The Vatican Says 'Boo' concerning Israels 'Pillar of Defense' operation

[muman613]

Actually, the Vatican has more than 'boo' to say, they accuse Israel of being 'baby-killers' and worse. I can only imagine what would cause such a distinguished institution from making such libelous accusations against the Jewish state. Maybe someone could elucidate why such a respected institution would cast such harsh judgment against a country which is acting to protect it's citizens from brazen missile attacks, not just 2-3 but 800-1,000 in a week.

Maybe this report is in error, but I tend to find that Mr Meotti has an eye on the situation and is reporting on his own home country (he is an Italian)...

If anyone can explain why such a pronouncement would be made I would be open to listening....



http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/162368#.UK10K5uRz0E

The Vatican on Gaza: Israel is a "Baby-Killer"

Not a word was heard from the Vatican all the years Sderot babies were in mortal danger. They began noticing the violence last week.
Giulio Meotti, Italy

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Vatican Council for Culture, commenting on the war between Israel and Hamas, delivered a severe attack on the Jewish people: “I think of the ‘massacre of the innocents’. Children are dying in Gaza, their mothers’ shouts is a perennial cry, a universal cry”.

The Catholic Church high official equated Israel’s operation in Gaza against terror groups with the New Testament story of Herod’s slaughter of Jewish babies in his effort to kill Jesus.

Ravasi, who is one of the most popular Catholic cardinals and the director of the Church’s policy on culture, called Israelis baby-killers in a shameless form of anti-Semitism which subtly accuses the Jewish State of trying to murder the new Jesus, symbolized by the Palestinian people.

The Vatican official’s modern blood libel against Israel was delivered during the presentation of Pope Benedict’s new book about the life of Jesus. However, Ravasi's theme – the Jews as Herod, who killed all the innocent babies because his heart was set on killing Jesus – was much beloved by Medieval organizers of pogroms.

The vicar-general of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, William Shomali, said on Vatican Radio that “what is happening in Gaza now is a vicious circle of violence”. The auxiliary bishop then declared that “it’s difficult to know who started it”. How difficult?

A few weeks ago, in an interview with the Catholic magazine Famiglia Cristiana, Shomali claimed that “hatred of Christians” is the Talmud itself. "The Talmud, the holy book studied by the ultra-orthodox, more highly venerated than the Bible itself, invites religious hatred, speaks badly of Jesus, and even worse of Mary and, in general, of Christians,” the bishop said, adding that “in Israeli schools, love for the other is not taught, but rather the destruction of the other”.

Talking to the Vatican News Agency, Michel Sabbah, Patriarch Emeritus of Jerusalem, said that the Gaza Strip for many years “has been living under the weight of an absurd embargo, which makes the daily lives of a million and a half of people inumane”.

Sabbah signed the recent appeal by more than one hundred Christian leaders who have asked the international community to support the recognition of the Palestinian State as a full member of the United Nations. Among the signers is the Greek Orthodox Archbishop Atallah Hanna, a self professed anti-Semite who blessed the suicide attacks against Israeli civilians.

As yet, no condemnation has come from the Pope of the barrages of rockets fired by terror groups on southern Israeli cities before Operation Pillar of Defense. The Church authorities, and Benedict XVI himself, raised their voices in condemnation of the violence that has broken out in the Gaza Strip only after Israel began bombing the installations of the terrorist movements in that territory. Not a word was heard before that.

During the Cast Lead operation in 2009, the Vatican officials called Gaza "a concentration camp". After the Nazi comparison did its work, the Jesus-killer motif has now returned to the Catholic Church.

The writer, an Italian journalist with Il Foglio, writes a twice-weekly column for Arutz Sheva. He is the author of the book "A New Shoah", that researched the personal stories of Israel's terror victims, published by Encounter. His writing has appeared in publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, Frontpage and Commentary. He is at work on a book about the Vatican and Israel.

[Ephraim Ben Noach]

What is up is down, and what is down is up!

[Tag-MehirTzedek]

  Muman I think your smart and know the answer to your own question.  These are Jew-haters. They are and have always been. They believe in replacement theology and having Israel around and successful is an affront to them and to their beliefs just as it is to the muslamics.
 They made 1 and only 1 "Prophecy" throughout the ages- that the Jews will never return to the Holy land because of us rejecting their special someone. The fact the Jews returned is a slap in their face. Perhaps their followers (they for the most part don't really practice, but are in word only) will find out and leave them (no more donations and no more power to them, also don't forget no more small boys coming to their "services")


 Also lets never forget that this institution has been murdering our babies throughout the ages. They haven't changed. All that changed are the times and the fact that its unpopular to say certain things openly. But we see the brazenness of more and more of these Reshaim growing bolder and bolder. 

[muman613]

  Muman I think your smart and know the answer to your own question.  These are Jew-haters. They are and have always been. They believe in replacement theology and having Israel around and successful is an affront to them and to their beliefs just as it is to the muslamics.
 They made 1 and only 1 "Prophecy" throughout the ages- that the Jews will never return to the Holy land because of us rejecting their special someone. The fact the Jews returned is a slap in their face. Perhaps their followers (they for the most part don't really practice, but are in word only) will find out and leave them (no more donations and no more power to them, also don't forget no more small boys coming to their "services")

I agree with what you say, but because we have some JTF members who call themselves Catholic I would like them to explain why the Vatican which holds so much power in their religion, can act in such a way without those in the Church standing up and demanding that the clergy re-examine the situation with an eye toward reality, not theology...

[Ephraim Ben Noach]

I would say American Catholics should protest the Pope, but I wonder how many of them really know what's going on. The same thing with Lutherans, how many of them know where their money is going, or the true story behind Palestine.

 Replacement theology is a big problem, and it needs to be addressed!

[Tag-MehirTzedek]

Just because the Vatican stands in solidarity with Hamas doesn't mean that Catholicism is a bad religion.  The Vatican doesn't really represent all Catholics.  NO ONE should ever be asked to re-examine their birth religion just because of a little evil and falsehood here and there.  Holy drek on a dreadlock is it ever ok to be a Catholic!

 Huh? Are you being sarcastic or what?

 Personally I do have understanding for people born into certain religions and then following (or claiming to and being in name only for the most part) because that is just the way it is. People are born into things or influenced by society as a whole and family etc.

 But I personally would not be saying that Catholicism isn't a bad religion. I simply do not want to lie and forget and these announcements only reminds me of what it stands for.

[USAReturn2GodNow1776]

Just because the Vatican stands in solidarity with Hamas doesn't mean that Catholicism is a bad religion.  The Vatican doesn't really represent all Catholics.  NO ONE should ever be asked to re-examine their birth religion just because of a little evil and falsehood here and there.  Holy drek on a dreadlock is it ever ok to be a Catholic!

  No offense to any Catholics. But I must applaud good sarcasm when I see it.

[Tag-MehirTzedek]

No offense to any Catholics. But I must applaud good sarcasm when I see it.

Yea I got it the second time. Should be more careful when reading things.

[cjd]

Just because the Vatican stands in solidarity with Hamas doesn't mean that Catholicism is a bad religion.  The Vatican doesn't really represent all Catholics.  NO ONE should ever be asked to re-examine their birth religion just because of a little evil and falsehood here and there.  Holy drek on a dreadlock is it ever ok to be a Catholic!

The post sounds great at face value but can most religious institutions stand up to a true test... After years of observing different organized religious groups large and small I have come to the conclusion the same problems seem to be present in the vast majority of them... The problem for the Vatican is everything they do has world wide implications that are not simply swept under the rug... I wish someone could point out one single religious organization that is even 50% free of problems.

[AsheDina]

What is terrible about this is the fact that many people in the Catholic faith believe what the Vatican says. 
Therefore, many will become Jew & Israel haters.

[JTFenthusiast]

Brother,

You got it 5000 percent correct.  The thing is many people who are Catholics do not feel that the Vatican speaks for them--at all. 

[Sveta]

The Vatican (while I know does not represent all catholics) are the biggest hypocrites.

If they had their way, the Vatican would be build over Jerusalem. And if it were, they would say nothing but "tough luck" to the arabs.

[syyuge]

Not good for their spiritual health.

[Sveta]

The Vatican did not always love the Arabs. They hated them in the past but only recently started to become PC about it and bend over backwards to please them.
If there were no need to be PC and if the Vatican had established itself over Jerusalem a long long long time ago (like in the middle ages or so)...they would not be willing to give any of it away.

[boxerpaws60]

Catholic here. And yes i do listen to what the Church has to say. As a Catholic accept that the Pope is infallible when speaking ex cathedra re matters of faith and morals. This does not mean he cannot be wrong in other matters. That said,am trying to get up to speed with the topic on the board.
I am cautious about where i get news from  in light of the garbage the media has been putting out. it's a good idea to discriminate. You can't hardly tell what the truth is anymore.(which is why i use twitter. not everything there is factual either but more often than not it's reliable info).
So i went to a reliable news source called Vatican Insider and came up with these 2 articles:

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/inquiries-and-interviews/detail/articolo/shomali-18959/

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/inquiries-and-interviews/detail/articolo/medio-oriente-middle-east-19994/
I need to read a few more articles before i'll feel comfortable making any comments.
Yes,i am perfectly at peace w/ being Catholic.

[Zelhar]

The post sounds great at face value but can most religious institutions stand up to a true test... After years of observing different organized religious groups large and small I have come to the conclusion the same problems seem to be present in the vast majority of them... The problem for the Vatican is everything they do has world wide implications that are not simply swept under the rug... I wish someone could point out one single religious organization that is even 50% free of problems.

Fair enough. Every religion that has a single official top authority is going to suffer from having incompetent and even evil people manning its top position at some time.

[Every Jew AK47]

I had much respect for the previous Pope John Paul, as I heard he did a lot to help Jewish people during the Holocaust.  Unfortunately, I don't have the same respect for the current Pope, nor the Vatican.  The current Pope was on the other side of the fence during WWII..

Nobody can close their eyes to history of oppression promulgated by the Catholic and Lutheran churches in Europe.  Martin Luther was obviously not a friend to the Jews, nor were many of the Popes.

Nonetheless, many Catholics are good people and have been supportive of the Jewish people and good friends and compatriots.    Muman, we see eye to eye on these issues.  However, I cannot look down on righteous Catholic people for the decrees of the Vatican, which I truly detest.  Catholic people are well beyond the Vatican and its mindset.


To avoid offending anyone.. I will say nothing more..  As I know this is a sticky subject and I am new here.. LOL

[mord]

Oh the Bishop William Shomali, is an Arab Christian

[johndogfuzz]

All the rockets and missles hitting Israel must mean bothing ? Why am I confused with this or these accusayions ? I think of all the millions of Jews slautered by the world and then all this garbage comes out of the Vatican, did I miss something ? Where has reasonable thing been lost ?