British churches increasingly host iftar ceremonies during Ramadan, and senior politicians have accused clergy of facilitating bogus asylum petitions by immigrants who falsely claim to have converted to Christianity.Britain isn’t unique. In the U.S., the leaders of Christian denominations have denounced federal immigration enforcement tactics, and Pope Leo marked the 250th anniversary of American independence with a visit to Lampedusa, an entry point to Europe for migrants crossing the Mediterranean. Leo insisted in a letter published the same day that the U.S. has a duty to welcome immigrants.... The xenophilic position dominant now emerged from a particular historical moment. Pope Leo and Archbishop Mullally are both baby boomers. So are most senior church leaders: in the U.S., the average Catholic bishop is 65½....Boomers grew up in a high-trust, religious and family-centric culture cultivated by their parents and grandparents. Progressive members of this generation also got to enjoy the rejection of all that once the 1960s swung into gear. They benefited from the old culture and from its destruction. This is a trick that can only be pulled once....When the boomers pass away, and a new generation assumes leadership positions, political change in the church could be rapid. Last week, a leaked video surfaced of a young French military chaplain addressing paratroopers in a cathedral in the south of France. To applause from the servicemen, Fr. Romain Ghandour poured scorn on leftists and warned against those who would “take the place of our values.” Left-wing presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon—a baby boomer—accused Fr. Ghandour of “preaching the return of the Crusades” and seemed to call for the priest’s imprisonment. The sermon was indeed closer to that of Pope Urban II than Pope Leo XIV.
I assume the readership of the Hall does not need an introduction to Pope Urban II or his significance.
What I would have liked from the Catholic Church, when I converted to Catholicism, was a path to the chivalric knighthood whose values inspired so much of my youth. I would have liked for the Church to forgive some of what we did from necessity, and then sanctify and guide the work according to the wisdom of its ages.
The Church still has some of the old military orders, though for the most part it has pacified them; in an era of violence against churches, having a certain number of young men who serve by standing guard over the assembled flock has practical as well as religious value. This would tie young men into the Church firmly, as the traditions involve prayer and fasting as well as the preparations for guarding and -- potentially -- martyrdom. The Church has no such path only because its leadership wants none; you'll become a Knight faster by becoming an elected Senator with favors to offer than by having a soul devoted to shepherding the weak through the valley of darkness.
Even after 9/11 the pacifism hardened, refusing the sword instead of guiding its application. When it was needed most, the Church set its militant traditions beyond the Pale and refused to consider or lay hands to them.
Perhaps the next generation will do better.
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