melinda ribnek
@mribnek.bsky.social
That’s not strength. That’s a collapse of moral courage. And it’s not just politics—it’s spiritual failure.
May 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
That’s not strength. That’s a collapse of moral courage. And it’s not just politics—it’s spiritual failure.
This isn’t just about disrespect or trolling. It’s about power. It’s about a narcissist demonstrating he can mock both the overtly sacred and the quietly sacred—and no one close to him will dare object.
May 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
This isn’t just about disrespect or trolling. It’s about power. It’s about a narcissist demonstrating he can mock both the overtly sacred and the quietly sacred—and no one close to him will dare object.
Because at the end of the day, we’re being shown something chilling: not just Trump’s cruelty, but the loyalty of those who refuse to challenge it. Even when their own faith is on the line. That’s power. That’s control. And it’s control based not just on fear, but on complicity.
May 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Because at the end of the day, we’re being shown something chilling: not just Trump’s cruelty, but the loyalty of those who refuse to challenge it. Even when their own faith is on the line. That’s power. That’s control. And it’s control based not just on fear, but on complicity.
And when the loudest voices in our faith community stay silent—not just about a meme, but about the abuse of the sacred in human form—we see clearly what has been lost.
May 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
And when the loudest voices in our faith community stay silent—not just about a meme, but about the abuse of the sacred in human form—we see clearly what has been lost.
I love Pope Francis. I mourn his death. I have deep reverence for the papacy and the Church.
But when cruelty is aimed at the most vulnerable—when the sacred is desecrated not in symbol but in personhood—it strikes even deeper. That’s where offense becomes moral emergency.
But when cruelty is aimed at the most vulnerable—when the sacred is desecrated not in symbol but in personhood—it strikes even deeper. That’s where offense becomes moral emergency.
May 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
I love Pope Francis. I mourn his death. I have deep reverence for the papacy and the Church.
But when cruelty is aimed at the most vulnerable—when the sacred is desecrated not in symbol but in personhood—it strikes even deeper. That’s where offense becomes moral emergency.
But when cruelty is aimed at the most vulnerable—when the sacred is desecrated not in symbol but in personhood—it strikes even deeper. That’s where offense becomes moral emergency.
But the migrant, the refugee, the vulnerable—they too are sacred. Perhaps not as visibly or ceremonially, but sacred in the most profound sense. We are called not just to recognize that sacredness, but to seek it out. When the state mocks their suffering, it’s not just offensive—it’s sacrilegious.
May 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
But the migrant, the refugee, the vulnerable—they too are sacred. Perhaps not as visibly or ceremonially, but sacred in the most profound sense. We are called not just to recognize that sacredness, but to seek it out. When the state mocks their suffering, it’s not just offensive—it’s sacrilegious.
But here’s the deeper truth: both of these images—the Pope and the migrants—represent the sacred. The Pope is a visible, overt sign of the sacred in our tradition. That’s why the meme was so brazen.
May 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
But here’s the deeper truth: both of these images—the Pope and the migrants—represent the sacred. The Pope is a visible, overt sign of the sacred in our tradition. That’s why the meme was so brazen.
We’ve seen outrage over vague gestures or artistic missteps. But when Trump or his White House engages in direct mockery of the sacred, they go silent. And not just silence, complicity.
Their outrage is selective. Their principles are conditional. Their witness crumbles in the presence of power.
Their outrage is selective. Their principles are conditional. Their witness crumbles in the presence of power.
May 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
We’ve seen outrage over vague gestures or artistic missteps. But when Trump or his White House engages in direct mockery of the sacred, they go silent. And not just silence, complicity.
Their outrage is selective. Their principles are conditional. Their witness crumbles in the presence of power.
Their outrage is selective. Their principles are conditional. Their witness crumbles in the presence of power.
Of course we should point out the hypocrisy. Prominent Catholic figures—like Bishop Barron—have loudly condemned liberals for offenses a fraction, a hundredth, as serious as these.
May 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Of course we should point out the hypocrisy. Prominent Catholic figures—like Bishop Barron—have loudly condemned liberals for offenses a fraction, a hundredth, as serious as these.
It mocked the suffering of the vulnerable through dystopian theatrics—stylized, manipulative, and grotesquely disconnected from human dignity. And they did it proudly. That video should offend the conscience of every Christian. It should move us not just to critique, but to lament and protest.
May 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
It mocked the suffering of the vulnerable through dystopian theatrics—stylized, manipulative, and grotesquely disconnected from human dignity. And they did it proudly. That video should offend the conscience of every Christian. It should move us not just to critique, but to lament and protest.
Let’s also be honest: the same White House account has posted content far more morally grotesque. The ASMR migrant video didn’t just cross a line—it dehumanized people.
May 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Let’s also be honest: the same White House account has posted content far more morally grotesque. The ASMR migrant video didn’t just cross a line—it dehumanized people.
It was a calculated humiliation. He knows they won’t push back. He can post something that openly mocks the Pope, and instead of rebuke, he gets silence. That’s narcissistic control. That’s power. He’s testing how far he can go in mocking them, and they keep proving they’ll take anything.
May 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
It was a calculated humiliation. He knows they won’t push back. He can post something that openly mocks the Pope, and instead of rebuke, he gets silence. That’s narcissistic control. That’s power. He’s testing how far he can go in mocking them, and they keep proving they’ll take anything.
This wasn’t just about provoking liberals. It was about asserting dominance over his own supporters—especially the Catholics who populate his staff, his voter base, and much of the conservative movement.
May 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
This wasn’t just about provoking liberals. It was about asserting dominance over his own supporters—especially the Catholics who populate his staff, his voter base, and much of the conservative movement.
He sees them as tools—for votes, for image, for loyalty. He finds them laughable, but useful. That post wasn’t made from conviction or even ideological contempt—it was made because he knew he could get away with it.
May 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
He sees them as tools—for votes, for image, for loyalty. He finds them laughable, but useful. That post wasn’t made from conviction or even ideological contempt—it was made because he knew he could get away with it.
Trump’s “Pope image” wasn’t just trolling—though it certainly was that. It was also a display of narcissistic power. A message: I can mock your faith, and you’ll still serve me. He’s made his disdain for Christians clear over the years.
May 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Trump’s “Pope image” wasn’t just trolling—though it certainly was that. It was also a display of narcissistic power. A message: I can mock your faith, and you’ll still serve me. He’s made his disdain for Christians clear over the years.
Reposted by melinda ribnek
Plain and simple. This is ethnic cleaning, a crime that cries out to God. Trump thinks he can displace an entire civilization, and turn it into an opportunity for real estate development. Absolutely disgusting!
Trump on sending US troops to Gaza: "If it's necessary, we'll do that. We're gonna take over that piece. And we're gonna develop it."
February 5, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Plain and simple. This is ethnic cleaning, a crime that cries out to God. Trump thinks he can displace an entire civilization, and turn it into an opportunity for real estate development. Absolutely disgusting!
Anyway I’m sure they’re just waiting until Monday morning to save the country
February 3, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Anyway I’m sure they’re just waiting until Monday morning to save the country
Honestly my apple watch hasn’t once taken my temperature while on the flu but it has yelled at me several times to stand up or get my activity rings closed. 0 outta 10 for the apple watch flu experience
January 27, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Honestly my apple watch hasn’t once taken my temperature while on the flu but it has yelled at me several times to stand up or get my activity rings closed. 0 outta 10 for the apple watch flu experience
🐆
JD Vance attacks the church: "The US Conference of Catholic Bishops needs to actually look in the mirror a little bit & recognize that when they receive more than $100m to resettle illegal immigrants, are they worried about humanitarian concerns or are they actually worried about their bottom line?"
January 26, 2025 at 5:14 PM
🐆
God I hope you’re right. And that’s a prayer.
January 26, 2025 at 5:12 PM
God I hope you’re right. And that’s a prayer.
Something about leopards and the USCCB?
January 26, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Something about leopards and the USCCB?
Whew I remember when Kamala was supposedly anti Catholic for questions about the Knights of Columbus. This is awkward…
January 26, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Whew I remember when Kamala was supposedly anti Catholic for questions about the Knights of Columbus. This is awkward…
Sounds right, least amount of damage possible
January 22, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Sounds right, least amount of damage possible
The way I feel so torn on whether I want incompetent or competent people in this administration lol
January 22, 2025 at 11:07 PM
The way I feel so torn on whether I want incompetent or competent people in this administration lol
Maybe the Republican representatives who want to serve as capitol tour guides for the pardoned J6 hostages will provide them with toilet paper this time.
January 22, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Maybe the Republican representatives who want to serve as capitol tour guides for the pardoned J6 hostages will provide them with toilet paper this time.