Posted on 08/11/2014 2:12:29 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Pope Francis has joined with Christians facing genocide in Iraq and Syria, calling upon the world to make an armed response to the Islamic State. He has asked the world to "stop these crimes" and called for the use of "a professional, well-equipped army."
You know a situation is bad when a pope calls for an armed response. Pope Francis, widely appreciated as a practical and realistic man, is not just calling for a cease-fire or negotiations. Instead, he is inviting an armed response to the terrorism of the Islamic State.
Such a call is virtually unprecedented for a pontiff in modern times, but our age is an extraordinary one and the Islamic State has no interest in a bargaining table. Instead, the Islamic State is bent on genocide and barbarism, ruthlessly exterminating anyone who opposes them.
On Sunday, Pope Francis said he held "dismay and disbelief" over what is happening in Iraq. He called the Islamic State fighters terrorists and said there was a need for "a professional, well-equipped army." "The situation is going from bad to worse," he warned.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis was not the only cleric calling for swift and decisive action to end the genocide in Iraq. The Episcopal Vicar of Iraq, Canon Andrew White, managed to visit the town of Qaraqosh under cover and personally assess the situation in that community following Islamic State capture.
His words are chilling. "Today, Qaraqosh stands 90 per cent empty, desecrated by the gunmen of the fanatical Islamic State terror group now in control. The majority of the town's 50,000 people have fled, fearing that, like other Christians in this region, they will be massacred.
"The militants, in a further act of sacrilege, have established their administrative posts in the abandoned churches."
(Excerpt) Read more at catholic.org ...
Urban II?
Soooo, if Russians with the Chi Rho on their body armor move in and fight ISIS in Iraq is it called an evil Russian invasion or just what the doctor ordered?
I'm stunned as well. Pleasantly stunned.
This may cost him his liberal fan base. ;-)
We are the militant church. Our duty is to fight evil where we see it.
bkmk
Well, sometimes that happens. Maybe this time we’ll do better.
Let’s see how long the Pope can keep his cajones before we confirm his change of heart. He’s peddled a lot of Leftist drivel these last few years; his statement may be a genuine “waking-up”, or it may be desperately pandering to the few sane Catholics who remain.
Francis, if you commit to an unequivocal slaughter of these Muslim swine (and use actions to back up your words), your Church may yet be saved. We could use a strong Catholic Church to stamp out Islamist and secularist rot out of the world.
Some crusades were not even against Islam.
For example, The Crusade of Aragón was declared by Pope Martin IV against King Peter III of Aragon in 1284 and 1285. Peter was supporting the anti-Angevin forces in Sicily following the Sicilian Vespers, and the papacy supported Charles of Anjou.
Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed a crusade against Frederick III of Sicily, the younger brother of Peter, in 1298, but was unable to prevent Frederick’s crowning and recognition as King of Sicily.
Also, In April 1487, Pope Innocent VIII called a crusade against the Waldensian heretics of Savoy, the Piedmont, and the Dauphiné in southern France and northern Italy. The only efforts actually undertaken were against heretics in the Dauphiné, and resulted in little change.
Even in 1939, when the Pope condemned Nazism, I doubt he called for specific military action. Those who say he failed to oppose Nazism are fools, slanderers and liars; his condemnation was such that anyone who read it would have understood that the world needed to focus its entire energy on ending both Nazism and Stalinism as ... and I quote ... “the Twin Terrors of Totalitarianism.” But I cannot recall him saying, “Bomb Nurenberg” or so; if my recollection serves me correctly (I saw this in 1999), his words left it up to the imagination of the world’s great military powers how to oppose Hitler, but appeasement was not one of the options.
[ This is amazing! Does anyone know when was the last time a Pope called for an armed response? ]
Did the Pope say anything during the Armenian Genocide?
>> RE: “a professional, well-equipped army”
>> Is this the same as a well-regulated Militia? (See 2nd Amendment)
That all depends on who’s translating Pope Francis’ remarks.
Keep Calm...
And Crusade on...
Thanks for the info.
I BELIEVE it was the First World War.
Wow... lock and load.... Praise da lord and pass the ammo!
I’ll volunteer. But only if I get to write the rules of engagement.
Kill all members of ISIS even if they surrender. Give their weapons to the Christians and teach them to use them.
I’ve never heard of anything like this. This pope is famous for being misquoted though.
They’ll be needed here I’m afraid.
RE: Kill all members of ISIS even if they surrender.
So, you’re not going to capture them and send them to GitMo? (HEH HEH )
Ping to an important thread.
I wonder who, if anyone, will respond with a professional, well-equipped army.
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