Melkite Catholic Patriarch: "After 11 September, there is a plot to eliminate all the Christian minorities from the Arabic world"

Yet another sign that the Church under Benedict XVI has given up on "dialogue" and resolved to confront, rather than try to convince, Islam. This is also at the back of the increasing Italian anger with Islam: it is mostly thanks to the Church that Italians, including non-Catholics, have been made increasingly aware of the plight of Christians in the Muslim world, of the incompatibility of Islam and Western values (remember the Italian Bishops warning Italian women not to marry Muslim men?), and of the intolerance of Islam. In the past, Popes used to call crusades. That is now out of fashion, but never underestimate the divisions of the Pope.

This is something for Robert Spencer to comment on. Before I came to this website, I never even knew that there was a thing called a "Melchite Christian"...

Sheik,

Melkite Greek Catholics are Christians of the ancient Church of Antioch, of which Gregory III Laham is the current Patriarch. They are not Greeks in ethnicity but in religious tradition, as their style of worship and religious practices are derived from the Byzantine tradition, a la the Greek Orthodox Church. Melkite churches and worship are virtually identical to Orthodox practice.

Unlike the Greek Orthodox, however, they are in communion with Rome and acknowledge the authority of the Pope of Rome. The Antiochian Orthodox Church is the sister Church of the Melkites; in 1724 Patriarch Cyril VI of Antioch declared himself in communion with Rome, whereupon a group of bishops repaired to Constantinople and chose a rival, Orthodox Patriarch. The schism continues to this day, although there have been active efforts by both Melkites and Antiochian Orthodox to heal it.

Melkite Greek Catholics are found mostly in Lebanon and Syria. There are about 30,000 in the United States, and also significant Melkite communities in Australia, Brazil, and elsewhere.

Hope that helps.

Cordially
Robert Spencer

Robert

As a Catholic I feel that Benedikt XVI has moved energetically, even positively to give counsel and direction to Catholics about Islam , and it is quietly filtering through the Cardinal and Bishops, unlike the reign of John Paul where scant mention was ever made, Catholic periodicals and newspapers gave no attention to priests and faithful who were murdered by followers of Islam, (and I have followed Catholic media since the East Timor violence era, I gave pictures of murdered people posted by a Catholic Priest to my MP, which is in Hansard), but Catholic Media as well as Catholics are reluctant to address the issue to Muslims in Britain, simply because Islam has become quick to cite everyone else as wrong when they have, (what they believe is) such a superior argument in Kashmir, Chechnya, Palestine, etc, these arguments justify the poor conditions Christians have to endure in Islamic countries.
Yet there should be an acknowledgement of the generosity which the British Government, and the West in particular, has behaved towards the Muslim population, yet the truth is they never ever, thank the host country, instead they complain of there human rights endlessly.

Two speeches by Cardinal Corman Murphy O Connor, where he touches on these glaring obstacles to peaceful co-existence

http://www.cardinalrating.com/cardinal_65__article_2101.htm
http://www.rcdow.org.uk/cardinal/default.asp?library_ref=1&content_ref=498

The fleeing of religious minorities from areas dominated by Islam demonstrates that co-existence is impossible. We are beyond convincing Islam.

Muslims will not hold a dialogue because they will not listen because they can not hear. Their ears ring with the call to prayer and the admonitions of mulahs about infidels and being un-Islamic and cries of "God is great" and death to the infidels. The most we can hope for is the change of heart of a few individuals. Unfortunately these will be immediately branded as apostates with the inevitable result: as an object lesson-a dramatic and brutal physical elimination.

It is not only the last remnants of the Christians who are emptying out of the Muslim Middle East. It is the Hindus who have been leaving Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is the Christians and even animists fleeing Indonesia --some to Australia, like the several dozen from Papua recently admitted as refugees.

Remember that Turkey -- not the Ottoman Empire but Turkey in its post-World War I configuration, had at the beginning of the last century a non-Muslim population of between 10-20%. In 1914 Constantinople's population was 50% non-Muslim Of course those easy to dismiss as reactionary Slavophils had, in the 19th century, wished to reclaim Constaninople, or Tsargrad as some called it, for Eastern Orthodoxy. Tiutchev was not alone in calling for the "krest nad svyatoy sophia" -- the Cross (again to be seen) Over Hagia Sophia. The rightness of a Russian seizure of Constantinople was also urged by that famous liberal, the head of the Constitutional Democrats (or Cadets), Professor Pavel Miliukov, who thought that "Tsargrad" should be the first among Russia's intended spoils of war.

What is the non-Muslim population of Turkey, and of Istanbul, today? It is 1%. What does that tell us about Islam when the Western powers are not present to protect?

Anything? Something?

Anything

This is an informative link about non-Muslims living in Muslim lands.
http://debate.org.uk/topics/history/xstnc-7.html

The Catholic Church as Mr Spencer has frequently mentioned is taking a different tone with Islam. The evidence for this being the conference on the Crusades recently held in Rome and the discussion among the recent gathering of Cardinals. Pope Benedict knows his history. Some consider Pope Benedict to be the smartest leaders because of his understanding of the world. BTW on my CatholicReport.org site I was one of the first Catholic outlets to interview Mr Spencer. My readers enjoy the topic of the Christianity & Islam and I often feature stories on the subject.

"That is why I wrote a letter in July to all the Arab rulers, to explain how important it is that this small presence, 15 million Arab Christian scattered among 260 million Moslems, not be swept away."

With all due respect to the Patriarch, this is the saddest statement I've read in a while.

He is literally begging that a minority population of Christians be allowed to exist, not because of their inherent rights, but because there is some unforeseen benefit from their presence.

Oh Lord! Why couldn't you foresee that your little flock might need an army to protect itself? Why did you leave us so vulnerable?

Dave

It's refreshing to see Catholic interest in Catholics who are so hard pressed by Islam.

It's also refreshing to hear of there wonderful faith, I have had conversations with Muslims in which I stated that it would be the last thing that a Catholic (me particularly) would persecute another persons religion, as this would have a strenghtening effect on him, also, as well as this, no-one can expect a person to take continual abuse and intimidation without some retaliation, thats a human reaction.

"...no-one can expect a person to take continual abuse and intimidation without some retaliation, thats a human reaction."
-breadwinner at April 2, 2006 05:19 PM

Unfortunately, there is a wide range of what different people consider abuse and intimidation, not to mention the favorite mohammedan buzzword 'oppression'. The threshold of what is considered "enough" is also subject to considerable latitude.

thirstyscribe posted: He is literally begging that a minority population of Christians be allowed to exist, not because of their inherent rights, but because there is some unforeseen benefit from their presence.

Quite right. I would go further. He is pleading to muslims, that Arab Christians be allowed to stay as hostages, as that is one way muslims can mitigate or influence the war with the West when it comes.

This must be the first time in history, when a group of people have actively called to be taken as hostages, and their lives bartered to save their enemies.

Breadwinner and all, thanks for your reply. I see the hand of God in all of this. Pope John Paul II went out of his way to give Islam an olive branch. This angered many traditional Catholics. However, no one could accuse him of being unfriendly. Now Pope Benedict is taking a different approach through his own vast knowledge of history, his meetings with Oriana Fallaci and the recent Crusades Conference held at a Pontifical College in Rome. Pope Benedict hasn't quite told Catholics to shake the dust off their feet yeat but he's letting Islam know that he can't be patient forever. I think you will find my CatholicReport.org website often mentions Islam & Christianty/Catholicism stories. I would suggest you and others of similar just check out the site. Browse through the last month of stories. I have been a Jihadwatch reader literally since Day 1. My interview with Mr Spencer was one of the, if the not the first, Catholic based interviews with Mr Spencer. It continues to recieves one of the highest hits in my archives right up there with former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz, Rudy Ruettiger of "Rudy" movie fame and the article that prompted my upcoming book, "The Tide Is Turning Towards Catholicism." I think you will find Mr Spencer is well liked by many of the CatholicReport.org readers.

I believe that Pope Benedict XVI is much wiser in dealing with Muslims. As pope, he has a much better understanding of history than Pope John Paul II ever did as leader of the Catholic Church.
Pope Benedict XVI knows the true nature of Islam and understands the danger it presents to Christianity and the west.

Dave: Your website is a good one. Thanks.

I am wondering if we will have to have the same thing happen as happened during the crusaders times..
I feel that as Muslims march across English speaking counties, not appreciating anything that is done for them, demanding their own way, raping and causing trouble where ever they go, that surely the people will wake up to the danger we are in. While the Quran is still around with its teaching of slaughtering the pagans etc, there is no way that we can have a oneness with these people, they are alowed to lie to further the cause of Allah, and we are the dumbes who believe...
Are people waking up to the facts on the Crusaders???? we have always heard that it was our fault that there was the crusaders and how terrible the religious people were to the Muslims, but no one wants to say that the christians were literally fighting for their lives as the Muslims slaughted the occupants while they marched across the land. Christianity had already lost many areas to Islam, and it was natural that these people didnt want to be taken over by these muslim hordes.. but will the same happen again soon...???

Melkites and the Antiochene Orthodox counterparts are the largest Churches among the Christians of Palestine/Israel and Jordan. However, today most of these Melkites live in exile in the US, Canada, Latin America, or Australia. The late Archbishop of Akka, Haifa, Nazareth and All of Galilee Joseph Raya was a priest in Alabama before being sent to Israel and Jordan.

Since these Eastern Churches are facing extinction and the west is siding with the persecutors, the Patriarch is doing the only thing he can do: following the command of Christ to "hold on to that which remains".

Let's be accurate about what these Christians face in their homelands. It is nothing less than genocide. Under the turks, a person's religious identity was also their nationality. A Melkite was a member of the Melkite nation (millet) and now these nations are being destroyed in the Muslim countries.

Unfortunately, when Olmert was mayor of Jeruslem, he was never a friend to Christians either. We can only hope that his government is short-lived and someone like Avigdor Lieberman can form a governmemt. Maybe then the Christian areas will have a chance of survival.

Provoslavni?!
Did not expect much more after reading your post.
It is PrAvoslavni.

pong:
"Did not expect much more after reading your post."
???????

"It is PrAvoslavni"

The spelling is on purpose: Provo as in "provisional".. We Melkites are the segment of the Antiochene Orthodox Church that went into communion with Rome but have meticulously tried maintained our Orthodox (i.e. Pravoslavni)Faith and practice.

As Robert points out above: "The schism continues to this day, although there have been active efforts by both Melkites and Antiochian Orthodox to heal it."

Beyond that immediate goal, we hope to be a bridge for the eventual healing of the schism between all of Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Thus, we could be considered Provisional Orthodox, i.e. Orthodox in faith and liturgy, while Catholic in communion.