Other Christians: October 2005 Archives

Coptic Christians, who make up about 5-10% of Egypt's people, are not hiding in a corner and hoping the violent Islamists who threaten society there will, Inshallah, go away. Instead, last year their pope protested attempts to force Christians to convert to Islam; now, a church in Alexandria has the fortitude to denounce the criminals via a dramatic performance. What do the Islamists' supporters do to protest this unjust criticism? One stabbed a nun this week and a crowd came straight from Friday prayers to riot at the church. That'll prove those infidels wrong!

Remember our brothers and sisters who suffer for the Christian faith.

A bunch of anti-Catholic fanatics vandalized the altar of a Catholic church in Alabama toward the end of a Mass Sunday. I wonder whether they know it's a Federal offense; conservatives got that provision into the same law that prohibits blockading an abortion mill.

The priest -- in a savvy move -- wouldn't allow the press to photograph the ruined, toppled altar, lest it "glorify" the violence. But that's not to suggest that we gloss over this crime and fail to prosecute it. A trial and a verdict will display the truth about the crime, and that's necessary; society's good and the church's safety demand that. After that we can talk about clemency.

Is it too much to hope that this will be the beginning of some relationship between these misguided people and the parish? These four are gonna need somebody to visit them in the Pen.

(via Amy.)