Decentralizing the Church, Climate "Kookiness", Schonborn Buffoonery & Crusade coming?
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Germany’s bishops discuss decentralizing the Church in meeting with "Pope" Francis
ROME, November 23, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) -- The German bishops, sixty-seven of them, recently visited Rome together for their obligatory Ad Limina visit with the pope from November 16-20. This Ad Limina visit, which is obligatory for all bishops of the world, was of a special importance, inasmuch as the German bishops played an important role during the recent controversial Synod of Bishops on Marriage and the Family in Rome. The German bishops' last Ad Limina visit was, surprisingly, some nine years ago, instead of the prescribed five years. Unlike previous popes, however, Pope Francis does not meet the bishops individually during such a visit in order to receive an account of the state of their dioceses, but only in smaller groups. At the end of the nearly week-long visit, he met in a plenary session with all German bishops together, on 20 November. On this occasion, Pope Francis, as well as the head of the German Bishops' Conference, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, both gave a speech.
In his own speech, Pope Francis pointed out the decline of the Catholic Faith in Germany, with a dwindling Mass attendance and a comparably diminishing practice of the Sacrament of Confession. The Holy Father said “one can truly speak of an erosion of the Catholic Faith in Germany.” And he added: “Whereas in the 1960’s the faithful almost everywhere attended Mass every Sunday, today it is often less than 10 percent."
When asking himself what the remedy could be for the loss of Faith in Germany, the Pontiff proposed something inspired “by the life of the early Christians.” With reference to the collaborators of St. Paul, Priscilla and Aquila, a married couple, the pope thus stressed the important role of the laymen, the “volunteers,” as he called them. Pope Francis continued: “The example of these 'volunteers' may cause us to think, especially in the face of the tendency for a growing institutionalization of the Church. More and more structures are being created, although the faithful are missing.” In his eyes, this “exaggerated centralization” is what is making the Church's life “more complicated.” For Pope Francis, the Church somehow has to be more “alive” and thus “can be causing unrest and can also be inspiring.”
Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich, made reference to a similar theme when he expressed his gratitude for the pope's recent October 17 speech on Synodality and a Decentralization of the Church. After first declaring that the German bishops will soon publish their own proclamation concerning the question of the pastoral care for marriages and the family, Cardinal Marx said:
Holy Father, the German bishops are grateful that you – in order to deepen and continue the discussion of these themes [of marriage and the family] – chose to take the Synodal Path which has now led to the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops and which, in turn – and we do request you to do it – will open us up into a new stage with the help of the document soon to be written by you.
Cardinal Marx also said that a “Synodal Church” would help establish more decentralization in the Church's structures in relation to the pope's central governance. Such a readjustment of proportions, in Marx's eyes, is necessary “due to the diversity of the developments and the disparate cultural situations in the different parts of a globalized, yet interconnected world.”
In a similar vein, several prominent German and Swiss voices have expressed their support for the concept of a further decentralized and more synodal Church. For example, Father Bernd Hagenkord, S.J., head of the German branch of Vatican Radio, stated: “Decentralization is on the agenda, as Pope Francis explained in more detail in his speech on occasion of the [50th] Anniversary of the Synod of Bishops.” And Hagenkord stressed: “We are now living in a free society in which centralism is not any more the order of the day.”
The Swiss Bishops Conference's official website kath.ch also published an article about the theme of decentralization and the necessity to give more weight to the national bishops' conferences. It also makes reference to an article by Father Herrman Pottmeyer who is a declared opponent of the unique charism of papal supremacy. He had been one of the participants of the controversial Spadaro seminar which had caused some suspicion because it was organized right before the recent October 4-25 Synod of Bishops on the Family. Pottmeyer, in his own comments about Pope Francis' proposals for more decentralization, proclaimed that the papal call for a more “synodal Church” has “initiated the end of Roman centralism.” He refers to “the intended re-vivification of the original synodal practice of the Church” which is even now purportedly being revived. Pottmeyer, himself a professor of Fundamental Theology, sees it to be necessary that the local churches “have more weighty influence” in the universal Church and that “national, as well as regional, bishops' conferences – or particular councils – receive an enlargement of their legitimate competencies.”
The theme of a decentralized Church has caused an intervention, during the last Synod on the Family, by the retired Cardinal Arinze. In an interview with LifeSiteNews, he pointed out that on issues of faith and morals, such as homosexuality and marriage, the local churches may not teach differently than Rome. He said:
The Ten Commandments are not subject to national frontiers. A bishops’ conference in a country cannot agree that stealing from a bank is not sinful in that country, or that divorced persons who are remarried can receive Holy Communion in that country, but when you cross the boundary and go to another country it now becomes a sin.
Moreover, Voice of the Family, a coalition of pro-life and pro-family organizations, also expressed some grave reservations concerning this apparently planned decentralization of the Church which could even lead to an undermining of the Church's clear doctrinal and moral teaching. Voice of the Family concluded its own article with the following statement:
“Decentralization” has been demanded by prelates who are openly stating that they wish to see Episcopal Conferences depart from the faith and practice of the Universal Church. Far from correcting such prelates Pope Francis has often, as in the case of Cardinal Marx, appointed them to positions of influence. It is reasonable therefore for Catholics to be gravely concerned when he echoes their call for decentralization. Pope Francis can only restore trust by publicly correcting heresy and by ending his practice of conferring honours and influence on prelates who reject the Catholic faith.
Pope Francis himself had also dwelt in his recent speech on the importance of establishing a more decentralized Church, especially with the help of the national bishops' conferences. He said:
The second level is that of Ecclesiastical Provinces and Ecclesiastical Regions, Particular Councils and, in a special way, Conferences of Bishops. We need to reflect on how better to bring about, through these bodies, intermediary instances of collegiality, perhaps by integrating and updating certain aspects of the ancient ecclesiastical organization. The hope expressed by the Council that such bodies would help increase the spirit of episcopal collegiality has not yet been fully realized.
This strengthening of the local churches and a further decentralization of the Church, in the sense of a stronger “synodality,” also has for Pope Francis an ecumenical importance, as he points out more explicitly a little later:
The commitment to build a synodal Church — a mission to which we are all called, each with the role entrusted him by the Lord — has significant ecumenical implications. For this reason, speaking recently to a delegation from the Patriarchate of Constantinople, I reaffirmed my conviction that “a careful examination of how, in the Church’s life, the principle of synodality and the service of the one who presides are articulated, will make a significant contribution to the progress of relations between our Churches.”
In a way, this speech may therefore well be understood as a further papal attempt to weaken the role of the pope, a uniquely privileged office which has always been a stumbling block for the other Christian groups or denominations – Protestant or Orthodox. In stressing the desirably decentralized and synodal character of the Catholic Church, a rapprochement with the other ostensibly Christian churches might thereby be intended.
More One World Church of Apostasy Buildup...
Have I not warned you of the buildup of the new religion utilizing the latest war on terror propaganda?
Religions Come Together in Thailand to Send Message to People of Paris
Bishop Joseph Chusak (r) participates in the Interreligious Peace March for victims of the Paris attacks in Thailand on Nov. 19
BANGKOK — Uniting with other major faith groups at an interreligious March for Peace, Thai Catholics on Thursday offered prayers for the victims of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris.
“The world is tired of hatred and hungers for peace,” Msgr. Vissanu Thanya-Anan told CNA.
“This peace march, a symbol of solidarity with prayers for the victims, is also a chance to show that all religions can live and work harmoniously together and work for the good of the society and country as good citizens,” he said.
Msgr. Vissanu serves as deputy secretary-general for the Thai bishops' conference. He formerly worked as undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
On Nov. 19, he joined Bishop Joseph Chusak Sirisut of Nakhon Ratchasima in leading the Catholic delegation priests, religious and a group of schoolchildren at the peace march in front of the French embassy.
The march was held to offer prayer and solidarity following the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks throughout the city of Paris, France. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which left 129 dead and more than 300 injured.
Thailand’s five major religious groups were all represented at the event. Members of the Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Sikh communities each offered prayers from their own faith tradition and signed a book of condolences.
Bishop Chusak, who is the head of the Thai Catholic bishops’ office for interreligious dialogue, led the Catholic portion of the prayer service.
Muslim leaders at the march voiced their pain and anguish at the news of terrorist attacks and rejected the idea that their religion condones violence.
The religious leaders also presented French ambassador Gilles Garachon with a joint statement that read, “We join in prayer for the dead, the injured and the families affected by this tragedy. May the merciful Almighty grant the victims eternal rest and offer consolation and hope to the injured and their families.”
“Our march for peace today is a symbol of the unity of the five major religious traditions in Thailand. Together we implore the Almighty above to inspire and strengthen us for the building of peace.”
“Violence resolves nothing, and we vigorously condemn every act of violence perpetrated in the name of religion,” they continued. “We invite all to join hands with us to build a sustainable peace through justice, solidarity, and non-discrimination, with regard to nationality, religion, caste and color.”
Msgr. Vissanu stressed that the Catholic Church is very close to the victims of suffering, persecution and calamity.
Pointing to the Holy Father’s continued appeals for peace, he said, “We are inspired and take heed of the teachings of Pope Francis … to seek paths for resolving conflicts and to work for building peace and dialogue.”
He also emphasized that it is a joint responsibility, saying, “We need the cooperation and goodwill of every responsible citizen to uphold the fundamental rights and dignity of every human person.”
The monsignor also recalled the Bangkok bombing in August that killed 20 people and injured 125.
“The world stood united in solidarity and prayer with Thailand,” he reflected, “and now it is also our reciprocal duty to pray for others … during this difficult moment of grief.”
Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/religions-come-together-in-thailand-to-send-message-to-people-of-paris/#ixzz3sQbcXhSv
Cardinal Schönborn: "I think that we will not be judged about our religion"
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, O.P., the Archbishop of Vienna, explained at the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) the potential of interreligious dialogue for peace.
“I think that we will not be judged about our religion but about the question: what did you do for justice in the world? For the hungry? For the refugees? For the poor, the needy? What have you done for the ecological needs of our planet? (Impotent Humanitarianism anyone?)
Cardinal Schönborn held on 19 November the opening speech of the panel discussion “Nostra Aetate in Our Time: Interreligious Relations 50 years after the Second Vatican Council,” which convened representatives of religious communities in Austria and KAICIID’s Board of Directors at the International Dialogue Centre.
His Eminence also declared that the spark of the divine lives in all of us.
Whole article:
http://www.kaiciid.org/news-events/news/%E2%80%9Creligion-not-imaginable-without-responsibility%E2%80%9D-cardinal-sch%C3%B6nborn-kaiciid
No, it is not Planet X Incoming....It is you: your refrigerators and cars! Save the Planet!
Living ‘Laudato Si’: Climate Change and the Catholic Perspective
Church leaders discuss human ecology before the Nov. 30 UN summit.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — About 80 people attended a Catholic-sponsored weeknight forum in Providence, R.I., to hear scientists and theologians discuss and reflect on how climate change is causing rising sea levels, spiking global temperatures, droughts and extreme precipitation and weather patterns.
“This is affecting human beings. It’s impacting populations, the common good, how civilizations structure themselves. It’s all very important to the Church because it impacts human life,” said Bill Patenaude, an engineer with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, who speaks and writes on ecology from a Catholic perspective.
“This is a moment of evangelization,” Patenaude told the Register. “There’s no doubt about it.”
The Diocese of Providence hosted the Nov. 12 forum, titled “Lessons From Laudato Si: On Climate and the Common Good.” The forum was one of dozens of similar events that Catholic dioceses and institutions across the country have been organizing since Pope Francis’ encyclical on ecology was released on June 18.
Through public forums and symposiums, press conferences, newspaper columns, editorials and educational programs, the bishops and other Catholic leaders in the United States are making the case for why climate change should be considered a moral issue and why individuals and nations need to take action to mitigate the effects of global warming.
“I don’t think we’ve seen this level of activity on any recent encyclical that I can remember,” said Stephen Colecchi, director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office of International Justice and Peace.
All the activity is leading up to the United Nations’ COP21 Climate Change Summit, which, despite the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, is still scheduled to take place from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 in Paris.
‘Tangible Goal’
Environmental advocates are hoping for a legally binding and universal agreement that would aim to cut global carbon emissions and keep global warming below two degrees Celsius.
“My own hope is that they will adopt a tangible goal, in terms of holding temperature increases to that level,” said Colecchi, who added that the continental bishops’ conferences, including the bishops of the United States and Canada, have “spoken with one voice” in calling for concrete outcomes in Paris.
“We’re hoping something strong comes out of Paris. We’re working hard on that,” said Patrick Carolan, the executive director of the Franciscan Action Network, a member organization of the Global Catholic Climate Movement, which is circulating a petition calling on local, national and international leaders to “drastically cut carbon emissions.” Almost 550,000 people have signed the online petition, including Msgr. Guillermo Karcher, an aide to Pope Francis.
“We anticipate having 1 million signatures by the time we get to Paris,” said Carolan, who told the Register that the Global Catholic Climate Movement partners will be in France to deliver the petitions to world leaders. He also said that they will participate in a march on Nov. 29 and other events being planned around the summit.
“We’re hoping for a large turnout of Catholic organizations,” Carolan said. “And we’re hoping the U.S. delegation takes a strong position on climate change.”
Pope Francis has said that he hoped Laudato Si (The Care of Our Common Home) would influence the Paris summit. The Vatican has held conferences to build momentum for “bold action” at the United Nations’ gathering. During a June conference of mayors and governors at the Vatican, Pope Francis said he hoped the United Nations would take a “very strong stand” on climate change.
Vatican Officials Visit
Two high-ranking Vatican officials recently visited the United States for a series of talks and panel discussions on the issue.
Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, addressed audiences at Santa Clara University and Boston College. He has also written that Laudato Si, with virtues and principles rooted in the Church’s social teaching, can make an important contribution to COP21 in several respects.
“Without these virtues and ethical principles, as is to be feared, Paris will yield nothing new,” he said. “The summits of recent years have not met expectations, because [they] lacked the political will to make truly meaningful and effective global agreements.”
Meanwhile, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, one of the Pope’s nine cardinal advisers, described Laudato Si as a new Rerum Novarum, the 1891 encyclical on labor written by Pope Leo XIII. Cardinal Rodriguez told reporters at a Nov. 2 roundtable discussion at Georgetown University Law Center that the world “cannot continue ignoring” climate change.
“Otherwise, I don’t think countries will have a future,” said Cardinal Rodriguez, who also called on the energy industry to abandon carbon-based fuels and embrace renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, biomass and geothermal.
Fossil-Fuel Divestment
In the United States, the bishops have not taken an official position on the best strategy to move the economy toward renewable energy. Some Catholic institutions are actively considering divesting from fossil-fuel companies. The University of Dayton (Ohio) became the first Catholic university last year to begin divesting from fossil fuels. Georgetown University has also announced that it will divest from coal companies.
“I think more importantly than divestment is investment. In other words, how can the Catholic Church, dioceses, colleges, universities, hospital systems — really, any Catholic facility or institution — begin to invest in the clean technologies that we know are out there?” said Dan Misleh, executive director of the Catholic Climate Covenant.
Misleh told the Register that there is a “real opportunity” for Catholic leaders in the United States to step up and “really try to live Laudato Si” by investing in and utilizing clean-energy technologies.
“Now that we know what we are doing to the planet, we have a responsibility to amend our ways,” Misleh said. “I think we need to think about how we do that as a Catholic community in the United States.”
Colecchi spoke at a Dayton-hosted conference in early November for organizations that were considering changing their investment goals in line with Laudato Si. Colecchi told the Register that he affirmed in his Dayton talk that the Church is a “big tent,” where institutions can use a “range of strategies” to best figure out how to become more “green” and environmentally friendly.
“The key is that all Catholic institutions need to become more energy-efficient,” Colecchi said. “The Holy Father is asking us to live more simply, but also more fully. People understand that our current rates of consumption are not sustainable. Changes will be necessary for us to live in harmony with nature in ways that do not harm nature.”
U.S. Bishops’ Positions
Colecchi added that more than 120 bishops have written about Laudato Si. He also said the Catholic community in the United States “is on the ground,” with the Catholic Campaign for Human Development funding 50 local low-income community groups that are working on various aspects of environmental degradation and power-plant emissions that disproportionately harm poor communities. Catholic Relief Services is also working overseas to help communities and individuals become more resilient to climate change.
The U.S. bishops’ conference has also lent its support to a federal government plan that would limit carbon emissions from power plants that burn fossil fuels. The bishops also support the international Green Climate Fund, a program aimed at helping developing nations shift toward low-emission and climate-resilient development.
“The bishops have been exercising their voices in the public square, speaking on the importance of a national carbon standard, to limit carbon pollution here in the United States,” said Cecilia Calvo, head of the U.S. bishops’ Environmental Justice Program.
Calvo told the Register that the bishops are also stressing that “the ways in which we respond to climate change must be based on social and economic justice, doing that in ways that protect workers, the poor and the vulnerable.”
“I love how Pope Francis is calling us to work together toward a framework that links economic prosperity with social inclusion and with respect for creation,” Calvo said. “To me, that really sums up a great challenge we have before us.”
Role of the Free Market
Shifting from an economy based on fossil fuels to one that increasingly embraces renewable energy raises significant challenges, especially for workers, who would be displaced as carbon-based power plants and other energy facilities are shuttered. The role of the free-market economy, and whether it is capable of supporting environmentally sustainable development, will be the focus of a Dec. 3 conference that the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is organizing in Rome.
The conference will feature Father Robert Sirico, president of the Acton Institute, and Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, among other participants. Kishore Jayabalan, director of the Acton Institute’s Rome office, told the Register that the conference’s goals are in line with Pope Francis’ call for dialogue on the climate-change issue.
“We want to bring in the theoretical and the practical issues that are raised in the encyclical and see where we can deepen and broaden the discussion,” said Jayabalan, who noted that there are many complex economic factors to consider.
He added that emerging economies, especially in China, will not simply close their factories because the advanced, developed countries of the West want them to. Jayabalan also pointed out that many countries that signed the “Kyoto Protocol” have not lived up to their commitments.
“With wealth comes the ability to afford more technologically advanced and cleaner-burning plants and cars and those kinds of things,” said Jayabalan, who suggested that technology and existing laws can help solve some problems related to the need for clean air and water. He also said that the inability to find an adequate alternative to fossil fuels is not necessarily a moral or spiritual failure.
“It’s quite easy to take the moral high ground and say something needs to be done,” Jayabalan said. “But when you ask what needs to be done, in concrete terms, things get a little more shady. It’s much more difficult to work out the exact compromises.”
Meanwhile, Colecchi referenced Pope Francis’ statements on how an unregulated free market, if focused only on maximizing profits, will fail to protect the environment.
“What you need is a strong juridical framework around the market that creates a level playing field for all businesses and gives incentives for renewable energies to move from a carbon-based intensive economy to a renewable and sustainable economy,” Colecchi said.
Local Example
Patenaude, the Rhode Island environmental regulator, who holds a master’s degree in theology, said he knows a group of local Catholic business leaders who are investing in renewable energies because they see a real business opportunity.
“That’s how America jumps ahead. We find the new opportunity. We seize it, and we make it work. This is a wonderful opportunity. It’s clean, and it’s sustainable,” said Patenaude, who believes that it is important for the Catholic Church to remain engaged on these issues.
“The conversation on climate and energy will be happening with or without our presence,” Patenaude said. “So it makes sense for the Church to add her voice — because that brings the Gospel to the conversation. And that’s important.”
Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/living-laudato-si-climate-change-and-the-catholic-perspective/#ixzz3sQd5inMs
Boston Cardinal O’Malley endorses Catholic climate petition as signatures eclipse 600,000
A pope-endorsed petition seeking Catholic support for substantial action on climate change in Paris in 10 days has netted its most prominent signer from the U.S. church hierarchy.
The Global Catholic Climate Movement announced Friday that Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley has become the latest prelate to sign their Catholic Climate Petition, joining 20 individual bishops, more than 200 Catholic organizations and more than 600,000 people from around the world.
The list of supporters includes Pope Francis, who in May endorsed the petition, though a papal representative signed on his behalf due to protocol preventing popes from individually signing such documents.
The petition seeks for global leaders attending the United Nations climate change conference, or COP 21, to reach agreement on a deal to collectively address climate change. The conference opens Nov. 30 and runs through Dec. 11. A deal is expected to bind each country to pledges to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, and for developed countries to provide financing and assistance to underdeveloped countries in transitioning to clean energy technology and adopting mechanisms to both mitigate and adapt to a changing climate. [More]
EWTN's Mother Angelica on feeding tube
http://connecticutcatholiccorner.blogspot.com/2015/11/ewtns-mother-angelica-on-feeding-tube.html
Comparing Pascendi with "Pope" Francis
I was reading through Pope Pius X’s encyclical against Modernism, entitled Pascendi, and in paragraph 38 I was struck by the similarities between the errors of Modernism described under the heading “The Modernist as Reformer” and Pope Francis, who is known as a “reforming Pope“.
Worship
Pascendi says of the Modernists: “Regarding worship, the number of external devotions is to be reduced” It is well-known to many that Pope Francis looks disparagingly upon high liturgy and is known for his simplified liturgies. This is confirmed by Fr. Pedro Brunori, who is described as “a priest of Opus Dei who currently works as a hospital and university chaplain outside Buenos Aires” Pope Francis “does tend to simplify the liturgy…”.
Church Government
Concerning church government, Pascendi says of the Modernists “Ecclesiastical government requires to be reformed in all its branches, but especially in its disciplinary and dogmatic parts. Its spirit with the public conscience, which is not wholly for democracy; a share in ecclesiastical government should therefore be given to the lower ranks of the clergy, and even to the laity, and authority should be decentralised.” This is interesting given what Pope Francis recently said to a collection of bishops concerning the matter of decentralization: “In a Church Synod it is not appropriate for the Pope to replace the local Episcopates in the discernment of all the problems that lie ahead in their territories. In this sense, I feel the need to proceed in a healthy ‘decentralization.’ ”
Poverty
Pascendi also notes the Modernists on the issue of poverty, saying that in Modernism: “The clergy are asked to return to their ancient lowliness and poverty”. Compare this with Pope Francis, of whom it is noted: “But this idea—that the Church should be a Church for the poor—was key to his formation. It’s why, as the head of the Society of Jesus in Argentina in the 1970s, he sent priests into the poor barrios, or slums, to do outreach. And it’s why, many years later as pope, he constantly talks about the poor.” (As a side note, I’m not saying priests shouldn’t tend to the poor, I’m just pointing out this emphasis in the context of other Modernists elements seemingly found in Pope Francis.)
There are other aspects about Pope Francis that seem to exhibit Modernist tendencies, but I find it interesting that the main ones noted by Pascendi in its section on the Modernist as a reformer bear striking similarities with Pope Francis.
Are We Witnessing the Start of a New Crusade?
Pope Francis has described the present turmoil across the globe as “a world war fought piecemeal.” With the current world reaction to jihadist atrocities do we see a piecemeal world war, or are we witnessing the rise of the twenty first century wars of religion?
In other words, Are we engaged on a new crusade?
Secularists rush to deny the religious aspect of the conflict with jihadists. Whenever possible they talk about “extremists” or “terrorists” and try to avoid the obvious conclusion that the Islamic terrorists are motivated by their religion. Likewise, when the victims are clearly Christian, and have been targeted for torture and death because of their faith in Christ the secular news media will spin the story and relegate the horrors to “ethnic conflict” or “tribal wars.”
The fact of the matter is that Islamic terrorists are targeting Christians in specific attacks. Furthermore, we may not regard the countries of Western Europe and North America as particularly “Christian” countries, but the Islamic terrorists of ISIS do. They speak enthusiastically about the coming war with “Rome”, which is their shorthand for what they perceive as the Christian powers of the West.
When France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States wade into battle we may imagine that we are simply defending ourselves from a terrorist threat. We may deny that we are fighting a war of religion, but I believe we are—even if we are denying it. We may not wheel out priests and pastors to bless the bombs, and the pope may not go out on the balcony and call all good Catholics to take up arms in a holy war, but when we attack terrorists who are driven by their religion, then we are also attacking their belief system. If we are not engaged in an explicit holy war, we are certainly waging a battle between our belief system and theirs—and what is that but a war of religion?
G.K. Chesterton said, “Every argument is a theological argument.” He meant that beneath and behind every human conflict is a conflict of belief. We argue and eventually go to war not only because the other side has more wealth and power and we want it. That motivates warriors up to a certain point, but what really motivates warriors on both sides is the belief that their cause is not only right and just, but it is God’s cause. When soldiers are marching out to war they do so with the most zeal when they believe themselves to be marching out with God on their side.
Whether God is anyone’s side in war can be debated, but most people would agree that the Nazi soldiers who thought God was on their side were wrong. Likewise, no matter what they think, we believe that God is not on the side of terrorists who behead children, blow up innocent bystanders, rape and enslave teenage girls and fly jets into skyscrapers. Instead we believe it might just be possible that God is on the side of warriors who avoid vengeance, use war as a last resort, fight in self defense, measure their response and execute their engagement with restraint and justice.
The war against terror is clearly necessary for the sake of self-defense and protection of peace and security. To defeat terrorists—whether they are Islamic, Marxist or Mafia gangsters—is necessary for the sake of justice. Whether it is also a war of religion, and the warriors of the West are fighting for the truth, beauty and goodness of Christ and his Church—in other words, whether we are witnessing the rise of a new crusade— is something to be debated.
Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/longenecker/are-we-witnessing-the-start-of-a-new-crusade/#ixzz3sQfU8E6y