Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Nikolai · 06-21-2003, 12:30 AM

Giscard's warning: don't tamper with my EU draft

Quote:

Yesterday four Catholic states, Poland, Portugal Italy and Spain demanded a formal mention of Christianity in the draft's historic preamble. But Mr Giscard d'Estaing, who said he was happy to do so, admitted he failed to overcome secular opposition in his 105 member convention. The compromise reference is to Europe's "cultural, religious and humanist inheritance'.'

gsx1138 · 06-21-2003, 06:23 AM

I think the Catholic church has it in their head that they have some kind over power over Europe. It's good to see that cooler heads prevailed.

06-21-2003, 09:52 AM

Yes, but there's still a lot of horsetrading to come.

Toto · 06-23-2003, 02:25 PM

More on Europe's "Christian Heritage":

Pope Takes Message to the Balkans

Quote:

In countries such as Croatia, where the pope completed a five-day tour earlier this month, John Paul urges the Roman Catholic faithful to hold true to their religious roots. As Croatia � and other formerly communist countries � join the European Union, he says, they should carry with them their faith and avoid the West's secularist temptations.

. . .

The Catholicism of Croatia that the pontiff blesses has historically been intertwined with the violent, radical nationalism that helped fuel the war and to this day riles the Serbs.

Similarly, the Serbs' Christianity was often a battle cry rallying a "Greater Serbia" in which neither Catholics nor Muslims were welcome.

In a town with a history of atrocities, the pope seeks mercy. Many Serbs tell pontiff to 'go home.'

Quote:

� Treading into the volatile Balkans, where religion has repeatedly stoked bloodshed, Pope John Paul II on Sunday urged Bosnians of all faiths to forgive one another � and he pointedly asked God to "have mercy" on Catholics who also committed atrocities.

. . .

The site of the Mass � a Franciscan monastery on a hilltop called Petricevac on the outskirts of Banja Luka � stirs chilling memories for Serbs. In 1942, Miroslav Filipovic-Majstorovic, a Petricevac friar known to the Serbs as "Brother Satan," is said to have led pro-Nazi Croats in the massacre of a nearby village, where more than 2,000 Serbs, including women and children, were killed. Filipovic-Majstorovic was later defrocked.

In the more recent war, Serbs blew up the monastery after having killed or expelled most Catholics and other non-Serbs from Banja Luka.

. . .

But the Orthodox bishop of Banja Luka failed to attend the papal Mass, where Ivan Merz, a lay Bosnian Croat who dedicated his life to the church in the early 1900s was beatified. And Serb residents of Banja Luka were not impressed by the pontiff's plea for God's forgiveness. It fell short of a true apology, many Serbs said.

"No Serb wanted the pope to visit Banja Luka," complained Dusan Drobnjak, a 63-year-old retiree who like most Serbs stayed far away from Sunday's events. "He is not here to visit us. If he wanted to be welcomed he should have said that my men had committed a terrible crime here and that I apologize for that crime. He didn't do that....

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06-21-2003, 06:23 AM	#2
gsx1138 Regular Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bremerton, Washington Posts: 379	I think the Catholic church has it in their head that they have some kind over power over Europe. It's good to see that cooler heads prevailed.

06-21-2003, 09:52 AM	#3
DMB Guest Posts: n/a	Yes, but there's still a lot of horsetrading to come.

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