All Caesars Go Mad
by Thomas A. Droleskey
All the property of the Christian Church was to be confiscated and sold, the proceedings to be delivered to the imperial treasury. Such persons as persevered in the belief and activity of the sect were to be declared unfit to hold office or to be employed by the state. Slaves adhering to the Christian sect could not be freed. No Christian was allowed to go to a court of justice, except as an accused person. All churches of the sect and all houses used for the performing of their vile and horrible rites were to be demolished.
"Given at our palace in Nicomedia," read Velleius, "on the day of the Terminalia Festival in the year one thousand and fifty-six of the foundation of Rome."
There was a pause. The caesar rose. "You have heard the orders of our divine emperor," he said with a little shrug. "My chancellery will send it on to all the magistrates in Britain. No one--I repeat: no one is permitted to take measures on his own. The matter must be dealt with in an orderly fashion. Now as far as you are concerned, officers, officials and servants of my household, this is what I want to tell you. Until now I haven't cared much about what you believed in and what you did not. From now on I have to, it seems. I know that some you are Christians. You will have two days to decide whether you wish to give up such dangerous beliefs or not. All of you will come back here in forty-eight hours. Then we shall have a test. Your fate is in your own hands. That is all."
Abruptly he left the room. Some of the faces in the assembly, which now dispersed slowly, were grave and anxious; some even showed despair. But others were smiling and content. Soon there would be promotions for a number of people, for in forty-eight hours a good number of valuable posts would be vacant. . . .
When the caesar's household gathered again two days later, the main hall was changed. Near the caesar's throne an altar had been erected with a bust of the emperor on it. Despite the art of the sculptor, Diocletian looked in marble as he looked in life: a shrewd, cunning, hard-faced peasant.
In front of the bust stood a small tripod and a vessel with incense.
Caesar Constantius rose from his throne, stepped before the altar, and threw a few grains of incense into the tripod. The smoke curled up into the impassive face of the crowned peasant.
Velleius followed his superior's example and after him the six bodyguards behind the throne.
The caesar said sharply, "All those who profess the Christian faith will step forward."
A hush fell over the assembly. After a while a number of men began to move through the throng--five, then twenty, and still they were coming.
"Stand on one side," the caesar ordered. he counted them very carefully. "There are more Christians than that," he said, "and I know who they are. Their names are on the list in my hand. Shall I read it or are you going to step forward on your own accord?"
Tribune Sarto raised his hand. "There are eighteen of us, Caesar, who are ready to give up a belief condemned by the emperor and his council."
The caesar looked at the list compiled by the intelligence people. He mentally added Sarto's group of eighteen to the number of Christians lined up before him. "Eighteen--that's right," he confirmed. "Let those men form a group of their own on the other side."
There was still another name on the list, not accounted for by either group, but he was not going to pursue the matter that far. The man was not present in the hall anyway.
"Very well," he said aloud. "Now all those faithful to the state religion will sacrifice to the divine emperor. Step forward one by one. Velleius, not their names."
It took over half an hour. When it was over, the caesar said, "Now the group around Tribune Sarto will sacrifice."
The eighteen men did, and the caesar looked on impassively. "Now the Christian group," he ordered.
An elderly office stepped up as their speaker. "We can't do that, Caesar," he said quietly. "Christ has commanded us to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's. We can die for the emperor, but we cannot worship him."
The caesar looked at them in silence. None of the men moved. From the entrance of the hall came the sound of steps. He looked up.
The Legate Curio walked across, gave a polite salute and . . . joined the Christian group.
The caesar nodded thoughtfully. "Thank you, my friends," he said. "The test is over. Now it seems to me that what the emperor really wanted to know was whether he could rely on the loyalty of his servants or not. That must be the spirit behind this edict. It seems to me also that one cannot very well rely on the loyalty of men who are ready to renounce their faith as soon as their position is in danger. Therefore the group around Tribune Sarto is dismissed from my service forthwith."
The assembly stared at him dumbfounded, thunderstruck.
"These Christians here, on the other hand," the caesar went on, "have proved that they are ready to resist and to uphold their faith. Men like that do not have to sacrifice to the genius of the emperor. Their simple word is their bond. They will therefore retain their posts. The officers among them will be transferred to my bodyguard. I know that with them my life is as safe as the honor of the emperor. You may go, all of you, except for the Legate Curio."
The elderly officer heading the Christian group roared suddenly, "Victory and long life to Caesar Constantius!" and the call was taken up by almost the entire assembly. The group around Sarto no longer existed. Its members were trying to get out of the hall without so much as looking at each other. Everyone else made room for them as if they were unclean.
"You shouldn't have come here," Constantius told Curio. His tone was very gentle. "I deliberately didn't tell you about my little ceremony, and I knew you were still laid up after your attack of fever last week.
The old legate smiled. "You knew about my being a Christian too. Your intelligence department seems to be working well."
"Come into my study," the caesar said. "We'll have a goblet of wine."
In the study Curio said, "You yourself did well too, if you will permit me to say so."
The caesar laughed. "Diocletian will be furious, of course. But I'm Maximian's man, as you know, and my dear father-in-law doesn't care much about such matters. Besides, Nicomedia is very far away. Mind you, I shall have to carry out my orders."
Curio looked up frowning. "Do you really believe that Christians are dangerous to the state?"
"I think Diocletian must have become a little mad. Most emperors do, after a while." (Louis de Wohl, St. Helena and The True Cross, Vision Books: Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, 1958, pp. 74-79.)
Although the account above is contained in a novel about the life of Saint Helena, who was married to the future Roman Emperor Constantius, the father of Constantine, it nevertheless conveys a truth about many who acquire power. Many of those who acquire power do indeed become demigods, at least in their own very fertile imaginations, as they demonstrate utter madness in their words and deeds. Reality matters nothing to these mad caesars. What matters to them is what they imagine reality to be.
We have seen "up close and personal" with our own last two ceasars, Caesar Georgii Bushus Ignoramus and his successor, Caesar Barackus Obamus Ignoramus.
Caesar Bushus is still defending his morally and strategically indefensible wars in Iraq and Afghanistan when no consideration was given to any of the weighty factors that must enter into a decision to commit troops, especially concerning whether a particular war has a just cause, whether it has a defined and achievable goal, whether the costs--whether in terms of the loss of life and damage done to the infrastructure of one's own nation and that of others or long term commitment of troops in a hostile land--outweigh the perceived benefits of a war's prosecution. The vast costs of American lives and the mortgaging of this country's economic well-being, to say nothing of the loss of innocent Iraqi and Afghan lives or the persecution that the Iraq invasion and occupation has unleashed upon our own fellow Catholics, does nothing to deter Caesar Bushus from standing firm in his refusal to face reality as it is. Hail! Caesar Bushus. (See As Blind Now As He As Always Been.)
The current caesar, Barackus Obamus Ignoramus, has a degree and depth of hubris that was lacking to his predecessor, who is a cocksure, little-read transplanted Texan who made his wealth principally on the investments of others. Caesar Obamus has told friends and journalists that he considers himself the "LeBron James," a participant in the so-called sport called professional basketball, I believe, of politics. Caesar Obamus believes in his statism. He believes in his nationalization of the health-care industry. He believes in chemical and surgical baby-killing under cover of the civil law. He believes in himself.
Even more so than his predecessor, who called referred to "Islam as a religion of peace," Barack Hussein Obama, who is the son and a step-son of men who were raised as Mohammedans before embracing their own forms of Kenyan or Indonesian socialism, has used his bully pulpit as a means to propagandize in behalf of a hideous false religion that denies the doctrine of the Most Blessed Trinity, thus denying, of course, the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity in the Virginal and Immaculate Womb of Our Lady by the power of Third Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, God the Holy Ghost, and ignoring the fact that this false religion incites its followers to hatred and violence against infidels. Barack Hussein Obama is an international propagandist in behalf of Mohammedanism as he ignores history and doctrinal truth to show his fealty to those who are immersed in this diabolical sect that has the power to save no human being's immortal soul and whose adherents have to this very day unleashed acts of great violence against anyone professing the name of Christian as they profess loyalty to the Koran, that "dear and precious book" as it was termed in 2008 by Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI, all the while.
Caesar Barackus Obamus Ignoramus, desiring to pay his public obeisance to the "great" religion of murder and deceit that formed his father and step-father and for which he has such great and profound respect and gratitude, expressed himself as follows in a speech at the University of Cairo (Egypt, not Illinois or new York) on June 4, 2009:
I've come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles -- principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.
I do so recognizing that change cannot happen overnight. I know there's been a lot of publicity about this speech, but no single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have this afternoon all the complex questions that brought us to this point. But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly to each other the things we hold in our hearts and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground. As the Holy Koran tells us, "Be conscious of God and speak always the truth." (Applause.) That is what I will try to do today -- to speak the truth as best I can, humbled by the task before us, and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart.
Now part of this conviction is rooted in my own experience. I'm a Christian, but my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims. As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the break of dawn and at the fall of dusk. As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith.
As a student of history, I also know civilization's debt to Islam. It was Islam -- at places like Al-Azhar -- that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe's Renaissance and Enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslim communities -- (applause) -- it was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry and cherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality. (Applause.)
I also know that Islam has always been a part of America's story. The first nation to recognize my country was Morocco. In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our second President, John Adams, wrote, "The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims." And since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States. They have fought in our wars, they have served in our government, they have stood for civil rights, they have started businesses, they have taught at our universities, they've excelled in our sports arenas, they've won Nobel Prizes, built our tallest building, and lit the Olympic Torch. And when the first Muslim American was recently elected to Congress, he took the oath to defend our Constitution using the same Holy Koran that one of our Founding Fathers -- Thomas Jefferson -- kept in his personal library. (Applause.)
So I have known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed. That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn't. And I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear. (Applause.) (Remarks by Caesar Obamus at Cairo University, 6-04-09)
Barack Hussein Obama, who sounds at times like he's running to be the next conciliar "pope," was back at it again two days ago, Wednesday, November 10, 2010, when he addressed students in Jakarta, Indonesia, praising Mohammedanism's spirit of "toleration," which he said was realized in a special way in, of all places, Indonesia:
Because Indonesia is made up of thousands of islands, and hundreds of languages, and people from scores of regions and ethnic groups, my time here helped me appreciate the common humanity of all people. And while my stepfather, like most Indonesians, was raised a Muslim, he firmly believed that all religions were worthy of respect. And in this way -- (applause) -- in this way he reflected the spirit of religious tolerance that is enshrined in Indonesia’s Constitution, and that remains one of this country’s defining and inspiring characteristics. (Applause.)
Now, I stayed here for four years -- a time that helped shape my childhood; a time that saw the birth of my wonderful sister, Maya; a time that made such an impression on my mother that she kept returning to Indonesia over the next 20 years to live and to work and to travel -- and to pursue her passion of promoting opportunity in Indonesia’s villages, especially opportunity for women and for girls. And I was so honored -- (applause) -- I was so honored when President Yudhoyono last night at the state dinner presented an award on behalf of my mother, recognizing the work that she did. And she would have been so proud, because my mother held Indonesia and its people very close to her heart for her entire life. (Applause.) . . . .
In the years since then, Indonesia has charted its own course through an extraordinary democratic transformation -- from the rule of an iron fist to the rule of the people. In recent years, the world has watched with hope and admiration as Indonesians embraced the peaceful transfer of power and the direct election of leaders. And just as your democracy is symbolized by your elected President and legislature, your democracy is sustained and fortified by its checks and balances: a dynamic civil society; political parties and unions; a vibrant media and engaged citizens who have ensured that -- in Indonesia -- there will be no turning back from democracy.
But even as this land of my youth has changed in so many ways, those things that I learned to love about Indonesia -- that spirit of tolerance that is written into your Constitution; symbolized in mosques and churches and temples standing alongside each other; that spirit that’s embodied in your people -- that still lives on. (Applause.) Bhinneka Tunggal Ika -- unity in diversity. (Applause.) This is the foundation of Indonesia’s example to the world, and this is why Indonesia will play such an important part in the 21st century. (Remarks by Caesar Obamus at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia, November 10, 2010.)
Spirit of "tolerance," eh, Caesar Obamus. You are mad. You are delusional:
As Muslims around the world continue to deny basic human rights to women and non-Muslims, Muslim spokesmen maintain a pattern of denial and deception.
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43-year-old Iranian woman, is facing death by stoning this week for adultery, a capital crime in Iran. Yet when the redoubtable human rights activist David G. Littman, asserted at the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2008 that “the stoning of women for alleged adultery still occurs regularly in Iran,” Iran’s spokesman declared that this was “not true, it is completely false and is out of the question.”
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani would beg to differ, and she’s not the only one: according to another human rights activist, Mina Ahadi, “at least 40 to 50 other women are waiting for the same destiny in Iran right now.”
Meanwhile, in Indonesia this week, Christians in the city of Bekasi are facing an escalating persecution from Muslims. On Saturday, members of a group called the Islamic Defender Front hung outside a mosque a picture of Christian leader Andreas Sanau with a noose around his neck and the inscription, “This man deserves the death penalty!” Sanau’s crime? He is falsely accused of organizing mass baptism of Muslims in Christianity, in violation of Islam’s prohibition against conversion to another religion (another capital crime in Islamic law).
In the first months of 2010,” according to Asia News, “radical Islamic groups have interrupted Christian religious services, prevented Christians from entering their churches and blocked the building of new churches.”
This is in accord with traditional Islamic law for non-Muslims in an Islamic state, which forbids these subject peoples to build new houses of worship or repair old ones. One of the Muslims involved in this persecution explained: “We are doing this because we want to strike fear in the hearts of Christians.” This echoes the Koran, which commands Muslims to “strike terror into the hearts of the enemies of Allah and your enemies” (8:60).
Yet it was with a straight face in 2009 that the Imam Hassan Qazwini of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Mich., restated a very common assertion of Muslim spokesmen in the West: “Most Americans do not know that Islam respects Christians and Jєωs.” All too many Muslims, in Indonesia and elsewhere, don’t seem to know it either.
Also this week, Afshan Azad, a 21-year-old actress who has appeared in several Harry Potter movies as the character Padma Patil, fled from her home after she was beaten and, according to the U.K.’s Daily Express, “badly bruised” by her father and brother -- both Muslims -- for refusing to break up with her boyfriend, a Hindu. Islamic law forbids Muslim women to marry non-Muslim men, and Abdul Azad and his son Ashraf were allegedly willing to murder Afshan for daring to flout this prohibition.
Muslim spokesmen in the West routinely deny that honor killing has anything to do with Islam, even though over 90% of honor killings worldwide take place in an Islamic context, many Muslim countries have relaxed penalties for honor murders, and Islamic law stipulates no penalty for a parent who kills his child. Here again, Afshan Azad might beg to differ with the prevailing denials and evasions of responsibility on the part of Muslim spokesmen in the West – that is, if she herself weren’t suffering from an apparent attack of Stockholm Syndrome, as she has asked police to drop all charges against her father and brother.
While it may be unpleasant for Afshan Azad if criminal proceedings against her father and brother continue, it would be disastrous for far more people if they were dropped. For the denial and obfuscation about the tolerance for honor killing in Muslim communities in the West only ensures that more Muslim girls will be murdered. And the larger denial on the part of Muslim spokesmen when confronted with atrocities that have been explicitly perpetrated in the name of Islam and justified by reference to Islamic texts and teachings only ensures that such atrocities will continue.
But that doesn’t seem to be a problem that troubles anyone. (Muslims Lying About Islamic Atrocities )
Caesar Obamus has taken no note of this violence against Christians in Iraq, mirroring the silence of his shallow predecessor, Caesar Bushus, and pretended in Jakarta, Indonesia two days ago that Indonesia was a bastion of "toleration" when it is nothing of the sort. In this, you see, Caesar Obamus was following the lead of his host, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who had to acknowledge this violence two months ago but glossed over it rather cavalierly:
Christians in Bekasi, as in other parts of Indonesia, have been unable to secure a place of worship due to a permit system in the country that stacks the deck against non-Muslims. Lacking a building, they went to worship in a field, and that site has been attacked as well, with jihadists even punching female members of the congregation. It has been soiled with human feces, and worshipers there have been constantly harassed with shouts of "Infidel," and told they deserve to be stabbed to death. On this past Sunday, one worshiper was stabbed in the stomach, and the pastor was beaten over the head with a wooden plank.
It is clear the Muslims in the area (are any at all speaking out in defense of non-Muslims' free exercise of their religion?) do not want to see Indonesian Christians gathering to worship anytime, or anywhere, and accept bƖσσdshɛd as a cost of doing business.
Meanwhile, President Yudhoyono makes the whole affair sound like a suburban homeowners association dispute, and steers conspicuously clear of assigning culpability to anyone at all. As head of state, if he cannot or will not speak frankly, he is a liar, or he is not truly in control of his office and his country, or both.
Lastly, just a few days ago, Yudhoyono called on Barack Obama to stop the Qur'an burning in Florida just a few days ago. That was urgent. But as for people being beaten savagely and denied freedom of worship in Indonesia? Not so much, apparently.
"Indonesia: President breaks silence over church attacks," from Adnkronos International, September 14:
Jakarta, 15 Sept. (AKI/Jakarta Post) - Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono broke his silence on Tuesday and spoke out against Sunday's violent attacks against two Huria Kristen Batak Protestant (HKBP) church figures in Bekasi, West Java.
And a frenzy of minced words ensued:
The president said he was concerned with the violent acts, which fell upon Hasian Sihombing and Rev. Luspida Simanjuntak. (Indonesian president glosses over violence against Christians.)
Ah, yes:
Pay no... ...attention to that man behind the curtain. Go - before I lose my temper! The Great and Powerful ... -- Oz -- has spoken! ("The Wizard Of Oz" Movie Script.)
Pay no attention to the violence against Christians in Iraq and Indonesia and elsewhere. That has nothing to do with "mainstream" Mohammedanism, right?
The not-so-subtle subtext in Obama's praising of the nonexistent "spirit of toleration" in Indonesia was one of his out-of-country reminders to us dopey Americans back home that we have a lot to learn from the "tolerant" ways of Mohammedans in Indonesia, that we ought to be concerned about efforts to mainstreaming mosques here, including that proposed mosque and Mohammedan "community center" near "Ground Zero" in the lower part of the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York, New York. Although I stand by the mathematics of the electoral college vote that I projected that the currently reigning caesar expect to win in 2012 (see Still Caught in the Trap of Naturalism), it is such praise of Mohammedanism's "spirit of tolerance" as a means to "lecture" us stupid xenophobes back home that could prevent Obama from winning states such as Pennsylvania and Virginia and Ohio and even Wisconsin in 2012. Caesar is in love with his ability to lecture us on how we should adopt the ways of those who are abjectly hostile to American interests, to say nothing of being hostile to the one and only true Faith, Catholicism.
Not to be outdone by Caesar Obamus when it comes to madness, of course, conciliar officials in Indonesia decry the violence against Christians in Indonesia while refusing to lay the blame on Mohammedanism, speaking of the wonderful possibilities that exist for a nation when it embraces pluralism. These men are as mad as Barack Hussein Obama:
Jakarta (Agenzia Fides) - "The violence and attacks, against Christian churches of all denominations, has grown in recent years and now in the past several days, especially in Jakarta and in the western part of Java island. We are increasingly concerned about it." This is what Fides has been told by Bishop Johannes Pujasumarta, Bishop of Bandung and Secretary General of the Bishops' Conference of Indonesia. "Those responsible are small radical Islamic groups that are sowing panic among our people, especially in the Dioceses of Jakarta, Bandung, and Bogor. They are minority groups, but they should be stopped. The violence also increases the indifference of the civil authorities and police, who shrug off the violence. We demand more attention and protection for the Christian communities and that such acts may not remain unpunished,” says the Bishop.
A docuмented and detailed report, describing the latest incident, was sent to Fides from the Indonesian Christian Communication Forum (ICCF), an organization that brings together leaders of different Christian denominations, and monitors the situation and violence against Christians in Indonesia.
The report, released yesterday in a public conference in Jakarta, recalled that last October 17 radical Islamic groups threatened to attack a Catholic church in Karanganyar, Central Java. Days earlier, on October 13, in Sukoharjo, in the same area, 12 militants on motorcycles set fire to a Protestant church. On October 12, there was another attempt, fortunately with little damage, striking St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Klaten, also in central Java. The Forum recalled that last September a Catholic church was struck in the Province of Pasir, in Borno Indonesia. This latest episode presents the real possibility of extremist attacks entering into other provinces of the country, although most of the episodes of violence were registered in the suburbs of Jakarta and in west and central Java.
According to data provided by the Forum, the attacks against Christian religious buildings have continued to increase since the independence of Indonesia (1945) to date: between 1945 and 1967, two churches were burned; between 1967 and 1969 (after the rise to power of Suharto), 10 were attacked. Between 1969 and 1998, the budget has shot up to 460 attacks (especially after Suharto's measure regulating the creation of places of worship). But, even after the start of the new era of reforms, the situation does not seem to have improved. Over the last decade, the Forum has monitored more than 700 attacks, bringing the total number of violent incidents against churches between 1945 and 2010, the dramatic figure of 1,200.
Fr. Benny Susetyo, Secretary of the Commission for Interreligious Dialogue within the Catholic Bishops' Conference, in explaining the docuмent, stressed that "the attacks are possible due to the negligence of the police,” noting the significant risk that they "will continue until the violent are guaranteed impunity."
In explaining the strategies of the Church to Fides, Bishop Pujasumarta concludes: "In Indonesia we - authorities, religious leaders, civil society – are all called to defend the idea and the model of a pluralistic and harmonious society. Thus, dialogue remains the main way. In particular, we will continue to seek support and solidarity from moderate Muslim groups, who represent the vast majority of Indonesian Islam." (PA) (Agenzia Fides 25/10/2010) (Fides Service - ASIA/INDONESIA - Rise in attacks and violence.)
Look at this utter insanity. Just look at it.
Barack Hussein Obama ignores, utterly ignores, these attacks as he praises the "spirit of toleration" that exists in Indonesia while "Father" Benny Susetyo calls upon Mohammedans to "defend the idea and the model of a pluralistic and harmonious society" without for one moment taking into consideration these telling words of Pope Leo XIII in Custodi di Quella Fede, December 8, 1892, and of Pope Saint Pius X in Notre Charge Apostolique, August 15, 1910:
Everyone should avoid familiarity or friendship with anyone suspected of belonging to masonry or to affiliated groups. Know them by their fruits and avoid them. Every familiarity should be avoided, not only with those impious libertines who openly promote the character of the sect, but also with those who hide under the mask of universal tolerance, respect for all religions, and the craving to reconcile the maxims of the Gospel with those of the revolution. These men seek to reconcile Christ and Belial, the Church of God and the state without God. (Pope Leo XIII, Custodi di Quella Fede, December 8, 1892.)
The same applies to the notion of Fraternity which they found on the love of common interest or, beyond all philosophies and religions, on the mere notion of humanity, thus embracing with an equal love and tolerance all human beings and their miseries, whether these are intellectual, moral, or physical and temporal. But Catholic doctrine tells us that the primary duty of charity does not lie in the toleration of false ideas, however sincere they may be, nor in the theoretical or practical indifference towards the errors and vices in which we see our brethren plunged, but in the zeal for their intellectual and moral improvement as well as for their material well-being. Catholic doctrine further tells us that love for our neighbor flows from our love for God, Who is Father to all, and goal of the whole human family; and in Jesus Christ whose members we are, to the point that in doing good to others we are doing good to Jesus Christ Himself. Any other kind of love is sheer illusion, sterile and fleeting.
Indeed, we have the human experience of pagan and secular societies of ages past to show that concern for common interests or affinities of nature weigh very little against the passions and wild desires of the heart. No, Venerable Brethren, there is no genuine fraternity outside Christian charity. Through the love of God and His Son Jesus Christ Our Saviour, Christian charity embraces all men, comforts all, and leads all to the same faith and same heavenly happiness. . . .
Here we have, founded by Catholics, an inter-denominational association that is to work for the reform of civilization, an undertaking which is above all religious in character; for there is no true civilization without a moral civilization, and no true moral civilization without the true religion: it is a proven truth, a historical fact. The new Sillonists cannot pretend that they are merely working on “the ground of practical realities” where differences of belief do not matter. Their leader is so conscious of the influence which the convictions of the mind have upon the result of the action, that he invites them, whatever religion they may belong to, “to provide on the ground of practical realities, the proof of the excellence of their personal convictions.” And with good reason: indeed, all practical results reflect the nature of one’s religious convictions, just as the limbs of a man down to his finger-tips, owe their very shape to the principle of life that dwells in his body. (Pope Saint Pius X, Notre Charge Apostolique, August 15, 1910.)
Conciliar authorities in Indonesia are, of course, just echoing the madness of their boss, Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict, who is a thoroughly kindred spirit of the nєω ωσrℓ∂ σr∂єr along with Barack Hussein Obama. How can I say this? Here's how:
My visit to Jordan gives me a welcome opportunity to speak of my deep respect for the Muslim community, and to pay tribute to the leadership shown by His Majesty the King in promoting a better understanding of the virtues proclaimed by Islam. Now that some years have passed since the publication of the Amman Message and the Amman Interfaith Message, we can say that these worthy initiatives have achieved much good in furthering an alliance of civilizations between the West and the Muslim world, confounding the predictions of those who consider violence and conflict inevitable. Indeed the Kingdom of Jordan has long been at the forefront of initiatives to promote peace in the Middle East and throughout the world, encouraging inter-religious dialogue, supporting efforts to find a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, welcoming refugees from neighboring Iraq, and seeking to curb extremism. I cannot let this opportunity pass without calling to mind the pioneering efforts for peace in the region made by the late King Hussein. How fitting that my meeting tomorrow with Muslim religious leaders, the diplomatic corps and University rectors should take place in the mosque that bears his name. May his commitment to the resolution of the region’s conflicts continue to bear fruit in efforts to promote lasting peace and true justice for all who live in the Middle East.
Dear Friends, at the Seminar held in Rome last autumn by the Catholic-Muslim Forum, the participants examined the central role played in our respective religious traditions by the commandment of love. I hope very much that this visit, and indeed all the initiatives designed to foster good relations between Christians and Muslims, will help us to grow in love for the Almighty and Merciful God, and in fraternal love for one another. Thank you for your welcome. Thank you for your attention. May God grant Your Majesties happiness and long life! May he bless Jordan with prosperity and peace! (Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI, Welcoming ceremony at Queen Alia International Airport of Amman, May 8, 2009.)
Places of worship, like this splendid Al-Hussein Bin Talal mosque named after the revered late King, stand out like Jєωels across the earth’s surface. From the ancient to the modern, the magnificent to the humble, they all point to the divine, to the Transcendent One, to the Almighty. And through the centuries these sanctuaries have drawn men and women into their sacred space to pause, to pray, to acknowledge the presence of the Almighty, and to recognize that we are all his creatures.
For this reason we cannot fail to be concerned that today, with increasing insistency, some maintain that religion fails in its claim to be, by nature, a builder of unity and harmony, an expression of communion between persons and with God. Indeed some assert that religion is necessarily a cause of division in our world; and so they argue that the less attention given to religion in the public sphere the better. Certainly, the contradiction of tensions and divisions between the followers of different religious traditions, sadly, cannot be denied. However, is it not also the case that often it is the ideological manipulation of religion, sometimes for political ends, that is the real catalyst for tension and division, and at times even violence in society? In the face of this situation, where the opponents of religion seek not simply to silence its voice but to replace it with their own, the need for believers to be true to their principles and beliefs is felt all the more keenly. Muslims and Christians, precisely because of the burden of our common history so often marked by misunderstanding, must today strive to be known and recognized as worshippers of God faithful to prayer, eager to uphold and live by the Almighty’s decrees, merciful and compassionate, consistent in bearing witness to all that is true and good, and ever mindful of the common origin and dignity of all human persons, who remain at the apex of God’s creative design for the world and for history. (Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI, speech to Muslim religious leaders, members of the Diplomatic Corps and Rectors of universities in Jordan in front of the mosque al-Hussein bin Talal in Amman, May 9, 2009.)
The Dome of the Rock draws our hearts and minds to reflect upon the mystery of creation and the faith of Abraham. Here the paths of the world’s three great monotheistic religions meet, reminding us what they share in common. Each believes in One God, creator and ruler of all. Each recognizes Abraham as a forefather, a man of faith upon whom God bestowed a special blessing. Each has gained a large following throughout the centuries and inspired a rich spiritual, intellectual and cultural patrimony.
In a world sadly torn by divisions, this sacred place serves as a stimulus, and also challenges men and women of goodwill to work to overcome misunderstandings and conflicts of the past and to set out on the path of a sincere dialogue aimed at building a world of justice and peace for coming generations.
Since the teachings of religious traditions ultimately concern the reality of God, the meaning of life, and the common destiny of mankind – that is to say, all that is most sacred and dear to us – there may be a temptation to engage in such dialogue with reluctance or ambivalence about its possibilities for success. Yet we can begin with the belief that the One God is the infinite source of justice and mercy, since in him the two exist in perfect unity. Those who confess his name are entrusted with the task of striving tirelessly for righteousness while imitating his forgiveness, for both are intrinsically oriented to the peaceful and harmonious coexistence of the human family.
For this reason, it is paramount that those who adore the One God should show themselves to be both grounded in and directed towards the unity of the entire human family. In other words, fidelity to the One God, the Creator, the Most High, leads to the recognition that human beings are fundamentally interrelated, since all owe their very existence to a single source and are pointed towards a common goal. Imprinted with the indelible image of the divine, they are called to play an active role in mending divisions and promoting human solidarity.
This places a grave responsibility upon us. Those who honor the One God believe that he will hold human beings accountable for their actions. Christians assert that the divine gifts of reason and freedom stand at the basis of this accountability. Reason opens the mind to grasp the shared nature and common destiny of the human family, while freedom moves the heart to accept the other and serve him in charity. Undivided love for the One God and charity towards ones neighbor thus become the fulcrum around which all else turns. This is why we work untiringly to safeguard human hearts from hatred, anger or vengeance.
Dear friends, I have come to Jerusalem on a journey of faith. I thank God for this occasion to meet you as the Bishop of Rome and Successor of the Apostle Peter, but also as a child of Abraham, by whom “all the families of the earth find blessing” (Gen 12:3; cf. Rom 4:16-17). I assure you of the Church’s ardent desire to cooperate for the well-being of the human family. She firmly believes that the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham is universal in scope, embracing all men and women regardless of provenance or social status. As Muslims and Christians further the respectful dialogue they have already begun, I pray that they will explore how the Oneness of God is inextricably tied to the unity of the human family. In submitting to his loving plan for creation, in studying the law inscribed in the cosmos and implanted in the human heart, in reflecting upon the mysterious gift of God’s self-revelation, may all his followers continue to keep their gaze fixed on his absolute goodness, never losing sight of the way it is reflected in the faces of others.
With these thoughts, I humbly ask the Almighty to grant you peace and to bless all the beloved people of this region. May we strive to live in a spirit of harmony and cooperation, bearing witness to the One God by generously serving one another. Thank you! (Courtesy visit to the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem at the Mount of the Temple, May 12, 2009.)
Obviously, Ratzinger/Benedict's words, which should sicken any Catholic as they are offensive to the Most Blessed Trinity and thus the good of souls and the right ordering of nations, echo those of his predecessor, Karol Wojtyla/John Paul II, who told us repeatedly that "inter-religious dialogue" is one of the keys to world peace:
Let there be an end to the chain of hatred and terrorism, which threatens the orderly development of the human family. May God grant that we be free from the peril of a tragic clash between cultures and religions. May faith and love of God make the followers of every religion courageous builders of understanding and forgiveness, patient weavers of a fruitful inter-religious dialogue, capable of inaugurating a new era of justice and peace. ("Urbi et Orbi", Easter 2003.)
When, I wonder very frequently, will these words of Pope Saint Leo the Great resonate in the hearts of Catholics as the current false "pontiff" says such things that "peace" is the result of the "coexistence of religions" or that mosques and ѕуηαgσgυєs are "sacred" or by treating non-Catholic "clergy" as having a valid mission from God to serve Him and to save souls?
But it is vain for them to adopt the name of catholic, as they do not oppose these blasphemies: they must believe them, if they can listen so patiently to such words. (Pope Saint Leo the Great, Epistle XIV, To Anastasius, Bishop of Thessalonica, St. Leo the Great | Letters 1-59.)
We must pray as well, however, for the unconditional conversion of all of those who are steeped in the world's false religions, including the false religion of conciliarism that has offended Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ so much and has done so much damage to the souls He redeemed by the shedding of every single drop of His Most Precious Blood on the wood of the Holy Cross. We must pray for the conversion of the likes of Barack Hussein Obama and George Walker Bush and their families.
We must also pray daily for our own conversion away from our sins as we seek to live more penitentially as the consecrated slaves of Our Lord through His Most Blessed Mother's Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, consoling the good God and making reparation for our sins as best as we can by praying as many Rosaries each day as our state-in-life permits.
This time of chastisement, and it is a time of chastisement, will pass. There will be the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and it will be a glorious triumph beyond all telling in perfect fulfillment of her Fatima Message as people of different ethnicities and races live and work united as Catholics for the greater honor and glory of the Most Holy Trinity as the clients of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the shouts of:
Vivat Christus Rex! Viva Cristo Rey!
Isn't it time to pray a Rosary now?
Immaculate Heart of Mary, triumph soon.
Viva Cristo Rey! Vivat Christus Rex!
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us.
Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.
Saint John the Evangelist, pray for us.
Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us.
Saint Gabriel the Archangel, pray for us.
Saint Raphael the Archangel, pray for us.
Saints Joachim and Anne, pray for us.
Saints Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, pray for us.
Pope Saint Martin I, pray for us.
See also: A Litany of Saints
Topic: All Caesars Go Mad by Thomas A. Droleskey (Read 2490 times)