Pope Francis and the Copts Blood and ecumenism

The Economist ^ | 2/17/15 | B.C.

[BlatherNaut]

IT IS an almost provocative way of looking at things, but one that the pope has adopted several times. It came up yesterday when he was speaking to a delegation from Scotland about the 21 Coptic Christians from Egypt who were recently murdered by Islamist terrorists. According to Vatican Radio, he said:

The blood of our Christian brothers and sisters is a testimony which cries out to be heard...It makes no difference whether they be Catholics, Orthodox, Copts or Protestants. They are Christians! Their blood is one and the same. Their blood confesses Christ.

Today the pope followed this by praying, as he began Mass, for "our brother Copts, whose throats were slit for the sole reason of being Christian, that the Lord welcome them as martyrs...." He also prayed for the Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, "my brother Tawadros, who is suffering greatly..."

This was a passionate reaffirmation of an argument which the pope had laid out, a bit more hypothetically, in an interview with an Italian newspaper in December 2013. He said then:

For me, ecumenism is a priority. Today, we have the ecumenism of blood. In some countries they kill Christians because they wear a cross or have a Bible, and before killing them they don't ask if they're Anglicans, Lutherans, Catholics or Orthodox. The blood is mixed.

It takes a moment to explain why the pope is pushing boundaries by using this language. After a century of mostly well-intentioned dialogue between the world's Christian communities, they are still far from unity.

[boycott]

The blood of our Christian brothers and sisters is a testimony which cries out to be heard...It makes no difference whether they be Catholics, Orthodox, Copts or Protestants. They are Christians! Their blood is one and the same. Their blood confesses Christ.

---

I don’t agree with the Pope on many of his proclamations but I do on this one.

[2nd Amendment]

I agree. On this issue the Pope speaks for all believers in Jesus Christ!

[FR_addict]

Did he say anything when the Jews were targeted?

[BlatherNaut]

"They Didn't Die for Ecumenism"

"...I agree with anyone who calls these valiant men martyrs for Jesus Christ. However, I do not think that the heroic deaths of these Coptic Christians, who died with the name of Jesus on their lips, should be exploited by anyone for any agenda whatsoever. It is wrong to shamelessly advance in the name of your own projects men's real sacrifices to further your agenda, namely, in this case - ecumenism. Cannot Churchmen just honour the lives and heroic deaths of these men and acknowledge that they didn't die for ecumenism. It is tasteless to hijack people's deaths for your own agenda and then announce it to be the 'ecumenism of blood'. They died for Jesus Christ. Their obvious martyrdom, their shining witness stands well enough for what it is. They didn't die for Vatican II projects of closer ecclesial relationships or any ecclesial project. They died for Jesus Christ."

http://thatthebonesyouhavecrushedmaythrill.blogspot.com/2015/02/they-didnt-die-for-ecumenism.html

[Lumper20]

These people became Christians and followers of Mark about 50 AD. I’d say they knew about Jesus long before Europe did.

[NKP_Vet]

The reason protestants and cafeteria catholics love him so much. He does not let that little thing called Catholic doctrine and the truth get in his way. Devout Catholics know their faith and they disregard his mindless mumbo jumbo.

[Biggirl]

AMEN!

The day will come when and if, when our turn comes, the Islamofacists will not care what church attend, we are in their eyes CHRISTIANS.

[BlatherNaut]

The day will come when and if, when our turn comes, the Islamofacists will not care what church attend, we are in their eyes CHRISTIANS.

Or Jews or Muslims or Yazidi's or atheists or anyone else who differs even slightly with their worldview.

[boatbums]

The reason protestants and cafeteria catholics love him so much. He does not let that little thing called Catholic doctrine and the truth get in his way. Devout Catholics know their faith and they disregard his mindless mumbo jumbo.

I can't help but think that's the same sentiment behind, and the rationalization for, the Islamists' actions. They don't discriminate either but brutally murder even other Muslims.

[piusv]

So Francis is equating the martyrdoms of Sts Thomas More and John Fisher, for example, with the beheadings of schismatics and heretics?