An American archbishop spoke out against presidential hopeful Donald Trump this week after the Republican candidate said he would impose a moratorium on Muslims entering America. Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit said the idea “fractures the very foundation of morality on which we stand”. The archbishop denounced Trump in a letter to his priests last week, saying: “We need to remember that religious rights are a cornerstone of [our] values.”
What the media are saying
The British media hit upon a rare consensus in its criticism of Trump. At PMQs David Cameron described his comments as “divisive, stupid and wrong”. There was wide coverage of a response by Malala Yousafzai, Nobel prize winner and girls’ education advocate, who condemned the comments as tragic, “full of hatred, full of this ideology of being discriminative towards others”. Half a million people also signed a petition calling for Trump to be banned from entering Britain on the grounds of hate speech. And UK leader Nigel Farage said his Trump’s comments were “massively over the top”. Yet a poll by Sky News found that one in three Britons would support a temporary ban on Muslims entering the UK.
What the vaticanisti are saying
‘Is donald trump a fascist?” asked Catholic journalist Ross Douthat in the New York Times. Aside from his comments about Muslims, Douthat said there were other examples of his alleged intolerance: “His bravado and performative machismo (complete with mockery of the weak, unattractive and disabled), his obsession with how we get ‘beat’ by other nations and need to start beating them instead, his surprisingly deft exploitation of blue-collar economic anxieties, his dark references to Mexican ‘rapists’ and other immigrant threats.” But Douthat warned: “Freaking out over Trump-the-fascist is a good way for the political class to ignore the legitimate reasons he’s gotten this far … The best way to stop a proto-fascist [is] to make sure that he never has a point.”
The most overlooked story of the week
✣Police called in to guard churches in Indonesia
What happened?
Indonesia is dispatching 1,500 police officers to protect churches from terror attacks during the Christmas and New Year period. Police in the capital of North Sumatra, Medan, have said that the extra security is essential due to a heightened threat of terrorist attacks in Indonesia linked to ISIS.
Why was it under-reported?
The country contains the world’s largest number of Muslims (200 million) and although there have been no serious terrorist attacks, the extremist threat is growing. Research by Aid to the Church in Need records dozens of attacks on churches each year, while The Washington Post reported: “The Islamic State is winning followers among Indonesian Muslims.” The latest precautions are a reminder of attacks on churches in 2000, when a series of bombings by al-Qaeda left three people dead.
What will happen next?
Indonesia’s government has had success in cracking down on extremists in the past. The Washington Post reported: “Over the past decade, Jakarta’s security agencies have been successful at breaking up al-Qaeda-connected cells, arresting terror ringleaders and subduing the influence of their ideologues.” But hostility to Christians may be more widespread and difficult to counter than terrorist cells. The faithful can only hope that protests do not grow into full-scale persecution.
✣The week ahead
On Christmas day, while most Catholics are tucking into turkey, many of Britain’s bishops will be visiting prisons. Bishop Seamus Cunningham of Hexham and Newcastle, Bishop Ralph Heskett of Hallam and Bishop George Stack of Cardiff are among the prelates celebrating Mass for prisoners. Meanwhile, at 12pm Rome time the Pope will deliver his Urbi et Orbi.
The feast of the Epiphany, right, will be celebrated on January 6, traditionally the end of Christmas in the Church. The feast has been transferred to the nearest Sunday in England and Wales and so January 6 is not a Holy Day of Obligation.
Pope Francis will observe World Peace Day on January 1. In his message for the Day, released earlier this month, the Pope acknowledges the various forms of war, terrorism, and persecution present in today’s world, but says there is reason for optimism as well. The Pope’s message includes a note about mercy, calling it the “heart of God”
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