Pope Benedict XVI blesses a child at the end of a Mass
Posted on 11/04/2010 2:45:49 PM PDT by NYer
BAGHDAD, Iraq (Catholic Online) - Catholics, other Christians, other people of faith and people of good throughout the world continue to mourn and reflect upon the brutal killing of Catholics at Holy Mass in Baghdad last Sunday. However, those associated with the Muslim extremists who perpetrated the evil act continue to spew their hateful and violent rhetoric. We are committed to updating our global readers on the unfolding danger that these threats portend against Catholics and other Christians. Serious times demand a serious response.
Asia News has provided excellent coverage of the massacre and its aftermath. On November 3, they filed this report: "The so-called 'War Department' of the 'Islamic State of Iraq' (ISI) al-Qaeda in Iraq issued a statement on the Web to announce that the passing of the deadline of its "ultimatum" to the Egyptian Coptic Church to release two Egyptian women, Camilia Cheh and Wafa Constantine, wives of Coptic priests, whom according to the terrorists are detained against their will in a convent after converting to Islam. Their conversion has been denied by all the Islamic religious authorities in Egypt, and the Muslim Brotherhood have harshly attacked the authors of the massacre in Baghdad. Al-Qaeda, however, confirms that all Christians and their churches have become "legitimate targets" of the terrorist group and are therefore are in danger. The message issued today by the Iraqi cell of al-Qaeda also makes explicit reference to the Vatican.'
"While confirming its desire to attack the Christians, the terrorists say they want to give one more chance to the Catholics of the Church of Rome. They claim that "the War Office of the Islamic State of Iraq announced that starting today all the churches and Christian organizations and their leaders are a legitimate target for mujahedeen.
(Excerpt) Read more at catholic.org ...
Snop off.
The Pope said nothing like that. This was a statement made by an AMERICAN Melkite bishop. The rest of the Synod’s statement was about how Islam needed to stop killing Christians, which naturally was not reported by the US press.
That said, I wish Protestants would put their money where their mouth is. The Pope always protests the killing of Christians, Protestant or Catholic, in Muslim lands, but the Protestants rejoice at the killings of Catholics.
If only. But the form of muscular Christianity that enabled an emerging Europe to free the Holy Land from Muslim conquerors exists now only in memory... and cool graphics!
This is patently false, easily demonstrably false.
Now, I'm not reading the poster's mind, mind you, but one could not be faulted for questioning whether this poster is being deliberately false (and therefore deliberately untruthful) or is simply in a state of invincible ignorance. Given the ease with which this bogus claim can be debunked, and its preposterous nature in the first place, I think it is fair to state, without reading this poster's mind, that he is, quite frankly, lying through his keyboard teeth.
That does bring up a very good point. Why hasn’t the Vatican organized a military force in modern times?
While the Swiss Guard carry machine guns in Vatican City, wouldn’t it be grand to have a mobile force that could be sent to provide “amenable” protection for Catholics, perhaps even teaching them how to protect themselves?
This does not mean an aggressive group, but one that could provide at least a little defense, for a short, if critical amount of time, to protect the innocent from the unthinking (if cowardly) mob, or a small band of fanatics intent upon doing them harm.
Importantly, this would be as much a diplomatic effort, of one nation to another, requesting a right to protect the innocent from harm, where the local authorities are either unable, or unwilling, to do so. Thus, just asking might do much to settle a potential problem.
The cost of doing this could be small, indeed, as the members of this force would likely be working for free, providing their own equipment and transportation, asking only for two things.
The diplomatic authorization of the Vatican, and its blessing, to protect the innocent.
Ah. *blush* Sorry. I thought I read it here on FR a few days ago, but couldn't find the article.
I assumed it was just that our wonderful search engine had failed me yet again. I gather the thread was pulled because it simply wasn't true.
the Protestants rejoice at the killings of Catholics.
Do they? Not very Christian IMHO.
So I've just been told.
Now, I'm not reading the poster's mind, mind you, but one could not be faulted for questioning whether this poster is being deliberately false (and therefore deliberately untruthful) or is simply in a state of invincible ignorance.
My ignorance is very vincible. A previous poster already vinced it. Somewhat more gently, I might add.
Given the ease with which this bogus claim can be debunked, and its preposterous nature in the first place, I think it is fair to state, without reading this poster's mind, that he is, quite frankly, lying through his keyboard teeth.
Lying? No. Just malinformed. (mal as in malicious, as opposed to misinformed) after I failed to find the FR article, I did do a quick google search and saw a few articles. That verified it in my mind. Had I drilled deeper I would have figured it out, but I didn't.
These days it's getting harder and harder to discern the difference between preposterous and today's headlines.
I'm sorry I was fooled and even more sorry and embarrassed that I passed it on.
I apologize for any upset I created.
there's a whole lot more going on there than Protestant versus Catholic.
Yeah. Someone may have lost sight of Satan and his mohammedan minions here....
Well, that is certainly one of the most honest and decent apologies I’ve seen out of the anti-Catholic Caucus on FR in my nine years of posting here. Its a startlingly rare thing. Thank you, kudos and apologies accepted.
I’m blushing again. This time it’s a good blush.
Outstanding idea... if only
sad but true...
I’m Catholic, and I have never seen more offensive comments about Catholicism than those posted by self-proclaimed Protestants here on FR. A few times I have considered ceasing to view FR, but what I usually do is simply stop reading anything religious and I also ignore the hate-filled comments about Hispanics, who are evidently are hated on FR both for being of non-English descent and being Catholic.
I don’t think that most FReepers feel this way (otherwise I would never post and donate) but there are a few nasty posters here. I just look beyond them to Our Lord, which is really the only thing you can do, and I think most of the sincere and devout Protestant posters here understand this entirely. But Satan loves to stir up enmity. It’s his trademark.
“Is it too late for the Vatican to form a holy ICBM force?”
Brother Maynard, bring out the holy ICBM!
Doh! My mistake! I saw the title and never realized it was posted in the news forum. Mea culpa.
Qui in captivitatem duxerit, in captivitatem vadet : qui in gladio occiderit, oportet eum gladio occidi. Hic est patientia, et fides sanctorum.
Apocalypsis Ioannis XIII-X
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