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Catholic bishop denounces Le Pen
Independent News ^ | John Lichfield

Posted on 04/24/2002 7:32:27 AM PDT by ZULU

Catholic bishop denounces Le Pen By John Lichfield in Paris 24 April 2002 French election

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Anti-racists warn against apathy

Anne McElvoy: Europe's politicians had better start listening to their voters for a change

Hamish McRae: The truth is that immigration can make us all richer

Philippe Le Corre: France should learn from the British system

Leading article: President Chirac must now defeat Le Pen's racism, not pander to it The French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen was branded "anti-Christian" by a prominent Catholic bishop yesterday as efforts intensified to turn the second round of the presidential election into a sweeping referendum against "Lepenism".

The comments by Monsigneur Olivier de Berranger, bishop of Saint-Denis, will infuriate Mr Le Pen, who claims to be a devout Christian, guided and assisted by God. The bishop said no "clear-minded Catholic" should consider voting fo Mr Le Pen, who was "the heir to a totalitarian and anti-Christian" tradition.

President Jacques Chirac attempted to isolate Mr Le Pen further by refusing to take part in a traditional televised debate between the two candidates remaining. Mr Chirac announced that "no debate was possible" with "intolerance and hatred".

Another of the most powerful and supposedly apolitical institutions of French life, the main farmers' union also, joined in the chorus of condemnation of Mr Le Pen. The president of the FNSEA, Jean-Michel Lemétayer said the National Front leader's pledge to take France out of the European Union would be disastrous for farmers and disastrous for the French economy.

Mr Le Pen has been condemned in recent days from almost every corner of French life from the Catholic church to two of the many tribes of Trotskyists, from employers organisations to trade unions. The National Front attempted to turn the wave of disapproval to its advantage, suggesting it proved Mr Le Pen was a candidate of "the real people".

Bruno Gollnisch, his de facto number two, spoke of a "grotesque and fantastic coalition" against Mr Le Pen, proving he was the man who would free the French from the domination of "the establishment".

Opinion polls suggest Mr Chirac will defeat Mr Le Pen heavily in the second round of the presidential election on Sunday


TOPICS: News/Current Events
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This should really be titled "Why Mainstream Christianity has become irrelevant in western society."

This guy feels France shouldn't become a dumping ground for all the world's human offal, and the invasion of their society by masses of hostile, criminal, anti-Christian Muslim fanatics from North Africa should be stopped.

What's wrong with that? Why should a French Cleric take a political stand on this guy? He isn't a NAZI or anything. As a matter of fact, his immigration philosophies are correct. Maybe if he isn't elected in France, we can convince him to become an American citizen. He might have more suppport here, since Europe has apparently decided to self-destruct by inviting in the rest of world as immigrants.

If the Cahtolic CHurch and the mainstream Protestant Churches went back to teaching Christian theology and left running the government to the best opinions of the public at large without the assistance of their knee-jerk, liberal thinking, we'd all be better off.

If they spent more time condemning real crimes against society like paedophilia and homosexuality, so would they.

1 posted on 04/24/2002 7:32:27 AM PDT by ZULU
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To: ZULU
The bishop said no "clear-minded Catholic" should consider voting fo Mr Le Pen, who was "the heir to a totalitarian and anti-Christian" tradition.

Will the bishop speak out againt the socialist and Communist leaders in France as well? They too are heirs to a "totalitarian and anti-Christian" tradition.

2 posted on 04/24/2002 7:36:48 AM PDT by ikka
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To: ikka
Probably not. My bet is he loves commies and socialists as much as he loves murdering, anti-semitic Muslim terrorists (aren't all those terms synonymous?)
3 posted on 04/24/2002 7:43:26 AM PDT by ZULU
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To: ZULU
One does need to be careful when thinking about Continental politics -- remember, the Euro's gave us Louis XIV, Napoleon, Carl Marx, "Lenin", Trotsky, Hitler, well you get the idea.

Suddenly, though, French politics are important to understand. The things that this guy has said in public sound like reasonable enough points to debate in a political forum, but there are always allusions to extreme, anti-semitic or otherwise dangerous agendas just under the surface. So what's the story on this character Le Pen? Is he a closet fascist (the real kind), a French patriot, or just a kook?

Inquiring minds need to know!

4 posted on 04/24/2002 7:58:50 AM PDT by absalom01
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To: ikka
Will the bishop speak out againt the socialist and Communist leaders in France as well? They too are heirs to a "totalitarian and anti-Christian" tradition.

A good question, save for your "too" in the second sentence. Absolutely none of the vicious attacks against Le Pen, that have been posted--at least not one that I have seen, and I have been looking--have cited anything to support the idea that he is any of the things of which he stands accused. We have a great stream of vicious denunciations, but no one actually debates the issues.

It is not Le Pen who reminds one of the Communist and Nazi eras. It is his foes, including this very political Bishop, who disgraces his Church by his total lack of fairness, who are using the Totalitarian technique of trying to shout down and suppress a rational point of view that threatens their decreed value system.

The answer to Le Pen's detractors should be this. Debate the man's issues, or stand condemned by all fair minded people, for all of the things of which you accuse him. (They would not have to resort to these tactics, if they really had any confidence in the course that France has been pursuing. They smear the messenger--would probably kill him, if they dared--rather than examine their own folly.)

Let one be totally blunt: To equate a simple desire and program to preserve your country for its own people as hatred and bigotry, is pure demagoguery of the worst order. Love for one's heritage is the furthest thing in the world from hatred and bigotry! The haters are those who need to smear anyone honest enough to admit to normal human preferences. It is they--the advocates of an undifferentiated humanity--who have the sick, intolerant and totalitarian agenda.

There is now a clear worldwide pattern for the tactics of intimidation and suppression being used against Le Pen. To those promoting the concept of an undifferentiated humanity, it is all right for a recognized minority with a sense of grievance useful to the Left to maintain a sense of identity, but everyone else must be shamed out of theirs. It is really a very simple formula for destroying the bases of cultural continuity and resistence to the Leftward drift of mankind. All but those hypnotized by a useful sense of grievance are to be reduced to minorities of one, incapable of any concerted effort to recapture what is being stripped away from them.

All of us, of every race, culture, nation, community, etc., on earth, who want to preserve what is ours, have a common cause in unmasking the demagogues and collectivist charlatans who play this vicious game. It does not matter whether we agree with Le Pen on all issues, or even like Le Pen as a personality. His enemies are our enemies. And while we cannot vote for him, we can express our disdain, all over the world, for the tactics that the loathesome totalitarians of the Left and gutless "Center" are willing to employ to destroy him. They would treat the rest of us no differently, were we in a position to threaten their power and influence. Don't play their game by conceding their points. Demand clear evidence for any accusation.

William Flax Return Of The Gods Web Site (With Links to many articles that deal with one or another facet of the ideological battle referred to.)

5 posted on 04/24/2002 8:13:58 AM PDT by Ohioan
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To: absalom01
Good points.

However, I become agitated when clerics of any stripe promote immigration. Its none of their business.

I think a nation has a right to control immigration in any manner it choses to maintain its national identity. Most European nations are in serious danger of losing their national identities due to the massive influx of Muslims, whose anti-Christian, anti-Semitic and violence prone cult threaten world stability all over the globe, from Africa to Asia to North America. I have zero tolerance for those people.

6 posted on 04/24/2002 8:20:18 AM PDT by ZULU
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To: Ohioan
A good question, save for your "too" in the second sentence

I meant to imply that even taking the claims against Le Pen as being the truth, the bishop has seen no reason to criticize the left. Thanks for your post, it has many good points.

7 posted on 04/24/2002 8:46:23 AM PDT by ikka
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To: ZULU
Kind of comical that Britain is recommending immigration to France on the basis of its own experience. As we have seen from recent news reports, Britain is turning into a decadent mess, with muggers, rapists, home invaders, and terrorists all over the place. Crime has never been higher.
8 posted on 04/24/2002 9:44:00 AM PDT by Cicero
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To: Cicero
Ahhh, for the days of William I, Richard Couer De Lione, Elizabeth I and all those really great Monarchs of British history.

The Brits should bring back the headsman and axe, and deport all non-British residents, and then give their citizens back the right to keep weapons - a REQUIREMENT under some earlier Monarchs.

9 posted on 04/24/2002 10:03:56 AM PDT by ZULU
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To: Ohioan
a rather late and moot AMEN to you sir!
10 posted on 05/06/2002 6:16:14 PM PDT by wardaddy
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Comment #11 Removed by Moderator

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