The Pope talks with Bartholomew I at the Vatican yesterday
Posted on 06/29/2004 11:47:25 PM PDT by MadIvan
The Pope delivered an emotional apology to Orthodox Christians yesterday for the Catholic plundering of Constantinople eight centuries ago, saying it caused him "pain and disgust".
He made his comments during a visit to the Vatican by Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and the head of the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians.
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The Pope talks with Bartholomew I at the Vatican yesterday |
The incident, which was part of the Fourth Crusade, was one of the most violent events of the Middle Ages. It contributed to the collapse of the Byzantine Empire three centuries later.
Constantinople - now Istanbul - was the seat of the Roman Empire at the time and revered as a great Christian city. The main aim of the Fourth Crusade, which had the backing of Pope Innocent III, was to conquer Egypt, at that time the centre of Islamic power.
The crusading army sacked wealthy Constantinople in desperation, having built up a huge debt to the Republic of Venice, which had provided it with ships.
Reconciliation with the Orthodox Church has become a focal point of the Pope's 25-year reign and has gained in urgency as his health increasingly fails. The Vatican has long hoped to bring about a meeting between the Pope and the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II, who has so far refused to see the Roman Catholic head, accusing Catholic priests of proselytising on Russian soil.
On a visit to Athens in 2001 the Pope asked God's forgiveness for Catholics, who he said had committed sins against Orthodox Christians for 1,000 years. He has also apologised to Muslims for the Crusades.
Regards, Ivan
Don't apologise for us either!
Ping!
BTTT
It's a little late for Catholics to apologize for helping bring the Roman Empire to an end. All the more ironic when you consider "Roman" in the title of the Church's name.
I'M SOR-REE!
Geez, what do these people expect?
Blood?
Reparations.
Reparations for everyone!!
But on the positive side of things, he is in the Debtors Hall of Fame.
I think he shares a prominent space there with my older brother.
He is talking about the behavior Jerusalem, not the Crusades.
Cue Brenda Lee
The amazing thing is that she is-to the best of my knowledge-still out there and kickin'.
Well, maybe not kicking so much, but she's still out there!
I'm still convinced that if that Didn't happen, Byzantum could of retaken and soildified greece and anatolia and maybe regained some arab conquests, or at the very least last for a much longer time aginst the turks.
First, Better late than never.
Second, some people view the Catholic Church as the spirit of the dead Roman Empire. Sort of a neat way to look at it. And, considering nearly all of the first Bishops came from the Senate families, not too much of a stretch.
Yep still kickin...http://www.brendalee.com/
In a related story, Mr. John Greene, of St. Louis, Missouri, has issued a formal apology to a large group of wild baboons in sub-Saharan Africa. Mr. Greene stated that he is very troubled by--and deeply regrets--any injustices and grievances caused to the baboons by Greene's prehistoric Homo Habilis ancestors roughly 2 million years ago.
Lawyers for the baboons are currently discussing a reparations lawsuit, rumored to be valued in the billions of bananas.
Sorry, I just had a Howard Dean seizure. Gran Mal
My apologies.
It's just so cool to know that she's still in the business.
I heard someone who was being called "Brenda Lee" being interviewed on the Joe Franklin Show a few weeks ago, but I assumed that it was just a celebrity impersonator.
I'm skeptical that even Joe is alive some nights, but that's another story entirely.
I think you just gave Marvyn Kornberg some intriguing ideas for potential future litigants.
My memories aren't that full of problems stemming from 1204 AD.
Maybe the French should apologize for Hastings....hmmmmm....
"It's a little late for Catholics to apologize for helping bring the Roman Empire to an end."
Huh? Rome was a totalitarian regime before the end, pandering to mobs who would riot if they didn't get enough free bread and free entertainment. Once the republic fell, who cares?
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