Religion and Geopolitics Review: Saturday, June 18

by Dr. David Pence and A. Joseph Lynch

I. MISDIRECTION AND FALSE FLAGS AT THE ORLANDO MASSACRE 

We must bury the dead and then, as Mr. Trump likes to say, "Figure out what the hell is going on."

This event happened at the intersection of Modernity’s twin demonic forces (gender ideology and Jihadism) which Cardinal Sarah warned about at the Synod on the Family. We need to be very careful to sort things out before we take our lessons and respond. Experience is a good teacher but only if you learn her true lesson.

There was no figure, though, who so quickly, so disgracefully raised a false flag as Bishop John Lynch of St. Petersburg. Like many of his fellow adult-oriented homosexuals in the American episcopacy, he knows how to misdirect.

His blog post ("Orlando, Orlando we love you") blamed "religion (including our own)" for creating animus toward homosexuals. Now past retirement age (born in May 1941), he wrote an op-ed in the Tampa Bay Times (January 2015) after a court decision overturned the state’s ban on homosexual marriage (enacted by state referendum). In it he said:

However, together with Pope Francis and in light of the discussions at the recent Extraordinary Synod on the Family held in Rome, I also recognize that the reality of the family today, in all its complexities, presents the church with pastoral challenges as the church strives to accept people in the specific circumstances of their lives and support and encourage them in their search for God and their desire to be members of the church.

Therefore, I do not wish to lend our voice to notions which might suggest that same-sex couples are a threat incapable of sharing relationships marked by love and holiness and, thus, incapable of contributing to the edification of both the church and the wider society.

This, of course, is the exact opposite of what the Synod on the Family concluded and Pope Francis wrote in his Apostolic Exhortation after the synod. Here is what the pope really said:

251. In discussing the dignity and mission of the family, the Synod Fathers observed that, “as for proposals to place unions between homosexual persons on the same level as marriage, there are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family”. It is unacceptable “that local Churches should be subjected to pressure in this matter and that international bodies should make financial aid to poor countries dependent on the introduction of laws to establish ‘marriage’ between persons of the same sex”.

In 2002 Bishop Lynch paid $100,000 to a departing male communications director who accused the bishop of sexual harassment. A revolting but typical tale. Lynch utterly distorted the Pope’s words on homosexuality and marriage and was never removed or shamed for spending Church funds to compensate for his sexual misdeeds. He has benefited from the journalist taboo on investigating the role of an episcopal homosexual subculture in covering up the abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. Florida journalists certainly didn’t want to pursue a story about an adult homosexual male taking advantage of a straight subordinate. This is the story that the 'Spotlight' crowd didn’t dare touch in Boston as well. It will turn a lot of journalists into pretzels trying to report on the Orlando massacre as well. To answer the bishop we would remind him that the problem in the Catholic Church is not our animus toward homosexual sin but our incorporation of so many homosexuals in the priesthood and episcopacy. Case in point: Bishop Robert Lynch of St Petersburg.
 A Muslim  murders fifty persons at his favorite homosexual bar. The Catholic Church's labeling of homosexuality as an intrinsic disorder and American proposals to screen Muslims as terrorist threats are blamed as underlying causes--the Bishop was among the first to raise these false flags. He won't be the last.

II. POPE FRANCIS AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

LITURGY ELEVATES, BUT PRIESTS PROTEST: Half of American Catholic priests do not like the too elevated language of the five-year old-Mass translation. Here is an argument why it may take a somewhat awkward liturgical language to convey a somewhat awesome liturgical reality.

MUSLIMS CONVERT TO CHRIST AND BRING EUROPE WITH THEM - THE NEW EVANGELIZATION: As the evangelicals like to ask, "How big is your God?"

WHEN CHRISTIANITIES COLLIDE: An excellent introduction to the meeting of Mideast and American Christian communities with a goal of defending the Mideast Christians from extinction in the region of Christ’s homeland.

III. ISLAM AND THE MIDDLE EAST

SAUDIS MAKE U.N. REVERSE THE CONDEMNATION OF YEMEN BOMBING OF CHILDREN: The Saudis are kings of outrage over insult, no matter how true. At some point their whole House will come crashing down, but for this UN committee... not quite yet.

FROM FP DAILY BRIEFING: In a stunning set of revelations, FP’s (FOREIGN POLICY MAGAZINE) Colum Lynch writes that Saudi Arabia threatened to pull hundreds of millions of dollars from U.N. programs if the international body included the kingdom in a report detailing how various regimes and militias around the world are guilty of killing and maiming children. The report included details about the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen, which has killed thousands of people, including hundreds of children. The U.S. has provided extensive aerial refueling and intelligence support to the Saudis over the past year in the bombing effort. The threats led U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to scrub mentions of Saudi in the report, and sparked international outrage over his decision. Lynch reported “senior Saudi diplomats told top U.N. officials Riyadh would use its influence to convince other Arab governments and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to sever ties with the United Nations.” The upshot? Now that U.N. officials have been telling the media about the kingdom’s behavior, the report has received more press than it likely would have in the first place.

Read the Lynch article.

FORMER US AMBASSADOR TO PAKISTAN TELLS THE TRUTH ABOUT PAST HISTORY AND FUTURE POLICY: A single article with the clearest narrative I have seen on US mistakes in understanding Pakistan goals. Breaking the Taliban-Pakistan Alliance by Zalmay Khalizad.

DRONES (TARGETED KILLINGS) ARE NOT ENOUGH: A Mideast Strategy by George Friedman of Stratfor.

ISLAM VS. LIBERAL DEMOCRACY: If that is the choice, they will win. That is why we continue to argue that we are fighting for Christianity and a civilization based on the fraternity of nations. Some of those nations will be grounded in Islam. Rod Dreher of The American Conservative puts together more insightful links and clips from other important religious writings than any columnist in the journalism blogosphere. His terrific synthesis of several sources on Islam vs. Liberal Democracy. What is becoming increasingly clear is that the Cold War was not really Liberal Democracy against Communism, and neither is the present conflict.

IV. AROUND THE GLOBE: NATIONS R&G ROUND-UP

MODI OF INDIA - A NEGATIVE REVIEW BUT SERIOUS CONSIDERATION OF HINDUISM AND NATIONAL IDENTITY: Modi and the Mob.

BREXIT - BRITAIN PONDERS LEAVING EU, A VOTER PROFILE: From this article and embedded video, the author finds growing momentum to leave. Typical stay voter: Female 18-28 Green party, College educated, professional or mid-management. Typical Leave Voter: Male, >60, UKIP party, High school or less education, skilled tradesman.

NATIONS REASSERT IN THE BALKANS: An excellent overview of Bosnia and the coming Balkan conflicts as Euro-western integration loses its hold over Serbians and other nationalities.

CATHOLIC POLAND VS. CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY: Each nation has a soul and that is what its form of government must be fit to. The ideal of The West and liberal democracy with a celebration of individual autonomy is not the end of history for most peoples - not even those in Europe. Philip Reith of Imaginative Conservative in this insightful article is telling a particular story about Poland that has significant meaning for many other nations.

V. GENERAL R&G ROUND-UP

SOCCER FANS DRESSED AS CRUSADERS: BBC says "no! no!" but maybe the footballers have got it right. This picture is a great ray of hope - masculine, joyful, the Cross of the Lord, and a bit of ale.

DRAFTING WOMEN - A WOMAN MARINE OBJECTS: Jude Eden on Selective Service and Women in Combat. She shows the exemptions and changes in standards required to get a few women in top programs. She shows "the shredding of records." She shows the continued central role that John McCain plays in the abolition of sex roles.

THE JUDGE MAY BE BIASED. DOES THAT MAKES TRUMP A RACIST?: Were his remarks really so inexcusable? The Donald and the Judge from La Rasa. Why Trump should not apologize.

A profile of Judge Curiel is needed to help think about this. I have not yet seen one. A new strategy of impeachment of our more out of control judges has to be part of the reform of our present problems. A judiciary should not be independent of natural law or the sovereignty of God. How will we get to impeaching the likes of Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor if a defendant can’t even criticize Judge Curiel?

Frank Rich doesn’t care for either but his comparisons are insightful - the Donald and the Ronald.

WHITEWASHING ALI - A LOOK AT THE CHAMP FROM ANOTHER CHAMP: Joe Frazier, winner of the 1976 Fight of the Century with Muhammed Ali, didn’t like being called an Uncle Tom and then an "ignorant gorilla." An interview in Sports Illustrated with Frazier on the canonization of a man whom he helped return to boxing and then who turned on him. Joe Frazier was darker-skinned, less educated, Christian not Muslim, and a patriot not protester. He, too, has his tale. Whitewashing Ali.

THE CULT OF CRIME - A MEXICAN ASSASSIN: A real-life killer as a You Tube sensation.