Today is a day of Zen and my birthday …..but that is not the apology I am talking about…….
Did you read or see the da Vinci Code? How about the “Alabaster Jar”? Anyway if not, they are both about the Knights Templar…..you know that band of dudes in the 11th century that went to the Middle east and came back the premier bunch of knights….they were the fair haired boys of the Pope and pretty much invented the banking system we have today….but that soon came to a halt….on Friday the 13th of October 1307. possibly the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition, the Pope and a French king began arresting and torturing and eventually executing the Knights Templar……to this day there has been an opinion that these charges of idolatry, heresy and devil worship were trumped up charges to gain the extreme wealth that the Templars controlled….the order was pretty much disbanded as many escaped to parts unknown……
But in the 19th century the order was reborn, but this time as a charitable organization….and recently the order has sent a letter to Benedict XVI asking that the order be reinstated in good graces of the church and that they want an apology for the misdeeds inflicted on the Templars…..
From an article in UK’s Telegraph……..
The Italian chapter of the order has written to Pope Benedict XVI asking him to issue a pardon for de Molay and to acknowledge that he was a victim of false accusations.
“There was an enormous degree of complicity because Clement V, who was Pope at the time, was under huge pressure from King Philip,” Walter Grandis, 64, the current head or Grand Prior of the Knights Templar in Italy, told The Daily Telegraph.
“This was an appalling crime and a miscarriage of justice that the Church allowed to happen.
“We’re asking for de Molay to be pardoned so that we can finally turn a page in history and work towards reconciliation,” said Mr Grandis, who recently wrote a book on the order, called The Templars: The Real Secret.
A document found in the Vatican Secret Archives a decade ago revealed that Clement V absolved some Templars of heresy, but the Church has never apologised for the order’s persecution.
The request for a pardon and apology was submitted to Dr Guzman Carriquiry Lecour, the under-secretary for the Pontifical Council for the Laity, a few weeks ago but will be discussed by modern-day Templars at a special conference in Turin on Friday and Saturday.
A Vatican spokesman said the request was being considered.
Whatcha think? Should the Pope apologize? I say YES! There is much the Catholic Church needs to apologize for and this would be a great place to start.
Happy birthday!
Thanx Chris and nice to hear from you…hope all is okay….
Nope. Never apologize! Once they do that the church opens the flood gates and it’ll be seen for what it really is. Just another worldly organization serving it’s own needs over those of others.
happy Zen-like Birthday.
Thanx hansi……the church is a pariah that has been feed off the faithful for damn near 2000 years….
Yes. Happy birthday (personally, I’ve given them up as a bad idea, but each to his own) 😆
I think Hansi’s comment is spot on – the minute the church (ANY church) starts apologising for any of its VAST number of shortcomings, then it becomes obvious to the gullible that they have been duped by others who are no better than them, or possibly worse.
Perhaps the Templars should don their armour once more, saddle up and ride on the Vatican – it’s about time someone showed the whole nasty charade up for what it is… 😈
Thanx Quin….my daughter had to bring it up….I too try to stop celebrating but you know people……lol
Hansi right. The church has much to forgive. Starting with the persecution of Wiccans and the theft of their winter solstice as a day to worship the birth of Jesus and the suppression of other “christian” ideological bents that have been revealed in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Gnostic Gospels.
Ibwoodgate…I know what you’re talking about re: the solstice and gnostic gospels, and how the 2nd Century church was not about saving souls, but gaining centralized power and crushing gnosticism. Interesting field to research; far cry from the myth we’ve been taught in Sunday School.
Larry, I agree with you and hansi……I just wish more people were curious and read the other “scriptures” they might find a new perspective……
Well I think the Catholic church as a lot to apologize for, historically speaking. But any church has a lot to apologize for, Christian, Catholic or otherwise (at least here in the US. I try not to make statements about other countries because I’m not as sure what the history is there). They are close-minded and refuse to accept that people outside of their way. It’s a very “all or nothing” mentality that doesn’t have to be there. Anyway, the Catholic church used to do (and still does) a lot to preserve themselves and to gain money, including slander and persecution–their two favorite methods of destruction aside from death. Haha.
The RCC definitely has a lot more to apologize for, but starting here would be good. Don’t hold your breath though because you won’t make it to your next birthday.
Happy Belated Birthday, BTW!
Thanx Spinny….it was a typical forgettable day….LOL I agree …Hell if they will not man up over the child abuse thing why would they give two craps about the Templars….
Well, to give a straight answer to that question, abused children fequently become damaged adults who can’t really do much against an “august” body as Rome. The Templars on the other hand COULD turn up at the gates of Vatican City riding modern day horses (Ferraris), wearing full armour (kevlar), lances in hand (automatic rifles) and demanding satisfaction (surrender) – if you get my drift… 😈
And that would be a bad thing?