Santidade em Fátima e lixo em São Tomé

Santificação em acção em Fátima

Ontem estive em Fátima no Encontro Internacional das Equipas de Nossa Senhora. O ambiente é, de facto, muito especial!

Pude entrevistar o bispo iraquiano Georges Casmoussa, que falou da necessidade de perdão mesmo em casos de perseguição extrema e disse que a reconciliação no Iraque tem de ser liderada por leigos.

Hoje publicamos uma entrevista com o presidente da Conferência Episcopal do Brasil, que também está no encontro. D. Sérgio Rocha elogia o papel das Equipas para redescobrir a alegria do casamento e, noutro tema, diz que é cedo para se saber o sínodo da Amazónia, no próximo ano, irá aprovar a ordenação de homens casados.

Cabinda tem um novo bispo. Saiba porque é que isso é mais interessante do que possa parecer à primeira vista…

D. Jorge Ortiga escreveu uma carta pastoral dedicada ao desporto.

E saiba aqui como é que pode ajudar os Leigos pelo Desenvolvimento a comprar um carro de recolha de lixo para São Tomé!

Do lixo para a arte, não deixe interromper a música. É o conselho de Robert Royal no artigo desta semana para o The Catholic Thing em português. De leitura obrigatória sobretudo para os cristãos mais “militantes”.

Pai-Nosso a bem ou a mal

Uma de muitas versões portuguesas... 

Boas e más notícias. A má é que andamos todos a rezar mal o Pai-Nosso. A boa é que afinal rezamos bem o Pai-Nosso. Confusos? Está tudo explicado aqui, havendo uma versão mais completa e “académica” na edição deste mês da revista Brotéria, que farão bem em procurar ler.

E muitos pai-nossos se devem estar a rezar por estes dias nas estradas que levam a Fátima. A GNR espera tantos peregrinos neste 13 de Maio como no ano passado, com a visita do Papa!

D. Ilídio Leandro está prestes a resignar como bispo de Viseu. E agora? Sol e praia? Longe disso! Quer voltar a ser pároco e trabalhar para merecer comer, como bem disse São Paulo.

Leiam aqui o interessante e chocante relato de um jornalista português que passou dez dias em Mossul e viu em primeira mão os efeitos dos horrores do Estado Islâmico.

Convido-vos a ler o artigo desta semana do The Catholic Thing, em que Christopher Akers compara o materialismo com o cristianismo, enquanto filosofias de vida.

Ordenações no Porto e Triana do Castelo

Continuamos em época de ordenações e no próximo domingo será o bispo do Porto a ordenar sete novos padres. D. António convida a diocese a participar na celebração.

Estes novos padres não irão a tempo de participar na Clericus Cup… Viana do Castelo já ganhou, pela terceira vez.

Morreu na noite de ontem o ex-chefe da Sala de Imprensa da Santa Sé, Navarro Valls. Tinha 80 anos e exerceu o seu cargo durante 22.

Publiquei esta quinta-feira a transcrição de uma das entrevistas que fiz sobre a situação no Iraque depois da libertação de Mossul. A entrevista de hoje é com Mohammedali Taha, um deputado do Curdistão Iraquiano que fala sobre o sonho da independência da sua região mas também sobre o extremismo islâmico e as relações com as minorias religiosas e étnicas do local, incluindo os cristãos.

Não deixem de ler o artigo de ontem do The Catholic Thing em português, sobre como a agenda transgénero atropela a cautela e a ciência na sua senda de se impor à sociedade.

"Kurdish independence is necessary to avoid further atrocities"

Mohammedali Taha is a member of parliament in the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan for the Kurdistan Democratic Party, and spokesman for the KDP fraction in parliament. This interview was recorded in January, in Lisbon, and used in a series of articles about the situation in Iraq published at the end of June. This is an edited transcript of the conversation, in the original English.

Mohammedali Taha é deputado do Parlamento da região autónoma do Curdistão Iraquiano pelo Partido Democrático do Curdistão e porta-voz da bancada parlamentar. Esta entrevista foi gravada em Janeiro, em Lisboa, e usada numa série de artigos sobre a situação no Iraque, publicadas no final de Junho. Esta é uma transcrição editada e no inglês original, dessa conversa.

Could you tell us about the history that has led up to this point?

Since 1992 we have been able to run a semi-autonomous region, because before that there was the no-fly zone status which applied to the Kurdistan region, so we started a form of self-government. That continued until 2003 and in 2003 the US led coalition intervened in Iraq, toppled Saddam's Ba’ath regime and after that the Kurds of Iraq decided to be a part of the so-called democratization of Iraq. We took part in drafting the Constitution, which included the status of regional government within the federal Iraq, so we have that, but we were supposed to have our rights according to the constitution that we voted for, more than 90% of the people in the Kurdistan region voted for this constitution, so that means they want to be a part of this so-called democratization.

But unfortunately that never happened and we had problems with the Central Government of Iraq since the beginning. Our budget share was supposed to be 17% of the whole revenue of Iraq, but it never arrived, and since January 2014 they have cut our budget share, our employees’ wages and salaries... So this decision was taken by Iraq and it was also complemented by some threats from the central government. The prime-minister Maliki bluntly uttered, both as PM and as Commander in Chief of the army in Iraq – this is a threat – that they were not sending any budget to the Kurdistan region.

So after that we had no more choice. We are an oil rich region and we were sending all the oil to be sold out through the Iraqi part, but they were not going to give us our budget share. So we took our decision to sell our own oil by ourselves, and we have some constitutional and legal basis to do so and have international oil companies and friends who deal with us in the oil business.

But in 2014 another crisis started in Iraq, the rise of ISIS, which began in 2010, but in 2014, after the fall of Mosul in June it brought with it many other problems, like IDPs, the safest place in all of Iraq is Kurdistan, so all these IDPs from the surrounding region started to head towards the Kurdistan region, besides the fact that the budget is cut from Iraq, we are facing a wave of about two million IDPs and at the same time already had around 300 thousand refugees from the Syrian crisis. All the crises in these areas bring the IDPs and refugees to Kurdistan, because it is the safest place.

And all of a sudden the only income that we have, which is the oil revenues, the oil prices also went down.

Yet it still seems to be one of the only stable zones in the neighbourhood…

Fortunately we managed to keep this stability and this security until now and I hope that we continue. The institutions are working, but the people themselves care, they care about the stability of the place and they cooperate with the security institutions.

Almost 15 years after the fall of Saddam, is there a future for Iraqi Kurdistan within Iraq, or is independence inevitable?

Well, I would say the second. Independence has been the dream of every Kurd and it has been the slogan of the Kurdish movements in all four parts, but the part in Iraq had more advances since the beginning, until now, and more opportunities to reach where we are today.

I always give this example. We have many Kurds in the diaspora, I have cousins in the US. They probably say they are US citizens, but originally Kurdish. And I know people in Europe who say the same. But you will not find a single Kurd, in Turkey, Iran, Iraq or Syria, saying they are proudly Syrian, or Iraqi or Iranian or Turkish. They are not proud to be part of these states simply because they do not have their basic rights.

We, as a party in Iraq, have never been able to have our rights when we were united to Baghdad. Before 2005, you know what happened in this region, all these atrocities, the massacres, the genocides, the mass graves, the chemical weapons... Everything has been tried against the people of Kurdistan by successive governments of Iraq.

From the Monarchy to the Republic, and to Saddam. Even after 2005 we tried our best to tell them that we were ready to cooperate and try our best to be a part of this democratic federation. We entered the federation after 2005, but we never had the opportunity to get our basic rights. So it seems that to avoid any other atrocity, to avoid other mass killings, bloodshed and conflict, another position for Kurds is necessary.

Is this the position of your party, or is it the position of most of the mainstream Iraqi Kurdish parties?

I would say of most of the mainstream. Let’s talk about the election campaign, one of their main programs is to do everything towards an independent Kurdistan. And in the bylaws of the political parties, if you go to them, most of them are nationalist based.

Turkey is often portrayed as being hostile to anything related to Kurdish autonomy, anywhere... Will Ankara put pressure to stop the independence of Iraqi Kurdistan?

The position of Turkey has changed recently. I'd say within the past five years we have been dealing with Turkey... A huge deal in terms of trade, and at the same time Turkey is only dealing with the Kurdistan region when it comes to oil. We are selling our oil using the Turkish harbours, our main route to reach the international oil market.

The position of Turkey regarding the autonomous Kurdish region is totally changed. Once, in Turkey, of course, it was forbidden to say Kurd. They called them the Turks of the mountains. And the Kurdish language was forbidden. Meanwhile they had 20 million Kurds. Of course they are scared of having these 20 million Kurds, and their national movement is a rebellion movement which is going on in Turkey, that is something different, but when it comes to Iraq our leaders are being received in Turkey with the Kurdish flag behind them. For example, our president, when he goes to Turkey, is received as other Heads of State, the same goes for our Prime-minister and our delegations.

Not only that, but Turkey's position nowadays has totally changed and the main factor behind that is the economy. There are a couple of thousand Turkish companies working in the Kurdistan region, and that is not the case in other parts of Iraq.

We often hear about the dream of a United Kurdistan. How does your independence and your drawing closer to Turkey affect this and is it even a dream still?

We have been separated for a century. So we are now four different parts, and we have differences, and those differences are deep. In terms of the states we are divided between and in terms of the opportunities that the people have.

In Iraq we are more advanced towards self-determination. But that is not the case in other parts of Kurdistan. So we are very clear that when we speak of independence it is the independence of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Has that led to conflicts with other Kurdish groups? I know things are difficult between Iraqi Kurdistan and the PKK.

We have different takes... PKK, which is nowadays considered the main political Kurdish party which fights for the Turkish part – although they have fighters from other parts also – but their main goal is not Kurdish independence, and they do not even call for any Kurdish entity.

They have different goals, which are their own, and I don't agree with them, but we have been in conflict with the PKK. The first bullet against the Kurdish Government in 1993 was fired by the PKK. That conflict, whether cold or warm, is ongoing until today. And it is not over our position to declare independence. There are many other differences, many other powers. For example, the PKK, as a political party, is supported by some regional powers to be against certain politics in the region.

What are your relations with Kurds from Syria and Iran?

After the situation in Syria – the Arab Spring and what happened in 2011 – we have a good relation with Syria. Syria borders the Kurdistan region, when the Kurdish administration, in the Kurdish parts of Syria started for the first time we had two parts of Kurdistan that were administered by Kurds, sharing the same border.

But the situation now is different, because the PKK started taking over the situation in Syria, and PKK does not accept any other Kurdish political power in Syria. So as a result all these political powers are nowadays in Erbil because they can't breathe there, they can't be there. That is why the situation nowadays with the administration in Syria, when it comes to politics, is a bit... We have ups and downs.

But in terms of humanitarian aid, our region regularly provides medicine and health facilities. We have always been open to the Syrian Kurds. There are 300 thousand Syrian refugees, most of them are Kurdish, in the Kurdistan region. But when it comes to politics, the methods they are applying in the Syrian part of Kurdistan, we don't really accept, we don't go with it.

And in Iran?

The Kurdish opposition in Iran is also divided. One part goes with the ones that are real opposition and they are in Erbil, of course. Politically they are not accepted in Iran, and so they are in Iraqi Kurdistan. We have very good relations with them. But another part are sister parties with PKK and they do other stuff.

There were a few Kurdish militants who joined ISIS, but mostly the Kurds became famous as the only force which stood up to ISIS on the ground. That generated a lot of sympathy for the Kurds...

When ISIS came in Iraq, in June 9th 2014, the second largest city of Iraq, Mosul was controlled by ISIS in a couple of hours. Of course we were not expecting ISIS to attack the Kurdistan region, because at the beginning what defined ISIS was a Sunni/Shia conflict, because the Sunnis in Iraq feel that they are not being included, that the Shiite majority government is not giving the Sunni population their rights.

The majority of the ISIS leaders were Sunni tribal leaders, that was clear. And it was seen as part of the Sunni/Shia conflict.

And specifically a Sunni/Shia Arab conflict...

In Iraq we have three main entities. Sunnis, Shias and Kurds. Kurds are Kurds: We have Shia Kurds, we have Sunni Kurds, we have Christian, Yezidi, all these differences of ideology and of religion, but they are all considered Kurds.

But when it comes to Arabs, Sunni or Shia is the difference, their sect is the difference. So we were considering it as a conflict between these two sectarian groups, the two main sectarian groups.

But two months later, when ISIS changed their war policy and began attacking Kurdistan, we were shocked. We were not ready in terms of military and all of a sudden we shared a border with ISIS which was more than 1.000 kilometers long. The only thing we had were brave Peshmerga. Their rifles were from the 70's, Russian Kalashnikovs, and their weaponry was really outdated, so we had difficult times, but the international allies against ISIS started to see that the only real fighters against ISIS on the ground were us and they started to support us in terms of military training, supplying weaponry, all these things. Hopefully we will continue to keep on defeating ISIS, and control our borders.

Previously we have had a problem with disputed areas with the Iraqi part, and now, after ISIS we don't have it any more, we have controlled the so-called disputed area between Kurdistan and Iraq and we believe that they are part of the Kurdistan region. Politically speaking, in Kurdistan region, we say there are no disputed areas, we have controlled everything.

Baghdad might disagree...

Baghdad does disagree, continuously, but so far that is the reality.

Before we go there, we tend to see, especially here in the West, that the Middle East has a serious problem with radical Islam. But it seems that Iraqi Kurdistan has seemed, so far, to avoid this problem. So is it correct to say that this is more of an Arab problem than a regional problem?

It is a regional problem. The Turks, for example, are not Arabs, but radicalism is a trend in Turkey. In the Kurdistan region the major political parties tend to be more secular than based on religious ideology, so the form of government in the Kurdistan region goes against the line of radicalism. And we have fought against it, we have fought against radicalism in the Kurdistan region and we continue to fight it. We are a Muslim majority society, and the mosques play a huge role in this issue of radicalism. We had people that joined ISIS from the Kurdistan region, and their main education base were mosques under the supervision of these radical Islamists.

We still have political parties in Parliament which are very radical, no different in terms of the basis of their ideology from ISIS and other political parties.

You had said that the main parties are secular, but the problem with radicalism is when it gains roots in the ground and amongst the people. So among the Kurdish people, all over Iraqi Kurdistan, is there much extremist influence?

Not much, but it depends on the area. We are influenced by the geography. The areas which border Arab fanatics, of course they are influenced. There are areas in the Kurdistan region where people listen to ISIS radio. For a couple of months the waves were received in those areas. Imagine that! It does influence. So it depends on that and also the movement is not a joke... It is going on in the region and it has its roots, but it is not that powerful in the Kurdistan region, thankfully.

When Mosul falls, then this problem of the disputed areas will probably rise again politically. Could it also become a military issue between Kurdistan and Baghdad?

I hope not, but it is very likely. Because it is not easy for Baghdad to abide by this constitution that they helped draft.

According to the constitution we should have a referendum in those areas no later than December 2007. That never happened, because the Iraqi part did not allow it. We would have loved to have it and we would love for the people of these areas to decide their own destiny.

Will you still promote a referendum?

We are still promoting a referendum, because we believe that the people of these regions should decide their destiny, they should decide where to go, what to do, how to be governed.

Is there a risk of persecution of Arab communities which live there?

There is a risk of that.

As a politician, is there anything the Government of Kurdistan is trying to do to protect them and allow them to remain there if they want to?

The main issue of the people in those areas is security. Not only for Arabs, also for Kurds, Christians, Turkmen, all these ethnicities, the main issue is security. But the majority of the population in these areas, including Arabs, and perhaps especially the Arabs, are happier with the security provided by the Kurdistan Regional Government than by the security provided by Bagdad.

You mentioned the minorities, how might this affect them? You say their main concern is security, do you think they will accept and support the Kurds against Baghdad?

Well, all those Iraqi communities, Turkmen, Christians, Assyrians, Arabs, Armenians, Kurds, everyone from any part of Iraq, if anything happens to them they seek refuge in Kurdistan. So I think that answers your question.

You were talking about the ethnic minorities, but I saw you did not mention the Yezidis.

Yezidis also...

But some Yezidis complain that they are being called Kurds when they feel they are a distinct community.

They have a religion, they are a religious group in Kurdistan. Their language is Kurdish, they live in this area, it is the only religion on Earth that practices in Kurdish, they pray to God in Kurdish, if they say they are not Kurdish, I don't know what else to say. It's their decision... If they are not Kurdish, fine, but they practice in Kurdish, they speak Kurdish, they're holy book is written in Kurdish. It is the only Kurdish religion on Earth. Their basis is religious, and it is obvious to everyone in the region. If they say they are Arabs, or that they are Yezidis, and this is different, then they should have some scientific basis...

In terms of Christians, I have spoken to many over the past years and more recently I have been asking them about the relationship with the Kurds. Most of them will say they are very grateful because the Kurds took them in and gave them refuge and protection, but there are also complaints and fears. Some of them say they do not forget that the Kurds helped the Turks massacre them in 1915, in Simile in 1933, and some, more recently, say they don't forget that the Peshmerga promised to protect their villages, but then fled and left them there when ISIS advanced... Is it possible to regain the trust of the Christians?

Well, starting with the Armenian genocide, and the genocide that happened in the areas, like Simele... At that time it was the Ottoman Empire which was committing these genocides against them. Those who were soldiers, were forced to serve the army in the Ottoman Empire, there was Mandatory Military Service, some people served for up to 20 years.

But there were also civilians who took part, they say...

They say... But the history writers don't confirm this. I don't know, it belongs to history, that is history and say we are a part of it? Ok. But talking about nowadays, that their villages were destroyed by ISIS... Its war! Ok, I promise that I will do my best to protect a village which is under the control of ISIS and we also control parts of the village or the town, then all of a sudden the war changes the whole situation... It is not about the promises you make. Then ISIS takes control and starts to blow up all the buildings... The basis of that argument is weak, I'd say.

If they don't trust... Nobody trusts the security in that region. Every night, when we sleep, we are very brave to sleep there. Because 20 km from the city where I live there used to be ISIS. Nowadays it is between 50 and 60 km, it is a bit cleaner, but nowhere in Iraq is secure. I am not trying to defend the Kurdistan Region's position, but they should honestly look at the past 20 years, go back and see the difference in the way they were treated by the Kurds and in the other parts.

You were saying your city is 20 km from ISIS front lines. Do you have any military training?

Not really, no.

Was your father also a guerrilla in the mountains?

My family, the majority of them were and are military, including my sisters.

The position of women within Kurdish society is very different from what we see in most Arabic societies around them...

Well, again, they are influenced as well. It is different when it comes to the openness of the Kurdish culture, it is quite open, compared to other cultures in the region. For example, it is very well known that the Kurdish women are also fighters, and they fight alongside with men. That is not something new for us, it has been like this for centuries. They are better fighters, sometimes, than men, and there are no differences there.

And there is some other stuff... It relates to the culture, what is different in our culture and in the culture of others in the region, because we are a different nation.

You mentioned the instability in the whole region, with Kurdistan trying to remain stable amongst the instability, is there one thing necessary to bring stability to the region? Is there one factor which is destabilizing the region?

This is a very important question... One factor? There are many factors for instability. But of course, not talking to each other, not coming together around a table, not accepting each other as we are, is the main factor for instability.

I am asking this because many times we see... And I have begun to think this is a regional issue, I won't say Arab, because I get it from Christians too... They will say this is all because of Israel, all because of America, all because of Russia... A tendency to blame others for local problems.

We are to blame. Nobody but us. Everybody is responsible for what happens to him or to her. So we are to be blamed and if we don't find a solution for how to get together, we should not blame anybody else.

Desordem no Iraque e ordenações em Lisboa

Miguel Vasconcelos, futuro padre

Domingo é dia de ordenações em Lisboa. São quatro novos padres e quatro diáconos permanentes que passam a estar ao serviço da diocese.

O bispo D. António Carrilho vai ficar mais um ano à frente da diocese da Madeira, por vontade do Papa Francisco.

E hoje publiquei o último de quatro artigos sobre o que se vai passar no Iraque depois da libertação de Mossul. Olhamos desta vez para a comunidade Yazidi, que tanto tem sofrido nos últimos anos.

Não deixem de ler o artigo desta semana do The Catholic Thing que nos explica porque é que o temor de Deus nos ajuda a ultrapassar o medo das muitas ameaças que existem no mundo actual.

Pell acusado, Mossul quase libertada

Miliciana cristã acende uma vela numa igreja perto de Mossul

A notícia do dia é a acusação que paira sobre o Cardeal Pell, da Austrália, de abusos sexuais. O Cardeal nega tudo e vai voltar para a Austrália para se defender.

Publicámos esta quinta-feira o terceiro artigo da série “E depois de Mossul”, no dia em que o exército iraquiano conquistou a famosa mesquita onde foi proclamado o califado. Hoje olhamos para os cristãos da região e como encaram o futuro e a eventualidade de curdos e árabes combaterem por domínio das suas terras ancestrais….

Ora os cristãos no Iraque devem muito, mas mesmo muito, a organizações como a fundação Ajuda à Igreja que Sofre. E por isso é bom saber que não só em Portugal como em todo o mundo houve em 2016 mais pessoas do que nunca a ajudar financeiramente a organização.

Entre Mossul, perseguições, atentados e outros males como os abusos sexuais é natural que muitas pessoas tenham medo de sair de casa. No artigo desta semana do The Catholic Thing, porém, Ines Murzaku explica porque é que o temor a Deus pode dominar e disciplinar todos esses outros medos. Leiam e partilhem!

Árabes consagram em Fátima, ameaçam no Curdistão e perdem nos EUA

Curdos próximos da independência no Iraque

Quem esteve em Fátima no fim-de-semana não pode ter deixado de se surpreender com a quantidade de pessoas que falavam árabe nas ruas. A explicação é fácil. Milhares de libaneses vieram ao santuário consagrar o seu país a Nossa Senhora. A sua protecção, dizem, tem evitado que a guerra da Síria passe a fronteira.

É lançado amanhã o novo livro de José Luís Nunes Martins, colunista da Renascença. Vale a pena ler esta entrevista para aguçar o apetite.

Domingo há ordenações um pouco por todo o país. Em Vila Real são dois os jovens que serão feitos sacerdotes. No dia seguinte estarão já a participar no torneio de futebol para padres…

Nos EUA o Supremo Tribunal deu a Donald Trump uma meia vitória na questão da proibição de entrada de muçulmanos no país.

Esta semana olhamos de perto para o que se passa no Iraque. A cidade de Mossul está prestes a ser libertada das garras do Estado Islâmico mas o futuro pode ainda trazer complicações. A agravar o problema temos o referendo pela independência anunciado pelo Curdistão Iraquiano para Setembro. Poderá estar prestes a nascer um novo Estado?

Não deixem de ler o artigo da semana passada do The Catholic Thing sobre a cristofobia e, indirectamente, a islamofobia do político americano Bernie Sanders.

Novo Patriarca Melquita e Abusos Anglicanos

Joseph Absi, terceiro a contar da esquerda, novo patriarca

As autoridades egípcias anunciaram hoje a morte de sete militantes islâmicos que teriam estado envolvidos nos recentes massacres contra cristãos naquele país.

Foi ontem eleito o novo Patriarca da Igreja Melquita. A Renascença, ao que parece, foi a primeira a dar a notícia no mundo lusófono. Rezem por ele, tem um trabalho muito complicado pela frente!

Ainda pelo Médio Oriente, o Estado Islâmico está prestes a ser erradicada em Mossul, mas antes disso fizeram questão de explodir a mesquita onde tudo começou.

O arcebispo de Cantuária admite que a Igreja Anglicana ajudou a esconder abusos sexuais durante vários anos.

O Papa não desiste do Sudão do Sul e envia ajuda em três frentes: Saúde, educação e agricultura.

E ainda os incêndios, os bispos dizem que o problema tem de ser resolvido “de raiz”.

Ontem foi publicado o mais recente artigo do The Catholic Thing em português, com o Pe. Mark Pilon a arrasar o senador Bernie Sanders por cristofobia e, indirectamente, islamofobia. Leiam, porque caminhamos a passos largos para esta nova realidade.

Bispos contra o Governo, de A a V

Judeus na Flandres: "Eles que comam bolo"

Os bispos de Angola publicaram uma nota pastoral em que dizem que o país precisa de um governo que se preocupe com todos e não apenas com uma elite privilegiada.

Na Venezuela os bispos também têm coisas a dizer ao Governo, nomeadamente que o país está a cair na ditadura…

Na Bélgica não sei se os bispos falaram, mas espero que o façam, porque a Flandres quer proibir o abate de animais para consumo de acordo com regras religiosas. Por outras palavras, o Governo da Flandres quer que judeus e muçulmanos deixem de poder comer carne produzida localmente.

A fundação Ajuda à Igreja que Sofre fez um estudo e apurou que foram destruídas cerca de 12 mil casas de cristãos pelo Estado Islâmico, só na zona da Planície de Nínive. Mas o Estado Islâmico tem os dias contados na região. Em Mossul estão quase a ser derrotados, mas prometem vender cara a derrota.

Não deixem de ler o artigo desta semana do The Catholic Thing, de interesse sobretudo para pais de filhos em idade escolar. Que tipo de educação católica queremos? Ou melhor, a que educação é que os nossos filhos têm direito?

Corrente de oração pelo Papa que reza por Mossul

R. R. Reno

O Papa recordou esta quarta-feira os civis que se encontram sitiados em Mossul.

Um padre de Évora teve a bonita ideia de criar uma “corrente de oração” pelo Papa Francisco. Conheçam aqui a iniciativa.

A conferência que moderei na sexta-feira passada no Meeting de Lisboa correu muito bem e agora os que não puderam estar presentes podem assistir a tudo, com calma, aqui. Divirtam-se!

Hoje temos um novo artigo do The Catholic Thing. O sempre divertido Randall Smith aponta duas falhas comuns nas escolas católicas. Há aquelas que são iguais às seculares, mas têm missa de vez em quando e há aquelas que são muito “ortodoxas” mas não ligam à qualidade do ensino. Há um caminho melhor, argumenta o autor. Um problema que preocupa também os pais católicos portugueses…

Recordo ainda a conferência amanhã de R. R. Reno na Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Nova, sala 007, às 18h30. Não percam!

“The rebels brought the war into people’s houses. That is their strategy!”

This is a full transcript, in the original English, of my recent interview with His Beatitude Patriarch Gregory III of the Melkite Church. The news reports, in Portuguese are here and here.

Esta é uma transcrição integral, no inglês original, da minha recente entrevista a Sua Beatitude o Patriarca Gregório III da Igreja Melquita. As reportagens estão aqui e aqui.

You were telling me that the other day on your trip to Lebanon there were only four checkpoints, whereas before there would be 12. Is the situation in Syria improving?

The first big tragedy was in Homs. Now it is peaceful in Homs and the people have returned there. They are reconstructing their churches in Homs, in Yabroud, in Qusayr, in Nabek. This is positive.

Around Damascus there are still battles. My home town Darayya has now been liberated, but was totally destroyed, including two churches and all our people's houses.

Maaloula also has been liberated and the people, most of them, returned. We have about 125 or 130 families back and we are building for them not the whole house, but one room per family, which means that they can be at home even in a small place, without having to pay rent.

Damascus itself was always peaceful, but you had daily rocket attacks, sometimes hundreds of rockets per day, killing, destroying, it depends. But despite that, life goes on.

Just today [21st of October], we had rockets and our Cathedral was hit. Not much damage, just a little. This was the fifth time our Patriarchate in Damascus was hit by a bomb, but despite this we remain.

Now the big problem is in the North of Syria and in Aleppo, which means the border to Turkey and Iraq and to Jordan are closed now. This tells you where the belligerants are coming from, from Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, but because Iraq is weak now, and not under the control of the Government. This geographical description shows us how the war is. The war is against Syria, in Syria. The Holy Father said there is a third world war going on.

Now the worst problem is in Aleppo. We had a meeting of bishops of Aleppo, we wanted to have it in Aleppo, but because of the situation we were obliged to have it in Damascus. They told us that there used to be four million people in Aleppo and now there are one million. The others are displaced, not necessarily outside of Syria. There were 150 thousand Christians in Aleppo, but now there are maybe 30 thousand.

All the churches of the different communities are destroyed, more or less. The people are in need of food, light, water... But they are still there.

Around Damascus there are belligerants, but the army is advancing slowly.

Now our problem is really how to get people to stay at home. Emigration is the biggest danger for the Church in the Middle East, not only in Syria. Syria, Lebanon are all under this influence, even Jordan. In Iraq, from around 1 million, or perhaps 800 thousand, the Christian population is only around 350 thousand now. In all of Syria, 55 thousand Christians displaced, inside or outside Syria, 50% of doctors are out. This is hemmorhaging of the Syrian society, Christians and Muslims alike.

The future of Syria is very problematic. You have around three million children without schools, these are the clients for ISIS in the future. That is why we are very keen to work for the children in Syria, in the schools, and to rebuild schools. My own school was destroyed, two thousand children were left with nowhere to go. Everything was stolen.

This is a very big tragedy, but in spite of this we have so much hope. You can't believe how the people are crowded in the churches, especially for Lent. Every day our churches are full. We have youth movements; our congregations, women, men, young people, are filling our churches with social and pastoral activities. I don't understand how the people react this way. Inspite of the fear and the imigration, this is a complex situation of hope, of power, generosity, fidelity, trust in the Lord and in the future.

Darayya

Obviously the whole world is watching Aleppo and there have been many accusations against Russia and the regime because of the bombings. People are calling for a ceasefire...

First of all, the Church is for reconciliation. Already I wrote a letter in 2013 saying that the only way for the future of Syria and the church is reconciliation. So we are apostles for reconciliation, for peace, for dialogue, for reconciliaiton inside the society, not only for belligerants. This is our situation, our position.

We are also working with the children. We had an initiative to gather 1.2 million signatures of children for peace, an 8 meter long sheet with words of children for peace. We went with all of these documents to the European Union in Brussels and Geneva, to speak abou the future, we were the messengers of the children.

So this is the real situation and position of the Church, rather of the Churches! We have three Patriarchs in Damascus. Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox and myself, and several bishops in Syria. All of them have a common vision regarding the situation, the government, the complot of this war, and so on.

For example, Darayya, which now has been liberated but is destroyed, before the destruction the people were happy, working, developed, and everything. A rebel group entered and made life impossible. They subdued the civilians; the civilians were under their control. Who has the responsibility to save these people? Who is responsible for the citizens? If the rebels are taking my house, who will kick them out?

The Government might destroy my house... This is what happened to a house of my relatives*. It was destroyed because a family came from outside and they rented a house near him. But it was an arsenal for weapons. The government shelled the house, and the house of my relatives was destroyed.

The same happened with churches. When the belligerants came to Homs, in the midst of the Old City of Homs, where the churches are, they turned the churches into their strongholds... What to do? So you can say that most of the churches were destroyed by the government. But why? Because they were no longer used as churches!

Monastic life in Aleppo

For example, the very famous monastery of St. Bachus and Sergius, in Maaloula, it was a central stronghold for the revolutionaries, the belligerants and for ISIS. What to do? The belligerants brought the whole war into the houses, in the old city, that is their strategy and that is the problem. Why, in Europe, are they blind to say that the government is targeting these structures? Yes, its true, but why? I can say this from my own experience, the same is happening in Aleppo now.

The civillians in the rebel held area of Aleppo, are they being used as human shields?

All of them! This is the whole strategy in the whole five years of war. Starting with Homs, Maaloula, my own town Darayya, the people were taken as shields to defend the rebels. That is why the civillians were killed. They were not allowed to go. Just like in Mossul now, not even the priests were allowed to go. They had to be there in order for the Government not to shell.

Now they can ask for ceasefires, but what to do next?

Would a ceasefire just drag this situation on? Would the best solution be for the Government to end the siege as quickly as possible, by taking the rest of the city?

A ceasefire is always an act of mercy. We are in the mercy of God. Everything in life is compromise. Even relations between husband and wife are about compromise. The same here with your enemies, you have to have compromises to protect the lives of the civillians. We have to think about that.

The policy of the church is to alleviate as much as posisble this very harsh time of the civillians.

Russia is seen by many Western countries as being part of the problem, criminals bombing civillians. When I speak to Christians from Syria they always have a very different idea of the Russians. What is your view of the Russian involvement?

If I am in danger, and you come to help me, can you help me without me? Without my consent? Without my advice? Without my collaboration?

Please, USA, come and fight! But with Syria and with Russia.

Let’s not do politics. Let’s speak in a simple way, like simple people. Come together Russia and America. Together. The European Union is no longer important, a shame, but the truth. If the USA and Russia came together with Syria in one month's time ISIS would be overcome. I am sure.

What is ISIS? It is a myth. It is an instrument of evil. Of a battle of interests. That is ISIS. It is nothing, not Islam, nothing at all!

Now Syria has become a supermarket for superpowers. Where are these interests? In Russia and in America. If they are ok and have common consent about their interests, where their respective profits lie, the war will end.

Everything is an instrument. Even the fighting between Shiites and Sunnis is historical, but now it is an instrument. Even the killing of Christians is an instrument. Nothing to do with the so called goal of the revolution. What can anybody in Syria bring that is different from what was already done? It was not too bad, not too good, but it was enough.

Who can build something new? The so called opposition are from the same school as the ones who are there. So they can bring nothing, nothing can be brought.

Reconciliation. Together, America, Russia and Syria can bring forth ceasefire and peace and also the renewal of Syria. We have to be renewed, we have to present a vision. You can't end the war without vision. Russia and América can end this, but they have to have a vision for Syria, and with Syria.

I am not for Assad or for the regime; I am for Syria, which is a key society in the Middle East. Not Lebanon, not Jordan, not Egypt, not Iraq, it is the most important place where Christians are a little group, but living in a cohesive society.

You have been criticized by leading figures in your own Church. Several bishops have called for your resignation. Is resignation an option?

I am for the cannon law, which says that the Patriarchal See is vacant upon the death of the Patriarch or by his own resignation. I like to tell my bishops "I love you. Let us love eachother so that we can confess, love, and serve our Church and make it a symbol of testimony for the Lord in this tragic situation for the whole Christian Middle East"

Can you imagine a situation where you would resign in the future? Or do you prefer to die in your post, as is traditional among Eastern Patriarchs?

That is up to God. I can't answer you, because I don't have that power. Let's just say that I am here for the service of the Church and the future is in the hands of God.

Patriarchs Laham, Shevchuk, Clemente and caridnal Sandri

You are a special guest at the meeting of European Eastern Catholic bishops, who are discussing the pastoral care of migrants in the West. Have you come here to learn from them, or to share your own experience?

I was invited by them, especially by the Ukrainian Church, because I was in Lviv in September, in the synod of the Ukrainian Church and they told me about this meeting and invited me, and I was happy to come.

I am very happy to have come because it very important learn and to give our own experience and especially our own vision of the very tragic situation of emigration.

Emigration, for us, is very important, very problematic. It is very problemetic for Christians in Europe and for Muslims in Europe, and in encountering a region which is no longer a Christian Europe, but an area of globalisation, an area of Laicité, and in some respects atheist. This is a very big danger, more dangerous and more acute than the whole war in Syria.

I tell you the result of the war, migration of Christians and of Muslims, from both sides, it is a bigger danger and more harmful for the world than the war in Syria. Therefore I proposed, today to bring this theme of the results and dangers of the emigration of Christians from the Middle East, both for the Middle East and for them in Europe, and for the Muslims from the Middle East and in Europe.

For me it is a very current and urgent to have a special assembly of the bishops conferences of Europe about this theme. Europe is not prepared to have such a tsunami of migrants, both Christians and Muslims. How to cope with Muslims and Christians coming with their own identity. Islam has a different approach that Christians in Europe. That is a very big danger for...

*His Beatitude here used the word “parents”, but considering his age, and the fact that the word Parent in Latin languages actually means relative rather “mother and father”, I have changed it to relative. 

This is the second time I interview His Beatitude. You can read the first interview, from November 2014, here.

Venezuela, Iraque e Famílias - Crises para todos os gostos

Até as lojas de álcool no Iraque estão em crise

O Papa recebeu esta segunda-feira, e sem que tivesse sido previamente anunciado, o presidente Nicolás Maduro, da Venezuela. Falaram da crise que o país atravessa, que vai de mal a pior.

Com o cerco a Mossul a apertar são já várias as terras cristãs que já foram libertadas do jugo do Estado Islâmico. Qaraqosh já é livre, bem como Bartella, onde voltaram a tocar os sinos das igrejas. Falei sobre este assunto com o especialista Nuri Kino, cristão assírio, que me diz que os cristãos estão “cautelosamente felizes” com estes desenvolvimentos, porque ainda há muito por fazer. Aqui podem ler a transcrição integral, no inglês original.

A situação no Iraque não passou o lado do Papa, que admitiu que as notícias que recebe de sofrimento e morte lhe levam às lágrimas e deixam sem palavras.

Enquanto alguns iraquianos combatem o Estado Islâmico, outros estão corajosamente a combater o consumo e comércio de álcool. A proibição do comércio de bebidas alcoólicas é mais uma medida que afecta sobretudo os cristãos naquele país.

A Igreja quer fazer mais e melhor no acompanhamento de casais e famílias em crise. D. António Marto diz que é preciso “olhar para o matrimónio como uma vocação e um projecto a construir” e a Renascença dá-lhe a conhecer vários projectos que existem nesta área, incluindo o “projecto família” do MDV que em 10 anos já evitou que mais de três mil crianças fossem retiradas às suas famílias.

Arrancou ontem a Semana da Educação Cristã. D. João Lavrador presidiu à missa inaugural, nos Açores.

Christians “cautiously joyful” with liberation of Nineveh Plains

This is a full transcript, in the original English, of my conversation with Swedish Assyrian journalist and activist Nuri Kino about the liberation of Qaraqosh and other Christian towns and villages in the Mossul region. Read the news story, in Portuguese, here.

Transcrição integral, no inglês original, da minha entrevista ao jornalista e activista sueco/assírio sobre a libertação de Qaraqosh e de outras vilas e aldeias cristãs na região de Mossul. A reportagem está aqui.

We have had conflicting reports about the situation in Qaraqosh. From your information, what is the situation on the ground?

The news regarding the Christians is that Bartella, a town of about 30 thousand inhabitants prior to ISIS, has been fully liberated. We have received videos and pictures of the church bells ringing. That is of course very satisfying.

When it comes to Qaraqosh we received pictures of the main hospital being liberated, the town hall buildings and also the Iraqi Army headquarters. But it is very hard to know if it is totally liberated or not. We are also receiving conflicting information about that.

I just spoke to two of the priests from Qaraqosh and they also have no full information, but the Iraqi army and some of the Christian forces are supposed to be inside Qaraqosh.

Two days ago we received information that it had been liberated. Then information came a couple of hours later saying that there were about 20 ISIS suicide bombers and snipers left in Qaraqosh and they were shooting people from the rooftops. Also, one of the biggest problems is the mines. There are a lot of mines around the city, both anti-personnel mines and street mines.

But we believe that Qaraqosh will be liberated today. [Saturday 21^st October]

How does that make you and other Christians feel?

Qaraqosh is about 70% Syriac Catholic and 30% Syriac Orthodox and I am Syriac Orthodox. For us there is no difference whether it is in southeast Turkey, where I was born, or in Syria or Iraq, or in Iran or in Lebanon. We are all the same nation, the same ethnicity, the same people with different names: Assyrian, Syriac, Chaldean...

Of course, after more than two years of ISIS in our home towns, we are very happy to see it, though we are also careful and cautious, because we never know how things will turn.

Look at what happened in Kirkuk yesterday... All of a sudden sleeping terrorist cells in Kirkuk started to hit the street, more than 20 suicide bombers. They also kidnapped some people and threatened to kill them, and battles are ongoing in Kirkuk, which is also a bit Iraqi city.

So I would say that we are cautiously joyful.

Also, after the liberation there is a lot of work to be done for our people to return to the Nineveh plane, where Bartella and Qaraqosh are. The Swedish MEP Lars Adaktusson is presenting a new resolution in the European Parliament about self-administration in the Nineveh Plane and two other provinces in Northern Iraq, so that these people can feel that they get their dignity back and rule their own areas, or at least get some power in the administrations, so that the inhabitants can feel confident to come back.

Also it is about dignity, so as to get their dignity back. The same thing is going on in Washington DC, there are political movements and political solutions – hopefully – so that people can move back.

In Iraq, before the fall of Saddam, approximately 1.3 million Christians lived there. After the fall of Mossul, we don't know, but we estimate that there are more not more than 250 thousand left.

So more than one million have already left the country, and people are emigrating every day, because they lost hope in the world leaders to protect them. But we do have some hope in what is happening these days, in the liberation of Nineveh and Mossul, and we also have hope in the political solutions that will be on the table over the coming weeks.

Are Christians afraid to be caught in between Baghdad and the Kurds, over who actually controls this region...

That has been going on since the fall of Saddam, it’s nothing new. It’s not a question of being afraid, we know it’s a fact, it’s been a fact for a decade now. So that is why we are asking for self-administration, so as not to be caught in the middle.

Will Bagdad and Kurdistan accept that idea?

Well we hope on the European Union and on Washington and the UN.

A little ringtone for your Saturday ... the church bells ringing in Bartella outside Mosul just liberated from #ISIS pic.twitter.com/qncchINW6Y

— Mindy Belz (@mcbelz) October 22, 2016

Aparecer, orar, conhecer

Algo deste género, amanhã, nos Jerónimos

Se é daquelas pessoas que, como eu, gosta de conhecer as tradições, liturgia e espiritualidade do Cristianismo oriental, então nos próximos dias pode encher a barriga. Estão a chegar a Lisboa dezenas de bispos de Igrejas Católicas de Rito Oriental (imagino o caos na alfândega com aquelas coroas todas nas malas) para um encontro em Fátima. Amanhã às 17h30 há oração das vésperas nos Jerónimos, presididas pelo líder da Igreja Greco-Católica da Ucrânia. Apareçam!

Continua a batalha por Mossul. E esta é uma guerra que pode acompanhar em directo no Facebook. Entretanto a vila cristã de Qaraqosh poderá ter sido libertada – há informações contraditórias – mas estará pelo menos em vias de o ser, o que será uma enorme alegria para os cristãos do Iraque. Oremos.

Deixo-vos com o artigo desta semana do The Catholic Thing, onde pode ler sobre o futuro Cardeal Ernest Simoni, que sofreu das mais duras perseguições do século XX, na Albânia. Conheçamo-lo! 

Cardeal Sarah em Lisboa e Trump goes to Bollywood

É já amanhã a conferência do Cardeal Sarah na Universidade Católica, às 18h30 no auditório Cardeal Medeiros. Irá falar sobre a Crise de Deus no Ocidente, e antecipando o tema disse à Renascença que se a Europa perder as suas raízes virão outros impor os seus valores.

Temos também uma entrevista interessante com um jornalista curdo, que explica porque é que a batalha por Mossul, que já se trava, é tão importante e porque é que a questão sectária tem tanta influência.

Dos Estados Unidos Donald Trump continua a brindar-nos com momentos no mínimo bizarros. Desta vez foi num comício organizado por hindus republicanos. Vale a pena clicar aqui para ver Trump photoshopado numa flor de lótus e “navy seals” a dançar ao som de “Born in the USA”, ao melhor estilo Bollywood…

Estado Islâmico perde Dabiq e terços em Braga

Contas de rezar budistas, esculpidas em sementes

O Estado Islâmico está em maus lençóis… Que pena, não é? Um dia depois de terem perdido uma aldeia aparentemente inútil, mas que tem um valor simbólico importantíssimo, foi lançada a ofensiva para reconquistar Mossul, a cidade cuja queda nas mãos do EI catapultou o grupo para a fama, em 2014.

D. Jorge Ortiga teme que tudo fique na mesma com o Orçamento do Estado, no que diz respeito aos mais pobres.

Começou hoje a semana dos Bens Culturais da Igreja. Saiba mais aqui.

Celebrou-se esta segunda-feira a missa pelos que morrem sem ninguém… A Irmandade de São Roque ocupa-se desta missão tão importante.

Já está em palco o musical sobre as aparições de Fátima e noutros palcos pode muito bem encontrar o padre Victor Silva, conhecido como o “padre do Rock”.

Se tem crianças, aceite este desafio e reze com elas pela paz!

Por fim, e por falar em terços, deixo-lhe com o convite para ver a exposição de “contas de rezar”, que está patente em Braga e que inclui todo o tipo de terços e contas de outras tradições religiosas.

Yezidis & Cristãos

David Warren

Não sou perito em relação aos yezidis de (ou anteriormente de) Mossul e arredores. Também não sou perito em cristãos assírios que lá vivem; nem, verdade seja dita, em cristãos de parte alguma. Os judeus também me ultrapassam, não obstante os meus esforços na cadeira de religiões comparadas. A minha incompreensão estende-se a outras religiões, nacionalidades e tribos. Todas são uma névoa para mim. E ainda há dias em que não me compreendo a mim mesmo.

Como por exemplo as minhas sinceras – pelo menos assim o espero – convicções cristãs. De uma perspectiva de custo benefício, não se saem nada bem. Do ponto de vista de um economista profissional, que parte do princípio que o ser humano apenas procura o seu interesse económico, tornar-me católico foi a coisa mais parva que alguma vez fiz.

Mas olhando para o Iraque, parece-me que os yezidis poderão ser mais parvos ainda. Ou os cristãos assírios, já agora. Toda a gente os quer matar. Porque não alinham com quem os persegue?

Falo neles porque eles são, para nós, “estranhos”. Quando viajei pelo Iraque, há não muito tempo, depois do golpe de Estado do partido Ba’ath, mas antes de Saddam Hussein, fiquei fascinado com eles. Saddam ofereceu-lhes um certo grau de protecção, mas apenas porque tinha outras pessoas que queria massacrar e no que diz respeito aos massacres gostava de ter o monopólio.

Os yezidis viviam no cume dos montes, nas rochas secas que se elevam sobre as planícies da Mesopotâmia. Entravam na cidade para comprar e vender, e geralmente eram tolerados. Isto apesar de todas as outras seitas no Iraque se referirem a eles como “adoradores do diabo”, como faziam há séculos.

De resto, eram bastante reservados. Os seus santuários, tanto quanto conseguia perceber, eram poucochinho do ponto de vista arqutectónico, embora eu apenas tenha visto fotografias, tiradas às escondidas.

Tal como outros monoteístas, acreditam em algo a que chamam “Deus”, mas depois a coisa torna-se interessante, bem como confusa, uma vez que estas pessoas eram analfabetas há gerações e as suas revelações tinham sido transmitidas oralmente desde… ninguém sabe quando.

Tanto quanto consigo perceber, havia sete anjos sagrados. Melek Taus, o Anjo Pavão, foi designado por Deus desde o início para supervisionar a sua Criação. Mas ele não é de confiança, embora a comparação com Satanás talvez seja exagerada. A ideia de prestar culto a um agente cósmico conhecido por ser corrupto e imprevisível parece-me bizarra. Às vezes o Anjo Pavão é verdadeiramente mau, outras vezes, porém, chora e pede perdão a Deus. Seja como for, detém um assinalável poder no mundo.

Parece-me (e recordo que não sou perito) que a atitude dos yezidis para com os seres espirituais é “a arte do negócio”. Talvez esta visão seja partilhada pela maioria das religiões pagãs: “Não tomemos lados entre o bem e o mal, pode vir a custar-nos”. Em vez disso, deve-se negociar com quem se chegar à frente.

Os que encontrei (em Mosul) pareceram-me simpáticos e reservados, bastante atraentes com as suas túnicas brancas. “Vive e deixa viver” parecia estar a correr bem para eles na altura. Dizia-me que reagiam bem aos insultos, o que na visão mais agressiva do Islão sunita os tornava pouco merecedores de serem insultados. (Também os assírios estão habituados a ignorar os insultos).

Aquilo que mais me intrigava era a possibilidade de esta atitude dever-se menos às circunstâncias do que às suas crenças religiosas. A ideia de que o mundo está cheio de demónios e que aquilo que Deus espera é que se chegue a acordo com eles. Ser neutro. Não se comprometer. Isto, por sua vez, obriga a uma rigorosa “endogamia” para poder sobreviver – não só casar, mas viver, exclusivamente, dentro da tribo. Evita-se qualquer mistura desnecessária.

Fatalmente, para eles, apareceu o Estado Islâmico. Centenas de milhares foram massacrados ou exilados. Pelos vistos só se pode chegar a acordos com demónios “moderados”. O verdadeiro, demónio em corpo de homem, fanático e poderoso, não é daqueles que negoceia.

Melek Taus

Não sei se mencionei que não sou especialista, mas os yezidis são para mim tão misteriosos como a maioria dos protestantes e católicos de classe média e alta, bem como outros que vivem na sociedade da nossa América do Norte pós-moderna.

Não é que eles não “acreditem” na presença do mal neste mundo; ou que – cruzes credo – não acreditem em Deus. Muitos vão à igreja, como a Melania Trump afirma fazer com o seu marido: ao que tudo indica, uma simpática igreja presbiteriana na qual, como na maioria das igrejas, incluindo as católicas, os fiéis aprendem a sentir-se bem consigo mesmos. (É o que me chega através dos boatos.)

Na verdade, disse-me o Charles Murray e outros, na América é mais fácil ver os ricos do que os pobres, ou membros de outras “classes inferiores” nas igrejas. São sítios simpáticos e burgueses onde nos é dado poder socializar com outros membros da nossa tribo.

Não é só para ricos, claro. Há igrejas para brancos, igrejas para pretos e para todos os tons de castanho. Igrejas para ricos, pobres e todas as divisões demográficas que se possa imaginar. Depois do “serviço” serve-se café nos convívios, onde todos são bem-vindos. É tudo muito lindo.

Tenho tentado compreender as estatísticas – nomeadamente as sondagens, em particular as sondagens feitas à boca das urnas, segundo métodos científicos – que analisam os votos das pessoas de acordo com a idade, “género”, rendimento, “educação”, filiação religiosa, etc. Os políticos “carismáticos” – penso no Obama e no Trump – atravessam todas estas classes.

Fascina-me de modo particular que esta última classe, a categoria da “religião”, tenha deixado de ser um indicador útil para o sentido de voto. Enquanto cristão, mais precisamente um zeloso católico convertido, acho difícil imaginar como até um “moderado” poderia votar em alguém que seria anatemizado vinte vezes seguidas se fosse aplicado um critério minimamente catequético.  

Não é que o Cristianismo em si esteja a morrer. Pode haver uns milhões a menos a frequentar as igrejas aos domingos do que antes, mas continua a haver milhões. Porque é que é tão difícil, se não impossível, agrupá-los por tendência de voto nas sondagens?

A minha teoria é de que as suas posições estão a “evoluir”, tal como a sua estrutura de crenças, no sentido de algo mais em linha com a teologia dos yezidis. Talvez pensem que se chegarem a um acordo com o demónio, ele, na sua benevolência, os deixe em paz. 

David Warren é o ex-director da revista Idler e é cronista no Ottowa Citizen. Tem uma larga experiência no próximo e extreme oriente. O seu blog pessoal chama-se Essays in Idelness.

(Publicado pela primeira vez na Sexta-feira, 4 de Março de 2016 em The Catholic Thing)

© 2016 The Catholic Thing. Direitos reservados. Para os direitos de reprodução contacte: info@frinstitute.org

The Catholic Thing é um fórum de opinião católica inteligente. As opiniões expressas são da exclusiva responsabilidade dos seus autores. Este artigo aparece publicado em Actualidade Religiosa com o consentimento de The Catholic Thing.