That's my Vatican! I do believe that Pope Benedict XVI is in league with the Ents, indeed. Beautifully done Pastorius. I have, of course, been unable to tear myself from the Lord of the Rings comparisons since 9/11 as well.
Yet Joseph Ratzinger has served well in this capacity for decades now, and now as Pope he has taken a rather harsh stance towards the muslim world. In fact, he did make a statement months ago suggesting that Turkey (Occupied Asia Minor....heeheehee) should stop trying to join the EU and seek kinship instead with other central Asian countries. In other words, the "stans".
But as I wrote today, and managed to do so for once without mentioning Tolkien (yes!--that's kind of a big step for me..), I think that muslims are one step away from causing the West to explode in their faces.
But Pastorius, THANK YOU for mentioning Tolkien! I can never get enough! :)
christine--they have in the past taken a negative view of the late Pope John Paul II's calls for greater dialogue and communication between Chritianity and Islam, criticizing his attempts and viewing them as an attempt to weaken islam. His attempts at reconciliation amounted to yet another way for muslims to take every move made by Western Christians completely the wrong way.
Pastorius--I did notice, and I was quite impressed! I love that site and its newer version, the Pope Benedict XVI Fanclub site. Ratzinger's book on the Apostle's Creed, Introduction to Christianity, is among my favorite theoligical works of modern times. His statements since becoming Pope are even more exciting! I do believe that he will become a major force in this newest threat from Mordor. I too am interested in his possible role as the new Churchill.
Thank's pim's ghost. Your answer was pretty much what I expected and expect.
Friday, February 24, 2006 4:54:00 pm
Anonymous said...
Wow, such harsh words! I bet the 'slamotards are quaking in their flip-flops. Now, if he had called for a Crusade, I would consider it newsworthy, but as is, I'm not impressed, though I'm glad someone in the West is apparently awake.
PARIS (Reuters) - After backing calls by Muslims for respect for their religion in the Mohammad cartoons row, the Vatican is now urging Islamic countries to reciprocate by showing more tolerance toward their Christian minorities.
Roman Catholic leaders at first said Muslims were right to be outraged when Western newspapers reprinted Danish caricatures of the Prophet, including one with a bomb in his turban. Most Muslims consider any images of Mohammad to be blasphemous.
After criticizing both the cartoons and the violent protests in Muslim countries that followed, the Vatican this week linked the issue to its long-standing concern that the rights of other faiths are limited, sometimes severely, in Muslim countries.
Vatican prelates have been concerned by recent killings of two Catholic priests in Turkey and Nigeria. Turkish media linked the death there to the cartoons row. At least 146 Christians and Muslims have died in five days of religious riots in Nigeria.
“If we tell our people they have no right to offend, we have to tell the others they have no right to destroy us,” Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican’s Secretary of State (prime minister), told journalists in Rome.
“We must always stress our demand for reciprocity in political contacts with authorities in Islamic countries and, even more, in cultural contacts,” Foreign Minister Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo told the daily Corriere della Sera.
Reciprocity — allowing Christian minorities the same rights as Muslims generally have in Western countries, such as building houses of worship or practicing religion freely — is at the heart of Vatican diplomacy toward Muslim states.
Vatican diplomats argue that limits on Christians in some Islamic countries are far harsher than restrictions in the West that Muslims decry, such as France’s ban on headscarves in state schools. Saudi Arabia bans all public expression of any non-Muslim religion and sometimes arrests Christians even for worshipping privately. Pakistan allows churches to operate but its Islamic laws effectively deprive Christians of many rights.
It takes the Ents a long time to discuss and come to a conclusion about anything, but when the cohclusion comes it can create a major shift in society. Let's see if the dam above Isengard is about to come down.
7 Comments
Close this window Jump to comment formThat's my Vatican! I do believe that Pope Benedict XVI is in league with the Ents, indeed. Beautifully done Pastorius. I have, of course, been unable to tear myself from the Lord of the Rings comparisons since 9/11 as well.
Yet Joseph Ratzinger has served well in this capacity for decades now, and now as Pope he has taken a rather harsh stance towards the muslim world. In fact, he did make a statement months ago suggesting that Turkey (Occupied Asia Minor....heeheehee) should stop trying to join the EU and seek kinship instead with other central Asian countries. In other words, the "stans".
But as I wrote today, and managed to do so for once without mentioning Tolkien (yes!--that's kind of a big step for me..), I think that muslims are one step away from causing the West to explode in their faces.
But Pastorius, THANK YOU for mentioning Tolkien! I can never get enough! :)
Friday, February 24, 2006 3:02:00 am
No prob, Pim's Ghost. I love Tolkien as well.
By the way, I didn't know you were such a Ratzinger fan. Did you notice I have "Ratzinger Fan Club" blogrolled on CUANAS?
Ratzinger is one of the most morally clear human beings in history, as far as I can tell.
Someone remarked that this generation needs a Churchill. Yes, we do. It would be interesting if our Churchill role was filled in part by the Vatican.
Now, I'm not expecting that the Vatican will take the role of exorting us to fight, but instead the role of the moral clarifier.
Friday, February 24, 2006 3:54:00 am
If a voice as respected as the Vatican can begin to speak out on issues like this then perhaps it's not too late for Europe afterall.
Friday, February 24, 2006 12:27:00 pm
Do you know what the muslims think of the vatican?
Friday, February 24, 2006 3:39:00 pm
christine--they have in the past taken a negative view of the late Pope John Paul II's calls for greater dialogue and communication between Chritianity and Islam, criticizing his attempts and viewing them as an attempt to weaken islam. His attempts at reconciliation amounted to yet another way for muslims to take every move made by Western Christians completely the wrong way.
Pastorius--I did notice, and I was quite impressed! I love that site and its newer version, the Pope Benedict XVI Fanclub site. Ratzinger's book on the Apostle's Creed, Introduction to Christianity, is among my favorite theoligical works of modern times. His statements since becoming Pope are even more exciting! I do believe that he will become a major force in this newest threat from Mordor. I too am interested in his possible role as the new Churchill.
Friday, February 24, 2006 4:20:00 pm
Thank's pim's ghost. Your answer was pretty much what I expected and expect.
Friday, February 24, 2006 4:54:00 pm
Wow, such harsh words! I bet the 'slamotards are quaking in their flip-flops. Now, if he had called for a Crusade, I would consider it newsworthy, but as is, I'm not impressed, though I'm glad someone in the West is apparently awake.
Sunday, February 26, 2006 1:40:00 pm