Christians are not safe in the region.
Read more at The Times UK
Priest begs prayers for persecuted Christians throughout the world
See @benedict_kiely
The Easter Octave – From Easter Sunday – Divine Mercy Sunday
See @father_rmv
