Bill Petersen

Preacher-Teacher-Learner-Husband-Foodie + former University Dean sharing ministry w/great people in Wolfeboro, NH which shapes + flavors my perspective

[David French @DavidAFrench]

I love this so much.

[Vatican News @VaticanNews]

Pope Leo XIV holds an audience on Monday with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dame Sarah Mullally, calling on Catholics and Anglicans to continue working to overcome any differences to proclaim the Gospel.

[Wolf Blitzer @wolfblitzer]

Earlier today ⁦@PamelaBrownCNN⁩ and I were so excited when THE Stanley Cup was with us in “The Situation Room.” But tonight I’m even more excited because my ⁦@BuffaloSabres⁩ won 3-1 and have taken a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup playoff series. Let’s Go Buffalo!

[Bill Kristol @BillKristol]

“Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic, and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.”
— Pope Leo XIV

[Rich Raho @RichRaho]

The Pope’s first words in Cameroon: “Peace cannot be reduced to a slogan: it must be embodied in a personal and institutional style that repudiates every form of violence. That is why I forcefully reiterate: The world thirsts for peace. Enough with wars already!”

[Be A King @BerniceKing]

Don’t become numb.

What is happening across our world is not distant. It is human.

Lives are being lost. Communities are being disrupted. Families are being changed forever.

We must not lose our capacity to care.

#MLK #Nonviolence365 #BelovedCommunity

[RosarySon @SkyVirginSon]

With all due respect to the Office of the President, this post contains several claims that are factually inaccurate and theologically misguided, and as a Catholic I feel compelled to respond.

1. The Pope was not elected to please any president.

Pope Leo XIV was elected by 133 cardinals from across the world in a sacred conclave, on the fourth ballot, on May 8, 2025. 

The Holy Spirit guides the conclave, not American politics.

To suggest that “if I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican”  is not only historically ignorant but theologically offensive to every Catholic on earth.

2. He was not an unknown outsider.

Pope Leo XIV served as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops under Pope Francis, one of the most powerful roles in the Vatican, responsible for selecting bishops for dioceses worldwide. 

He was one of the most qualified candidates in the College of Cardinals.

3. He is deeply rooted in service, not politics.

An Augustinian missionary who worked for decades in Peru, Pope Leo XIV dedicated his life to the poor and the Gospel long before any political figure noticed him. 

His name honors Leo XIII, the Pope who championed workers’ rights and the poor during the Industrial Revolution, a tradition of Catholic Social Teaching that predates any modern political party.

4. The Pope’s role is prophetic, not partisan.

When the Pope speaks on peace, nuclear weapons, immigration, or the dignity of nations, he is fulfilling the mission of Christ, not opposing any government.

His first words as Pope were “Peace be with you all,”  echoing the Risen Christ (John 20:19).

A Pope who is silent on injustice would be failing his divine mandate.

5. Demanding a Pope “get in line” with a president contradicts 2,000 years of Church history.

From St. Peter before Nero, to St. Thomas More before Henry VIII, to John Paul II before Soviet communism, the Church has never existed to validate earthly power.

“We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)

As Catholics, we pray for all leaders, including President Trump.

But we stand firmly with our Holy Father.

Habemus Papam. And he answers to God alone.

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.

[U2 @U2]

'COEXIST (I Will Bless The Lord At All Times?)’ is a lullaby for parents of children caught up in war, featuring a soundscape by Brian Eno.

Coexist is the idea at the center of this lyric. That religion has become a reason to go to war is crazy to us. It’s easy to fall into despair - there's so much to be fearful of, not least because, as we succumb to war, we are not doing enough to combat truly existential threats like the climate emergency.

Easter Lily EP available now. Read Propaganda. https://t.co/OB3mVe69vu

[Tom Wright @profntwright]

Worship is central to Christian living. Actually, it's central to all human life: "without worship you shrink," wrote the play-wright. "It's as brutal as that." This is a general truth: human flourishing depends on looking up, looking beyond, looking deeper, and responding with gratitude, admiration, and aspiration to the vision one has glimpsed. By itself, however, this wide meaning of "worship" can lead in many different directions, some of them dangerous or even destructive. Humans are designed, after all, to reflect the true creator God into the world. But if humans worship idols, the god-reflecting vocation is not canceled. It is distorted, so that we reflect into the world some aspect of, or some force within, the created order. The classic ones are money, sex, and power. We become like what we worship. Instead of shrinking, we are shaped by it: into monsters, if we are worshipping idols, or into truly human beings, if we are worshipping the true creator God. We grow into the likeness of who or what we worship, and we display that likeness to the world.
-God's Homecoming

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

I continue to follow the situation in the Middle East with dismay. Like other regions of the world, it is torn apart by war and violence. We cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many defenseless victims of these conflicts. What wounds them wounds all of humanity. The death and pain caused by these wars is a scandal for the entire human family and a cry that rises to God!

[Bill Kristol @BillKristol]

Robert Swan Mueller III, 1944-2026.

Patriot.

“For how can you compete,
Being honor bred, with one
Who were it proved he lies
Were neither shamed in his own
Nor in his neighbors' eyes?”

— Yeats

[Brian Allen @allenanalysis]

Trump: “I can do anything I want to do to them… I’m allowed to destroy the country.”

Let’s be clear.

No president is “allowed” to unilaterally destroy any other country.

If this isn’t impeachment-worthy, nothing is.

[Vince Mpls @vincempls]

March 27, 1936: Portraits of the Führer are raised on official buildings across Berlin. This one at the Potsdamer Railway Station reads "Freedom - Peace"

[Rev. Benjamin Cremer @Brcremer]

When you insist on seeing God in the face of the emperor, no matter how corrupt they are, and refuse to see God in the face of the immigrant being arrested after being falsely accused of being a criminal, you have yet to understand the gospel of Jesus.

[Annie @AnnieForTruth]

💯💯💯💙💙💙💙

[Reuters @Reuters]

Courts have ruled 4,400 times that ICE jailed people illegally. It hasn’t stopped. https://t.co/a5qRuwbRHP https://t.co/a5qRuwbRHP

[Wesley @WesleyBout]

Imagine getting mad about this and still thinking you’re a good person

[Be A King @BerniceKing]

Be Love.

#BadBunny #SuperBowl #BeLove