It’s really interesting to see how anti-Catholics here at FR and at other sites invent, distort and spread anti-Catholic nonsense.
Here is what Alex Murphy posted (borrowing from an anti-Catholic site):
“To quote a Catholic news organization, “Our Lady of Fatima is really Fatima, daughter of the Prophet Mohammed.” On October 23, 1995, Iranian television began running stories that the apparitions in Fatima, Portugal in 1917 were religious phenomena of Muslim origin.”
— From the thread The Papacy and Islam”
Note, he took this from a notorious anti-Catholic website. But look at this:
“To quote a Catholic news organization, “Our Lady of Fatima is really Fatima, daughter of the Prophet Mohammed.” “
Makes it sound like a Catholic News organization actually said, “Our Lady of Fatima is really Fatima, daughter of the Prophet Mohammed.”
That is a distortion of what was actually said (no surprise there!). Here is what was originally said:
ISLAM CO-OPTING FATIMA
Iranian TV: Our Lady of Fatima is Really Fatima, Daughter of the Prophet Mohammed
VATICAN CITY, MAY 13 (ZENIT) - On October 23, 1995, Iranian television began running stories that the apparitions in Fatima, Portugal in 1917 were religious phenomena of Muslim origin.
Growing Muslim interest in the holy site is sparked by the Portuguese town’s name: Fatima, which is Arabic. Portugal and Spain were both once under Islamic rule, and are the only such countries to ever break free from such a government.
According to historical accounts, in 1156 a battle was fought between Christian and Muslim forces in the locality. A Christian knight saved a young girl named Fatma (Fatima) from the dangers of the pitched battle. Later she converted to Christianity and married the knight, only to die shortly afterwards. In grief, the knight became a monk and the town was renamed Fatima in her honor.
According to Iranian Television, the woman who appeared to the three shepherd children in 1917 was not the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, but Fatima, the daughter of the prophet Mohammed, founder of Islam. Her message was reported to be “I am Fatima, daughter of the Prophet of Islam.” This television report has helped launch the growing waves of Muslim pilgrims who have been visiting this Christian site in Portugal in recent years.
Catholics, on the other hand, say that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to the three shepherd children. She told them to pray, especially encouraging the prayer of the Rosary. Lucía, the only surviving recipient of the vision, was entrusted with three “secrets,” of which the third has never been made public. She recently assured that the third secret was never intended for general proclamation. Pope John Paul II has had a strong devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, especially since the failed assassination attempt of Ali Agca, which occurred precisely on May 13, 1991, the anniversary of the first vision at Fatima (May 13, 1917).
End paste
Two and half years ago Alex Murphy actually posted the correct information in post #9 of this thread:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/1831477/posts
This not only proves that anti-Catholics routinely recycle and recycle and recycle anti-Catholic material, but that they also routinely distort the truth to serve their own purposes.
Please note, in post #12 of that 2007 (!) thread Pyro posted this: “Yeah, but the article seems to imply that the Catholic news organization was saying that, not Iranian TV.”
And yet, here we are again with the same distortion posted by Alex Murphy as if Pyro had never pointed out that valid criticism in 2007!!!
I didn’t bother checking through the whole thread, but apparently Alex Murphy never once responded to Pyro’s perfectly valid criticism.
Two and a half years...and the distortions still get posted anyway.
So wait...you mean someone distorted truth in order to attack the Catholic Church?
This should not come as a shock, since attacking the pillar and ground of the Truth must necessarily involve lies.
Ping to Pyro
As a more general trend, this not surprising at all. A lot of those who hold these prejudices are willing to use news sources that they would normally would be skeptical of, just as another knife in their drawer against the Church.
Also, this whole "papists and Muslims are cozying up" nonsense is just a modern-day manifestation of conspiracy theoring, that the Catholic Church is out to get "Bible believing" Protestants.
I didn't bother checking the rest of your post.
Oh blah, blah, blah. Honestly, it's as if you Catholics cut-and-paste this comment into every post that sheds light upon misdeeds in the Church. One would hope that you would be incense with the problems rather than shooting the messengers. No wonder you have pedophile priests running around. If anyone said anything we would probably hear that it's just more "anti-Catholic nonsense".
Please note, in post #12 of that 2007 (!) thread Pyro posted this: “Yeah, but the article seems to imply that the Catholic news organization was saying that, not Iranian TV.”
And yet, here we are again with the same distortion posted by Alex Murphy as if Pyro had never pointed out that valid criticism in 2007!!!
Nice work.