Reply #17: A fair point [View All]

[fedsron2us]

Ratzinger could have illustrated his argument about forced conversions with plenty of examples from the history of Catholicism going back to the time of the Carolingians who were happy to bring their pagan German neighbours to Christianity at the point of the sword. However, that does not invalidate Paleologus argument since he is not from the Catholic Christian tradition. Byzantium may seem 'obscure' now but in its day it was a great civilisation which was ultimately undermined as much by the Catholic Europe as the Muslims to its East. Both Islam and the Christian West have been robbing its grave for centuries and passing off its achievements as their own. Palaelogus point that war can never be 'Holy' in the eyes of God and that it should never be preached as a means to salvation seems reasonable enough to me. The fact that it causing so much 'offence' after all these centuries suggests he might have been broaching some uncomfortable truths.