Cardinal Lustiger
Posted on 04/01/2005 4:04:40 PM PST by West Coast Conservative
France was stunned when Pope John Paul II named Jewish-born Jean-Marie Lustiger as archbishop of Paris. "You are the fruit of the Holy Father's prayer," the pontiff's secretary told him. Could it be that the cardinal-electors will now stun the world by choosing Lustiger as next pope, the first Jew to occupy St. Peter's See since Peter himself?
Lustiger, both whose parents died in Auschwitz, has always insisted that, though he had converted to Christianity at age 14, he was and remained a Jew: "I was born a Jew and so I am. For me, the vocation of Israel is to bring light to the goyim. That's my hope, and I believe Christianity is the means for achieving it."
There is a remarkable conversion dialectic in Lustiger's life. He had himself baptized because he was so impressed with the Catholic faith of his foster parents, who brought him up after his real parents had been deported from Paris in 1940. In return, Lustiger has made it his mission to convert -- or, rather, re-evangelize -- France and by extension Europe in an unorthodox way.
While a parish priest, Lustiger wrote a memorandum to archbishop of Paris, Cardinal François Marty. In it he proposed a revolutionary strategy for bringing Christianity back to France, once called the First Daughter of the Church. He insisted the church must abandon any pretense of power and convert culture instead.
As George Weigel, the pope's biographer, commented on this plan: "This meant taking the gospel straight to the molders and shapers of French high culture, the thoroughly secularized French intelligentsia. The hardest cases should be put first and France should be reconverted from the head down."
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
They aren't going to pick him because it is too sensivtive with the Jewish community. They consider him and apostate and would consider his election a slap in the face.
I'm hoping they go with a conservative Cardinal from Africa. It would shake up alot of things, including the old boys network that has been playing pedophile priest shuffle.
DANG.
Peter was a Jew as were all Popes after. You have to remember that Christians are the Jews that accepted Christ as their Messiah.
Christians wait for the second coming of Christ which will be IMO the first coming for the remaining families of Jews who did not accept Christ the first time.
Why would the Jewish people accept the Catholic pope as their messiah?
Yeah, but the anti-Christ will not come in the "name of Jesus the Christ" (paraphrase, check the Bible).
Easy test.
(I like the idea, but then I'm one of the few ethnically Jewish people I know who have accepted Christ.)
One of the other things that captured my attention is "from the head down."
"...to bring light to the goyim."
Nope; not him.
Makes a lot more sense to select a Pope from the most Catholic continent and culture: Latin America.
Also, what exactly is "reconverted?"
You got in first....that one stumped me too.
The part of Christianity he belongs to broke away from the Catholic church in sin to form their own thing.
Over-all I like the guy, but I take all these human interpretations about as seriously as I do Hillary's conversion to conservatism.
Isn't he theologically squishy?
Wasn't John 23rd 78?
He could be an interim figure, buy the rest of them 3-5 years to iron things out...
Kerry and Kennedy are mustering the troops and called Bobby Byrd to lead the filibuster against Lustiger!
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