Posted on 03/19/2006 6:44:46 PM PST by prairiebreeze
THE Vatican has begun moves to rehabilitate the Crusaders by sponsoring a conference at the weekend that portrays the Crusades as wars fought with the “noble aim” of regaining the Holy Land for Christianity.
The Crusades are seen by many Muslims as acts of violence that have underpinned Western aggression towards the Arab world ever since. Followers of Osama bin Laden claim to be taking part in a latter-day “jihad against the Jews and Crusaders”.
The late Pope John Paul II sought to achieve Muslim- Christian reconciliation by asking “pardon” for the Crusades during the 2000 Millennium celebrations. But John Paul’s apologies for the past “errors of the Church” — including the Inquisition and anti-Semitism — irritated some Vatican conservatives. According to Vatican insiders, the dissenters included Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI.
Pope Benedict reached out to Muslims and Jews after his election and called for dialogue. However, the Pope, who is due to visit Turkey in November, has in the past suggested that Turkey’s Muslim culture is at variance with Europe’s Christian roots.
At the conference, held at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University, Roberto De Mattei, an Italian historian, recalled that the Crusades were “a response to the Muslim invasion of Christian lands and the Muslim devastation of the Holy Places”.
“The debate has been reopened,” La Stampa said. Professor De Mattei noted that the desecration of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem by Muslim forces in 1009 had helped to provoke the First Crusade at the end of the 11th century, called by Pope Urban II.
He said that the Crusaders were “martyrs” who had “sacrificed their lives for the faith”. He was backed by Jonathan Riley-Smith, Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Cambridge University, who said that those who sought forgiveness for the Crusades “do not know their history”. Professor Riley-Smith has attacked Sir Ridley Scott’s recent film Kingdom of Heaven, starring Orlando Bloom, as “utter nonsense”.
Professor Riley-Smith said that the script, like much writing on the Crusades, was “historically inaccurate. It depicts the Muslims as civilised and the Crusaders as barbarians. It has nothing to do with reality.” It fuels Islamic fundamentalism by propagating “Osama bin Laden’s version of history”.
He said that the Crusaders were sometimes undisciplined and capable of acts of great cruelty. But the same was true of Muslims and of troops in “all ideological wars”. Some of the Crusaders’ worst excesses were against Orthodox Christians or heretics — as in the sack of Constantinople in 1204.
The American writer Robert Spencer, author of A Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam, told the conference that the mistaken view had taken hold in the West as well as the Arab world that the Crusades were “an unprovoked attack by Europe on the Islamic world”. In reality, however, Christians had been persecuted after the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem.
CONFLICT OVER THE HOLY LAND
Historians count eight Crusades, although dates are disputed: 1095-1101, called by Pope Urban II; 1145-47, led by Louis VII; 1188-92, led by Richard I; 1204, which included the sack of Constantinople; 1217, which included the conquest of Damietta; 1228-29 led by Frederick II; 1249-52, led by King Louis IX of France; and 1270, also under Louis IX
Until the early 11th century, Christians, Jews and Muslims coexisted under Muslim rule in the Holy Land. After growing friction, the first Crusade was sparked by ambushes of Christian pilgrims going to Jerusalem. The Byzantine Emperor Alexius appealed to Pope Urban II, who in 1095 called on Christendom to take up arms to free the Holy Land from the “Muslim infidel”
Keyboard warrioring against Muslims is sort of like moths to light. It is an irresistible attraction.
At the risk of offending my Christian friends, we Jews have a hard time understanding how a Jewish Husband and Wife failed to complete their marital responsibilities and consummate the marriage.
Y'all are welcome to your version of events, just unnerstand that it don't make no sense among the Yiddishers.
Muslims fought for war booty also - equal shares. But Mohamed said Allah revealed to him that he should receive 20%. Islam allows three options for infidels: conversion, subservience, and death. Those are our choices, unless we find some other. Radical Islam has been in remission in recent centuries. I think things really turned around with Carter favoring the radical Ayatollah Khomeini over the pro-American and pro-Western Shah of Iran. The rest is history.
Savages, inferior two-legged animals are not moved by the usual passions of civilized humans.
Enough said.
Yes, specially the children!
Yes, the virulent strain has a high morbidity to it, and must be resisted, and challenged - intelligently.
Judging by results, PJPII was an idiot.
And yes, I still consider myself Catholic.
Quite right. This is froth. Real work too happens, and I'm happy to be involved in that.
To some, who don't have the grasp of history.
Fortunately, a view embraced by fewer and fewer civilized humans, as they educate themselves.
Abysmal ignorance, is its own reward...
Welcome to the adult forum...
Fair enough. Looking from the outside in, and looking from the perspective of Jews who's responsibilities are known, that's a leap others can make, which we will view askance.
Enjoy. I'm not here to question others' faith. As represented elsewhere in this forum, I'm interested in who is killing us now, and Christians are good friends.
As is delusional megalomania...
Battle of Lepanto wikipedia link
All of Europe and the world can thank the Catholic Church and personally Pope Pius V for saving them from the grip of Islamic rule since 1571. Not said in the above article is how St. Pope Pius V was divinely inspired in urging/using the Rosary to beseech our Blessed Mother which resulted in the battle's victory.
The Rosary defeated the Muslims at Lepanto
Read it, and become informed about how True Faith defeated the enemy.
Yes, "the virulent strain" has a high morbidity to it, and must be resisted, and challenged - intelligently.
There's a strain that is virulent? Where is it?
That should have read; Not virulent.
Ummm...zero. Mary was the one conceived, not Christ.
Excuse me,but To the best of my memory from history lessons, the crusades were launched in self defence against the Islamic barbarians who had overan much of europe.
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