Welcome to the 2025 Libertarian Catholic World Cup! Who will win? Here are the rules:

1. Fill out the bracket below and click “Save Picks” then input your email.
2. Vote for your picks as the polling begins on each FB post
3. Winners will win their choice of any T-shirt on Libertas Tees

1. Poland

Captain: Pope John Paul II Pope St. John Paul II (1920–2005): Defender of human dignity, Solidarity movement, and freedom against communism. “Do not be afraid!” Champion of truth, conscience, and the dignity of the person over totalitarian power.

St. Maximilian Kolbe: Martyr of charity in Auschwitz. Founded Militia Immaculata; used media for truth against totalitarianism. King Jan III Sobieski: Savior of Vienna from Ottoman siege. Defender of Christendom and European liberty. Jerzy Popiełuszko: Priest-martyr. Chaplain to Solidarity; preached truth against communist lies. Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński: Primate who resisted communism, protected Church, and supported workers. St. Faustina Kowalska: Apostle of Divine Mercy. Her diary promotes trust in God’s mercy and personal conversion. Lech Wałęsa: Leader of Solidarity. Electrician-turned-president who helped topple communism through non-violent resistance.

2. Asia Minor

Captain: St. Paul (c. 5–67): Apostle to the Gentiles. “For freedom Christ has set us free.” Proclaimed equality in Christ, natural law in Romans, and conscience against unjust power.

St. Ignatius of Antioch: Martyr bishop. Emphasized Church unity and Eucharistic faith; letters stress ordered liberty under Christ. St. Polycarp: Disciple of John, martyr. Model of steadfast fidelity: “Eighty and six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong.” St. John Chrysostom: Golden-mouthed preacher. Denounced wealth hoarding and injustice; advocated almsgiving and moral reform. St. Basil the Great: Defender of Trinitarian doctrine, monastic founder. Promoted communal charity while respecting personal responsibility. St. Gregory of Nazianzus: Theologian. Contributed to Cappadocian synthesis; emphasized human dignity as image of God. St. Nicholas: Bishop, gift-giver. Protector of the innocent and poor; legendary defender against tyranny.

3. England

Captain: G. K. Chesterton G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936): Apologist, distributist. Celebrated distributed property, wonder, and orthodoxy against statism and modernism.

J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of Lord of the Rings. Subcreated worlds warning against power concentration and industrial tyranny; Catholic traditionalist. St. Thomas Becket: Martyr archbishop. Defended Church liberties against royal overreach. Lord Acton: Historian. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Advocate of liberty and conscience. St. Thomas More: Martyr, Lord Chancellor. “The King’s good servant, but God’s first.” Opposed tyranny. St. John Henry Newman: Convert, cardinal. Emphasized conscience and education. St. Bede: Often called the “Father of English History”, this Northumbrian monk wrote the Ecclesiastical History of the English People. He is the only Englishman to be named a Doctor of the Church. St. Cuthbert: An Anglo-Saxon bishop and hermit, he is one of the most venerated medieval saints of Northern England. His beautifully preserved relics remain housed in the magnificent Durham Cathedral.

4. Holy Land

Captain: St. Peter (born in Bethsaida, Galilee, ~1 BC): First pope, foundational to Christianity, established the Church in Rome. “We must obey God rather than men.” https://libertaspress.org/product/st-peter-we-must-obey-god-rather-than-men-t-shirt/

St. James the Less: Cousin of Jesus, Bishop of Jerusalem, author of the Epistle of James emphasizing faith working through works and care for the poor without state coercion. St. Mary Magdalene: First witness to the Resurrection. Exemplar of personal repentance, freedom from sin, and bold proclamation of truth. Mary: Mother of God, Theotokos. Model of perfect fiat and humility; her Magnificat proclaims God’s justice lifting the lowly and scattering the proud. St. Joseph: Foster father of Jesus, silent protector and just carpenter. Patron of workers and families; embodies responsible fatherhood and stewardship. St. Stephen: First Christian martyr. Model of non-violent witness against unjust authority. St. John: Apostle and Evangelist. “The truth will set you free.” Emphasized love, light over darkness, and the Word as foundation of ordered liberty.

5. Italy

Captain: St. Thomas Aquinas St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274): Doctor of the Church, Angelic Doctor. Synthesized faith and reason in Summa Theologica; limited the role of human law to grave vices harming others. “Do no harm.” https://libertaspress.org/product/st-thomas-aquinas-do-no-harm-t-shirt/

Pope Leo XIII: Author of Rerum Novarum and Libertas, defending private property, subsidiarity, and true liberty rooted in natural law. Pope St. John XXIII: Pacem in Terris affirmed human rights and dignity. St. Francis of Assisi: Radical voluntary poverty, care for creation, and peace-making. St. Catherine of Siena: Doctor of the Church. Bold advisor to popes, champion of reform. Dante Alighieri: Poet of Divine Comedy. Critic of political overreach and Church-state entanglement. Luigi Sturzo: Priest, anti-fascist. Advocated subsidiarity, decentralization, and economic liberty.

6. North Africa

Captain: St. Augustine St. Augustine (354–430): Bishop of Hippo, Doctor of the Church. City of God distinguishes heavenly and earthly realms. “An unjust law is no law at all.”

St. Athanasius: Defender of orthodoxy against imperial pressure. “If the world is against the truth, then I am against the world.” St. Josephine Bakhita: Former slave turned nun. Embodied forgiveness and liberation through Christ. St. Cyprian: Bishop and martyr. Champion of Church unity and charity. Tertullian: Early apologist for religious liberty: “It is a fundamental human right… that every man should worship according to his own convictions.” St. Monica: Model of persistent prayer and maternal influence. Perpetua and Felicity: Martyrs who defied Roman demands for pagan sacrifice; witnesses to conscience and courage.

7. Ireland

St. Patrick: Apostle of Ireland. Escaped slavery, returned as missionary. Model of personal faith and cultural transformation without coercion. St. Brigid: Abbess. Model of generosity, monasticism, and care for the poor. St. Columba: Missionary monk. Founded Iona; spread faith and learning. Daniel O’Connell: Liberator. Led Catholic emancipation through non-violent constitutional means. Frank Duff: Founder of Legion of Mary. Lay apostolate emphasizing personal holiness and voluntary service. Venerable Matt Talbot: Worker ascetic. Model of temperance, labor dignity, and personal conversion.

8. Spain

Captain: Francisco de Vitoria Francisco de Vitoria (c. 1483–1546): Founder of the School of Salamanca. Father of international law; defended natural rights of indigenous peoples, free trade, and limits on conquest.

Francisco Suárez: Developed natural law, consent of the governed, and limits on royal power. Bartolomé de las Casas: Tireless advocate for indigenous rights against exploitation. Domingo de Soto: Contributed to property rights and economic justice. Martín de Azpilcueta: Early theorist on money, interest, and just prices. Juan de Mariana: Defended limits on government power. St. Teresa of Ávila: Doctor of the Church. Mystic reformer emphasizing interior freedom. St. John of the Cross, St Ignatius of Loyola, King Phillip II helped defend Christendom

9. United States

Captain: Fulton Sheen Fulton Sheen (1895–1979): Bishop and evangelist. Critiqued communism; promoted natural law and personal conversion.

Dorothy Day: Co-founder of Catholic Worker. Voluntary poverty, pacifism, and direct aid. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: Founded Catholic schools; emphasized family and faith. John Carroll: First U.S. bishop. Advocate for religious liberty. Orestes Brownson: Defended constitutional republic and critiqued socialism. Fr. John Courtney Murray: Key influence on religious liberty. Russell Kirk: Emphasized moral order, tradition, and limits on power. Mother Angelica founded EWTN. Blessed Michael Mcgivney founded mutual aid order Knights of Columbus.

10. Germany

Captain: Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI (1927–2022): Theologian pope. Deus Caritas Est; critiqued relativism, defended reason, truth, and subsidiarity against modern ideologies.

St. Albert the Great: Doctor of the Church. Scientist, philosopher, teacher of Aquinas; integrated faith and empirical knowledge. Romano Guardini: Philosopher. Explored personhood, technology, and liturgy against mass society. Wilhelm Röpke: Economist. Ordoliberal; helped shape post-WWII social market economy with moral foundations. St. Hildegard of Bingen: Doctor of the Church. Mystic, composer, healer; visionary voice against corruption. Blessed Franz Jägerstätter: Martyr. Conscientious objector to Nazis; chose faith over state. Adolph Kolping: Priest. Founded Kolpingwerk for worker formation, education, and mutual aid.

11. Austria

Captain: Blessed Karl of Austria: Last emperor. Peace efforts in WWI; model of Catholic social kingship.

Otto von Habsburg: Advocate for European unity based on subsidiarity and against totalitarianism. Leopold Kohr: Economist. “Small is beautiful”; advocated decentralization and appropriate scale. St. Clement Mary Hofbauer: Redemptorist. “Apostle of Vienna”; promoted education and reform. Franz Schubert: Composer. Lieder and sacred music reflecting Catholic depth and human emotion. Friedrich Hayek Friedrich Hayek (1899–1992): Nobel economist. The Road to Serfdom; spontaneous order, knowledge problem, and limits of central planning.

12. France

Captain: Alexis de Tocqueville Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859): Author of Democracy in America. Warned of soft despotism; praised religion, voluntary associations, and local liberty.

Frédéric Bastiat: Economist. “The law is the organization of the natural right of lawful defense.” Master of economic sophisms. René Girard: Anthropologist. Mimetic theory exposing scapegoating; converted Catholic. Martyrs of the Vendée: Catholic peasants resisting revolutionary anti-Christian terror. St. Louis IX: Model of just Christian kingship and charity. St. Joan of Arc: Followed divine conscience against occupation and corrupt authorities.

13. Vietnam

St. Andrew Dũng-Lạc: Priest martyr during persecutions. Cardinal Nguyễn Văn Thuận: Imprisoned bishop. Five Loaves and Two Fish; model of hope in suffering. The Vietnamese Martyrs: Collective witness of faith under persecution. Ngô Đình Diệm: President. Anti-communist Catholic leader. Archbishop Ngô Đình Thục: Brother of Diệm; promoted faith amid challenges. Lê Bảo Tịnh: Martyr associated with Vietnamese Church. Pierre André Retord: Bishop martyr.

14. Portugal

St. Anthony of Padua: Doctor of the Church. Preacher, miracle-worker; patron of the poor and lost items. Blessed Nuno Álvares Pereira: Military leader and Carmelite. Defender of Portuguese independence. Prince Henry the Navigator: Promoter of exploration; advanced science, trade, and evangelization. King Afonso I: First king of Portugal. Consolidated Christian kingdom. Lucia dos Santos: Fatima visionary. Witness to Marian apparitions calling for prayer and conversion. St. John de Brito: Jesuit martyr. Missionary to India. João II: King. Consolidated power and supported exploration.

15. Philippines

St. Lorenzo Ruiz: First Filipino saint and martyr. Lay catechist executed in Japan. St. Pedro Calungsod: Young martyr. Catechist in Marianas. Cardinal Jaime Sin: Archbishop. Key role in People Power Revolution ousting dictator Marcos non-violently. Ninoy Aquino: Opposition leader. Assassinated; symbol of resistance to martial law. Corazon Aquino: President. Led democratic restoration after People Power. José Rizal: National hero. Writer, reformer; critiqued colonial abuses while promoting education and rights. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle: Contemporary voice on mercy, the poor, and Church in Asia.

16. Lebanon

St. Charbel Makhlouf: Maronite hermit. Model of ascetic prayer and miracles. St. Rafqa: Lebanese Maronite nun. Patient sufferer offering pain for others. St. Nimatullah Kassab: Maronite monk and martyr. Patriarch Elias Hoyek: Leader during turbulent times; defended Lebanese autonomy. Charles Malik: Philosopher, diplomat. Key drafter of Universal Declaration of Human Rights; emphasized dignity. Khalil Gibran: Poet and writer. The Prophet; themes of freedom, spirituality, and individualism. Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi: Current Maronite leader navigating faith, politics, and liberty in the Middle East.