Posted on 05/18/2021 3:00:48 PM PDT by ebb tide
VATICAN CITY (ChurchMilitant.com) - Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan phoned Pope Francis Monday morning, inciting the pontiff to punish Israel for its "attacks against Palestine" by "mobilizing the Christian world and the international community."
Erdoğan's triumphant takeover of Hagia Sophia as a mosque
"Israel's attacks concerned not only the Palestinians but all Muslims, all Christians and the entire humanity," Erdoğan, a leading denier of the Armenian Genocide and the prime instigator behind the Islamic takeover of the Hagia Sophia basilica, told Francis.
Turkey's Directorate of Communications reported the conversation and the Holy See Press Office spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed the phone call.
Pope Francis met Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace soon after the phone call with Erdoğan. The duo discussed Palestine, interfaith dialogue and U.S. sanctions during a "wonderful audience," Zarif disclosed on Twitter.
But Jewish anthropologist Karen Harradine told Church Militant "the attacks that Erdoğan seems so worried about come from the genocidal maniacs of Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement), sponsored by the equally genocidal mullahs of Tehran."
"Erdoğan conveniently ignores the fact that Christians flee the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza, where they are persecuted by radical Muslims, to the safety of Israel, where they are free to practice their faith," Harradine observed.
Erdoğan's concern for religious freedom is bitterly ironic in light of his appropriation of Hagia Sophia and Chora monastery as mosques.GabTweet
The writer and columnist also pointed out there has never been and there is no country called "Palestine" and "to keep referring to it as such is to trivialize and seek to replace the existence of the state of Israel."
Erdoğan, however, maintained that "occupying Israel — which prevented access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, restricted freedom of worship and massacred innocent civilians in the Palestinian lands — was also trampling on human dignity."
Refusing to call "Jerusalem" by its ancient biblical and historical name, the nationalist president referred to the Holy City by its Islamic nomenclature — Al-Quds — in his phone call with the pope.
"Israel's unlawful and inhumane practices, which also violated Al-Quds' status, must be immediately put to an end, and the entire humanity should join hands against the occupying Israel, which recklessly attacked the sacred," Erdoğan urged.
Pope Francis calls for a cessation of hostilities in the Holy Land
In comments to Church Militant, Islamic historian Robert Spencer emphasized that "Israel has not actually prevented access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque or Church of the Holy Sepulcher, or done anything else that Erdoğan accuses it of doing, including restricting religious freedom."
"Erdoğan's concern for religious freedom is bitterly ironic in light of his appropriation of Hagia Sophia and Chora monastery as mosques, and of Turkey's ongoing restriction of the rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the remaining Christians in the country," Spencer noted.
Erdoğan conveniently ignores the fact that Christians flee the West Bank and Gaza, where they are persecuted by radical Muslims, to the safety of Israel.GabTweet
The distinguished historian and author of 21 books on Islam and the Middle East explained how Erdoğan would not find his actions inconsistent because of Islamic teaching that the Muslims are "the best of people, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong" (Qur'an 3:110), and non-Muslims are "the vilest of created beings" (Qur'an 98:6).
"According to Islam, 'Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah. Those who follow him are ruthless against unbelievers, merciful to one another' (Qur'an 48:29). So, Erdoğan demands for Muslims what he would never be willing to grant to non-Muslims," Spencer observed.
Pope Francis welcomes Iran's Mohammad Javad Zarif
Francis will not take sides on the issue, it is understood, even though he is ideologically inclined to support Muslims and naïve about the existential threat Hamas posed to Israel, as well the problem of anti-Semitism in Islamic texts.
Francis' long-standing friendship with Argentinian Rabbi Abraham Skorka since the days when he was Cdl. Jorge Bergoglio and with whom the pope co-authored the book On Heaven and Earth: Pope Francis on Faith, Family, and the Church in the Twenty-First Century, is one reason cited for the pope's apparent neutrality.
"He will try to be balanced," and will maintain a policy of "total balance" regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Skorka said in 2014, days before Francis laid a wreath at the grave of Zionism's founder, Theodor Herzl, in Jerusalem.
Further, the pope will also be cautious in supporting the Palestinian cause because the Biden administration is still inclined to support Israel.
However, while the pope's concordat for peace lies in tatters, President Trump's Abraham Accords are holding strong as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan, which signed the peace treaties with Israel, are relatively silent on the Palestinian cause.
The hashtag "Palestine is not my cause" has been circulating in the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait over the weekend, as for the first time the Arab world has splintered in its anti-Israel stance.
When will the West realize that behind elegant clothes, ties and smiles hides a murderous ideology that seeks to erase all of Western civilization?GabTweet
Meanwhile, Israel's ambassador to Italy Dror Eydar lashed out at Iran's foreign minister Zarif's attempts in a Facebook post to woo Pope Francis, noting that "the Middle East has been unstable for years due to your subversive meddling."
"The whole Judeo-Christian civilization is threatened by your bloody regime," Dror wrote. "Israel has no borders with Iran, nor any dispute over any possessions. Why don't you recognize Israel's right to exist? Stop spreading hate."
Hamas' 2017 document outlining its principles declares the establishment of Israel as "entirely illegal" and stresses "there shall be no recognition of the legitimacy" of Israel.
Pope Francis with friend and co-author Rabbi Abraham Skorka
"Our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious," the Hamas 1988 covenant states, citing Bukhari's hadith: "The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees."
"When will the West realize that behind elegant clothes, ties and smiles hides a murderous ideology that seeks to erase all of Western civilization?" ambassador Eydar asked.
In his Regina Coeli address Sunday, the pope called for an end to the violence, calling Israelis and Palestinians to "find the path of dialogue and forgiveness, to be patient builders of peace and justice," and to open up "to a common hope, to a coexistence among brothers."
Francis delivered a one-sentence non-condemnation of Islam's takeover of the world's greatest Byzantine basilica in July 2020, saying: "I think of Hagia Sophia, and I am very saddened."
The Vatican did not disclose contents of the talks in Francis' phone call with Erdoğan or the pope's audience with Zarif.
Ping
Hey Pontiff! How’s that Muslim outreach program looking right now?
Pretty cynical move considering he had no problems working with Israel to arm Azerbaijan in its war of aggression against Armenia.
“Israel’s attacks concerned not only the Palestinians but all Muslims, all Christians and the entire humanity”
Actually, no, it concerns Israel and the Palestinians. Anyone else claiming an interest in it is probably a bad actor. Anyone claiming that it concerns “all” of anything other than the people right there, probably also a bad actor. Erdogan is a bad actor.
Meanwhile, those wanting to escalate this situation can be assumed to have one primary objective: to involve the United States in some way. Remember, American neocons are fine with funding Moslem terrorist groups to try to get the U.S. into the fight. Donald Trump put an end to that. Erdogan, what is your game?
Were I still Catholic, I’d still refer to Benedict XVI as the holder of that position.
Turkey had separation of Mosque and State thanks to Ataturk for about a century. Erdogan has put an end to that . The SOB even had citizens beat up on American soil at one point. The world would be a better place without him, he is a force of evil.
The very least Francis could be doing is besides raising theological questions on the assertions made in the Islamic codex (which is their code of observance and behavior) known as Sharia, and should be defending the Chinese Catholics.
Ignores what Our Savior went through to establish the new covenant , Then Plays with suppressors of the faith
Francis continuing destructive confusing pontificating on temporal worldly social behavior,which has nothing to do with and avoids articles of faith and morals rebukes or restrains contemplative religious orders to favor such behavior .
By refusing to question and expound on the profound differences with the claims made by Islam and its followers Reaching out to and defend what Judeo/Christian beliefs are.Or challenge claims that Islamist make they are following God’s command using deceit and deception when ruthlessly murdering and torturing non believers and destroy their edifice .Smply because of its assertion of being monotheistic. Then winds up making a point of honoring it and placing it on an equal level because of that claim. Is leading to misguided conversions which is the result of my so called Pope playing games with this so called mono theistic cult and is creating a serious fracture within Christianity and The Roman Rite .
Yeah, no, real Christians love the Jews. Romans 9: 1-8
Erdogan: Hey help us eliminate the Jews, then we will only have to fight you mangy sons of dogs and whores.
George is not exactly in the class of St. Augustine.
Come LORD Jesus!
God bless Israel!
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