Vatican fears anti-Christian feeling

[cal04]

Anti-Christian feeling is spreading in Muslim countries and other parts of the world because the war on terrorism is seen as linked to Western political strategy, says the Vatican's foreign minister.
Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, in a speech to a U.S.-organised conference on religious freedom on Friday, was the latest Vatican official to decry what the Church fears will be a difficult future in regions where Christians are in the minority.

"It should be recognised that the war against terrorism, even though necessary, had as one of its side-effects the spread of 'Christianophobia' in vast areas of the globe," he told the conference. Lajolo, the Vatican's second-ranking diplomat, said anti-Christian feeling existed where political strategies of Western countries were believed to be driven by Christianity.

He said this was why the Vatican had insisted that "Christianophobia be condemned together with Islamophobia and anti-Semitism" in recent U.N. human rights documents. While he did not specifically mention Iraq, his comments appeared to be a reference to it and other Islamic nations where minority Christians have come under attack.

A spate of bombs have hit churches and hospitals in the past few months, leaving numerous dead and injured.Iraq's 650,000 Christians, mostly Chaldeans, Assyrians and Catholics, comprise about 3 percent of the population. Many have left Iraq and the Vatican fears more will go if attacks go on. Washington justified invading Iraq by saying Saddam Hussein had developed weapons of mass destruction and claiming there were links between Baghdad and al Qaeda. No such weapons have been found nor hard evidence of pre-war al Qaeda links.The Vatican strongly opposed the invasion.


http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=632493

[villager]

1. they better split with the U.S. fundies, then, and start calling Bush out

...if they want to be spared the backlash...

[pretzel4gore]

15. the vatican knows who the terrorists are...

they know what bushinc is and they could've easily tripped up bushinc long ago, but the vatican is part of the problem....the pope is thought of as 'apolitical' but as early bishops of the church would say (to justify their political actions) religious belief is the most, indeed it's often the only, political stand human beings take.....there's nothing new under the sun, including bushevikism (ie fascism) and the vatican has been through it all before many times, and they always accommodate the monsters(!?)

[saigon68]

34. They CODDLED HITLER and tolerated GENOCIDE

So what's new?

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING .

[AndyTiedye]

29. The Catholic Church Hiearchy has Joined the Dominion

They aren't splitting with the Fundies, they have joined them.
They want a piece of the theocracy action -- the only way they
can regain any of their authority after the disgrace they have
suffered.

The Iraq war is not necessary and it is not part of the war on terrorism.
Even the Pope said so, but he is old and may not really be in charge anymore.

[crasmane]

2. The lead is slightly flawed:

Quote:
Anti-Christian feeling is spreading in Muslim countries and other parts of the world because the war on terrorism is seen as linked to Western political strategy, says the Vatican's foreign minister. end quote.

Anti-Christian feeling is spreading in Muslim countries and other parts of the world because the war on terrorism is seen as linked to Christianity.

That perception is so close to reality, you may as well go all the way and say Christianity is linked to the war on terrorism, American political strategy, and the growing insanity of American society.

[texpatriot2004]

3. and tell their priests not to endorse one candidate over

another...or sit in judgment of which sinners can receive communion and which ones can't.

[blm]

4. They can thank Bush's manipulation of the Christian fundies for that.

And the rightwingnut Catholic bishops here who supported Bush.

[Dem2theMax]

28. Can I get an AMEN on that one?

How ironic huh? 'AMEN?'

[Fleshdancer]

5. Well if the whole situation were in reverse....

If a predominately Muslim country started bombing Christian churches and occupying Christian countries one by one, guess what Christians would start thinking??

It doesn't take a rocket scientist.

[phantom power]

6. They ought to be more worried about Catholic anti-Vatican sentiment.

[Hobarticus]

7. My thoughts exactly!!! eom

[gratuitous]

8. Abjure violence, it's easy

Simply state that as Christians, we will be guided by the law of Love, and emulating our Lord (he is supposed to be the Lord, isn't he?) and Savior Jesus Christ, we will lay down our lives before taking up a weapon.

See how easy that makes it? Lay down all weapons and quit waging wars of conquest, crusade or pre-emption, and suddenly your worries over your image in the Muslim world are all over.

[Arianrhod]

31. Exactly. Unfortunately, it won't happen.

The Church (in its entirety, not just Catholicism) has from its inception been little more than a thinly disguised political movement. With the exception of the Church at Jerusalem under James the Just, the Church as an institution has from the beginning pushed its own radical governmental agenda. One of the first things the early Christians did--and believers were never referred to as "Christian" in First-Century Jerusalem--was to defy the authority of the Emperor. (This Emperor, btw, had gone out of his way to accommodate the deep religious feelings of the Jews; Vespasian even ordered his centurions to furl the Roman banners whenever they entered Jerusalem, to avoid offending the people with the imprinted heraldic symbols. He also recalled Pontius Pilate to Rome after the Pharisees complained of his heavy-handedness, in 36 CE.) The later canon of teachings that eventually became the Church as we know it was carefully chosen for its adherence to that agenda, while all dissenting works (some of which may even have been written by eyewitnesses) were systematically destroyed. With the Church's exaltation to world power under Constantine, the seeds of absolute corruption were sown, and we are living with its fruit today.

So why should we expect the Church to suddenly embrace the Prince of Peace now?

[Hobarticus]

9. Vatican should be worried about anti-Catholic CHRISTIAN feelings...

I'm barely Catholic, but I've always been aware of the heavily anti-Catholic rhetoric of the evangelical right. Simply put, their argument is that Catholics are going to hell because they don't accept Christ as their personal savior. Or so they claim.

If fundies start charting the cultural waters, the Pope's going to be more worried about what happens stateside than anything else.

[The Blue Flower]

10. Message from a Methodist pastor

The following was part of an announcement for a spring event in Seattle:

There is a growing awareness that the end times-dominionist teachings of many evangelical ministries and the media church are quite simply heresy. Several of us are concerned that this nation is moving towards a fascist state that uses Christian symbols, language and heritage as a prop to justify militarism and economic violence.

[Geek_Girl]

16. Do you have a link

[Stinky The Clown]

11. Catholicism used to be my religion

but they always seem to be on the wrong side of issues or they want to have it both ways.

They **need** get to of US politics. Most Catholics do not follow Rome in lock step. Back when I was a practicing Catholic (the '60s) birth control was the big issue. Rome wanted it. US Catholics didn't. Since then, it seems the popes have gotten ever more conservative.

Conservatism is not the answer, there, popey-poo.

[Shakespeare]

12. Maybe they shouldn't be so damned medieval, then.

Sorry, no sympathy. The religious right brought this not only upon themselves, but also upon all us lefty Christians. Gee, thanks.

[NNN0LHI]

13. Perhaps if the Pope didn't spend so much time playing footsies with Adolph

...Bush, they wouldn't feel that way?

Don

[TahitiNut]

14. "Whatever goes around, comes around." (TahitiNut 16:23)

:shrug:

"If you don't like the fruit, don't plant the tree." (TahitiNut 16:24)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

17. As they should be. After all established organizations are making

Christianity a political tool. If people are feeling suppressed as a result of Christianity, then perhaps it is because we have gotten away from secular government. If it looks like Christians are the ones oppressing then there will be backlash against Christians

[Malva Zebrina]

18. Looks like they have bought the Bush meme of war on a concept

It should be recognised that the war against terrorism, even though necessary, had as one of its side-effects the spread of 'Christianophobia' in vast areas of the globe," he told the conference. Lajolo, the Vatican's second-ranking diplomat, said anti-Christian feeling existed where political strategies of Western countries were believed to be driven by Christianity.


War on terrorism? Puleeze dear Vatican, surely you can do better than that with all those Jesuits on your side.

[KingChicken]

19. I'm anti-Right wingnut, moderate rational Christians welcome.

If you drink the kool-aid, please be advised to stay far away...

[Rush1184]

20. It took them this long to figure this out?

[Chicago Democrat]

21. We got that non-loving feeling...

oh that nonloving feeling...
We got a celebate feeling...
Cause we go the way of Michael...
woh woh wooo

[VegasWolf]

24. I thought the problem was they had that "luving" feeling! n/t

[VegasWolf]

22. LBN: Michael Jackson to repent and join Catholic Church! n/t

[IndianaGreen]

26. as a priest, no doubt

or as a nun.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

23. FUNDIEPHOBIA

That's what half of us in America and most in Europe "suffer" from.

[leftofcool]

27. Which might not be a disease in this country if..........

Jerry Falwell and his ilk would stop going on national television claiming to be Christians. Those fundipukes are giving "real" Christians a bad name.

leftofcool

[AndyTiedye]

30. There Are Millions of Them, They're Crazy, and They're Armed to the Teeth

and they just took over the government, in case you hadn't noticed.
Damn right I'm scared of the Fundies. :scared:

[GoBlue]

25. Terrorism has been around for thousands of years.

It's a tactical device. It's only a concern for Christians when they are on the receiving end.

[Sivafae]

32. Then the church better tell Pat Robinson to shut the hell up

I had the privilege of watching Pat Robinson on the Christian Broadcasting Network say to people watching that those who attacked us on 9-11 were declaring a war on Christians. And that it was happening all over the world.
I usually watch that program to get a idea of what is happening in the x-tian world, and to be honest, that was the last time I watch that BS.

[Carolab]

37. I don't recall that part of OBL's speech

was that one on his list of reasons?

[Gyre]

33. Gosh, I can't imagine why anybody would have a problem

with christians these days.

Lets see,.... wholesale destruction of adherents of Islam under a shifting series of obvious lies to justify military attack by a "christian nation". An in-broad-daylight armed robbery of an Islamic nation's natural resources, and subversion of their government (to accomplish same) by a "christian nation". Systematic state-sponsored torture and slaughter in Islamic countries by a "christian nation". No "due process" for suspected terrists. The most powerful "christian-based" nation continually acting as Israel's "godfather" so they can savage an Islamic occupied people with impunity, in violation of all recognized international law. Child molesters constituting a substantial percentage of catholic clergy with systematic protection of those same molesters by "the church", all while enjoying a tax-free status. Intolerant, lying, bible-whacking hypocrites in America.

The only real problem all of our so-called christian leaders have is that they continually demonstrate to the world, through their actions that they are at worst; avaricious, immoral, hypocritical psychopathic scum. At best, they're feeble and irrelevant. And that's what the world has seen just in the last 5 years on the moral superiority of christianity!

Other than that, I don't really see why they would hate christians and their enclaves, unless it is FOR THEIR FREEDOMS!

Gyre

[LynnTheDem]

35. Then the Vatican ought to try feeling some Christianity for once

Compassion...generosity...understanding...tolerance...

Then they wouldn't have anti-Christian feelings to fear. ;)

[rman]

36. Vatican doesn't fear Christian fundamentalism?

-