Tag Archives: Pope Francis

Robert Spencer: In Iraq, pope views mosques and churches destroyed by the Islamic State, laments ‘our cruelty’ 4 (1)

by Robert Spencer

The pope was making a theological point, that all human beings are sinful, and that this destruction is a manifestation of that sinfulness. But it is also noteworthy that he ascribed the destruction he saw to all of humanity, and decried nations that sell weapons, but never said a word about why the ruined buildings he saw were destroyed in the first place. The Islamic State destroyed mosques because the people who attended them did not accept their authority, and were thus apostates in rebellion against the caliphate. It destroyed churches because they were places of unbelief (see Qur’an 5:17, 9:30, etc.) and shirk, the association of partners with Allah in worship. But there was never any possibility that the pope might ask the assembled Muslim leaders to fight against jihad violence and teach their people to refrain from jihad violence. After all, the pope has committed himself and the Catholic Church to the proposition that Islam is peaceful and has nothing to do with terrorism, so as far as he was concerned, there was nothing for him to ask the Muslim leaders about. And that rendered the trip a useless and indeed counterproductive exercise.

“Pope Francis dismisses ‘heresy’ charges for his commitment to Christian-Muslim dialogue,” by Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service, March 8, 2021:

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Aboard the papal flight back from Iraq, the first papal trip since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Pope Francis addressed criticism of those who have accused him of being “one step away from heresy” in his commitment to promoting human fraternity among the world’s faiths.

“There are some critics who say the pope is not brave but reckless, that he’s taking steps against Catholic doctrine, that he’s one step from heresy,” the pope told journalists on Monday (March 8).

Francis said that his decision to speak with Muslim religious leaders and promote interreligious dialogue is “always made in prayer, in dialogue, asking for advice.” He said that his efforts to mend Christian-Muslim relations, far from being “capricious,” are in keeping with the doctrine laid out by the Second Vatican Council….

On Saturday (March 6), the pope met in Najaf, a holy city to Shia Muslims, with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s most prominent Shiite leader. The historic meeting, which lasted roughly 45 minutes, was the first official meeting between a pope and a prominent Shiite representative.

The pope described al-Sistani as “a humble man” who has “wisdom and prudence,” adding that “it was good for my soul to encounter him.” Francis said the meeting was “a duty in his pilgrimage of faith” to promote human fraternity among religions….

It was the tragic decimation of the Yazidi ethnic community by the Islamic State group following the 2014 occupation of Northern Iraq that inspired the pope to make the trip, he said. The book “The Last Girl” by Nobel Peace Prize-winner Nadia Murad, which described the suffering of the Yazidi people, “provided the background for the decision,” he said.

On Sunday (March 7), Francis viewed the ruins of mosques and churches in Mosul, the capital of the Islamic State during the occupation. He said he “had no words” after seeing the scale of destruction. “Human cruelty, our cruelty, is impossible to believe,” he added.

The pope also criticized those nations selling weapons, though he didn’t single out any particular country….

Among the topics addressed by the pope during the trip was the question of the suffering of immigrants, which has been a main focus of this pontificate. Francis met with the father of a 3-year-old boy who died attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea. The picture of Alan Kurdi’s body became a symbol of the plight of immigrants and refugees in Europe and beyond….


Robert Spencer is the director of Jihad Watch and a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. He is author of 21 books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) and The Truth About Muhammad. His latest book is Rating America’s Presidents: An America-First Look at Who Is Best, Who Is Overrated, and Who Was An Absolute Disaster. Follow him on Twitter here

Bill Lockwood: Are White Americans Systemically Racist? 0 (0)

by Bill Lockwood

We have seemingly heard more how racist is white America within the last decade than ever before. The British Academy Awards this year featured Joaquin Phoenix lecturing the film industry for its “systemic racism.” The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published a “pastoral letter” in 2018 which indicts the entire western culture for being racist at a “systemic” level.

What exactly is systemic racism? According to theconversation.com, which published the article regarding Joaquin Phoenix, “systemic” or “institutional” racism refers to how “ideas of white superiority are captured in everyday thinking at a systems level: taking in the big picture of how society operates, rather than looking at one-on-one interactions.” These “systems can include laws and regulations, but also unquestioned social systems,” such as education and hiring practices.

For clarification, this crime is not, in official politically correct thought, imbedded within other races of people—only whites in western culture. Those who harangue the loudest about systemic racism refuse to mention the current South African crisis in which open genocide is occurring against white property owners by the black communist group African National Congress (see article by Alex Newman, The New American, “South Africa Facing White Genocide: Total Communist Takeover,” August, 2012).

Proof?

What proofs are normally offered that white America is “systemically racist?” The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops offers frontlines four primary facts which supposedly support the conclusion. First, unemployment rates for African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans are considerably higher than the national average.

Second, in the United States, the “median wealth” for white households is ten times greater than for black households, and eight times greater than for Hispanic households. Three, minority home ownership rates lag behind their white counterparts. Four, African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans are “disproportionately affected through every stage of the criminal justice system.”

The socialist-inspired conclusion that the bishops wish one to draw is the assumption that disparities result because foul-play must be involved. People of color suffer injustices from “white society.” But differences among peoples and subcultures as a possible cause is never considered—that would be the “politically incorrect” thing to do. No discussion ever occurs on whether or not minority subcultures actually value different ideas. No examination of personal choices; no study of what minority cultures may be infusing into its own people; no time pondering divergent habits or values that may be ingrained in minority populations—simply announce that America is a “racist” society—systemically so.

What about other statistics which show disparity? For example, out-of-wedlock birth rates for different racial and ethnic groups in 2008 was just over 40 percent. The breakdown of that statistic shows that among white non-Hispanic women, the out-of-wedlock birth rate was 28.6 percent; among Hispanics it was 52.5 percent; but among blacks the figure jumps to a startling 72.3 percent.

What about abortion? In 2005 the abortion rate for blacks in the United States is almost 5 times than for white women. Similar “disparities” are found in almost every measurable statistic. Fatherless homes rank as a continuing problem, particularly among minority communities where male children growing up without fathers severs a child from male leadership outside of teenage gang memberships.

Is this to say that minorities have an immoral DNA? No. But it does show that those communities that are more totally dependent upon the government through systems of welfare have a deteriorating moral standard. That’s the nature of government dependency. Witness the Indian reservations wherein every single social malady skyrockets compared to the wider culture. Abortion, suicide, alcoholism, joblessness, fatherless homes and drug abuse are common problems associated with Indian reservations.

The point is simply this; in statistics that are measurable minority communities indicate that they have a different value system. Their moral standards have been corroded. And unless we can face these hard facts there is no hope for America.

Communist Strategy

Communist strategy has always been to exploit the natural fissures of society. Chiang Kai-shek, president of the Republic of China who passed in 1975, contended with communism for over thirty years. His first-hand observation was that the communist strategy is “always to analyze a country’s social structure before infiltrating it. They not only explore and exploit, but also create professional, regional, and religious contradictions. Then in the midst of the confusion, they win the masses over by disseminating propaganda about class struggle and establishing party cells among them.” Drive wedges into the natural divisions of society.

Vladimir Lenin stated in 1921 that it is “possible to defeat a more powerful enemy only by exerting the utmost effort, and by being thorough, careful, attentive and skillful in taking advantage of various kinds of fissures, even the smallest ones, on the part of the enemy …” That which naturally commended itself to communist infiltration was the racial divide in America.

Little wonder that the Roman Catholic bishops are now led by Marxist-oriented Pope Francis. It is also no coincidence that in seeking to establish “systemic racism” in America theconversation.com (cited above) leads with a quote from communist “Black Power” militant Stokely Carmichael to accentuate racism in America. Carmichael, originally from Trinidad, became interested in High School in studying the work of none other than Karl Marx from which he became an immediate militant demonstrating against the House Committee on Un-American Activities that had been exposing communists in America.

No need today for exposure of communist militants working “behind-the-scenes.” Saboteurs of our culture work in high places such as the former Obama Administration; the Vatican; and various professorships in academia. Therefore, we will increasingly hear how “systemic” our racism has been. It is past time to question their assumptions.

 

Bill Lockwood: Preaching against Homosexuality? 0 (0)

by Bill Lockwood

Many voices in the Catholic Church are exulting in the September 1 appointment by Pope Francis of pro-homosexual Archbishop Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, Italy to the position of cardinal. Zuppi was one of 13 individuals promoted. PinkNews, an online news agency for the global LGBT+ community, praised the new appointment precisely because Zuppi is a “pro-LGBT+” advocate.

Another celebrant to the appointment is Fr. James Martin, author of a pro-LGBT+ Catholic book called Building a Bridge. Zuppi had written the “Foreward” to Martin’s book. According to PinkNews, “Zuppi identifies that there is ‘a bridge that needs continuous building’ between the Church and the LGTB+ community, who he describes as ‘people of God.’”

Amazingly, so far from the word of God have many Catholics strayed that Archbishop Zuppi calls the homosexual network in the world “the people of God.” The fact that Zuppi has been named as “cardinal” means he will be able to vote for the next pope when that time arrives (Michael Chapman, CNSnews.com; 9-9-19).

According to PinkNews, the appointment is also “celebrated” among “more progressive Christians, who hope the Pope’s choice of cardinals reflects his vision for ‘a Church of dialogue.’”

So here it is. The Roman Catholic Church is setting a trajectory for pro-homosexual teaching in the future, discarding not only hundreds of years of teaching, but more importantly, the clear biblical teaching which describes homosexuality as not only sin, but “perversion” (Jude 7, NIV). But such is expected to be the case in a church not found on the pages of the New Testament.

Reaction

The real shocker in all of this is the reaction which many in the “Christian world” have exhibited. Instead of lamenting the direction of society, including those who claim to be “spiritual leaders,” many are celebrating it. If not celebrating—at least defending it.

One person wrote in response to the posted simple news story—“So if you are a Christian or go to church you have to hate gays?”

This is the knee-jerk reaction of people who cannot take biblical teaching regarding sin of any kind. They hurl accusations of “hatred” upon those who point out sin. By this logic Jesus Himself was a “hater” because he taught against “fornication”—which includes homosexuality (Matt. 19:9).

Another responded: “Let him that is without sin, cast the first stone.”

Once again, an anemic effort to thwart the biblical teaching against sin. Since all have sinned (Rom. 3:23) we might as well just put a cork in our mouths when it comes to quoting passages that condemn sin. But more than this, the Bible nowhere teaches that all sin is the same sin.

It is true that all sin separates us from God (Isa. 59:1-2); but it is also true that some sins have a much more deleterious effect upon society and upon one’s soul than other sins. Even Jesus referred to some sins “as greater” (John 19:11). Paul wrote that some sins have more serious effect upon one’s body (1 Cor. 6:18), perhaps by twisting the mind more wickedly.

It is difficult to believe that modern people have come to the conclusion that the sin of burning children alive in the fires to false gods—as did some Israelites in the OT (see 2 Kings 23:10; Jer. 32:35, et. al.)—is no more culpable than a “white lie” spoken to one’s parents. Both are sins—but one not only has many more harmful effects on society as a whole but indicates a deeper depth of depravity than the other.

So it is with homosexuality. Inspired Apostle Paul called the sin of homosexuality “unnatural” (Rom. 1:26) and a “vile passion.” It occurs when God “has given up a society” (1:24). Jude referred to it as “going after strange flesh” (Jude 7, ASV) or “perversion” (NIV). God said plainly in Leviticus that there were a number of particular sins, including bestiality and homosexuality, for which the “land will vomit you out” (Lev. 18:25, 28; 20:22). Not all sins fell into this category. Not all sins are classed as “perverted.”

Still another asks, “Do you love the sinner when you point out sin?” Once more, this sounds as if the biblical doctrine against homosexuality makes us just simply nervous. We immediately dodge by questioning the motives of someone pointing out the sin of homosexuality.

What if I had no love of God in my heart for any sinner? Would that change the truth? Absolutely not. Jonah preached the truth of God to Nineveh (Jonah 3). Nineveh would be overthrown unless they repented. I wonder if the Ninevites squirmed beneath this message by saying—“do you have LOVE for us Ninevites?” –as if to say that somehow the message would be changed if he did not.

But as a matter of fact, Jonah did NOT have love of people in his heart. He was very angry (Jonah 4:1) that Nineveh was spared upon their repentance. He wanted them destroyed!! As all can easily see however, this had nothing to do with the message itself. Jonah delivered the message faithfully even though his motives were not what they ought to be.

It is a perfect illustration of the modern generation being non-thinking, even practicing “avoidance behavior,” on the topic of sin. Whenever sin is pointed out or preached against, we dismiss the teaching by suggesting that “too many people hate.”

Reality is: we are so unaccustomed to God’s Unfiltered Word that we perform many mental gymnastics to avoid its impact—including charging preachers of the Word with being “haters.”

If I do not love one person in the world as I preach it does not change the fact that I am to preach and people need to accept the truth of God. The issue of homosexuality is not whether I love or hate. The issue is: What does the Bible teach, and am I to teach it? If I do not love as I am commanded to do, that is another issue entirely. And what IS occurring today is an overturning of society by the false prophets of the Roman Church by the appointment of pro-homosexual bishops to higher leadership positions.