[redgolum]

What about Garibaldi? That and Rome did fall to the Lombards, but by that time they were semi Christian. Some of the Orthodox trace the "heresy" of Rome to the invasion and conquest of the germanic barbarians. In someways, they are right. How theology was thought of and talked about changed a lot because the culture changed. The same could be said of Russian Orthodoxy. There is an imprint of the Rus culture that changed the way theology is thought of.

And the sad thing is that the city of Rome is slowly being eaten alive by the twin scrounges of modernism and islam. The next reconquest will probably be for all of Europe.

[Theoden]

The Western Church survived in Ireland after the fall of Rome to the Germanic barbarians. From there, Irish monks and missionaries re-Christianize Europe. I don't know if they had any effect on Rome itself, but they helped to clamp down on heresy in the rest of Christendom.

I am not pessimistic on Europe at all. My take on it is that the people in my age group (low 20's) and younger are looking for their national/cultural identities that the 2 generations before them lost. I talk to a lot of European kids on line, via MySpace, Free Republic, computer games, etc.., and they are surprisingly conservative compared to their elders. They are looking at the histories of their countries, and thus their roots. Many are finding Christianity, especially Catholicism.

Europe is slowly becoming Christian again, and it needs to be nurtured. History has repeated itself. Europe as a whole is already awakening to the evil of Islam, and I have no doubts that when they are backed into a corner, they will destroy their enemies. It has happened time and time again, many of which were far worse than modern times. Look at the battles of Poiters, Lepanto, Vienna, Liegnitz, etc..

When I get some time later, I may post some pictures of what I mean about the strength of the Christian youth of Europe.