VATICAN RADIO'S EDITORIAL SPIN ON POPE FRANCIS GESTURE.
The question is, will this become a tradition for all world leaders who are warring with immigrants, drug dealers and murderers, like Pope St. John Paul's tradition of kissing the ground of countries His Holiness visited. And when His Holiness could no longer bend to the ground, a bowl of earth was brought to his lips. Maybe world leaders could do this with their feet if Pope Francis can't stoop this low as His Holiness ages.
Pope Francis kisses the feet of South Sudan's leaders
The gesture of the Servant of the Servants of God
The significance of Pope Francis’ action at the conclusion of the spiritual retreat for peace in South Sudan.
By Andrea Tornielli
The surprising and moving gesture of Pope Francis at the conclusion
of the two-day spiritual retreat for peace in South Sudan, which the
Pope hosted in his own house, has an evangelical flavour. And it
occurred exactly one week before the same gesture will be repeated in
the churches of the whole world, in memory of the Last Supper, when
Jesus, now at the vigil of His Passion, washing the feet of the
Apostles, showed them the way of service
.
At Casa Santa Marta, after having asked, “like a brother”, the
leaders of South Sudan to “remain in peace”, Pope Francis with visible
suffering wanted to bow down before them in order to kiss their feet. He
therefore prostrated before the president of the Republic of South
Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, and the vice-presidents designate who were
present, including Riek Machar and Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabio.
It is a forceful image, which cannot be understood except in the
climate of reciprocal forgiveness that characterized the two days of
retreat. It was not a political or diplomatic summit, but an experience
of prayer and common reflection among leaders who despite having signed a
peace agreement, are struggling to ensure that it be respected.
Similar gestures, an evangelical icon of service, are not new in the
recent history of the papacy. On 14 December 1975, Saint Paul VI, in the
Sistine Chapel, celebrating the tenth anniversary of the cancellation
of the reciprocal excommunications between the churches of Rome and of
Constantinople, descended from the altar at the end of the Mass, still
wearing his vestments, and knelt down at the feet of Metropolitan
Meliton of Chalcedon, the representative of Patriarch Demetrios. It was a
gesture that recalled, not only Jesus’ washing of the feet, but also
the events of the Council of Florence, when the Orthodox patriarchs
refused to kiss the feet of Pope Eugene IV.
In the relationships with other Christian brothers and sisters, as in
the face of those who allow their hearts to be touched, and who accept
gestures of reconciliation and of peace, the Popes, the Servants of the
Servants of God, have not been afraid to humble themselves in order to
imitate their Master.
Only left-wing loons approve this groveling to evil, just like they went into ecstasy when Obama bowed to Muslim dictators. We need a Pope like Urban II again. Deus Vult!
I accept the gauntlet of MY! O holy Pontiff Leo! thou worthily didst represent Peter in his Chair, whence thy apostolic teaching ceased not to flow, ever beautiful in its truth and majesty. The Church of thine own day honoured thee as the great Teacher of Faith; and the Church of every succeeding age has recognised thee as one of the most learned Doctors and preachers of the divine Word. From thy throne in heaven, where now thou reignest, pour forth upon us the understanding of the great Mystery which thou wast called on to defend. Under thy inspired pen, this mystery grows clear; we see how sublimely it harmonizes with all other mysteries; and faith delights at gaining so close a view of the divine object of its belief. Oh! strengthen this faith within us. The Incarnate Word is blasphemed in these our own times; avenge his glory, by sending us men of thy zeal and learning.
Thou triumphedst over barbarian invaders: Attila acknowledged the influence of thy sanctity and eloquence, by withdrawing his troops from the Christian land they infested. In these our days, there have risen up new barbarians, — civilized barbarians, who would persuade us, that religion should be eliminated from Education, and that the state, in its laws and institutions, should simply ignore our Lord Jesus Christ, the King to whom all power has been given, not only in heaven but on earth also. (Matthew 28:18) Oh! help us by thy powerful intercession, for our danger is extreme. Many are seduced, and are apostates whilst flattering themselves that they are still Christians. Pray that the light, that is left within us, may not be extinguished, and that the public scandals, which now exist, may be brought to an end. Attila was but a pagan; our modern statesmen and Governments are, or, at least, call themselves, Christians: have pity on them, and gain for them light to see the precipice to which they are hurrying society.
These days of Paschal Time must remind thee, holy Pontiff! of the Easters thou didst once spend, here on earth, when, surrounded by the Neophytes, thou gavest them the nourishment of thy magnificent Discourses: pray for the Faithful, who have this Easter, risen to a new life with Christ. What they most stand in need of is, a fuller and better knowledge of this their Saviour, in order that they may cling more closely to him, and persevere in his holy service. Thy prayers must get them this knowledge; by thy prayers, thou must teach them what he is both in his Divine and Human Nature: that, as God, he is their Last End, and their Judge after death; as Man, their Brother, their Redeemer, their Model. Bless, O Leo! and help the Pontiff who is now thy successor on the Chair of Peter. Show now thy love for that Rome, whose sacred and eternal destinies were so frequently the subject of thy glowing and heavenly eloquence
Isn't it amazing how blind the religious and political left is?
Nancy Pelosi is mad at President Trump because she found out he wants to send all of those little angels to her "sanctuary city" town! Now that she has to put up with them, she doesn't want them (other than for their votes). We should not leave the Clintoons or the Obamas out. They should get their "fair" share too!
LOL. If you don't see the difference, I can't help you. Kissing the feet of a leader of a false religion, one that suppresses women, mutilates their genitalia, and tosses gays off of office buildings is not a good look. Deus Vult
In what has been described as an unusual appeal for peace through an even more unusual approach, Pope Francis took time to kiss the feet of South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and four of the nation’s five designated vice presidents: Riek Machar, James Wani Igga, Taban Deng Gai and Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior as a way of appealing to them to maintain peace and be fathers of the nation, protect the people and desist from war.
They are all Muslims.
You failed to tell me your thoughts on this:
Kissing the feet of a leader of a false religion, one that suppresses women, mutilates their genitalia, and tosses gays off of office buildings is not a good look
Are you fine with this Islamic behavior? For the sake of brotherhood should the Catholic Church adopt these marvelous practices?
I failed to provide my thoughts on your comment because it was irrelevant, misinformed, and defamatory. Those leaders from South Sudan were not “all Muslims.”
I notice that you provide no citation for your claim about what is reported in the the African press. Is this because you do not wish to reveal on which particular unhinged, right wing conspiracy theory website you found it?
“In September, Kiir, a Catholic, and Machar, a Presbyterian, signed a peace deal calling for a halt in violence and their militias unifying into a national army before the formation of a unity government.”
“Both sides committed atrocities, while the narrative of fighting for religious freedom was manipulated for political advantage. The SPLA has painted themselves as Christian liberators — atrocities notwithstanding — their propaganda referring to the churchgoing Kiir as the ‘Joshua’ who took South Sudan to the promised land of independence.
“The blood of the tribe has become thicker than the blood of the Christ,” Episcopal Bishop Enock Tombe remarked in 2014.”
“‘Many political analysts and opinion leaders worldwide describe [Salva Kiir] as the Biblical Joshua who took the mantle of leadership from Moses just as the Israelites were on the verge of entering Canaan and capably established the then fugitives in the Promised Land,’ the South Sudan government once posted on its website. . . .
A committed Christian, he regularly speaks at the Roman Catholic cathedral in Juba, the capital.”
“He was brought up as a member of the Presbyterian church.”
(5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Wani_Igga
“[H]e is a Roman Catholic.”
I am unable to find relevant biographical information for Taban Deng Gai and Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior but I doubt they are Muslims in a country in which Muslims account for a maximum of 6-7% of the population.
Again, I don’t know where you got this drivel that these leaders were “all Muslims,” but if they were deliberately misinforming their readers then they were engaging in evil “snake tactics” (to quote Pope Francis in his Message on World Communications Day in January 2018, which I excerpted much more extensively on the earlier thread).
And I know we have a pathological liar in the White House who also engages in such “snake tactics” several times a day and that he sets the tone for his base, but only fake Catholics (you will of course recognize the phrase) knowingly further propagate lies and falsehoods. As you are a real Catholic and not a fake one, doubtless you will now gracefully admit your error and no longer participate in propagating lies about the Vicar of Christ, especially given the identity of “the Father of Lies.”
The article begins with your first paragraph but there is nothing about “They were all Muslims.” This has clearly been added for evil propaganda purposes.
Oh for crying out loud, TJM. South Sudan is an independent country that is majority Christian. They used to be part of Sudan but no longer since 2011. You are entitled to your own opinions, not your own facts. As Pope Francis says, it is our duty as Catholics to resist the Father of Lies and that begins with informing ourselves. It isn’t difficult to do if we are willing to resist our own biases. Here you go (the opening paragraph will suffice):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Sudan
But I am sure we are all very curious to know where you got the notion that they were Christian leaders. Did you read/see it somewhere, such as on the poisonous YouTube video I found on Friday evening, or did you just assume it yourself?
This is not just for TJM but for everyone. You may certainly be skeptical about some of the assertions made if you like but please do not dismiss it. Too much is at stake:
“It’s a way to delegitimize what it means to know something at all. So you often find today that people don’t really care if something is totally true. They’re just looking for something they can hang their hat on, to create enough doubt to justify their core beliefs and sow cynicism at the same time.
“We think of this sort of conspiracism as an attempt to own reality. Trump is exhibit A: He has a compromised sense of reality that he imposes on the nation, for instance, when he lied about the crowd size at his inauguration.
“The conspiracists who traffic in this sort of dishonesty aren’t interested in arguments or evidence. It’s about confirming their picture of the world and undermining the institutions charged with reporting the truth in the first place. And it’s a declaration that only their way of knowing is credible and everyone else is brainwashed.
We call this “epistemic polarization”: There is no ground for argument or persuasion or even disagreement. And we think it is more profound and unbridgeable even than partisan polarization.”
Whatever this is, it is pure evil in my view and going further down this road leads to Hell. I for one will continue to resist it with every fiber in my body—in my teaching, in my writing, and in my professional and community activities. As a Catholic, I can do no other.
As the author says there is no reasoning with people who have been captured by this evil. I just hope and pray that TJM and Dan are not among them. If they are, like any of us, they are not beyond redemption and I will continue to pray for them.
Cue 3…2…1. . . a rejoinder from TJM about abortion.
I attended a meeting this evening in which we watched a video about U.S.-Mexico relations and heard the new President of Mexico say words to the effect of “We won’t lie, we won’t steal, and we won’t betray the people.”
I don’t know whether he lives up to this claim but it sure sounds good to me. Where is the Presidential candidate for 2020 in the United States who could say the same and mean it?
Pope Francis kisses the feet of South Sudan's leaders
20 comments:
Your spin is too funny.
Only left-wing loons approve this groveling to evil, just like they went into ecstasy
when Obama bowed to Muslim dictators. We need a Pope like Urban II again. Deus Vult!
I accept the gauntlet of MY!
O holy Pontiff Leo! thou worthily didst represent Peter in his Chair, whence thy apostolic teaching ceased not to flow, ever beautiful in its truth and majesty. The Church of thine own day honoured thee as the great Teacher of Faith; and the Church of every succeeding age has recognised thee as one of the most learned Doctors and preachers of the divine Word. From thy throne in heaven, where now thou reignest, pour forth upon us the understanding of the great Mystery which thou wast called on to defend. Under thy inspired pen, this mystery grows clear; we see how sublimely it harmonizes with all other mysteries; and faith delights at gaining so close a view of the divine object of its belief. Oh! strengthen this faith within us. The Incarnate Word is blasphemed in these our own times; avenge his glory, by sending us men of thy zeal and learning.
Thou triumphedst over barbarian invaders: Attila acknowledged the influence of thy sanctity and eloquence, by withdrawing his troops from the Christian land they infested. In these our days, there have risen up new barbarians, — civilized barbarians, who would persuade us, that religion should be eliminated from Education, and that the state, in its laws and institutions, should simply ignore our Lord Jesus Christ, the King to whom all power has been given, not only in heaven but on earth also. (Matthew 28:18) Oh! help us by thy powerful intercession, for our danger is extreme. Many are seduced, and are apostates whilst flattering themselves that they are still Christians. Pray that the light, that is left within us, may not be extinguished, and that the public scandals, which now exist, may be brought to an end. Attila was but a pagan; our modern statesmen and Governments are, or, at least, call themselves, Christians: have pity on them, and gain for them light to see the precipice to which they are hurrying society.
These days of Paschal Time must remind thee, holy Pontiff! of the Easters thou didst once spend, here on earth, when, surrounded by the Neophytes, thou gavest them the nourishment of thy magnificent Discourses: pray for the Faithful, who have this Easter, risen to a new life with Christ. What they most stand in need of is, a fuller and better knowledge of this their Saviour, in order that they may cling more closely to him, and persevere in his holy service. Thy prayers must get them this knowledge; by thy prayers, thou must teach them what he is both in his Divine and Human Nature: that, as God, he is their Last End, and their Judge after death; as Man, their Brother, their Redeemer, their Model. Bless, O Leo! and help the Pontiff who is now thy successor on the Chair of Peter. Show now thy love for that Rome, whose sacred and eternal destinies were so frequently the subject of thy glowing and heavenly eloquence
Bee here:
If only Jesus had kissed the feet of Pilate....
God bless,
Bee
Bee,
Isn't it amazing how blind the religious and political left is?
Nancy Pelosi is mad at President Trump because she found out he wants to send all of those little angels to her "sanctuary city" town! Now that she has to put up with them, she doesn't want them (other than for their votes). We should not leave the Clintoons or the Obamas out. They should get their "fair" share too!
It looks like submission. It looks like defeat. It looks like we lost. It hurts my eyes to see this. It is repulsive.
If it were not so stupid, it would be pure evil. I honestly don't think the man knows any better.
Gene,
It is a toss up with this Pope.
Can you imagine Pius XII groveling at Hitler's or Stalin;s feet in a quest for "peace" (meaning the alligator eats you last).
“The question is, will this become a tradition for all world leaders who are warring with immigrants, drug dealers and murderers . . .”
And some, I suppose, are good people . . .?
TJM said: “Isn't it amazing how blind the religious and political left is?”
Yes, it is. And the religious and political right. Still think the Pope is kissing the feet of Muslim leaders from South Sudan, do we?
Anonymous 2,
LOL. If you don't see the difference, I can't help you. Kissing the feet of a leader of a false religion, one that suppresses women, mutilates their genitalia, and tosses gays off of office buildings is not a good look. Deus Vult
TJM,
Are you still saying that these leaders from South Sudan were Muslims? If you are, I am not sure_anyone_can help you
Anonymous 2,
This is what was reported in the African press:
In what has been described as an unusual appeal for peace through an even more unusual approach, Pope Francis took time to kiss the feet of South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and four of the nation’s five designated vice presidents: Riek Machar, James Wani Igga, Taban Deng Gai and Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior as a way of appealing to them to maintain peace and be fathers of the nation, protect the people and desist from war.
They are all Muslims.
You failed to tell me your thoughts on this:
Kissing the feet of a leader of a false religion, one that suppresses women, mutilates their genitalia, and tosses gays off of office buildings is not a good look
Are you fine with this Islamic behavior? For the sake of brotherhood should the Catholic Church adopt these marvelous practices?
TJM:
I failed to provide my thoughts on your comment because it was irrelevant, misinformed, and defamatory. Those leaders from South Sudan were not “all Muslims.”
I notice that you provide no citation for your claim about what is reported in the the African press. Is this because you do not wish to reveal on which particular unhinged, right wing conspiracy theory website you found it?
Here are my own sources:
(1) https://international.la-croix.com/news/francis-literally-begs-for-peace-in-south-sudan/9887
“In September, Kiir, a Catholic, and Machar, a Presbyterian, signed a peace deal calling for a halt in violence and their militias unifying into a national army before the formation of a unity government.”
(2) http://www.ipsnews.net/2018/07/church-conflict-south-sudan/
“Both sides committed atrocities, while the narrative of fighting for religious freedom was manipulated for political advantage. The SPLA has painted themselves as Christian liberators — atrocities notwithstanding — their propaganda referring to the churchgoing Kiir as the ‘Joshua’ who took South Sudan to the promised land of independence.
“The blood of the tribe has become thicker than the blood of the Christ,” Episcopal Bishop Enock Tombe remarked in 2014.”
(3) https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-12107760
“‘Many political analysts and opinion leaders worldwide describe [Salva Kiir] as the Biblical Joshua who took the mantle of leadership from Moses just as the Israelites were on the verge of entering Canaan and capably established the then fugitives in the Promised Land,’ the South Sudan government once posted on its website. . . .
A committed Christian, he regularly speaks at the Roman Catholic cathedral in Juba, the capital.”
(4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riek_Machar#CITEREFManyang2005
“He was brought up as a member of the Presbyterian church.”
(5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Wani_Igga
“[H]e is a Roman Catholic.”
I am unable to find relevant biographical information for Taban Deng Gai and Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior but I doubt they are Muslims in a country in which Muslims account for a maximum of 6-7% of the population.
Again, I don’t know where you got this drivel that these leaders were “all Muslims,” but if they were deliberately misinforming their readers then they were engaging in evil “snake tactics” (to quote Pope Francis in his Message on World Communications Day in January 2018, which I excerpted much more extensively on the earlier thread).
And I know we have a pathological liar in the White House who also engages in such “snake tactics” several times a day and that he sets the tone for his base, but only fake Catholics (you will of course recognize the phrase) knowingly further propagate lies and falsehoods. As you are a real Catholic and not a fake one, doubtless you will now gracefully admit your error and no longer participate in propagating lies about the Vicar of Christ, especially given the identity of “the Father of Lies.”
P.S. I just did a search using your quote about the African press. This is what came up:
https://face2faceafrica.com/article/why-the-pope-kissed-the-feet-of-two-rival-south-sudanese-warlords
The article begins with your first paragraph but there is nothing about “They were all Muslims.” This has clearly been added for evil propaganda purposes.
Anonymous 2,
It was a disgusting and reprehensible gesture and Sudan is OVERWHELMINGLY Muslim. The actions I noted are straight out of Sharia Law.
But to cheer you up, here is a story about one of your philosophical soulmates, trained in the post Vatican II church:
https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2019/04/13/alyssa-milano-to-share-personal-abortion-stories-on-her-podcast/
So Norman Rockwell like!
Oh for crying out loud, TJM. South Sudan is an independent country that is majority Christian. They used to be part of Sudan but no longer since 2011. You are entitled to your own opinions, not your own facts. As Pope Francis says, it is our duty as Catholics to resist the Father of Lies and that begins with informing ourselves. It isn’t difficult to do if we are willing to resist our own biases. Here you go (the opening paragraph will suffice):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Sudan
But I am sure we are all very curious to know where you got the notion that they were Christian leaders. Did you read/see it somewhere, such as on the poisonous YouTube video I found on Friday evening, or did you just assume it yourself?
This is not just for TJM but for everyone. You may certainly be skeptical about some of the assertions made if you like but please do not dismiss it. Too much is at stake:
https://www.vox.com/2019/4/11/18291061/conspiracy-theories-trump-qanon-pizzagate-nancy-rosenblum?utm_source=pocket-newtab
Here is an excerpt:
“It’s a way to delegitimize what it means to know something at all. So you often find today that people don’t really care if something is totally true. They’re just looking for something they can hang their hat on, to create enough doubt to justify their core beliefs and sow cynicism at the same time.
“We think of this sort of conspiracism as an attempt to own reality. Trump is exhibit A: He has a compromised sense of reality that he imposes on the nation, for instance, when he lied about the crowd size at his inauguration.
“The conspiracists who traffic in this sort of dishonesty aren’t interested in arguments or evidence. It’s about confirming their picture of the world and undermining the institutions charged with reporting the truth in the first place.
And it’s a declaration that only their way of knowing is credible and everyone else is brainwashed.
We call this “epistemic polarization”: There is no ground for argument or persuasion or even disagreement. And we think it is more profound and unbridgeable even than partisan polarization.”
Whatever this is, it is pure evil in my view and going further down this road leads to Hell. I for one will continue to resist it with every fiber in my body—in my teaching, in my writing, and in my professional and community activities. As a Catholic, I can do no other.
As the author says there is no reasoning with people who have been captured by this evil. I just hope and pray that TJM and Dan are not among them. If they are, like any of us, they are not beyond redemption and I will continue to pray for them.
Cue 3…2…1. . . a rejoinder from TJM about abortion.
Correction to earlier post: “But I am sure we are all very curious to know where you got the notion that they were Islamic leaders.”
Although important and necessary, it is exhausting work combatting “snake tactics” because the snake is like Medusa.
TJM:
And lest you think I am partisan, here is an apparent lie/falsehood about Trump from Cory Booker that I just came across:
https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2019/apr/11/cory-booker/donald-trump-cut-funding-investigate-domestic-terr/
I attended a meeting this evening in which we watched a video about U.S.-Mexico relations and heard the new President of Mexico say words to the effect of “We won’t lie, we won’t steal, and we won’t betray the people.”
I don’t know whether he lives up to this claim but it sure sounds good to me. Where is the Presidential candidate for 2020 in the United States who could say the same and mean it?
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