The Eric Metaxas Show - Gianni Russo (continued) and John Zmirak

Episode Date: May 14, 2021

Gianni Russo continues his fascinating look at all things "hinky;" then, John Zmirak explains the term "integralism" and how it squares with a quirky sort of "Catholic shariah."

Texas show with your host, Eric Mettaxas. Folks, I'm talking to Johnny Russo. You were just talking about, we're talking about crazy stuff except it's real and you were there. Well, you know, it's so funny because St. Martin's Press and probably a lot of your listeners are saying, oh, come on, this can't be true. Yeah. I found out something about writing a book and being an author.

Yeah. The publishing houses vet all these stories. Yeah. Because they don't want them out there. and all this is in my book, which we forgot to mention. Yeah, let's... Hollywood Godfather. Last time you were on, we were talking about that book, and Hollywood Godfather's out there.

Now, you were going to write another book, and I want to ask you, you're not, you started writing it and you stopped writing it? I started writing it, and I thought I was going to do something to pay back Sinatra. Because they asked me to write a book about Sonatra. And there's so many. Bill O'Reilly's got a book coming about Sinatra. I can't believe this. But anyway, I said, you know, let me write the right book. So now I'm turning in chapters.

With St. Martin's. With St. Martin's Press again. Big advance. Frank Wyman's my age and got me a great deal. Because this book here now is best-selling seven countries. Hollywood Godfather. Hollywood Godfather. They're making a 10-hour miniseries out of it.

What? Yeah. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. They're making a minute. When I bumped into you on the street, I was running, this was during COVID, and I hear you come walking with your stick, and I stopped you for a minute. And you were telling me that you sold the rights and they're making a, I think you said that back then. So it's happening.

Oh, it's happening. The mini series. Are you ready for this? Yeah. Nick Vololongo, who won the Oscar for Green Book, Best Picture, Best Screen, Prime. All right. He wrote the pilot. he's writing three episodes in directing three.

Chas Palminteri is writing three and directing three. George Gallo for Midnight Run, so many. I mean, 29th Street, which I liked one of his great movies. He's writing three and directing three. And my showrunner is Colin Wilson for Mandalorian, who just got nominated for 15 Emmys. and also from Avatar. He's my showrunner.

And this is what we're doing now, which I think is pretty... Is there a part in it for me, Johnny? Of course. That's why I have you here. Okay. Bring him some more Zambuca. Come on. You, so, but your life is, is, I said it's like Forrest Gump.

It really is when you talk about all these characters, Sanatra and this one and that one. Let's circle back, not that we could type any loose ends, but you said, you said, You said flat out, Robert F. Kennedy had Marilyn Monroe murdered. Yes. First of all, that's an unbelievable thing. It's hard for many of us to believe that Robert F. Kennedy would have someone murdered. You know this is true. Well, that on a Saturday afternoon, Sinatra had to tell Marilyn why she was there.

And she'd do anything for them all. And Sam G. and Connor, they were all cabins, individual cabins surrounding this hotel. At this hotel, right. They set up her room. She was going to entice Robert because John didn't show. So Joe did show in a wheelchair and John. I'm Robert.

And she was supposed to entice him. They were going to take film like they did with Jay Gouva many years ago in Chicago and have him cross-dressing. And he blackmailed him. He always said there's no mob. There's no mafia. Until Robert became Attorney General. And then that whole thing came about.

about. Unbeknownst to us, and I'm sitting poolside, I was just eyes and ears for Costello. Sinatra tells her, she went crazy. In other words, when Sinatra tells her, she needs to do this. Now, I just got to tell you, when you're talking about a top Hollywood star, one of the most glamorous, talented women in the world, she's being told by the mob, you've got to do this dirty thing for us. It's just a fascinating thing. It wasn't by the mob for her.

She worked for them all the time. She knew them well. And she loved Sinatra. I mean, Sinatra had his way with her for years. She was like a go. She had, she was depressed. She'd call him. So he said, you have to do this favor for us. But she, as we pointed out earlier, she slept around to begin with. I mean, this was a favor. But it's just an amazing thing that they're trying to set up. They want to set up John F. Kennedy. So this is 62. So he's been president.

Oh, yeah. They want to set him up for what? So they can control him? To get them to convince him to go do what they said they had to go do, the Bay of Pigs. The Bay of Pigs. And so he screwed it up and they're angry at him. Because they got nothing now. He's president already a year.

And they made him president. They're saying we made you president. And now you got to do what you see. And they're getting indicted. And his brother, his brother is going after the mom. All of them. So now we found out that day, no one knew this. That day, she said, I'll never have anything to do with the Kennedys.

I just got an abortion for Robert because Robert already had five kids. He got her away from John because it was bad publicity. everybody knew that was supposedly his mistress. And Jackie was going crazy. So Jackie, Joe, and Robert came up with this idea. So he lured her away only for him to be enticed by her and impregnated her. So she said, I'm going to the press with this. I'm done with the Kennedys.

Screw them. And we knew then when I flew back the next day and I told Costello what went on, He says she's dead. And that Saturday, she was dead, man. Now, do you know how they killed her? I know exactly how they killed him. I knew who killed her. It was an injection?

Injection in the pubic area of oxygen. No pills. There's that collateral damage. After all these years, they just confirmed what I said. Is that nuts? Who confirmed it? Doctors, even Noguchi. who did the autopsy on her?

No, Bob Etriots. So nobody knew, so did anybody know how she died? She died of an ambulance. No, we know that now. You're telling me that, but I'm saying, did they know if... They wanted to look like a scandal. I mean, her doctor, Engelberg, her doctor, they had prescriptions from him. And when they checked them, it was all bullshit.

He was just, she didn't, when they did the autopsy, and they said she had abundance of drugs in her. That's not true. She always had drugs in her. But it's not going to kill her. So she died, she was murdered by a doctor that the Kennedy's put up to this. Well, it was a doctor for hire. The mob used her.

He was studying to be an anesthesiologist. He just died also. But this guy was a guy for hire. But you would never, I mean, he's the cleanest guy. So she's passed out. and he injects her and she dies. Right. Do people know this?

We're going to read about it now. More so now. This book is 600-some pages. But I mean, the idea that the Attorney General of the United States of America had Marilyn Monroe murdered. You know, you always hear these rumors, but... There was a hit list. A hit list.

I was on the hit list. I'm the only one that didn't get killed. Now, why were you on the hit list? Because I knew too much, and I was there. They wanted to eradicate everybody. And he said they, the Kennedys, not the mob. No, not the mob. Who else was on the hit list whose name we would know?

Jack Ruby. The open case right now, Dorothy Kilgall in the columnist, it's still an open murder case in New York. And the thread between all these people, which is strange because I'm reading this book now. I didn't write this book. This is the book we're talking about collateral damage. Right.

So you're finally reading this book and you're reading all the stuff that you've been saying all these years, that this guy did the work. And he's quoting me even. Okay. He's quoting my book. Okay. This is a tremendous writer. I mean, I don't know, Mark.

I mean, I met him now. We're friends. He asked me questions. And he couldn't believe what I knew, even about Dorothy Kilgallon. I mean, it's a... I just like the idea because for the common people to say, oh, come on, this OBS. Well, it's not. It's not.

I still, just the idea that RFK had her murdered. This is a headline. That's just an insane. I mean, anyway, we're going to be right back talking to Johnny Luso. Hey there, folks. How many years have I been telling you about relief factor? What, like four? The truth is, I know there are millions of people.

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communicating via their secure video and messaging features. Learn more at squadpod.com slash Eric. That's squadpod.com slash Eric. Let me say it again. Squadpod.com slash Eric. Check it out. Among the stars. Let me see what spring is like on a juber. Johnny Russo, I'm still in awe of some of this stuff. It blows my mind to hear that you have the President of the United States who's, you know, we've all heard these rumors, but I think people dismiss it as rumors or they say whatever, but you were there, and you're telling me that it is a fact that the mob said,

we will make Kennedy, John Kennedy, President, but we want this. Right. And this mainly was to get back Cuba. Well, that was big money. I only went once, but you're talking about the money that was coming to Cuba from all over the world. And that's the syndicate, owned them all. Maya Lansky, Costello, they had millions and millions of dollars invested down there. And then they just got thrown out.

Batista they had in his pocket. And they put a hit squad on Castro. I don't know if you know that. John came up with a hit, you know, if they could do it. John did. Don't tell Robert. One of the guys that killed John Kennedy, are you ready for this? Was trained by the CIA as a marksman to kill Castro first.

Then they switched the contract. And he was in the storm sewer as the car came up. He was the kill shot, China Raselli. Why has this been so difficult to pin down? I mean, you're telling me this stuff. You don't seem crazy, but there's millions of books on what happened. And nobody seems to be able to get it straight through. All these theories.

Why is that? Well, because first of all, the federal government, a lot of people are afraid of it. Again, after 50 years, Trump could have released it. You notice they didn't release it again? Yeah. You know why? No. Because we'd destroy the FBI, the CIA, you'll see how corrupt they are.

He should have released it. I know. He really should have released it. I think he would have if he thought he was going to lose the election. Now, you were saying back in, I think it was December, that you thought he would stay in office. I did. You did. And what have you heard?

Because I've heard so much. Oh, my God. I don't know. I mean, I mean, we, you know, I'm not a Democrat or a Republican. I'm none of those things. I vote in Sicily every five years. But the thing is that, I mean, I don't know what happened to him in the last two or three months. I was, I don't know, like you freaked out, he was on acid or something.

I mean, that whole thing on the sixth was like, whew. I still don't know. Does anybody know what happened? Did anything happen? A bunch of people wandered in. Nobody was killed except the pro-Trump woman. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. That's what was it.

He had a heart attack. Well, laughter on. Yeah, they made it look that way. They made it look that way. But then you really think like if there was some kind of an insurrection. Hello. But if there was any kind of an insurrection, people would have been killed. You know, nothing happened.

It was a bunch of people wandering around and they make it sound like it was. also orchestrated by the Democrats. I'm sorry to agree with you totally. I'm sorry to say that I think that that is right. Everything that I have, you must, having seen all the dark stuff you've seen, it must make you cynical about life because there's a lot of dirt. That's why I'm not in a political party because it's all BS. Who's got the money?

Who's doing what? It's always been that way. They talk about the mob. They're worse than the mob. Well, I've always felt that there are some politicians that are really trying to do the right thing, but they bump up against a brick wall. And I feel like that happened to Trump in many ways. Oh, my God, yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Well, that old boy society, I mean, if you look at all the senators, most of them are lawyers.

That's why we have so many frivolous lawsuits in this country. They'll never pass a law for frivolous lawsuits. I've been a victim of so many lawsuits. It's ridiculous. In another country, you want to sue me? Right now, I have a lawsuit for like $3 million. If you want to sue me for $3 million, in England, let's say. You've got to put up a bond for $3 million plus the court fees.

Now you're going to start thinking about whether you want to. That's why you don't see lawsuits all over. Only in the United States. Anybody will sue you. You have law firms that read a headline. They come and call you up. They'll take the case on a contingency. It's terrible.

Yeah. Okay. We've got to go back. You had a book coming out. Well, first of all, before the book, the mini series. So that is being what, written right now? It's written. We're casting.

You're casting. Right now. I can play bartender. You're casting. Is it going to be in New York? No. It has to be. It's got to be.

Nobody put up $50 million. dollars to do it. Five million of episodes. Who did that? Netflix? I don't want to say it anymore. No, well, a gentleman I knew, well, let's talk about, who cares. Jules Nassau, who did all the cigar movies

and all those. Yeah. He has a deal with Brolisconi and in Italy. Yeah. And I didn't know to get to service that money, we had a shoot there. He left that part out. Well, how are you going to shoot my

in Italy. Right. I mean, so, yeah. So that fell apart. But Colin Wilson and Nick Villalungo, who got more quieter than anybody, we have studios just would like to release it. So that's what we're doing now.

Now we're casting, going the conventional way. The book is still selling. And that's Hollywood Godfather. So why didn't you write? Because I knew you were writing another book. You got several books in you. to tell. Why didn't this next book happen? Because they wanted a book about Sinatra and my relationship with Sinatra. So we started writing it. We wrote about Dolly and his father and Hoboken and his humble

beginnings. Then we started getting into the mob stuff. And I know inside story that most people didn't know. And I also know, and he loves AJ, Nancy's daughter. I see these kids. Who loves AJ? Frank, that's his granddaughter. He loved AJ his granddaughter. And how can I, what they wanted on? I mean, the man, I mean, the guy was bipolar, an insane recluse when he got drunk and violent. I knew too much stuff about him. I spent days and weeks with him, traveling with him.

I used to, I met him in London when he, he used to, I met him in London when he, he found out Ava Gardner moved from Spain to London. And we were on the way to Monaco because we always went to the Red Cross Bull each year together because we both knew grace. And so we stopped there for three days and he was gone for three days with her. Come back, he was a basket case crying like a little kid. He was so enamored with her. But I mean, how do I tell these stories?

The guy has such a great reputation. He's done everything for me. He gave me my first gig. a headliner. He made me travel with, actually put me with Don Rickles for a year as an opening act, which is a great way to learn this business. Don Rickles. I want to talk to you for four hours about Don Rickles. Oh, I love Don. I adore Don Rickles. Unbelievable. So you spent a lot of time with Don Rickles. I spent a lot of time with Don and Sinatra, all of them. But I can't throw him under the bus. Why do I want to tell the stories about when he tried to commit suicide? And,

lost his voice for a year. That's why, I mean, there's so much stuff about it. Now, it's kind of funny, though, why wouldn't you? Because he's long gone. His son is gone. I mean, it's interesting. I am curious why you wouldn't tell that. Because it's not like his wife is alive or something like that.

Yeah, but see, that's who I am. If I'm your friend, I'm your friend. Money. What am I going to do with money? You're not, okay, you're not doing it for the money because, you know, you've got property in Las Vegas. if you need money. Oh, that don't mean nothing.

No, maybe. I learned to live without money. I live very well without money. I don't need money if the IRS is listening. Yeah, there's bugs all over this place. Especially in this building. No. Mark Twain was in this room.

Are you kidding? No. There's a celebrity. Johnny Russo never met. Nope. No kidding. Yeah, this was, he lived up in Connecticut the last 20 years of his life. What am I saying?

He lived in Connecticut the last 40 years of his life. in Hartford, then in Redding. And this was a famous old Manhattan men's club, fancy club. That's a Tiffany ceiling. Look at that. I know, man. Right. So that, you know, so, yeah, Mark Twain.

Mark Twain. When you come to my apartment, I have Tiffany. Really? Oh, my collector. I get to come to your apartment. Your apartment is a famous apartment. Even if it wasn't your apartment, it's a famous apartment. Oh, yeah.

Hello. Huh? So when it, it was Frank Costello's apartment. Is that right? One of them. One of so many. We know he didn't have one apartment. We're just about out of time.

Johnny, it's so much fun to talk to you. I hope you'll come back because we haven't covered anything. No, please. We haven't figured anything. If people want to find these clothes, they go to La Cosa Mia by Johnny. Online. And that's going to be up soon. Oh, yeah.

Okay. By time the show. And your book is Hollywood Godfather, now available in five. six languages, everywhere. Yeah, in Italy? Just go to Amazon's the best way to get. Yeah, yeah. I hate Amazon, but, you know. Oh, yeah, well, don't.

That's where my books are, too. All right, well, Johnny Russo, thank you so much. No, thank you. Always. Prescription dispensing labs is a national licensed pharmacy specializing in personalized prescription and natural medicine. The pharmacists at PD Labs are credited with formulating unique nasal sprays for the dreaded brain fog and a leader in uncovering new compounds to improve your health. PD Labs is one of the first pharmacists.

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Ladies and gentlemen, John's Mirac. John, it's been a while since I called you Big Bad John or John the Situation's Mirac. But it's always great to see you. I, I try to be. I, I try. traveling around the country and talk to people and many, many people mention and join you on this program. So thank you for being available and people are reading the stream. What is on your mind at this, on this day in history, Thursday, the 13th of May? Yeah. Oh, well, thank you, Eric. It's great fun and it's been very fun getting to know you better over the course of years on this show. We didn't know each other that well before I started appearing. is actually where we have made our acquaintances.

Isn't it funny? Over all these years, I know. It's kind of terrific. So what is on your mind? Things are strange in America and the world. What would you like to talk about? Yeah, things are strange in my own Catholic church, too. For years, I've been pointing to the growth of an unsettling extremist movement among some conservative Catholics. And it's just gotten significantly worse. the movement calls itself integralism, not integerism. That would be a math movement. Integralism. And basically, it is a movement of disgruntled Catholics who are scared of the direction

the world and the country are taking. So they're saying that the church made a terrible mistake at Vatican II when it accepted the idea of religious freedom. and that American Catholics made a terrible mistake when they accepted the American founding with its notion that we should build the laws for the country based on natural law, knowable by reason, and religious pluralism. These unsettled Catholics responding to our terrible pope and are almost as bad president and the collapse of culture in so many countries,

they're saying, well, you can train. it all back to the Enlightenment. And the American founding was part of the Enlightenment. We need to have a country based not just on reason, but on divine revelation, as interpreted by the Pope and the bishops. Now, you would think this is a strange time to say that, since the Pope is condemning the death penalty, calling for open borders, calling for socialism, hosting pro-abortionists at the Vatican. It seems like a year time to double down on the authority of the Catholic Church, especially after the sex scandals when, you know, I wouldn't trust, if I had a son, the last person on earth, I would want him near as a Catholic bishop, literally the last person on earth that I would trust are

Catholic bishops, given the horrendous sex scandal of priests abusing boys and bishops covering it up. But these people, these integralists are doubling down. They're, they're, it's kind of like in the 1920s, when the Turkish government got rid of the Caliphate, which was sort of like the Muslim Pope, that depressed a lot of Muslims worldwide, but some of them, it sent them into kind of a frenzy. It made them fanatical, and they founded the Muslim Brotherhood, and that was going to go back to the hardcore roots of Islam

in order to restore the loss of the Caliph. Let me see if I can sum up, because I want to make sure that I'm tracking with you. Yeah. During the 1960 president election, presidential election, a lot of people said we cannot elect John F. Kennedy. He's a Catholic. His allegiance will not be to America, but to the Pope. In other words, they were positing a kind of Catholic theocratic vision that is in opposition to the religious liberty that we have at the heart of all American liberties and at the heart of America. That was preposterous because, um, um, uh, Kennedy didn't believe in that kind of thinking. And most people who understand America understand that we are a nation of religious liberty. We don't want a theocracy.

Even though I am a Christian, I would never want to force people to become any kind of Christian because I realize you can't do it. It's preposterous. And it's it backfires. Right. But we know that Catholics. Well, I was going to say, but we know that Muslims. Most Muslims in America don't believe in a Sharia law or theocracy or anything. But the hardcore Muslims, the Islamists believe they want to subvert the American liberty totally.

They want to take over. They want to caliphate. Even Luther, when he was able to break away from the Catholic Church, he really wanted to enforce this kind of Lutheran Protestantism. All these ideas we know are not consonant with the scripture and the ideas of America. American freedom, but you're telling me now in 2021, there are Catholics advocating for that kind of thinking. I find that astonishing. Can you name a few names? Who are we talking about? Well, the most prominent name is Scott Hahn. He is perhaps the most prominent Catholic lay apologetics guy in America. He teaches its University of Stuban, Francisco University of Stubinville, Ohio. He was all over

EWTN on TV for years. He has a huge popular following, and he has a new book out in which he endorses integralism. And integralism is Catholic Sharia. It is literally Catholic Sharia. And the reason I say that is it doesn't make the basis of law, natural law, which you and I can talk about rationally. It makes the basis of law divine revelation and the authority of the Pope. And the thing these people, especially the really explicit integralists are saying is every Catholic bishop should have the legal right to arrest anyone in his diocese who's a baptized Christian who's not living up to Catholic Orthodoxy.

They claim that if I, wait, let me finish it. Well, we're at all right on in this segment. So hang on, John. Yeah. Folks, I'm talking to John's Merak. I hope you're aware of him. I hope you go to stream.org, print out his articles, and leave them around for people to read. We'll be right back with John Smirak.

Folks, I'm talking to Johns Mearek. John Smirak, go. So I was saying interrealists believe that you can have religious freedom for Jews and Muslims because they're not part of the body of Christ. But any child who has been baptized, these people believe, should be under the authority of the local Catholic bishop. And if need be, could be seized from his parents by the local Catholic bishop and educated as a Catholic if they won't raise him as a Catholic.

John, I find this so preposterous. I don't even know why we're talking about this. Well, we're talking to America are cafeteria Catholics. They don't even believe. We have trouble. I mean, the one thing I love about the Catholic Church is you have clear laws and you have a hierarchy. And if you have that, you can have good people like the Archbishop. in San Francisco, denouncing Joe Biden for being pro-abortion and saying, we cannot give you communion.

That to me is one of the wonderful things about the Catholic Church. But the sad part is, Eric, you know Bishop Strickland of Tyler, Texas? He's one of the brave, he's one of the brave pro-life bishops in America, one of the few really solid ones. He endorsed this book by Scott Hahn that promotes this integralist ideology. Now, maybe he didn't read it. Maybe Bishop Strickland just blurted a book he hadn't read. I think you and I have all, most writers have been asked to do that. But I would, okay, Scott Hahn is in the Catholic world what Oz Guinness is in the Protestant world.

If I can get that. Right. In other words, not how people read him and therefore he's ignored. And I'm trying to change that with Os Guinness. Well, maybe then you, maybe then you. What about Saurah? So who's the post? So Aramari, the New York Post op-ed editor, has endorsed this theory of integralism.

He is on board with this. Ask him. I've never met him. I've never had him on the program. But he's somebody that I've agreed with many things that he has put out there. You and I would agree with Torquamata on a lot of things. Torquamata was against abortion. Torquamata was against same-sex marriage.

Torquamata was also in favor of Burnik heretics. name that one little difference. We're just going to have to, we just agree to disagree about that. I would encourage people to read. I've done a whole series of articles about this at stream.org. The latest one is called, I've been exposed as a satanic liberal. Now, what I'm talking about there is, in the most prominent integralist publication, calls itself the Josias,

I've been denounced as a liberal because I believe in religious, liberty and the author denounce the American founding as satanic because it was not based on divine revelation you know like countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran which are based on divine revelation but this is so fringe I'm just telling you like it cracks me up that there's a world where this is a thing I mean it just amazes well let me tell you the unfortunate effect of this okay people who should be pro life activists pro family activists, pro-marriage activists, are checking out. They are taking over Catholic institutions and steering them away from trying to preserve what good we have in America and protect

unborn children and protect the religious freedom of Uyghur Muslims in China, Christians in China, Christians in Nigeria. All there are so many important, valuable causes that conservative Catholics ought to be engaged in. And instead, these people are going to Renaissance on stairs and dressing up as inquisitors and being inquisition reenactors. You're kidding. No, that's a metaphor. That's a metaphor. Okay.

The interveralist movement, however, is just that kind of live action role playing. And because it's becoming more and more prominent, you're seeing these people become embittered and anti-American and kind of nihilistic and in many ways reminding me of Islamists. The only difference is they're not going to blow things up because they're not going to risk their necks because they're a bunch of lily-livered chickens. They just want to fantasize about having power. But I want to warn my Protestant brethren out there. This is a rising movement among Catholics, especially young college-age Catholics. And these people really do want a government that would take away your kids from you and raise them as Catholics.

If this were Catholicism, Eric, I would be tempted to persecute it myself. These people are trying to vindicate the no-nothings who tried to keep my ancestors out of the country. The thing is, no Catholics in American history have believed this. For 200-something years, we have embraced religious liberty. So these integralists are saying, we betrayed our faith by identifying with America and loving America. It's just part of the general collapse of everything, Eric. that you've got people who should be zealous, fervent culture warriors on behalf of unborn children and the natural family and the natural law. And instead, they're just reading nostalgically the chronicles of the Spanish Inquisition.

Okay, so on a positive note, I was thrilled. I have to tell you, thrilled to read about the archbishop. I can't think of his name in San Francisco. Is it Cordillione? Port Leone, who spoke up, I mean, I've been waiting for this for years, saying that Nancy Pelosi, Vice President Biden, that they cannot claim to be Catholics, they cannot take communion because they have been ardently pro-abortion. This strikes me as utterly fundamental.

And utterly fundamental. But most Catholic leaders are saying nothing cowardly in their. behavior and their unwillingness to say anything about what ought to be to every faithful Catholic a deep scandal that folks like Pelosi and Biden, even the cardinal here in New York didn't seem to say much against Cuomo. Now, Cuomo is obviously no Catholic, the governor of New York, but maybe because he's Italian, he's sort of treated as though he's Catholic. No, Eric, it's worse than that. The U.S. Catholic bishops were going to vote on Cordially on his proposal

that they would publicly excommunicate or ban from the sacraments Biden and Pelosi. And the Vatican got in touch with them behind the scenes and put the kibosh on it. Because Pope Francis supports Joe Biden and George Soros and Bill Gates and Jeffrey Sachs. Pope Francis is in. a globalist oligarch who I don't think believes in God. I think Pope Francis is actually an atheist. He acts like one. We've only got seconds left.

But does the Cardinal, or is it in San Francisco, is he going to be able to do that? Well, actually, we're going to go to a break. We come back. I want to talk about this because this, to me, is a really noble moral stand. And I'm grateful for any leaders who are willing to to take such a stand. We'll be right back.

Nutrametics.com. Use the code. Eric, there's lots of stuff there. You're already buying. If you're already buying it, you might as well get it from Nutrametics.com. Use the code Eric. Get a discount and support a tremendous organization. John Zmirak, you must be heartened that the Cardinal in San Francisco has taken this public stand against pro-abortion figures like Nancy Pelosi in his diocese. Yes, yes. I wish more. bishops would do that. It's just a separating scandal that any bishop would allow pro-abortion,

pro-infanticide, pro-transgender, pro-Euthanasia activists to go anywhere near the Blessed Sacrament. But, you know, you know from the Greek church, did you, did you ever see Paul Songas or Michael Dukakis, who supported abortion, turned away from Holy Communion in their Greek churches? Well, I expect the Orthodox hierarchy in the Greek church to be craven. I don't expect that from the Catholic. Well, you should maybe because that is the new norm because Catholicism in America has been turned into like the chaplaincy for the Democratic Party. The Greek Orthodox leadership gave a huge award to Joe Biden. They don't. They don't. don't seem to even blink at the idea of a pro-abortion political figure. They're deeply compromised.

If you have a priest that isn't, God bless you, folks. Father Peter Carlutzoss in Danbury, Connecticut, where I grew up, he understands these issues. There are wonderful priests in the Orthodox Church, but the hierarchy has just been utterly pathetic. But I know you've been dealing with with this in the Catholic Church for a long time. So we've got to salute those like Cardinal Cordillione, who has taken a stand. That's right. That's right. And there are fewer and fewer of them among the Catholic bishops,

because guess what? Guess who picks the bishop, Pope Francis? And so he is picking people in his mirror image, people like Tobin in Newark, people like Supich in Chicago. So soon as the good people retire and are replaced, by kind of dim-witted lavender apparatchiks. It's going to become rarer and rarer in life.

It's going to become harder and harder for good Catholic priests, faithful Catholic priests. I just want to ask all your viewers to pray for Father George Rutler, who's a friend of mine, who was basically framed and is in a very difficult situation now because the people in the church who don't like his orthodoxy, are treating him very badly, and he doesn't want to speak up publicly about it, but I would ask people out there to pray for our friend George Rutler.

George Rutler is someone that I have been privileged to know over the years. He is a saintly figure, a great intellect. He's come to many Socrates in the city events. One of my favorite Dick Cavett anecdotes involves Father Rutler. He's just a great man. And I know that he's been going through some tough stuff lately. So, yes, please pray for Father Rutler. It's extraordinary.

We're living in extraordinary times, John, but God is bigger than the boogeyman, to quote my woke friend, Phil Vischer. Seriously, God is able to deal with these things. And so we need to know that prayer is important, folks. Let's pray for Father Rupert. Also pray for Rob Hoagland. He's the dad up in Canada, who, was imprisoned by a judge because he wouldn't use false pronouns to a supposedly transgender daughter.

He was kept in solitary confinement in a maximum security prison in Canada. And he just recently got out, but he's still fighting the efforts to throw him back into maximum security prison for refusing to use false pronouns for his daughter who the school psychiatrist decided was transgender. I just want to tell you, folks, the scripture commands us to be anxious for nothing, but in all things by prayer and supplication make our requests known to God. These are terrible things. Take them to God in prayer with confidence that he hears our prayers. John, my friend, thank you so much.

Thank you. God bless.