Mark at the Irish Elk references a saint whose story is particularly apt today as we mourn the death of Fr. Santoro in Turkey, apparently killed by a Muslim youth: St. Perfecto of Cordoba, Spain, who died in 850. His feast is April 18.
Priest. Accosted on the street one day by Moors who asked his opinion of Jesus and Mohammed, promising no harm to him no matter the answer. Perfecto explained Jesus was the Son of God and our Savior, while Mohammed was a false prophet. When his questioners felt that enough time had passed that their promise has dissipated, they had Perfecto arrested, tried, and executed by a Muslim court for blasphemy. Martyr.
Technorati Tags: Catholic, Islam, martyrdom, priesthood, saints
I think you meant that he died in 850.
Thank you, of course. I will change it.
We see and complain about the lunatic and violent (as in this posting) way that Moslems defend their faith—then and now.
However, the DaVinci Code film—a fiction piece full of lies and distortions about the Catholic Church and Christianity made to look as fact (the worst type “cartoon of all”) will soon be released.
Are there any plans afoot by the Knights of Columbus, the bishops, Catholic universities and colleges, etc. to push back in a Christian way—non-violently and through the strong use of OUR God-given rights??? Will the secular attackers of our faith have any price to pay?? How come the Evangelical American Family Association is able to take on NBC and get results while we Catholics, disorganized and without leadership, sit there ineffectually picking our noses as we are smashed and bashed??
Or have we all been brainwashed to believe “freedom of the press” means it is unAmerican for the victims of Big Media to powerfully and strongly push back. For example, why are any Catholics at all buying the Boston Globe, why are any supporting their advertisers, and why are any Catholics even advertising there???? They have printed more rotten, vicious anti-Catholic anti-Christian columns and cartoons than just about any other publication in America. And now out of respect, THEY SAY, for religious sensibilities they won’t let their captive readers see the Moslem cartoons currently in dispute. And in Mass. there are a tragic large number of “captive” Globe readers who get little news elsewhere (especially since local TV and radio news slavishly follow the Globe lead.)
Deacon Bresnahan,
I made the same comments to my wife. Why is America so ignorant of Catholic sensabilties yet at the same time paranoid to appear intolerant to minority religions.
Catholics must react more vocally and with their wallets as you state with the advertisers in the Globe (owned by the NY Times…).