The pope has (as of now) thrown down the gauntlet

Friends, I am still amazed that Pope Benedict said what he said. It is the most politically incorrect statement ever. So far, the Vatican has only reiterated its non-apology apology that “no offense was intended”; neither the pope nor the Vatican has repudiated the Emperor Manuel II Paleologos’s statement in 1391 that the religion of Muhammad is evil and inhuman. If the Church stays with this position, this could be the turning point Western patriots been hoping for.

However, I don’t agree with those who say that Muslims’ anger at the pope show them as deserving what was said about them. I think their response is fair and appropriate [note: I wrote this when there had only been expressions of anger by the Muslims, not acts of violence]. The pope uncritically quoted a statement that Islam is evil, and Muslims are right to call this anti-Muslim and to be furious.

And that, my friends, is exactly what we want. We want the leaders of the West to start speaking the truth about Islam, namely that it is a danger to us, and we want the Muslims to know that we know that Islam is a danger to us. Then, and only then, can there be a realistic encounter between the two civilizations, an encounter based on the truth, which is that Islam is a danger to us and that we must defend ourselves from it, in place of the West’s current dhimmi relationship with Islam based on the liberal lie that Islam is a wonderful religion that is compatible with our society.

However, while the moment is encouraging, there is also a great danger. If the pope backs down and retracts the statement, it will be a disastrous surrender that will weaken us and further empower the Muslims. Westerners, particularly Catholics, as well as other non-Muslim peoples, must support Pope Benedict at this moment and urge him to hold his ground.

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Paul Cella writes:

I agree with your assessment of the situation. It’s also worth noting some facts about the Emperor cited by the Pope (which I did here). Manuel II was the father of Constantine XI, the last Byzantine Emperor, a brave and pious man who died on the wall of the great city when the Turks finally overran it. Manuel also undertook a fateful journey in the early 15th century to the courts of Europe, a journey that amounted chiefly to beggary: he needed aid from the West or his city (for he was an emperor with no empire) would fall. More humiliating than even this—and the tragic enmity between Greek and Roman churches in that age should not be underestimated—was another event, before Manuel’s ascension to the imperial throne: as a subject of the sultan, owing him tribute, Manuel and his army were obliged to join the Turks in the reduction and conquest of the last free Greek city in Anatolia, Philadelphia.

Unless we are to posit that the Pope chose this example purely on a whim, then there is something impressive about Benedict’s vision of history to be discerned from this. At least, that’s how I see it.

David B. writes:

I had to run an errand this afternoon, and caught some of Hannity’s show. A caller remarked that it was courageous of the Pope to say what he did about Islam in that he might face assassination attempts. The Great Conservative Thinker, Sean Hannity, would have none of it.

In his best gee-whiz, adolescent voice, Hannity said, “The Pope is wrong. It’s not about Islam. It’s not about religion. It’s about Islamic Fascism.” Hannity then went into his usual rant about suicide bombers, etc. “We’re not fighting people who peacefully practice their religion,” he continued.

I sent you this information because most people inclined to be on our side get much of their political news from this source. Like his President, Hannity appears to believe what he says.

Paul Henry writes:

Pope John Paul II was one of the decisive factors in bringing down the gigantic evil empire. This Pope just might contain the greater threat that is Islam and Muslim immigration. If anyone can, he can. I will pray that he stays the course. It seems too good to be true.

A correspondent writes:

My sources in Rome are pretty decent. Benedict has begun his purge of the curia—and it is quite the purge—Sodano is gone as secty of state and all of Sodano’s boys have been axed. Benedict will be taking off the gloves in a number of areas, e.g., the old Latin Mass (1962 Missal) will be re-introduced as an alternative (not a replacement) to the new Mass (1970-present) within a year. My guess is that he’ll start replacing bishops who don’t follow orders.

His feelings towards Islam have been well known for decades, thus no one should be surprised at his recent words. He views Islam as “unreformable” because they believe that Gabriel “gave” the Koran to Mohammed and therefore how can the Koran change? This, as opposed to the Old & new Testament which we believe to have been divinely inspired—not “given” to Abraham or Moses (like the Ten Commandments were) or to any New Testament figure.

My guess is that Benedict understands better than anyone that the war versus Islam will go on for many generations and, therefore, he is spending tremendous capital attempting to reconcile with the Orthodox Church in order to increase Christianity’s and Judaism’s chances of winning this war. I think he is light years ahead of everyone based upon his years spent discussing Islam. Just don’t expect him to come across as a “tough guy”—he’s an academic who does not enjoy confrontation, but fully understands his role and responsibilities as the most visible leader of the non-Muslim world.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at September 15, 2006 11:53 AM | Send