Holy ... er ... um ... Something!
Pope Francis: Weapons manufacturers, investors thereunto, should not call themselves "Christian"
So, yeah, I kind of missed this one last week:
Okay, it is kind of hard to explain, in some circles, what makes this so fascinating. To the one, there are those who would go on to argue about guns. To the other, there are those who would huff at the thought of a Pope being able to say who is or isn't a Christian.
And, yes, those latter certainly have an arguable facet to grasp.
But what strikes me, put as simply as possible, is the manner in which this occasion addresses empowerment.
Oh. Did I say simply?
Maybe I meant concisely.
Or, you know, in as few words as possible.
Look, popes have been deciding who is and isn't Christian from the outset. This is what it is, and quite clearly in the modern era such a proposition seems preposterous; indeed, the question of who is and isn't Christian often seems a quarrel of self-righteous accusation.
But this time, aiming after one of the most pernicious influences in the world, whose basic mission is fundamentally incompatible with Christianity, there really is some manner of, "Holy shit! Did he just say that?" about this episode; note Philip Pullella's lede: "People who manufacture weapons or invest in weapons industries are hypocrites if they call themselves Christian, Pope Francis said on Sunday." This is something of an extrapolation, but seemingly within reason.
Still, though, compare that to the history of persecuting "heretics"―do you know why there are only four Gospels?°―or manipulating emperors, murdering accused witches in property seizures, and so on. Comparatively, history suggests that the Least of His Brethren suffer under His Church.
But ... this?
The thing is that it makes logical sense within the Christian paradigm; the idea of a war industry is itself repugnant within the context of the Savior's words.
Yet it does seem kind of silly, given all the other hypocrisies and cruelties in the Christian world, this pretense of disqualification through human inspiration.
But in a time that has seen the Church protect those who deny sacrament for the sake of personal, human judgment, and the persecution of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious―which His Holiness Pope Frances has ended―the idea that the Vatican is prepared to challenge the warmongers?
There seems something aberrant about this maneuver, and it seems to have something to do with empowerment. We might argue all we want about the pretense of authority; you know, like, He's the Pope! vs. Not Everybody's Catholic, Dude!. However, within the context of the Catholic Church, yes, he has the authority, and historically speaking, it really does seem as if this is one of those occasions when the challenge to another's Christian identity really does play to kindness toward the Least of His Brethren.
____________________
Notes:
Pullella, Philip. "Pope says weapons manufacturers can't call themselves Christian". Reuters. 21 June 2015. Reuters.com. 27 June 2015. http://reut.rs/1BXpG6I
Pope Francis: Weapons manufacturers, investors thereunto, should not call themselves "Christian"
So, yeah, I kind of missed this one last week:
People who manufacture weapons or invest in weapons industries are hypocrites if they call themselves Christian, Pope Francis said on Sunday.
Francis issued his toughest condemnation to date of the weapons industry at a rally of thousands of young people at the end of the first day of his trip to the Italian city of Turin.
"If you trust only men you have lost," he told the young people in a long, rambling talk about war, trust and politics after putting aside his prepared address.
"It makes me think of ... people, managers, businessmen who call themselves Christian and they manufacture weapons. That leads to a bit a distrust, doesn't it?" he said to applause.
He also criticized those who invest in weapons industries, saying "duplicity is the currency of today ... they say one thing and do another."
(Pullela↱)
Francis issued his toughest condemnation to date of the weapons industry at a rally of thousands of young people at the end of the first day of his trip to the Italian city of Turin.
"If you trust only men you have lost," he told the young people in a long, rambling talk about war, trust and politics after putting aside his prepared address.
"It makes me think of ... people, managers, businessmen who call themselves Christian and they manufacture weapons. That leads to a bit a distrust, doesn't it?" he said to applause.
He also criticized those who invest in weapons industries, saying "duplicity is the currency of today ... they say one thing and do another."
(Pullela↱)
Okay, it is kind of hard to explain, in some circles, what makes this so fascinating. To the one, there are those who would go on to argue about guns. To the other, there are those who would huff at the thought of a Pope being able to say who is or isn't a Christian.
And, yes, those latter certainly have an arguable facet to grasp.
But what strikes me, put as simply as possible, is the manner in which this occasion addresses empowerment.
Oh. Did I say simply?
Maybe I meant concisely.
Or, you know, in as few words as possible.
Look, popes have been deciding who is and isn't Christian from the outset. This is what it is, and quite clearly in the modern era such a proposition seems preposterous; indeed, the question of who is and isn't Christian often seems a quarrel of self-righteous accusation.
But this time, aiming after one of the most pernicious influences in the world, whose basic mission is fundamentally incompatible with Christianity, there really is some manner of, "Holy shit! Did he just say that?" about this episode; note Philip Pullella's lede: "People who manufacture weapons or invest in weapons industries are hypocrites if they call themselves Christian, Pope Francis said on Sunday." This is something of an extrapolation, but seemingly within reason.
Still, though, compare that to the history of persecuting "heretics"―do you know why there are only four Gospels?°―or manipulating emperors, murdering accused witches in property seizures, and so on. Comparatively, history suggests that the Least of His Brethren suffer under His Church.
But ... this?
The thing is that it makes logical sense within the Christian paradigm; the idea of a war industry is itself repugnant within the context of the Savior's words.
Yet it does seem kind of silly, given all the other hypocrisies and cruelties in the Christian world, this pretense of disqualification through human inspiration.
But in a time that has seen the Church protect those who deny sacrament for the sake of personal, human judgment, and the persecution of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious―which His Holiness Pope Frances has ended―the idea that the Vatican is prepared to challenge the warmongers?
There seems something aberrant about this maneuver, and it seems to have something to do with empowerment. We might argue all we want about the pretense of authority; you know, like, He's the Pope! vs. Not Everybody's Catholic, Dude!. However, within the context of the Catholic Church, yes, he has the authority, and historically speaking, it really does seem as if this is one of those occasions when the challenge to another's Christian identity really does play to kindness toward the Least of His Brethren.
____________________
Notes:
Pullella, Philip. "Pope says weapons manufacturers can't call themselves Christian". Reuters. 21 June 2015. Reuters.com. 27 June 2015. http://reut.rs/1BXpG6I
