AmericanPapist Comments
I think this pope may be the "Great Pope" approved Catholic prophecies have spoken of.
The angels are rejoicing tonight.
I think il papa is gonna be the fulfilment of one of Nostradamus' predictnions, not the last Pope, but the one who will see alot of women leaving the Church because of him. (Most likely due to his take no crap policy with regards to vocations)
I'm heartily pleased by this man's, (bloody couragous), conversion to the Catholic faith. Altough this will NOT bode well with Islamo-Christian relations.
A couple of things; first, there is no such thing as a non-practicing muslim. If he was born in Egypt, he's muslim, whether he knows it or not.
As for converts rarely being put to death you might want to check out this website: http://www.protestantedigital.co...hp?r=217&
n=9008
It gives the details of a convert to Christianity who was put to death this week in Saudi Arabia--for converting. I'd send you the link to the story in English, but it seems that English speakers aren't interested in the abuses propagated by the Saudi government on Christians who have the misfortune to live in their oil-rich land...
John Allen has more on the man
http://ncrcafe.org/node/1686
He isn't a stranger on the Catholic circuit so yeah - I think the papers will politicize the event but isn't always so? Kinda a negative affirmation of a truth, that it does matter if you are Catholic and that there is a Pope and Christ reigns in our hearts when freely chosen?
he apparently already has had a guard for protection.
Many thanks for your blog
Jenn
"A couple of things; first, there is no such thing as a non-practicing muslim."
When someone starts a post in as a demonstrably wrong, and frankly as silly, a way, it's hard to take the rest of the assertions seriously--even though she might have a point.
It is ridiculous to say that a man could not know whether he is a Muslim or not. How is being born in Egypt somehow evidence that he is unconditionally Muslim?
Furthermore, there must be such a thing as a non-practicing Muslim. Just as there are examples of non-practicing Catholics, non-practicing Protestants, non-practicing Jews, etc. He said that he had long ceased to engage in most of the important rituals of Islam and it did not seem that he held either the spirit or law of Islam to be important to his life. You may claim that there was a residue of Islamic culture on him, but that does not constitute practice of a faith.
In response to the "statement" aspect of the baptism, I think that circumstances very much fell into place in this event. This makes it hard to resist a "political" interpretation. A prominent and vocal (non-practicing) member of another faith very publicly joined the Church. The opportunity to display this was, I think, duly taken advantage of.
That being said, I do not think that negative motives drove the public nature of the baptism. That is, there will be a temptation for many to view this as the Vatican scoring a point against Islam. The timing would certainly indicate that this is the objective, given Osama bin Laden's recent statement. But, as many have seen with such issues as Benedict's lecture at Regensberg, there are many who are liable to misinterpret the Vatican's actions and statements and views. Hopefully that is more problematic for the misinterpreters than for the Church. Let us also hope that no one is injured or killed in the next few days when there may be a reaction to Allam's baptism.
Back to the point. "Scoring a goal" against Islam in not at all the objective of conversion or of this particular baptism. We are united in faith, as Benedict intimated in his homily, for peaceful and positive purposes.
I applaud the reaction of the Union of Islamic Communities in Italy for its maturity and I pray that Islamic communities in the rest of the world follow suit.
Pray, please for the Holy Father, this was right but also dangerous. The enemies of the the Church have much (temporal) power.
Its so interesting that a conversion from muslim faith is headline news, but no mention is made of the other 'individuals' the pope baptized. Were they muslims? or jews? or 'born again' catholics?
I also wonder at the choice of headlines-I wonder why the 'torture to death of a disabled pregnant woman' in Missisipi is not headline news, but a single conversion of a muslim is!! Maybe because the torture did not happen in a Iran or any other 'evil' muslim country.
Who cares? The war should be the headlines, our soldiers not being home for Easter, not a non-practicing muslim and from Egypt of all places. This is all propaganda and more biasness for the media against the muslim religion. Shame on you.
Good for him.
And long live Israel.
George Vreeland Hill
a nobody non-practising "muslim" converts and it makes the front page? this guy never prayed like a muslim, never fasted in the month of ramadan... how can he be a muslim? a muslim is a muslim by practising the faith, not by talking about it, claiming to be a muslim or being from a muslim country.
I guess I missed all the "propaganda" while I was joining the angels in their rejoicing. Silly me.
GUYS! FOR GOODNESS SAKE! We ALL know the political spin that will always, always, always be put on il Papa's actions. Wether he was muslim in name only or muslim by affiliation or identification matters not, at least, it doesn't now.
The guy is saved now, will you quit worrying about the general hatefulness of the media for a moment and simply rejoice? It's Easter for God's sake!
God bless this man but I hope his insurance is paid up.
Deo Gratias; welcome home Magdi Allam.
This has political spin potential only because of the recency of the Bin Laden threats.
I think it's very brave of the man. Most men in his position do it quietly. He will most certainly become a target for harassment now.
I read a super comment on another messageboard:
The parallelism is stunning: Muslims take a soul by killing an Archbishop; Catholics take a soul by baptising a Muslim.
Viva il Papa!
There could not be a better case of Oxymoron here. How could he be a “Non practicing Muslim”? Please go ahead and read the definition of the word “Islam”. Now it is interesting that media is calling this guy “The most prominent Muslim in Italy”. Just being born in a Muslim Country does not make you a Muslim May God have mercy on all of us.
He wasn't "chosen" by il Papa or the Church; rather, he CHOSE the Church himself. And most adult converts are baptized and confirmed on or around Easter.
I'll admit that most don't receive these sacraments from the Pope, and yes, Magdi Allam *was* selected for that distinct honor.
Galloglasses,
could you enlighten me on the Nastrodamus thing? Nastrodamus' prophecies are unreliable and heretical.
Magdi Allam has been a great friend of the movement Communion and Liberation for many years, and so has il Papa. I am sure their close relationship played a role in having Magdi getting baptized by Benedetto. It was not a political thing. Magdi is so proud of the Church, I thought he was a closet Catholic for many years anyway. Benvenuto Magdi.
right again, bill912.
Sherry Weddell of the Siena Institute disapproves
John Allen points out that Mallam has been connected with Communion and Liberation for some time and that some Muslims may have already assumed that he was Christian because he has been so public about his most-Islamically incorrect opinions. Actually, this sort of gesture is beginning to sound like just the sort of thing that Mallam would do.
However, there will be consequences for others.
Some Muslims who are seeking will be inspired to do the same thing.
And some will be persecuted and some may well die for this.
Why? Because it is so extraordinarily public. The image of a famous Muslim receiving baptism from the Pope's hand in St. Peter's at the most solemn liturgy of the year was watched live by hundreds of millions and now has already circled the globe. It is being prominantly covered by every major news agency in the world as I write - including in the Muslim world. Allam's personal decision could not possibly have been dramatized in a more-in-your-face manner.
To us it is an important gesture of religious freedom and freedom of conscience. To fundamentalist Muslims, it is an open act of public contempt for Islam and humiliation by the most prominent Christian in the world. This is a jihadist spin doctor's dream come true. It won't matter that Mallam was never really a practicing Muslim, married to a Catholic wife (A Muslim man is permitted to marry a Christian woman but a Muslim woman may not marry a Christian man in Islam), and living in Italy for a long time.
Will there be reprisals against the Pope? I don't know. We should be praying for him and everyone else involved assiduously. Might it endanger Allam and his family? Absolutely. Might some Italian by-standers be hurt? Its possible. How about Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan? You betcha. But it will certainly affect the lives of Christians living in the Muslim world for years to come. This kind of needlessly public gesture makes them shudder.
arkanabar
In the supposed newly found book of Nostradamus, (I use supposed because I not entirely convinced it was drawn by the man himself, or his son for that matter), there are several prophetic pictures relating to the papacy, man had alot to say about the papacy apparently. In one of the Papal pictures shows a tall, giant of a man dressed in papal regalia being faced by a tiny turkish warrior who is raising a sword against him and hiding behind a shield. People relate this to the assasination attempt on Pope john Paul the Great, the Pope in the picture is shown to be of great stature, and his assasin was indeed turkish, and he hid in the crowd. (The shield)
In another one shows the a Pope with draconic lower legs, signifying warlike behaviour or strength in general. the top half was human and dressed in Papal clothing, the Pope was holding a dagger/sword to the throat of a roaring bear. People take this as meaning the Papacy's/Church's battle against communism, the Bear being the symbol of both Tzarist and Soviet Russia, the first commie nation. (In the documentary I was watching one day, they consulted a 'physchic' to give 'her' veiw. She said that it signified a loss of masculine power in the Church. Absolute horse tripe because wether the picture is prophecy or not, it shows the opposite to a loss of masculine power. btw, not a single priest was asked to give his veiw even though nostradamus wrotes volumes on the Church herself.)
In the third one, (the only other papal orientated prophecy that the documentary showed, I think there were loads more besides as nostradamus' prophecies coincided the fall of the Church to the Second coming of Christ, so Church prophecies would be comonplace.) it showed a tall and rather staunch Papal figure grasping a double cross, (A cross with two bars), made of gold, its haft reach down to the ground where its contact with the ground caught fire, the cross itself was not shown to be harmed at all rather, the fire was either spewing from it or being disapated from it. women where attempting to hold the cross, one woman had her hand on the cross but below the Pope's own fist. five other women were shown either going for the cross or turning and 'skulking' away. Many associate this with the current Holy Father, I think this is likely because I personally expect the Holy Father to finally sort out this vocation crisis, the womanchurch nonsense, and the arch-heretical feminist theology. Which I also expect would trun some of the more proud women away from the Church. Even before I heard of Nostradamus' new book.
The 'psychic' women said that this would lead many women away from the Church, (most likely, altough hopefully only the unrepentent few) and the fire would mean the destruction of the church. (More horse dung for the heap, one: if that was true and these were drawn by nostradmus, it would be inconsistent with his 'written' prophecies where the Papacy is concerned and two: The Wo
Recipe for a famous muslim:
1. Be born in a muslim country. Experience islam without ever practicing it. You will lose all credibility the minute you admit to ever pray to "islamic" God.
2. Write an anti-Islam or anti-Mohammad book, doesn't require any literary skills. Just Mention 72 virgins and you will a win a award from a neo-conservative think tank or from a zionist philonthropist and free publicity at fox news.
3. Put yourself forward as an expert of Islam. Does not require any doctorate studies in theology. You just need to know enough Islam to learn to spell 'muslim' and not 'moslem' and ofcourse you need to know about 72 whores...72, nor 71 or 73.
4. Finally proclaim your love of Israel. Disregard killing of palestenian muslim and catholic children or peace activists by bulldozers or the siege of Chruch of Nativity in Bethlehem by IDF.
5. Move to Italy and go public with your desire to convert to Catholism. No your religion is not personal anymore, if you want to be 'famous', you have to convert with full pomp and Vatican glamor. Seek out the papacy and present yourself as 'famous' muslim who speaks for 1.5 billions muslims of the world, and the papacy will court you..CAUSE YOU ARE "FAMOUS" ;)
Ok this is bugging me. Will you guys SHUT UP!?
The guy converted now, you don't know why and you should be happy about it in whatever case. His sins are now washed away. Come on...
Galloglasses, those Nastrodamus prophecies are a pile of honey. We are not at the end of the world. So stop talking about it.
@the warrior,
I was responding to YOUR request to me to explain what I meant in my first comment, I wasn't going off on a random tirade. If you read it, you'll find i'm skeptical of Nostradamus, I only find amusement in how some interpretations of his prophecies correlate to my hopes of the Holy Father.
"Galloglasses,
could you enlighten me on the Nastrodamus thing? Nastrodamus' prophecies are unreliable and heretical."
the warrior | Homepage | 03.23.08 - 2:15 pm | #
This Egyptian convert from Muslim to Christan next thing will we will know he want immigration to another country.I think that way he change his religion so he can get immigration to another coutry so he can say his life is in danger
This person change his religion so he can get immigration to another country.
The Pope was doing his ministry, and the former Muslim, Mr. Allam, was smart enough to accept the Heavenly call, and to escape Allam's contract with the second death. Good moves by both the Pope, and the Mr. Allam! Amen.
Abi, where are you getting this wild theory?
". . . His Holiness has sent an explicit and revolutionary message to a Church that until now has been too prudent in the conversion of Muslims, abstaining from proselytizing in majority Muslim countries and keeping quiet about the reality of converts in Christian countries. Out of fear. The fear of not being able to protect converts in the face of their being condemned to death for apostasy and fear of reprisals against Christians living in Islamic countries. Well, today Benedict XVI, with his witness, tells us that we must overcome fear and not be afraid to affirm the truth of Jesus even with Muslims.
"For my part, I say that it is time to put an end to the abuse and the violence of Muslims who do not respect the freedom of religious choice. . . ."
-- letter by Magdi Allam, March 23, 2008, recounting "the story of the interior journey that brought [him] to the choice of conversion to Catholicism."
PEACE
More power to him! God bless him and keep him safe!
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