The Great Famine and the encyclical of Pius IX

[easygoing]

It's here.

What do people think of the pope's attempts to highlight the famine? Did he do enough?

EDIT The link is now fixed.

[FutureLabourLeader]

I don't think the praying bit worked

[C.Reggan]

I think it's disgraceful that the pope had an encyclical when everybody else had to walk.

[Catalpa]

It's here.

What do people think of the pope's attempts to highlight the famine? Did he do enough?

EDIT The link is now fixed.

The scale of the Famine would have been beyond the resources of the Vatican to bring to a halt, esp by 1847.

Its nice to know that he made an effort to help.

While he started out a liberal the events of 1848 turned him into a reactionary.

He held the Pontificate for longer than any other Pope in History ( 1846 -1878) in what was a rapidly changing Italy of wars and revolutions.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12134b.htm

All the same Blessed be his name for helping us at such a terrible time in our History.

[The OD]

I think it's disgraceful that the pope had an encyclical when everybody else had to walk.

[Cael]

It's here.

What do people think of the pope's attempts to highlight the famine? Did he do enough?

EDIT The link is now fixed.

Collecting money to aid the victims of a genocide is a good thing in itself. But the complete blindness this document shows to the cause of the suffering limits its usefullness. It seems the Pope was more concerned with keeping good relations with the English government than with stopping England's genocidal policies in Ireland. Par for the course when it comes to the Catholic Church in Ireland.

[Catalpa]

It's here.

What do people think of the pope's attempts to highlight the famine? Did he do enough?

EDIT The link is now fixed.

Collecting money to aid the victims of a genocide is a good thing in itself. But the complete blindness this document shows to the cause of the suffering limits its usefullness. It seems the Pope was more concerned with keeping good relations with the English government than with stopping England's genocidal policies in Ireland. Par for the course when it comes to the Catholic Church in Ireland.

Oh come on Cael that's being silly!

He was head of the Papal States and sitting on a tinderbox* - the last thing he would consider is pissing off the British Empire - 19th Century Realpolitik I'm afraid to say.

Outline a realistic political stance he could have taken against Britian that woudl have helped us one iota to get through the Famine in better shape or bring it to a halt?

* which duly ignited!

[easygoing]

It's here.

What do people think of the pope's attempts to highlight the famine? Did he do enough?

EDIT The link is now fixed.

Collecting money to aid the victims of a genocide is a good thing in itself. But the complete blindness this document shows to the cause of the suffering limits its usefullness. It seems the Pope was more concerned with keeping good relations with the English government than with stopping England's genocidal policies in Ireland. Par for the course when it comes to the Catholic Church in Ireland.

Oh come on Cael that's being silly!

He was head of the Papal States and sitting on a tinderbox* - the last thing he would consider is pissing off the British Empire - 19th Century Realpolitik I'm afraid to say.

Outline a realistic political stance he could have taken against Britian that woudl have helped us one iota to get through the Famine in better shape or bring it to a halt?

* which duly ignited!

Cael adopts a very nationalist Mitchellite interpretation of the famine. While I wouldn't wholeheartedly endorse his views, I think this encyclical goes some way towards undermining the 'providentialist' argument.

[Cael]

It's here.

What do people think of the pope's attempts to highlight the famine? Did he do enough?

EDIT The link is now fixed.

Collecting money to aid the victims of a genocide is a good thing in itself. But the complete blindness this document shows to the cause of the suffering limits its usefullness. It seems the Pope was more concerned with keeping good relations with the English government than with stopping England's genocidal policies in Ireland. Par for the course when it comes to the Catholic Church in Ireland.

Oh come on Cael that's being silly!

He was head of the Papal States and sitting on a tinderbox* - the last thing he would consider is pissing off the British Empire - 19th Century Realpolitik I'm afraid to say.

Outline a realistic political stance he could have taken against Britian that woudl have helped us one iota to get through the Famine in better shape or bring it to a halt?

* which duly ignited!

Better he called himself prime minister of the Vatican State, then, instead of Pope. Calling yourself a Pope brings certain moral responsibility with it you know.

[Kevin Doyle]

There was no famine. Famine indicates no food. Ireland was producing thousands and thousands of tons of food a week which was marched to the docks at gunpoint and exported out of the country.

What happened here in the 19th century was genocide. What happened in Ethiopia was a famine.