Why is Ratzi sticking his nose into EU affairs?

[reknaw]

This report was in a lot of papers yesterday. It seems Ratzi has strongly backed Croatia's bid to be allowed into the European Union. This is a boost to the Croatian government, which is conservative (versteht sich!).

Ratzi also went on a lot about the EU being essentially Christian, although he did have some criticism of it as an "overly strong centralised bureaucracy". As if the organisation he himself heads wasn't!

I would have thought that who joins the EU is a matter for the EU to decide, not Ratzi. It is high time for him to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and let the civil powers do their thing. He has enough to do to put his own house in order without interfering in secular politics.

In addition, his praise for the cardinal and convicted war criminal Stepinac is certain to open a lot of wounds in the Jewish and Serb communities.

Pope Supports Croatia's EU Bid Upon Arrival In Zagreb

[liamfoley]

Funny how those who like to describe themselves as liberal and tolerant feel that only those they agree with are entitled to hold opinions and express them. Very hypocritical.
By the way Stepinac has nothing to do with this case, it has no bearing on who can or cannot remark. But the fact that you bring it up kind of shows how weak your argument is.

[TradCat]

If EU matters are a matter for the EU one wonders why Eamonn Gilmore had to assure the US Embassy that he wasn't telling the truth to the Irish people when he said there would be no second referendum on Lisbon.

[reknaw]

Funny how those who like to describe themselves as liberal and tolerant feel that only those they agree with are entitled to hold opinions and express them. Very hypocritical.
By the way Stepinac has nothing to do with this case, it has no bearing on who can or cannot remark. But the fact that you bring it up kind of shows how weak your argument is.

Read the article I linked to see the relevance of the convicted war criminal Stepinac.

Do you have any thoughts on the theme of the thread, by the way? I'm already very familiar with your unwillingness to brook any criticism of the kiddy-fiddler church or its head.

In other words, should Ratzi be trying to influence who joins (or does not join) the European Union? Would it be OK for him to come out strongly against the idea of Turkish membership, for example, on the ground that this might weaken the Xian character that Ratzi believes the EU, which is actually a secular entity, should have?

Shouldn't we leave those things to secular politicians and let Ratzi clean up his own bailiwick?

[Con Gallagher]

Wow - head of a Catholic State land locked within an eu which uses the eurozone supports entry of a country into eu of a largely catholic country. You will also find that on a visit to turkey he said that turkey could join the eu* (if it wanted to and nobody else objected and it fulfilled all the criteria in the fullness of time, after due consideration, after-all Rome wasn't built in a day - or words to that effect))


* as did president bush.

[liamfoley]

Read the article I linked to see the relevance of the convicted war criminal Stepinac.

Do you have any thoughts on the theme of the thread, by the way? I'm already very familiar with your unwillingness to brook any criticism of the kiddy-fiddler church or its head.

In other words, should Ratzi be trying to influence who joins (or does not join) the European Union? Would it be OK for him to come out strongly against the idea of Turkish membership, for example, on the ground that this might weaken the Xian character that Ratzi believes the EU, which is actually a secular entity, should have?

Shouldn't we leave those things to secular politicians and let Ratzi clean up his own bailiwick?

This is just another trolling thread from a well known troll. Benedict XVII is not Stepinac. Is that hard for you to understand?
If you want to start a thread about Church State relations go ahead but this amateurish, childish rubbish is more a reflection on your own immaturity than anything else.

[shiel]

As head of one of the largest Christian churches and head of the Vatican state he is entitled to his opinion. Everyone else is entitled as a citizen to agree or disagree.

[reknaw]

This is just another trolling thread from a well known troll. Benedict XVII is not Stepinac. Is that hard for you to understand?
If you want to start a thread about Church State relations go ahead but this amateurish, childish rubbish is more a reflection on your own immaturity than anything else.

Who is stopping you starting any thread you want? And are you sure you know what the word "troll" means? I post under only one alias and always from one of two IP addresses.

I have never said that Beingadick is Stepinac. Stepinac is dead, actually. What I did say is that Beingadick's praise of the highly controversial figure and convicted war criminal Stepinac is likely to open wounds in the Serb and Jewish communities, which have bitter memories of the Ustaše puppet regime in Croatia during the Second World War.

Here's a bit about them:

Usta

They were so gruesome that they freaked out even Himmler, who was certainly no pussy:

"A Gestapo report to Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler, dated February 17, 1942, stated that:

Increased activity of the bands [of rebels] is chiefly due to atrocities carried out by Ustaše units in Croatia against the Orthodox population. The Ustaše committed their deeds in a bestial manner not only against males of conscript age, but especially against helpless old people, women and children. The number of the Orthodox that the Croats have massacred and sadistically tortured to death is about three hundred thousand."

Stepinac was convicted and jailed for his involvement, and now Beingadick wants to praise him and maybe even canonise him.

You couldn't make it up.

[Cato]

As head of one of the largest Christian churches and head of the Vatican state he is entitled to his opinion. Everyone else is entitled as a citizen to agree or disagree.

I don't know about 'one of'. Is he not simply the head of the largest christian church? Of course, from a RC's view, he is simply the head of THE Church.

[bmw1]

This is just another trolling thread from a well known troll. Benedict XVII is not Stepinac. Is that hard for you to understand?
If you want to start a thread about Church State relations go ahead but this amateurish, childish rubbish is more a reflection on your own immaturity than anything else.

he not benedict xvii either he xvi only