What Does The Nicolas Sarkozy Election And The Motu Proprio Have In Common?
More than you may realize
There's an absolutely fascinating article from The City Journal (of New York)entitled "Hope for Old Europe?"
Do yourself a rather large favor and read just this wee bit of the article;
In September of last year, Robert Redeker, a French philosopher, went into hiding after getting death threats for an op-ed piece he wrote on Islam. In his short piece for the conservative daily Le Figaro, Redeker argued that while Jesus was a “master of love,” Mohammed was “a master of hate.” Islam, he noted, was the only major religion for which war was integral to its theology.
Outside of a handful of intellectuals, like André Glucksmann, and a stray politician or two, Redeker had no defenders. When famed Al Jazeera personality Sheik Youseff al-Quaradawi, scourge of the Jews and crusaders, took to the airwaves to denounce the blasphemer, Le Monde echoed his condemnations. Yet just ten months later, Nicolas Sarkozy has been elected French president on a platform of affirming France’s Enlightenment heritage.
Sarkozy’s road to the Elysee Palace was paved not only by the mini-Intifada in the Paris banlieues, but also by a memorable public exchange about Islam. An intellectually confident Sarkozy, then the interior minister, debated suave, articulate Tariq Ramadan, the grandson and heir of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. With 6 million viewers watching, Sarkozy asked Ramadan, famed as an Islamic version of a Euro-Communist, if he agreed with his brother Hani Ramadan—who had argued, in line with Muslim law, that adulterous women should be stoned to death. Pressed to agree or disagree without obfuscation, Ramadan, his Western facade crumbling, said he favored a “moratorium” on such stoning. Sarkozy responded with anger, “A moratorium?” He went on to mock the Islamists’ leftist apologists. “If it is regressive not to want to stone women, I avow that I am a regressive.”
Yeah, I cringed a bit at the "affirming France’s Enlightenment heritage" bit, but even that aside, at least we have a European leader with the stones to stand up to the murderous moslems. Here's a European Head of State (other than the Pope) that's actually proud of his European Christian heritage. What a shocker. And forget about that "Old Europe" crap. Possibly, the "New Europe's" doo-dads are about to fall.
Even though the new French President isn't exactly going to be nominated as the Knights of Columbus Man of the Year, he's publicly stated "I am of Catholic culture, Catholic tradition, Catholic faith," in his 2005 book, "The Republic, Religions and Hope." "Even if my religious practice is episodic, I acknowledge myself as a member of the Catholic Church". Hey, at least the guy's up front.
He's also said in an April 21 interview with France's Catholic weekly, Famille Chretienne (Christian Family), he said Christianity had "seen the birth" of the French nation, and contributed "an immense patrimony of cultural, moral, intellectual and spiritual values." However, he added that he would not "call into question the institution of marriage" or support adoption rights for same-sex couples, and would also seek extended *palliative care [for incurable diseases] as an alternative to euthanasia. Rudy Giuliani, are you listening?
OK, all that neat stuff aside, it's pretty obvious that Sarkozy has the guts to be the political muscle for a Christian Re-Awakening of Europe. But I don't think it'll be a soulless one.
His Holiness Pope Benedict can be the religious muscle. He's planted the seeds of the theological and ecclesiastical version of "everything old is new again" phenomenon that's just started to catch on throughout the continent. That's right folks... that lil' ol' thang called the Motu Proprio, otherwise known as "Catholics acting like Catholics".
What Pope John Paul II and President Ronald Reagan were to the downfall of the former Soviet Union, Pope Benedict XVI and President Nicolas Sarkozy can be to the re-birth of a Christian Europe. If it's not too late, of course.
Our Lady of Covadonga, ora pro nobis.
*Relieving or soothing the symptoms of a disease or disorder.
More than you may realize
There's an absolutely fascinating article from The City Journal (of New York)entitled "Hope for Old Europe?"
Do yourself a rather large favor and read just this wee bit of the article;
In September of last year, Robert Redeker, a French philosopher, went into hiding after getting death threats for an op-ed piece he wrote on Islam. In his short piece for the conservative daily Le Figaro, Redeker argued that while Jesus was a “master of love,” Mohammed was “a master of hate.” Islam, he noted, was the only major religion for which war was integral to its theology.
Outside of a handful of intellectuals, like André Glucksmann, and a stray politician or two, Redeker had no defenders. When famed Al Jazeera personality Sheik Youseff al-Quaradawi, scourge of the Jews and crusaders, took to the airwaves to denounce the blasphemer, Le Monde echoed his condemnations. Yet just ten months later, Nicolas Sarkozy has been elected French president on a platform of affirming France’s Enlightenment heritage.
Sarkozy’s road to the Elysee Palace was paved not only by the mini-Intifada in the Paris banlieues, but also by a memorable public exchange about Islam. An intellectually confident Sarkozy, then the interior minister, debated suave, articulate Tariq Ramadan, the grandson and heir of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. With 6 million viewers watching, Sarkozy asked Ramadan, famed as an Islamic version of a Euro-Communist, if he agreed with his brother Hani Ramadan—who had argued, in line with Muslim law, that adulterous women should be stoned to death. Pressed to agree or disagree without obfuscation, Ramadan, his Western facade crumbling, said he favored a “moratorium” on such stoning. Sarkozy responded with anger, “A moratorium?” He went on to mock the Islamists’ leftist apologists. “If it is regressive not to want to stone women, I avow that I am a regressive.”
Yeah, I cringed a bit at the "affirming France’s Enlightenment heritage" bit, but even that aside, at least we have a European leader with the stones to stand up to the murderous moslems. Here's a European Head of State (other than the Pope) that's actually proud of his European Christian heritage. What a shocker. And forget about that "Old Europe" crap. Possibly, the "New Europe's" doo-dads are about to fall.
Even though the new French President isn't exactly going to be nominated as the Knights of Columbus Man of the Year, he's publicly stated "I am of Catholic culture, Catholic tradition, Catholic faith," in his 2005 book, "The Republic, Religions and Hope." "Even if my religious practice is episodic, I acknowledge myself as a member of the Catholic Church". Hey, at least the guy's up front.
He's also said in an April 21 interview with France's Catholic weekly, Famille Chretienne (Christian Family), he said Christianity had "seen the birth" of the French nation, and contributed "an immense patrimony of cultural, moral, intellectual and spiritual values." However, he added that he would not "call into question the institution of marriage" or support adoption rights for same-sex couples, and would also seek extended *palliative care [for incurable diseases] as an alternative to euthanasia. Rudy Giuliani, are you listening?
OK, all that neat stuff aside, it's pretty obvious that Sarkozy has the guts to be the political muscle for a Christian Re-Awakening of Europe. But I don't think it'll be a soulless one.
His Holiness Pope Benedict can be the religious muscle. He's planted the seeds of the theological and ecclesiastical version of "everything old is new again" phenomenon that's just started to catch on throughout the continent. That's right folks... that lil' ol' thang called the Motu Proprio, otherwise known as "Catholics acting like Catholics".
What Pope John Paul II and President Ronald Reagan were to the downfall of the former Soviet Union, Pope Benedict XVI and President Nicolas Sarkozy can be to the re-birth of a Christian Europe. If it's not too late, of course.
Our Lady of Covadonga, ora pro nobis.
*Relieving or soothing the symptoms of a disease or disorder.
posted by Kevin Whiteman at
7:09 PM
2 Comments:
Ora pro nobis indeed!
Very good reading. Thanks and more please.
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