The Forgotten Victims

In late 1990, in the run-up to the Gulf War, I was a graduate student in political theory at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. The coming war occupied much of our talk outside the classroom, and I can recall only one graduate student—a Sicilo-American Republican from Philadelphia who had gone through ROTC and was studying at the law school so he could be a JAG Corps attorney for the Army—who was in favor of the war.

I was a subscriber to the American edition of the Italian Catholic magazine 30 Days, and we were all shocked when the American publisher (Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J.) decided to quit publishing the American edition when the Italians ran a cover story on Pope John Paul II’s opposition to the war. (For those unfamiliar with the story, that was the genesis of Catholic World Report, which was given to American 30 Days subscribers to fill out the rest of their subscription.)

While it was clear that there were some Catholics in favor of the war (Catholic politicians, in particular), much of the conservative political opposition to the war was being led by Catholics, such as Pat Buchanan and Russell Kirk, as well as an increasingly Catholic-themed publication called Chronicles.

How times have changed. Today, the war in Iraq is far less justified, morally or strategically, than the Gulf War was; and yet, outside of Chronicles and Pat Buchanan, most “conservative” Catholics have supported the war unquestioningly. Take a spin around “St. Blog’s Parish” and try to find anyone who raises any objection to the war. Mark Shea is about the only one, but even when he questioned the most over-the-top proposal by Michael Ledeen (that “terrorists should be killed on the battlefield, not captured“), many of those who commented on his post (as well as many of his fellow St. Bloggers) took him to task.

And anyone who points out that John Paul II and Cardinal Ratzinger opposed the war is simply dismissed: Don’t you know that they oppose all war? Don’t you understand that this is just a prudential judgment? Are you suggesting that my prudential judgment may not be better than that of two popes? After all, there’s a lot they don’t know—John Paul and Benedict aren’t even Americans, much less Republicans!

And everything I just wrote applies in spades to “conservative” American Catholic support for Israel’s latest attack on Lebanon.

Back in 1990, the opposition of us conservative students at Catholic U was both moral and strategic. One thing that may have set us apart from others, however, was an awareness that the conflict in the Middle East can never be boiled down to just two extremes, whether Judaism versus Islam or Israel versus Arabs. We had watched the Lebanese civil war rage most of our lives; we knew the effect it had had on Maronite Christians. Coming from Michigan, I knew of the massive influx of Lebanese Christians to the Detroit area, in large part because of the war.

In the eyes of today’s “conservative” American Catholics, the Christian populations of the Middle East—the oldest continuing Christian communities in the world—are simply invisible. Palestinians are all Muslims; there are no Melkites. Lebanese are all Muslims; there are no Maronites or Syrian Catholics or Orthodox. Ditto for Syria herself. Iraqis are Sunni and Shiite and Kurd; Chaldean and Assyrian Christians simply don’t exist. And everyone who lives within the borders of Israel is an observant Jew.

This blindness on the part of “conservative” American Catholics is partly ignorance; even many of those who have heard the words Melkite and Maronite have no particular interest in trying to learn anything about either rite, must less trying to grapple with the history of these Christian populations or even being bothered to find out who lives where or how they worship.

More importantly, though, it reflects a growing political reality. Since at least the Six-Day War, the presence of Christians in the Middle East has been a sign of contradiction that has stood in the way of American and Israeli attempts to reduce the broad conflict in the Middle East to the dualism of Judaism/Israel versus Islam/Arabs. The inconvenient reality of Middle Eastern Christianity has been a stumbling block to remaking the Middle East in a particular ideological image.

I started to write the “irreducible” (instead of “inconvenient”) “reality of Middle Eastern Christianity,” but, unfortunately, it is not so. By acting as if they were dealing only with Muslims, both the United States and Israel have changed the demographic reality in the Middle East. Palestinian Christians have left in droves. Much of the Maronite population is now in the United States. The Chaldean and Assyrian Christians in Iraq have, as Wayne Allensworth predicted before the war, largely fled the country.

These Christians, who used to act as leaven, politically and spiritually, in a troubled region can no longer do so. And so the ideological description of the conflict as the dualism of Judaism/Israel versus Islam/Arabs has gone from an inaccurate reduction of reality to something more than a half-truth today.

What is astounding is that so few “conservative” American Catholics realize that the ethnic cleansing of Christians from the Middle East is not, in the long run, in the national interest of either the United States or Israel. Blinded by American nationalism or partisan politics or maybe just bloodlust, they’re supporting policies that will likely cost more American and Israeli blood in the decades to come.

All of which was a long way to introduce the comments below that Andrea Kirk Assaf, a journalist and the youngest daughter of Russell Kirk (author of The Conservative Mind) made in response to Pat Buchanan’s July 21 column on the war. I once knew Andrea quite well, having spent seven months living at Kirk’s Piety Hill with my wife and our first child, at the gracious invitation of Kirk’s widow and Andrea’s mother, Annette. She writes:

You can read more details of the attack that injured Andrea’s father-in-law, who for years has been a cook in a Maronite monastery, in this post on her blog, which she has made into an excellent compendium of source documents on the conflict. Those who subscribe to Inside the Vatican may well remember the extensive coverage of Andrea’s wedding to Tony Assaf a few years back. If I recall correctly, there were some photos of Andrea’s in-laws, for those interested in putting a human face on this conflict.

Please keep Andrea’s in-laws (and, of course, Andrea herself) in your prayers, as we all join Pope Benedict in praying “for the day of peace to come today and not tomorrow.”

We should continue to support genocidal tyrants because their divide-and-conquer methods result in greater freedom for Christian minorities?

There are unintended consequences for any possible action, especially in the Middle East where everything is so conspiratorial and intertwined. Focusing on these UC will result in an inability to take any action.

It is probable that the greatest calamity for Arab Christians was the original Israeli invasion of Lebanon, which resulted in Arab Christians being credibly portrayed as allies of the Jews against Arab Muslims. Does this mean the Israelis had no right to invade Lebanon if necessary to protect themselves?

From the link:

The Foreign Ministry said in response that it had been informed by the consulate in New York that the FBI had arrested the five for "puzzling behavior." They are said to have had been caught videotaping the disaster and shouting in what was interpreted as cries of joy and mockery.

Sounds to me like a classic case of "man bites dog", and certainly not indicative of any concerted movement among Jews. But common throughout the Arab world.

I was a subscriber to the American edition of the Italian Catholic magazine 30 Days, and we were all shocked when the American publisher (Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J.) decided to quit publishing the American edition when the Italians ran a cover story on Pope John Paul II’s opposition to the war.

This is a jaw-dropping allegation, here. Mr. Richert added some more information in a comment on my weblog:

As for the 30 Days/Catholic World News question, the issue that Fessio chose not to publish was, I believe, March 2001. (I have all the copies here somewhere, but I haven't looked at them in years.) It featured a cover photo of John Paul II begging for peace and a cover story on his opposition to the war. Father Fessio did deny that this was the only reason he decided to quit publishing the American edition of 30 Days, thus confirming that it was a reason. (Among other reasons he cited was a concern that 30 Days spent too much time talking about Masons, which he regarded as irrelevant to Americans.)

I just don't get it, any of it. Wars should always be opposed and prayed over constantly. But whether or not anyone has an opinion this way or that over it, matters not. That's right, my opinion doesn't matter one whit and neither does anybody else's here. I have no power to do anything but to pray, and neither do any of you. And pray for what? That somehow insane people who blow up their kids, your kids, my kids will suddenly be healed of their hate and we'll all join together and hold hands and sing?

Nope, I just don't get what exactly is a "just war" theory, never will. I am numb to my bones with all the carnage and moral rot displayed on t.v all day long and wonder, so when, are you ever suppose to fight?

People are angry because they feel helpless against the evil they see. The more they give into their anger, they end up say hateful things. But I doubt any hate spewing freeper here would blow up your kids or any arabs, or anybody anywhere

I had made a silly mistake in my comment over at Kevin's blog. This issue was from 1991 (I believe March), not 2001 (obviously). Perhaps I'm in denial about how many years have passed...

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