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Strategy Change in the Vatican: The Islamic Party Is Born (Sandro Magister, 05/06/2003, L'Espresso)

The events of September 11 and the consequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq marked a shift in the Vatican's international politics. Islam has become the main strategic question. This is, at least, the judgment of one privileged observer: Yosef Neville Lamdan, Israel's ambassador to the Holy See.

Nearing the end of his term of office, Lamdan entrusted his considerations to the American Vatican reporter John L. Allen Jr., the Rome correspondent for the "National Catholic Reporter."

The Vatican - says Lamdan - has three reasons for paying close attention to Islam. The first is the fate of Christians in Muslim countries. The second is the rivalry between the two religions in winning new adherents in Africa and Asia. The third is the growing Muslim presence in Europe.

But according to Lamdan, the Church's reorientation toward Islam could involve two dangers.

The first is a growing tendency on the part of the Church to take pro-Islamic positions. The second is a relegation of dialogue with Judaism to the back burner.

The ambassador acknowledges that John Paul II looks at Israel and the Jews in a positive, even "revolutionary," way. But he says that other Church leaders do not follow suit. Everyone speaks and acts on his own account, on this and other questions.

On the one hand this does make some sense, Islam being a growth industry, especially in Europe, it will be important to the survival of the Church there for it to have good relations with Muslims when they control the continent. On the other hand, has the Church gone insane? Is the only alternative to Crusade really to grovel and pray for mercy? Christianity is obviously dying in Europe even as it rises in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, but shouldn't a universal Church still be waging the struggle to prevail in Europe too? Deus lo volt, fellas. Posted by Orrin Judd at May 7, 2003 11:55 AM