Government Coup

[catherine]

Can you point me to the Pope’s words condeming the slaughter of Iranian citizens early this year by the Islamic regime in Iran? According to ChatGPT, there were no utterances. But Chat is often wrong.

These speeches of der Papst (as he is sometimes called in my household, holdover from my Swiss Catholic MIL) seem pretty politicized to me. I would expect him to speak out against war because it is always an instrument of suffering. I would also expect him to speak out against government slaughter of citizens.

You are correct, at least according to this source:

"News organizations from Reuters and NPR to The New York Times and The Guardian focus on the pope’s calls for diplomacy, his vigil for peace, and his targeted moral language toward leaders and policies; they consistently present his statements as appeals for cease-fire and mediation rather than as detailed responses to particular human-rights episodes inside Iran [4] [3] [8] [5]. The supplied coverage does not include a clear, sourced quotation of Leo addressing—or condemning—executions or hangings of protestors in Iran as a discrete event with a separate papal message."

But if he is preaching his message to his own flock of bellevers, which I"m sure is his intent, keep in mind that there are 50 million Catholics in the US, and scant few in Iran. He certainly holds little sway there. But he is reminding Catholics in the US of the gospel that they signed up to learn from and follow.

In the United States, about 20% of adults — roughly 50 million people — identify as Catholic Pew Research Center+1. This figure comes from the Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 Religious Landscape Study, which surveyed over 35,000 Americans. The U.S. Catholic population has declined from about 24% in 2007, and religiosity among Catholics has also decreased in recent years Catholic World Report.

In Iran, there is no official national census on religious affiliation, and the government does not publish detailed Catholic population statistics. However, Iran is a predominantly Muslim country, with the Shia branch of Islam being the majority faith. The Catholic Church in Iran is small and largely composed of a minority of the population, including converts, diaspora communities, and some ethnic minorities. While exact numbers are not available, Catholic communities in Iran are estimated to be in the low thousands, far smaller than the U.S. Catholic population.

[iris lilies]

You are correct, at least according to this source:

"News organizations from Reuters and NPR to The New York Times and The Guardian focus on the pope’s calls for diplomacy, his vigil for peace, and his targeted moral language toward leaders and policies; they consistently present his statements as appeals for cease-fire and mediation rather than as detailed responses to particular human-rights episodes inside Iran [4] [3] [8] [5]. The supplied coverage does not include a clear, sourced quotation of Leo addressing—or condemning—executions or hangings of protestors in Iran as a discrete event with a separate papal message."

But if he is preaching his message to his own flock of bellevers, which I"m sure is his intent, keep in mind that there are 50 million Catholics in the US, and scant few in Iran. He certainly holds little sway there. But he is reminding Catholics in the US of the gospel that they signed up to learn from and follow.

In the United States, about 20% of adults — roughly 50 million people — identify as Catholic Pew Research Center+1. This figure comes from the Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 Religious Landscape Study, which surveyed over 35,000 Americans. The U.S. Catholic population has declined from about 24% in 2007, and religiosity among Catholics has also decreased in recent years Catholic World Report.

In Iran, there is no official national census on religious affiliation, and the government does not publish detailed Catholic population statistics. However, Iran is a predominantly Muslim country, with the Shia branch of Islam being the majority faith. The Catholic Church in Iran is small and largely composed of a minority of the population, including converts, diaspora communities, and some ethnic minorities. While exact numbers are not available, Catholic communities in Iran are estimated to be in the low thousands, far smaller than the U.S. Catholic population.

Maybe, but I don’t entirely buy that the pope is speaking primarily to Catholics in America. I mean, sure, he speaking to them, but he’s speaking about the generalities of war to everyone. This is a humanitarian message, but it is also a political message.

He spoke rather a lot about the recent Gaza conflict, and those are Jews and Muslims. Few Catholics in the bunch for him to influence his followers.

[Rogar]

I did a review of Revelations 13, which some think involves the coming of the antichrist.

[frugal-one]

The pope is espousing his views to whomever will listen. He is voicing his concern over evil. That should be his prerogative!

[iris lilies]

The pope is espousing his views to whomever will listen. He is voicing his concern over evil. That should be his prerogative!

Yes, I agree the pope provides spiritual leadership for the world.