Denver, Colo., Aug 11, 2015 / 03:28 pm (CNA).- Marking the first birthday of ChurchPOP, a site for shareable Christian fun and inspiration, founder and editor Brantly Millegan said he hopes to build on the first year of success as he moves forward.   “Last summer, I got the idea. And the idea was just to do a website in a 'Buzzfeed' style, but for Christian culture,” Millegan told CNA, saying that he wanted to create the kind of web content that people would want to share. It didn't take long for Millegan's idea to become real. Within a few weeks of brainstorming and obtaining a web domain in July, ChurchPOP was officially launched on August 11, 2014. The website offers articles, quizzes, videos, memes, and lists for people who are looking to share fun facts, beautiful pictures, and collectively “make holy all the things!” – as the site’s tagline indicates. The goal is to share Buzzfeed-style content while learning more about the Christian faith. Although Millegan started ChurchPOP from ground zero, he experienced a warm welcome during the website's first few days from fun-loving web surfers looking for sharable content with a Christian twist. “Praise the Lord - it was very encouraging that in my first month, I did far better than what I was expecting, and that was a big encouragement,” he noted. But starting ChurchPOP wasn't all fun and games. Millegan said that launching his own website was a lot like a rollercoaster ride. “The last year there have been a lot of ups and downs, it hasn't always been smooth sailing the whole time,” he remembered. Looking back after the first year, Millegan reflected with gratitude on all of the highs and lows, hoping that ChurchPOP will continue to be a success. With headlines like “LOL! 18 Christian Memes Guaranteed to Lighten Your Day” and quizzes such as “Can You Name These Liturgical Vestments?” Millegan keeps ChurchPOP's content fresh and funny by staying in tune with what millennials like. “They are just the types of things that people want to share, which is exactly what I am going for,” he said. “It's kind of surprising what does well and what doesn't. I had an article that was just a diagram of how all the apostles died and where their bones are supposedly located - and that was huge,” Millegan stated, noting that another article on “27 Delightfully Terrible Christian Puns to Annoy the Heck Out of Your Friends With” was also a big hit. Although Millegan has been running the show on his own, he does collaborate with others who submit their work on the site, and he also asks for permission to reprint other writers. In addition, Millegan himself generates a lot of the content and is inspired by everything from Facebook to Flickr. “I want the types of things where people can easily digest it, enjoy it, and share it on Facebook,” he explained, saying that the purpose of ChurchPOP is to promote “Christian culture in general, which I think has the evangelizing effect.” After his first year in the Buzzfeed-for-Christians business, Millegan has a few projects in store for the future that could make a global splash. “Well, we would like to create a Spanish edition, I think that could be huge. I think just putting it in another language, starting with Spanish, could have a huge reach,” he explained, saying “just onwards and upwards - that's the plan, at least.” “Things can be very up and down - the highs are highs, and the lows are lows. But I feel very blessed that I have made it this far, and I'm very happy,” he continued.   Read more

Knoxville, Tenn., Aug 11, 2015 / 12:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The videos of Planned Parenthood officials' involvement in the harvesting of organs from recently aborted babies shows an unadorned evil, but it’s also a call to love those involved in abortion, a bishop in Tennessee has said. “Evil without its makeup — that is the reality exposed in the unfolding series of videos revealing how the unborn life of a baby, deemed worthless by Planned Parenthood while in the womb, has value only in the sale of its dissected human parts,” Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville said in an Aug. 9 column for the Knoxville News Sentinel. He connected the revelations to Pope Francis’ strong criticisms of the “throwaway” mentality that harms both the natural environment and human ecology. “A true human ecology is one that recognizes the inestimable value of life from conception to natural death, be it the life of the unborn in the womb, the poor, the sick and elderly, and even those on death row who themselves may have brutally taken another life,” the bishop continued. “This human ecology calls us to especially reach out with love, mercy and healing toward those who may be contemplating, or have chosen to have, an abortion.” Undercover investigators with the California-based Center for Medical Progress have released several videos showing Planned Parenthood officials casually discussing prices for various body parts, and how abortion procedures may be altered to ensure intact organs from aborted babies. The videos, which the bishop challenged everyone to watch, have prompted strong scrutiny of the politically powerful organization, which is the largest abortion provider in the U.S. Bishop Stika said the investigation “shined a light into the areas of darkness.” He said the videos exposed a “troubling indifference” and the “suppression of truth” about the most vulnerable, saying the current indifference is similar to the situation “decades ago” when “people on another continent shocked the world, saying, 'we did not know,' regarding the atrocities they chose to ignore.” He suggested that Americans with environmental concerns make sure they include a concern for humanity. “Care for the environment and of all God's good creation is important, but have we forgotten a far greater ecology that calls for our attention?” he asked. He cited Pope Francis’ question in his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si'. There, the Pope asked how one can teach the importance of caring for other beings “if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties.” He encouraged anyone involved in a past abortion to contact Project Rachel, and anyone who needs help with pregnancy in East Tennessee to contact the local Catholic Charities affiliate. He suggested the approximately $500 million of federal taxpayer funding that goes to Planned Parenthood could be directed to pregnancy centers that offer “loving and compassionate options” that affirm “the sanctity and the dignity of both mother and child.” Read more

Philadelphia, Pa., Aug 10, 2015 / 04:58 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Although Pope Francis will be new to the United States, visiting the country this autumn for the first time during his papacy, he will be well-seasoned in American history. Officially announced this week, the Holy Father will speak at the same lectern as did President Abraham Lincoln when he delivered the Gettysburg Address in 1863. The Holy Father will give his own historic speech at Independence Hall during the World Meeting of Families in September, using Lincoln's lectern courtesy of the Abraham Lincoln Foundation of the Union League of Philadelphia. "We are both honored and grateful for the generosity of the Abraham Lincoln Foundation in offering the Holy Father the opportunity to speak from The Gettysburg Lecturn at Independence Hall," announced Robert Ciaruffoli, president of the 2015 World Meeting of Families. "It's simple beauty and humble role in one of American history's most important moments reflect, in many ways, Pope Francis' own worldview," Ciaruffoli continued. The Gettysburg Address was given by Lincoln from the simple wooden lectern on Nov. 19, 1863, four months after the Battle of Gettysburg. Lincoln dedicated part of the grounds of Gettysburg as a cemetary during his speech, solemnly remembering one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War. Pope Francis, 152 years later, will mark another historic occasion by addressing the World Meeting of Families from the same wooden stand at Independence Hall. "The Gettysburg Lectern is one of the most historic artifacts in American history and we are privileged to have Pope Francis use it to deliver his address in Philadelphia," stated John Meko, the executive director of the Union League. “With Independence Hall, the most historic building in America, selected as an official site for the Papal visit in June, it seemed only appropriate to provide the Holy Father with the opportunity to deliver his message to the world from the lectern at which President Lincoln gave the most famous speech in American history,” Meko continued. The Abraham Lincoln Foundation was founded in 1996 to preserve historical documents and artifacts obtained by the Union League of Philadelphia. The Heritage Center of the Union League of Philadelphia is now home to the Gettysburg Lectern, where it is on a long-term loan from a private collector. At the end of August, the historic wooden stand will be removed from public display so that conservators can prepare it for Pope Francis' address at the World Meeting of Families. The World Meeting of Families takes place every three years and is co-sponsored this year by the Holy See's Pontifical Council and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It will be held for the first time in the United States this fall, with the official theme "Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive."   Pope Francis will use the Gettysburg Lecturn to speak about religious liberty and immigration on Sept. 26, 2015, during his two-day apostolic journey in Philadelphia. "To have this man of faith who speaks for peace, love and religious freedom around the world, use President Lincoln's Gettysburg Lecturn to address all those who will come to see him in Philadelphia, will be a deeply moving moment for all," Ciaruffoli stated.   Read more