ISLAM'S MURDERERS: O CASO DO BISPO PADOVESE

Em 3 de junho, o choque: o Bispo católico da Anatólia e presidente da Conferência Episcopal Turca é morto a facadas por seu motorista.  Um dos mais influentes prelados do Oriente Médio, ele foi o redator do texto-base para o Sínodo dos Bispos da região que o Papa levava justamente para apresentar em Chipre. Sua morte  recebeu explicações conflitantes no decorrer dos dias.

Duas interpretações do assassinato de Dom Luigi Padovese correram nos meios eclesiásticos implicados no caso. A primeira, avançada pelo Papa em viagem a Chipre, no dia seguinte ao ocorrido, é a de "motivações pessoais" para o crime. Uma depressão ou perturbações mentais, ou ainda, na acusação do próprio assassino, os ataques homossexuais que teria sofrido por parte do bispo. A segunda interpretação, um assassinato ritual islâmico, praticado com detalhes, com o objetivo de impor o medo do "banho de sangue católico" à visita do Papa e à suas negociações no Oriente Médio.

A primeira interpretação, evidentemente errônea, teria tido como função exatamente quebrar o primeiro efeito terrorista do assassinato, permitindo a Bento XVI concluir com sucesso sua visita a Chipre, deixando para mais tarde a investigação das causas reais do crime.

Uma terceira interpretação foi ainda aventada pelo jornal espanhol El País, afirmando que o alvo do atentado seria o Papa em Chipre, onde Dom Padovese e seu motorista estariam muito próximos do Pontífice.

Os três artigos abaixo, entre os muitos que foram publicados, resumem o que se conhece no momento sobre o caso. 

Lucia Zucchi

Assassino de Dom Padovese não agiu sozinho

10/06/2010

As versões oficiais começam a soar como um compromisso costurado com os alfinetes da prudência e da alta política. A polícia turca, a comunidade cristã de Anatólia e a autópsia realizada no cadáver do bispo Luigi Padovese coincidem em que o assassinato da última quinta-feira do prelado milanês, de 63 anos, foi por razões religiosas ou políticas e não, como se tem dito até agora, por obra de um alienado mental.

A reportagem é de Miguel Mora, publicada no jornal El País, 09-06-2010. A tradução é de Moisés Sbardelotto.
A seis dias do crime, vai tomando corpo a ideia de que Murat Altun, o motorista de 26 anos que desferiu 20 punhaladas no presidente da Conferência dos Bispos da Turquia, não agiu sozinho.
Segundo a reconstrução elaborada pelas testemunhas e pelos líderes católicos da Turquia, Altun chegou à casa privada de Padovese em Iskenderun acompanhado por pelo menos uma ou duas pessoas. "A polícia começa inclusive a admitir que o bispo foi assassinado por pelo menos duas pessoas", indica o arcebispo de Esmirna, Ruggero Franceschini, em declarações ao jornal italiano La Stampa.
Várias testemunhas declararam, além disso, que quando o motorista assassinou o bispo ele estava protegido por um colete à prova de balas e indicam que foi preso pela polícia militar e não pela estatal.
Segundo essas versões, as desordens psíquicas de Altun invocadas em um primeiro momento pelo governo turco não existem. Alguns membros de sua família, que trabalhavam para Padovese na Igreja local, haviam se demitido do trabalho dois dias antes do crime, segundo revelou um membro da comunidade católica.
Segundo a autópsia realizada en Iskenderun, o corpo do bispo capuchinho, grande defensor do diálogo com o islã, recebeu 20 facadas, oito delas perto do coração. Sabe-se que Altun atacou o prelado dentro da casa, e que este conseguiu sair para o jardim pedindo ajuda. Ali, seu agressor o decapitou. Depois, Altun subiu ao telhado da casa e, segundo as testemunhas, gritou: "Matei o grande Satanás. Alá é grande".
Um assassinato ritual, segundo a agência católica Asia News, que traz a marca dos fundamentalistas islâmicos supostamente manipulados pelo chamado Estado Profundo, una rede golpista infiltrada nos serviços de segurança do Estado que busca derrubar o governo do primeiro-ministro, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
As autoridades turcas não admitem essa possibilidade neste momento. Primeiro, disseram que o bispo morreu a caminho do hospital. Mais tarde, que morreu na clínica. Finalmente, quando foi vista a foto do corpo no jardim, o governador da província, Mehmet Celalettin, descartou que o objetivo fosse religioso ou político, e assegurou que o agressor havia agido sozinho.
Nas últimas horas, as supostas desordens psíquicas de Altun foram até negadas pelo seu advogado, que assegura agora que o motorista matou o bispo em legítima defesa porque este abusava sexualmente dele. O bispo de Esmirna replica: "A autópsia confirmou que Padovese não teve relações sexuais nem na quinta-feira nem antes de quinta-feira".
Nas missões cristãs, interpreta-se que o homicídio significa uma mudança na estratégia anticristã dos radicais turcos. "Antes matavam padres, agora se atrevem com os bispos", disse uma religiosa local.
O Vaticano continua assumindo a versão defendida desde o começo para não comprometer a viagem do Papa ao Chipre. O fato chave é que Padovese cancelou as passagens de avião (a sua e a de Altun) quando só faltavam poucas horas para embarcar para a ilha, onde o Papa lhe esperava para apresentar o documento preparatório do Sínodo do Oriente Próximo.
O vaticanista Filippo di Giacomo, que reúne impressões de diplomáticos, amigos e colaboradores de Padovese, insiste que este, ao ser informado do perigo que Altun representava, "preferiu arriscar sua imolação pessoal para evitar uma tragédia pessoal, isto é, um atentado contra o Papa".
Di Giacomo explica assim a reticência vaticana: "É compreensível que a máquina de suavizar busque continuar o diálogo com a Turquia. E não seria a primeira vez que o interesse de um se sacrifica pelo interesse de muitos".
A magistratura italiana realizará uma segunda autópsia do corpo de Padovese quando ele for repatriado, provavelmente nesta quarta-feira ou quinta-feira. Os funerais serão realizados em Milão, cidade natal do prelado, e foram adiados até segunda-feira por esse motivo.

http://www.ihu.unisinos.br/index.php?option=com_noticias&Itemid=18&task=detalhe&id=33262

O Papa foi "mal aconselhado" pelos diplomatas vaticanos?

(13/06/10)

"Acredito que no Vaticano também entenderam que eu tenho razão: o homicídio de Luigi Padovese tem apenas motivações religiosas. O assassinato mostra, de fato, elementos explicitamente islâmicos. Não se trata do governo turco. Não se trata de Ankara. Não se trata de motivações pessoais. Trata-se apenas do Islã. Eu sei disso. O Papa disse antes de aterrissar no Chipre que 'não se trata de um assassinato político ou religioso, mas sim de uma coisa pessoal'. Acredito que ele tenha sido mal aconselhado. O Vaticano não pode nos ensinar certas coisas".
Esse é o fulgurante início da entrevista do bispo de Smirna, Ruggero Franceschini, a Paolo Rodari, no jornal Il Foglio deste sábado, 12 de junho.
A análise é de Sandro Magister, em seu blog Settimo Cielo, 12-06-2010. A tradução é de Moisés Sbardelotto.
Entrevista que deve ser lida na íntegra. Muito detalhada sobre o assédio islâmico aos cristãos da Turquia. Sobre as escolas que incitam ao ódio religioso e humilham os alunos batizados. Sobre a dinâmica do assassinato de Padovese. Sobre o perfil do assassino e da sua família: "Sempre é um risco se encarregar dos muçulmanos do lugar. Já aprendemos isso às nossas custas".
O bispo Franceschini é um veterano da Igreja da Turquia. É o antecessor de Padovese em Iskenderun e, no mesmo dia em que foi publicada a sua entrevista ao Foglio, ele foi nomeado pelo Papa como vigário apostólico de Anatólia, no lugar do assassinado. Foi ele que presidiu os seus funerais e fez a homilia. Foi ele que, desde o início, manteve viva atenção sobre as razões reais do assassinato, que não podia ser liquidado como obra isolada de um louco.
E é ele, agora, que denuncia publicamente o erro cometido pelas autoridades vaticanas, antes com a voz do padre Federico Lombardi, mas depois, principalmente, com as palavras ditas por Bento XVI pessoalmente a bordo do avião para o Chipre, no dia seguinte ao assassinato de Padovese.
O fato de que, neste caso, o Papa tenha sido "mal aconselhado" pela secretaria de Estado já é um dado cmoprovado, graças à franqueza de um bispo como Franceschini, que tem todas as razões para dizer: "O Vaticano não pode nos ensinar certas coisas".
Para o Sínodo dos bispos do Oriente Médio agendado para outubro próximo, esse erro foi uma desastrosa preliminar. Não há nada pior do que estimular os muçulmanos inimigos do cristianismo com declarações que, para eles, soam como atos de pura submissão.

9/6/2010
	O bispo assassinado e as duas linhas do Vaticano
Não existem duas linhas no Vaticano sobre a avaliação do homicídio do bispo Padovese. Às vésperas da partida do Papa para o Chipre, houve uma gestão "voltada a acalmar" – defendem grandes conhecedores das "interna corporis" da Santa Sé – um impacto do assassinato que poderia ter efeitos devastadores tanto para a visita de Bento XVI, quando, ainda mais, para a organização que, com um trabalho longo, meticuloso e preciso, foi inciada pelo Pontífice para o próximo Sínodo sobre o Oriente Médio. "Evitando desse modo manipulações interessadas", acrescentam as mesmas fontes. A reportagem é de Maria Antonietta Calabrò, publicada no jornal Corriere della Sera, 08-06-2010. A tradução é de Moisés Sbardelotto. Além dos muros do Vaticano e nos ambientes diplomáticos internacionais, pergunta-se se o objetivo do homicídio de Padovese (que alguns especialistas não hesitam em definir como uma execução "à la iraquiana"), se for demonstrada como fundada a sua matriz "ritual" lançada nesta segunda-feira pela agência Asianews, foi justamente o de condicionar com um ato violento, extremo e perfeitamente calibrado nos tempos a linha de Bento XVI. "Acalmar o impacto" impediu que, eventualmente, esse objetivo fosse alcançado. Agora, a verdade dos fatos que será apurada sobre as causas da morte do bispo não poderá, em todo o caso, impedir aquilo que o Papa considera absolutamente necessário para evitar o "banho de sangue" na Terra Santa e o desaparecimento dos seguidores de Jesus Cristo dos lugares históricos da sua presença: o "triálogo" entre cristãos, judeus e muçulmanos, como caminho obrigatório para uma paz justa e duradoura. Também desse ponto de vista (isto é, ter evitado que o assassinato de Padovese condicionasse a visita), a viagem do Papa ao Chipre foi um sucesso, assim como havia sido a viagem a Malta no meio da maré alta do escândalo da pedofilia. "Não existem duas linhas", confirma também o padre Bernardo Cervellera, diretor da Asianews, a agência de informações sobre a Igreja no mundo que desde sempre é considerada como informada e confiável. Não é por acaso que o padre Samir Khalil Samir, jesuíta egípcio, professor de história da cultura árabe e de islamologia na Universidade Saint-Joseph de Beirute, considerado o maior especialista católico em Islã e influente "conselheiro" do próprio Bento XVI, que também estava presente no Chipre, escreva frequentemente na Asianews. Samir, além disso, faz parte do Comitê Científico da Oasis, a revista que faz referência ao Patriarca de Veneza, Angelo Scola, editada também em árabe. A linha do "triálogo" não pode ser considerada "uma correção" do discurso de Regensburg que o bispo Padovese também havia compartilhado totalmente. No último dia 05 de fevereiro, quarto aniversário do assassinato do padre Santoro, ele havia dito à Rádio do Vaticano: "Padre Andrea foi assassinado como símbolo enquanto sacerdote católico".

Oitocentos de Otranto: em inglês

Alfredo MANTOVANO How the Eight Hundred Men of Otranto Saved Rome from: Il Foglio, August 14, 2007. "Ready to die a thousand times for Him..." On July 6, 2007, Benedict XVI received a visit from the prefect of the congregation for the causes of saints, cardinal José Saraiva Martins, and authorized the publication of the decree of authentication for the martyrdom of blessed Antonio Primaldo and his lay companions, "killed out of hatred for the faith" in Otranto on August 14, 1480. Antonio Primaldo's is the only name that has come down to us. His companions in martyrdom were eight hundred unknown fishermen, craftsmen, shepherds, and farmers from a small town, whose blood, five centuries ago, was shed solely because they were Christian. Eight hundred men, who five centuries ago suffered the treatment reserved in 2004 for the American antenna repairman Nick Berg, captured by Islamic terrorists in Iraq and killed to the cry of "Allah is great!" His executioner, after cutting his jugular, drew the blade around his neck until his head was detached, and then held this up as a trophy. Exactly as the Ottoman executioner did in 1480 to each of the eight hundred men from Otranto. There is a prologue to this mass execution. In the early morning hours of July 29, 1480, from the walls of Otranto there could be seen on the horizon an approaching fleet composed of 90 galleys, 15 galleasses, and 48 galliots, with 18,000 soldiers on board. The armada was led by the pasha Ahmed, under the orders of Mohammed II, called Fatih, the Conqueror, the sultan who in 1451, at just 21 years of age, had become head of the Ottoman tribe, which had replaced the mosaic of Islamic emirates a century and a half earlier. In 1453, at the head of an army of 260,000 Turks, Mohammed II had conquered Byzantium, the "second Rome," and from that moment he developed the plan of wiping out the "first Rome," Rome true and proper, and of turning Saint Peter's basilica into a stall for his horses. In June of 1480, he judged the time was right to go into action: he lifted the siege from Rhodes, which was defended courageously by its knights, and directed his fleet toward the Adriatic Sea. His intention was to land at Brindisi, which had an excellent, spacious harbor: from Brindisi, he planned to move northward up Italy until he reached the see of the papacy. But a strong contrary wind forced the ships to touch ground fifty miles to the south, and to disembark in a place called Roca, a few kilometers from Otranto. 1. Otranto was - and is - the easternmost city in Italy. It has a rich history: the immediate vicinity was probably inhabited in the Paleolithic period, and certainly from the Neolithic age. It was then populated by the Messapi, a race prior to the Greeks that was conquered by them, migrated to Magna Graecia, and fell into the hands of the Romans, becoming a Roman town. The importance of its harbor had given it the role of a bridge between East and West, a role consolidated on the cultural and political level by the presence of an important monastery of Basilian monks, the monastery of San Nicola in Casole, of which a couple of columns remain on the road that leads to Leuca. In 1095, in its splendid cathedral church built between 1080 and 1088, the blessing was imparted to the twelve thousand crusaders who, under the command of prince Boemondo I d'Altavilla, were leaving to liberate and protect the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. And on his return from the Holy Land, it was in Otranto that saint Francis of Assisi landed in 1219, and was received with great honor. When the Ottomans disembarked, the city's garrison numbered just 400 men at arms, so the captains of the guard quickly sent a missive asking for help to the king of Naples, Ferrante d'Aragona. With the castle under siege and all the city's inhabitants inside it, the pasha Ahmed, through a messenger, proposed a surrender with advantageous conditions: if they did not resist, the men and women would be set free and would not face any sort of punishment. The response came from one of the city's leading citizens, Ladislao De Marco: if the assailants wanted Otranto, he let it be understood, they would have to take it by force. It was intimated to the messenger that he should not come back, and when a second messenger arrived with the same proposal for a surrender, he was riddled with arrows. To remove any doubt, the captains took the keys to the city gates, mounted a tower, and in the sight of the people cast them into the sea. During the night, many of the soldiers of the guard lowered themselves over the city walls with ropes and fled. Only the inhabitants remained to defend Otranto. What followed was a relentless siege: the Turkish bombardment rained down upon the city hundreds of huge stones (many of these can still be seen along the streets of the city's historic center). After fourteen days, at dawn on August 12, the Ottomans focused their fire on one of the weakest points along the walls: they opened a breach and poured into the streets, massacring anyone in their path, and came to the cathedral, where many had taken refuge. They broke down the doors and flooded into the temple, where they found the archbishop, Stefano, who was there in his pontifical vestments and with the crucifix in his hand. To the order that he no longer speak the name of Christ, because from that moment Mohammed was in command, the archbishop responded by exhorting the assailants to conversion, and at this his head was cut off with a scimitar. On August 13, Ahmed asked for and obtained a list of the captured inhabitants, excluding the women and the boys under the age of 15. 2. This is the account by Saverio de Marco in the "Compendiosa istoria degli ottocento martiri otrantini [A brief history of the eight hundred martyrs of Otranto]" published in 1905: "About one hundred men were presented to the pasha, who had at his side a miserable priest named Giovanni from Calabria, an apostate from the faith. He employed his satanic eloquence for the goal of persuading the Christians that they should abandon Christ and embrace Mohammedanism, sure of the good graces of Ahmed, who would grant them their lives, possessions, and all the benefits they enjoyed in their homeland: otherwise they would all be massacred. Among those heroes was a man named Antonio Primaldo, a tailor, advanced in age but full of religion and fervor. In the name of all, he replied: ‘Would that all believed in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and were ready to die a thousand times for him'." The first of the chroniclers, Giovanni Michele Laggetto, adds, in the "Historia della guerra di Otranto del 1480 [Story of the war of Otranto in 1480]," transcribed from an ancient manuscript and published in 1924: "And turning to the Christians, Primaldo spoke these words: ‘My brothers, until today we have fought in defense of our homeland, to save our lives, and for our earthly governors; now it is time for us to fight to save our souls for our Lord. And since he died on the cross for us, it is fitting that we should die for him, remaining firm and constant in the faith, and with this earthly death we will earn eternal life and the glory of martyrdom.' At these words, all began to shout with one voice and with great fervor that they wanted to die a thousand times, by any sort of death, rather than renounce Christ." Ahmed condemned all the eight hundred prisoners to death. The following morning, they were led with ropes tied around their necks and their hands bound behind their backs to the Hill of Minerva, a few hundred meters outside of the city. De Marco writes: "All of them repeated their profession of the faith and the generous response they had given at first, so the tyrant commanded that the decapitation should proceed, and, before the others, the head of the elderly Primaldo should be cut off. Primaldo was hateful to him, because he never stopped acting as an apostle toward his fellows. And before placing his head upon the stone, he told his companions that he saw heaven opened and the comforting angels; that they should be strong in the faith and look to heaven, already open to receive them. He bowed his head and it was cut off, but his corpse stood back up on its feet, and despite the efforts of the butchers, it remained erect and unmoving, until all were decapitated. The marvelous and astonishing event would have been a lesson of salvation for those infidels, if they had not been rebels against the light that enlightens every man who lives in the world. Only one of the butchers, named Berlabei, believed courageously in the miracle and, declaring himself a Christian in a loud voice, was condemned to be impaled." During the beatification process for the eight hundred, in 1539, four eyewitnesses spoke of the prodigy of Antonio Primaldo, who remained standing after being decapitated, and of the conversion and martyrdom of the executioner. This is the account of one of the four, Francesco Cerra, who in 1539 was 72 years old: "Antonio Primaldo was the first to be slaughtered, and without his head he remained upright on his feet, nor could any of the efforts of the enemy knock him down, until all were killed. The butcher, stunned by the miracle, confessed that the Catholic faith was the true one, and insisted on becoming a Christian, and for this the pasha condemned him to death by impaling." Five hundred years later, on October 5, 1980, John Paul II visited Otranto to remember the sacrifice of the eight hundred. It was a splendid, sunny morning on the plain below the Hill of Minerva, which was renamed the Hill of the Martyrs in 1480. The Polish pope took the occasion to issue an invitation as relevant today as it was then: "Let us not forget the martyrs of our times. Let us not behave as if they did not exist." The pope exhorted his hearers to look overseas, and expressly recalled the sufferings of the people of Albania, subjected to one of the most ferocious realizations of communism, although no one was paying attention to them at the time. He emphasized that "the blessed martyrs of Otranto have left us two essential gifts: love for one's earthly homeland and the authenticity of the Christian faith. The Christian loves his earthly homeland. Love of country is a Christian virtue." 3. The sacrifice of the eight hundred men of Otranto was not important solely on the level of faith. The city's two-week resistance permitted the army of the king of Naples to organize and to approach that area, blocking the eighteen thousand Ottomans from invading the entire region of Puglia. The chroniclers of the time do not exaggerate when they affirm that the safety of southern Italy was guaranteed by Otranto: and not only that, if it is true that news of the city's fall initially induced the reigning pope, Sixtus IV, to plan to move to Avignon, in the fear that the Ottomans might draw nearer to Rome. The pope renounced this intention when king Ferrante of Naples charged his son Alfonso, the duke of Calabria, to move to Puglia, and entrusted to him the task of reconquering Otranto. This took place on September 13, 1481, after Ahmed had returned to Turkey and Mohammed II had died. What makes this extraordinary episode so significant, even for today's European, is that in the history of Christianity there has never been a lack of witnesses to the faith and to civic values, nor has there been a lack of men who have courageously confronted extreme trials. But there has never been an episode of such vast collective proportions: an entire city that at first battles as it is able and survives for a number of days under siege, and then firmly rejects the proposal to abjure the faith. On the Hill of Minerva, apart from the elderly Antonio Primaldo, no other individual personality emerged, if it is true that the names of the other eight hundred martyrs are unknown: proof of the fact that it was not individual heroes, but rather an entire population that faced the trial. All of this also took place because of the indifference of the political leaders of Europe at the time, in the face of the Ottoman menace. In 1459, pope Pius II had convened a congress in Mantua to which he invited the heads of the Christian states, and in the introductory address had outlined their faults in the face of the Turkish onslaught. But although it was decided at that meeting that war should be waged to contain the onslaught, nothing happened afterward, because of the opposition of Venice and the disinterest of Germany and France. After the Muslims conquered the island of Negroponte, which belonged to Venice, a new alliance proposed by Pope Paul II was undermined by the lords of Milan and Florence, who were eager to gain from the critical situation in which Venice found itself. During the next decade, with Sixtus IV who became pontiff in 1471, there was the assassination of Galeazzo Sforza, the duke of Milan; the anti-Roman alliance in 1474 among Milan, Venice, and Florence; the Florentine Pazzi Conspiracy of 1478 and the war that followed between the pope and the king of Naples on one side, and Florence, Milan, Venice, and France on the other... All of this brought great advantage to the Ottomans, as Ludwig von Pastor writes in his "History of the Popes": "Lorenzo the Magnificent, who had warned Ferrante not join in the games and ambitions of the foreigners, was the very one who appealed to Venice to strike an agreement with the Turks and spur them on to assault the Adriatic coast of the kingdom of Naples, for the purpose of upsetting the plans of Ferdinando and his son. [...] Venice, which signed a truce with the Turks in 1479, adhered to the plan of Lorenzo the Magnificent in the hope of turning toward Puglia the Muslim tide that at any moment could attack Dalmatia, where the Venetian flag of Saint Mark was raised. [...] And the men of Lorenzo the Magnificent did not even hesitate [...] to solicit Mohammed II to invade the territory of the king of Naples, reminding him of the various injuries he had received from him. But the sultan had no need of this advice: he had been waiting for 21 years for the right moment to land in Italy, and until then it had been Venice, his direct adversary on the sea, that had been preventing this." 4. Even if history never exactly repeats itself, it is nevertheless not arbitrary to gather analogies and comparisons from its developments: exactly one thousand years after 480, the year of the birth of Saint Benedict of Norcia - a humble monk to whose work Europe owes so much of its identity - other lowly men understood Europe better than their leaders did, men who were more ready to fight each other than to confront the common enemy. When the inhabitants of Otranto found themselves facing the Ottoman scimitars, they did not find in the disinterest of their kings a reason to quit themselves; strong in the culture in which they had been raised, although many of them had never learned the alphabet, they were convinced that resisting and not abjuring the faith was the most natural choice. Try talking today with a Western soldier who has returned from a mission in Iraq or Afghanistan: what one hears most frequently is their amazement at the discussions and the endless disagreements over our presence in those regions. For these soldiers, it is natural that they should go to help those in need of support, and guarantee the security of reconstruction against terrorist attacks. In Otranto in 1480, no one displayed rainbow pacifist flags, nor invoked international resolutions, nor asked for a meeting of the municipal council so that the zone might be declared as demilitarized; no one chained himself beneath the city walls to "construct peace." For two weeks, the fifteen thousand inhabitants of the city boiled oil and water, until they had none left, and poured it over the walls onto the assailants. And when the eight hundred adult men still alive were captured, they went willingly to meet the same fate that the Iraqis, Afghans, Americans, English, Italians, and others meet in Iraq and Afghanistan when they are kidnapped by terrorists. Eight hundred heads were cut off one after another, with no politically correct newsmen to censor the account. If today we have thorough knowledge of this extraordinary event, it is because those who described it were objective and rigorous. Today Europe is under attack not - as in the preceding historical episode - by an institutionally organized Islamic phalanx, but by a patchwork of non-governmental organizations of ultra-fundamentalist Muslims. Keeping in mind this structural difference, it is not out of place to ask how much there is today in the West, in Europe, in Italy, of that "naturalness" that led an entire community to "defend the peace of their land" to the point of making the ultimate sacrifice. The question is not out of place, if one considers that a truly decisive element in the struggle against terrorism is the solidity of the social body, or in any case of a large part of it, in the face of the threat and of its most bloodthirsty manifestations. The memory of Otranto does not merely emphasize that there are times when resistance is a duty, but even before this it reminds us of who we are and from what community we come. It is important to recall that in 1571, ninety years after the martyrdom of Otranto, a fleet of ships supplied by Christian states arrested the Turko-Islamic advance into the Mediterranean, in the sea battle of Lepanto. The scenario had not improved in Europe: France was in league with the German Protestant princes in opposition to the Hapsburgs, and took satisfaction in the pressure that the Turks were applying against the Hapsburg Empire in the Mediterranean. Paris and Venice had not moved a finger to defend the Knights of Malta from the naval siege conducted against them by Suleiman the Magnificent. This means that the victory of Lepanto was not the fruit of the convergence of political interests; on the contrary, it was accomplished in spite of the divergences. The extraordinary thing about Lepanto is that in spite of everything, for once the princes, politicians, and military commanders were able to set aside their divisions and unite to defend Europe. This union was realized above all because the European politics of the sixteenth century preserved what was essentially a shared vision of the world, founded upon Christianity and the natural law. And if today so many agnostic minds inhabit Europe in complete freedom, this is in part because there were those who in their day gave their time, energy, and even their lives for the good cause, when the victory of the enemy would have put Italy - and possibly Spain - into Muslim hands. 5. Otranto teaches us that a culturally homogeneous civilization - or even one predominantly animated by realistic principles - is capable of reacting in a substantially unified manner in defense of its own peace, and can do this without trampling upon its own identity and dignity. Today, Roman-Germanic Christendom no longer exists as a homogeneous civilization. Nor is the thesis valid according to which Christendom, as long as it existed, was a mirror image of the Islamic community. Three structural differences prevent any sort of overlapping or analogy with respect to the Islamic "umma": in Christendom, there was a distinction between the political and religious spheres, there was a foundation of natural law, and there was respect for the conscience of the human person. Reflection on what happened in 1480 nevertheless permits us to identify three pillars around which unity can be restored: the reference to natural law, the rediscovery of the Christian roots of Europe, and love of country, which was explicitly evoked by John Paul II as an inheritance from the martyrs of Otranto. In Sacred Scripture, when God informed Abraham of his intention to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16 ff.), Abraham tried to intercede, and asked him: "Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty? Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city; would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?" Having received God's assurance that he would pardon the entire city for the sake of those fifty just men, Abraham continues, in a sort of gutsy negotiation: and if there were only 45, 40, 30, 20, or only 10? God's reply is the same: "For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it." But there were not 50, or 45, or 30, or 20, or even 10; and the two cities were destroyed. This page of Scripture is terrifying because of the fate of annihilation that it projects for civilizations that reject the values that are inscribed in human nature. It is a page that has been sorrowfully reread over and over, especially in the twentieth century, in the face of the ravages of Nazism and communist socialism. But it just as comforting to those who maintain that the centrality of man and adherence to principles is not only the point of departure, but also the strategy for anyone who wants to practice politics. In 1480, that passage from Genesis found a unique application: Europe, and in particular its most important city, Rome, were spared from destruction not "for the sake," but rather "through the sacrifice" of eight hundred unknown fishermen, craftsmen, shepherds, and farmers of a marginal city. It is striking that what happened in Otranto did not receive, and has still not received, the widespread recognition that it deserves. The Church itself waited for five centuries, and for an extraordinary pontiff like Karol Wojtyla, to beatify those eight hundred men. Benedict XVI's July 6, 2007 decree authorizes the view that their "martyrdom" really took place, historically and theologically. This is the premise for their canonization, which will follow when a miracle has been certified. The Church, including that of Otranto, maintains a necessary caution on this point, but everyone knows that the intercession of the eight hundred has already procured many miracles; all that is lacking is official recognition. The martyrs of Otranto are in no hurry: their bones, arranged in a number of reliquaries, are waiting to greet those who visit the cathedral, in the chapel located to the right of the main altar. They remind us that it is not only faith that has a price, but civilization does, too: a price that cannot be measured, and is paradoxically compatible with having received faith and civilization as inestimable gifts. This price is asked of everyone in a different way, but there is no place for sales or liquidations. Publishing date: 12/10/2007

Reportagem mais completa da BBC sobre perseguição aos cristãos do Paquistão.

 September 2013 Last updated at 09:35 GMT

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Pakistan blasts: Burials amid anger after Peshawar church attack

Mourners also gathered outside the church in Peshawar to protest against the attack

Continue reading the main story

Burials have been taking place in the Pakistani city of Peshawar after a double suicide bombing killed at least 80 people at a church on Sunday.

It is thought to be the deadliest ever attack on Pakistan's Christians.

Two Islamist militant groups with Taliban links said they ordered the attack to hit back at US drone strikes.

Political and religious leaders condemned the attack, but angry crowds took to the streets denouncing the state's failure to protect minorities.

On Sunday, demonstrators blocked roads in Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi and rallies are also expected in major cities on Monday.

The BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Peshawar reports that as mourners reached the site where the coffins bearing the dead are lined up, some broke down on the spot.

Continue reading the main story

Hundreds of women were sitting beside the coffins, clutching them and sobbing, the men hugging and crying, their children looking bewildered, our correspondent reports.

Condemnation of the attack has been pouring in. The government has announced three days of mourning.

Christian groups have said special prayers will be held for the victims. Pope Francis has condemned the atrocity, saying those who carried out the attack made a wrong choice, of hatred and war.

Sunday Mass attacked

Speaking in London on his way to New York to attend the UN's General Assembly, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the attack does not bode well for any intended talks with militants.

And the Pakistani politician, Imran Khan, whose party governs the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, of which Peshawar is the capital, called it an attack on humanity.

He has been criticised for being soft on Taliban militants and favouring talks instead of military action.

At around midday at the historic All Saints church in Kohati Gate, a bustling area of Peshawar, two bombers blew themselves up as hundreds of worshippers who had attended Sunday Mass were leaving.

Sunday's twin attacks targeted Peshawar's historic All Saints Church

Witnesses said they heard two blasts, the second more powerful than the first. Suicide vests were later found outside the church, officials said.

Reports say the walls of the church was dimpled from the force of the ball bearings that had been packed into the explosives, in an effort to cause as much damage as possible.

More than 120 people were wounded in the assault.

It is unclear exactly who was behind the attack, with two militant groups claiming responsibility. Jandullah and the Junood ul-Hifsa - both with past links to the Pakistani Taliban - said they ordered the double bombing in retaliation for US drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal north-west.

The Pakistani Taliban, however, condemned the attack. Correspondents say the group frequently denies responsibility for attacks which take a heavy civilian toll.

It is the latest in a series of attacks on Pakistani Christians, who represent about 1.6% of the country's overwhelmingly Muslim population.

One provincial lawmaker, Fredrich Azeem Ghauri, said there were about 200,000 Christians in the province, of whom 70,000 lived in Peshawar, Agence France-Presse news agency reported.

There have been angry protests around the country against the bombings in Peshawar

The attackers struck as hundreds of worshippers left the All Saints church in a busy part of the city

More than 120 people were wounded in the assault

There were scenes of grief as relatives gathered to identify their loved ones

Security has been strengthened outside a number of Pakistani Christian churches following Sunday's attack

Nevertheless the Pakistani Christian minority feels vulnerable to militant attacks

And the anger of the community has also been stoked with many taking to the streets in protest for a second day

Correspondents say the attack has outraged many people, but there is also a sense of helplessness about the government's apparent inability to prevent such atrocities.

There were angry scenes outside the church, with friends and relatives denouncing the government, but demonstrations spread rapidly and in Karachi police had to fire tear gas.

Militants in Pakistan have long made religious minorities one of their targets and recent years have seen spiralling sectarian violence between Shias and Sunnis, with Sunni militants often targeting the Shia community.

There have been outbreaks of communal violence in areas where Muslims and Christians co-exist. In march, Muslims in Lahore torched dozens of Christian homes responding to an allegation of blasphemy.

But this latest attack is being described as the first assault of its kind on Christians in recent memory.

OU VIROU ROTINA, OU ESTÃO ESCONDENDO

Ataque a igreja cristã mata 78 no Paquistão

Templo histórico de Peshawar foi atacado por militantes islâmicos, na ação sectária mais violenta contra a minoria nos últimos anos no país

O Estado de S.Paulo

PESHAWAR. PAQUISTÃO - Um duplo atentado suicida contra uma das igrejas mais antigas do Paquistão matou neste domingo 78 cristãos em Peshawar. A maioria das vítimas é composta de mulheres e crianças. Foi o pior ataque contra a minoria religiosa no país predominantemente muçulmano em décadas, segundo o governo. Os mais de 100 feridos, muitos deles em estado grave, foram levados para um hospital da cidade.

Muhammed Muheisen/AP

Nenhum grupo reivindicou a autoria do ataque

Nenhum grupo reivindicou a autoria do ataque, mas atentados contra minorias religiosas cristãs, budistas, além de muçulmanos xiitas têm-se tornado comum no país nos últimos meses e afetado os esforços do primeiro-ministro do país, Nawaz Sharif, que chegou ao poder em junho, de controlar a insurgência ligada ao Taleban e à Al-Qaeda.

Sharif condenou o atentado. " Terroristas não têm religião e atingem inocentes, ao contrário do que ensina o Islã e todas as religiões", disse por meio de nota. "Atos cruéis refletem a brutalidade e a desumanidade dos terroristas."

Os homens-bomba atacaram a histórica Igreja de Todos os Santos, na cidade de Peshawar, no momento em que centenas de paroquianos saíam do prédio após a missa de domingo. "Eu ouvi duas explosões. As pessoas começaram a correr. Restos humanos estavam espalhados por toda a igreja", disse uma cristã, que se identificou apenas como Margrette. A religião é professada por quase 5% da população do Paquistão, de 180 milhões de pessoas.

Segundo o comissário de polícia da cidade, Muhammad Ali, dois suicidas atacaram a saída da missa. De acordo com o policial, geralmente os fiéis são orientados a se dispersar para evitar ataques. "Enquanto os cristãos se dividiam em grupos menores, um dos suicidas correu contra a multidão. Um policial tentou impedi-lo, mas ele se explodiu", contou Ali. Em outra saída da igreja, houve outra explosão.

Poucas horas depois do atentado, protestos de minorias cristãs eclodiram em Peshawar e outras cidades, como Karachi, Islamabad e Quetta.

Sobreviventes descreveram uma transição instantânea da calma à carnificina. "Eu estava no corredor do prédio da igreja quando a primeira explosão ocorreu", disse Kamran Sadiq, que ficou ferido com estilhaços da explosão. Segundo ele, cerca de 350 pessoas estavam na missa na hora do atentado.

Outros fiéis criticaram a reação da polícia, que não teria feito a segurança adequada do templo, e do governo, que segundo lideranças cristãs teria se engajado numa política de apaziguamento com o Taleban. Nas últimas semanas, Islamabad ordenou a libertação de militantes do grupo para impulsionar as negociações de paz entre o Taleban e o governo do Afeganistão - o grupo atua nos dois países. 

Comentário: O ataque ao Shopping Center no Quênia foi muito bem mais noticiado, mas atacar Igrejas Católicas matando dezenas de pessoas, como no Shopping Center, não é mais notícia, é rotina.

Enquanto o Papa e os Bispos criticarem esses atentados genericamente, sem dar nome e adjetivos exatos aos culpados, que todos sabemos sabemos que é o islamismo, não haverá reação ocidental, só o fim do cristianismo no oriente.