Pope to Baptize prominent moslem on Holy Saturday

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From the Earth Times (of the UK); (the first 3 paragraphs only)

**Muslim journalist to be baptized by Pope Benedict XVI **

Vatican City - An Italian journalist who is under police protection in the wake of threats from Muslim extremists is set to be baptized late Saturday by Pope Benedict XVI, according to news reports citing the Vatican’s spokesman. The Egyptian-born Magdi Allam, a deputy editor for Italy’s most respected newspaper Corriere della Sera, will join five other converts who will receive sacraments from the pope, Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency.

Benedict was scheduled to preside at an Easter Vigil ceremony in St Peter’s Basilica where he would administer the sacraments to the converts who include nationals from Cameroon, China, the United States and Peru, the Vatican said.

Allam, who has described himself as a “moderate Muslim,” has been outspoken in condemning what he has said is Italy’s and Europe’s inability to thwart the spread of radical Islam.
 
Caveman said:
From the Earth Times (of the UK); (the first 3 paragraphs only)

**Muslim journalist to be baptized by Pope Benedict XVI **

Vatican City - An Italian journalist who is under police protection in the wake of threats from Muslim extremists is set to be baptized late Saturday by Pope Benedict XVI, according to news reports citing the Vatican’s spokesman. The Egyptian-born Magdi Allam, a deputy editor for Italy’s most respected newspaper Corriere della Sera, will join five other converts who will receive sacraments from the pope, Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency.

Benedict was scheduled to preside at an Easter Vigil ceremony in St Peter’s Basilica where he would administer the sacraments to the converts who include nationals from Cameroon, China, the United States and Peru, the Vatican said.

Allam, who has described himself as a “moderate Muslim,” has been outspoken in condemning what he has said is Italy’s and Europe’s inability to thwart the spread of radical Islam.
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Wow…may St. Michael the Archangel protect him from his potential assassins. :signofcross:
 
Praise God! In related good news tonight we had 8 converts, one of whom was a former Muslim. May God protect them all.
 
Yahya Pallavicini, vice president of Coreis, the Islamic religious community in Italy, said he respected Allam’s choice but said he was ‘‘perplexed’’ by the symbolic and high-profile way in which he chose to convert.
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‘‘If Allam truly was compelled by a strong spiritual inspiration, perhaps it would have been better to do it delicately, maybe with a priest from Viterbo where he lives,’’ the ANSA news agency quoted Pallavicini as saying.
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I wonder if his choice for such a high-profile entry into the Church was in part to make his possible murder all the more meaningful.
suntimes.com/news/world/856567,pope032208.article
 
I dont think this is going to matter that much because as the article pointed out he wasnt a practicing Muslim. It might be a little different if he was a deeply devout Muslim, but over all i dont think this event will galvanize the Muslim World to hate the western world further.
 
He was hardly a ‘prominent’ Muslim, in fact I don’t think he could have been called a Muslim at all. This guy has done nothing but be a posterboy for all those who hate us for our faith by calling for Mosques to be banned in Europe because they’re all run by Al-Qaida and other stupid rants. I for one am glad to see the back of him.
 
"Pope baptizes one of Italy’s most prominent Muslims at Easter vigil service

March 22, 2008

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
VATICAN CITY – Italy’s most prominent Muslim, an iconoclastic writer who condemned Islamic extremism and defended Israel, converted to Catholicism Saturday in a baptism by the pope at a Vatican Easter service.

An Egyptian-born, non-practicing Muslim who is married to a Catholic, Magdi Allam infuriated some Muslims with his books and columns in the newspaper Corriere della Sera newspaper, where he is a deputy editor. He titled one book ‘‘Long Live Israel.’’

» Click to enlarge image Magdi Allam, Italy’s most prominent Muslim, converted to Catholicism Saturday in a baptism by the pope at a Vatican Easter service.
(AP)

As a choir sang, Pope Benedict XVI poured holy water over Allam’s head and said a brief prayer in Latin.

‘‘We no longer stand alongside or in opposition to one another,’’ Benedict said in a homily reflecting on the meaning of baptism. ‘‘Thus faith is a force for peace and reconciliation in the world: distances between people are overcome, in the Lord we have become close.’’

Vatican Television zoomed in on Allam, who sat in the front row of the basilica along with six other candidates for baptism. He later received his first Communion.

Allam, 55, told the newspaper Il Giornale in a December interview that his criticism of Palestinian suicide bombing provoked threats on his life in 2003, prompting the Italian government to provide him with a sizable security detail.

… ."
 
I think it is important to point out that Magdi Allam is only one of millions of muslims that convert to Christianity each year.

I have seen reports that should 15,000 convert every year in France with 10,000 of them becoming Catholics. And then there is Africa where the number has been put around 6 million each year.

What this does is put the spotlight on those conversions. Hopefully the trend will continue and accelerate.
 
Three cheers for Mr. Allam from Italy who is in the news as
a convert from Islam. (God protect him from his enemies!)
 
Yes, I heard about this. That’s very good, however I don’t think it will help ease tensions in the Islam world. 🤷
 
holdencaulfield said:
Yes, I heard about this. That’s very good, however I don’t think it will help ease tensions in the Islam world. 🤷
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I agree–at least in the short term. This will probably stir up–I wish it weren’t so-- another round of kristallnachts from our Muslim brothers.
 
I really don’t think this will rock the Islamic world quite as much as we Catholics would expect. True, Muslims do believe that a nominal Muslim is infinitely better than nominally being anything else (much less practicing!), but Mr Allam essentially apostatized from Islam long before converting to Catholicism. We should be glad that Mr Allam has come home, and pray that this doesn’t turn into another need for a national government to provide bodyguards for one of its citizens, like Holland did for Ayaan Hirsi Ali - but the Islamic world is already calling our bluff, shouting from the highest minarets, “So what, guess how many non-practicing Catholics converted to Islam last year???”
 
( pray that this doesn’t turn into another need for a national government to provide bodyguards for one of its citizens, like Holland did for Ayaan Hirsi Ali -)

I have no doubt that Mr Allam will need all the protection he can get…

Lord, hold Mr. Allam and all converts to the Faith from Islam in your loving hands!
 
The Muslim religion is one based on fear of retribution if one does not tow the party line,
Communism has the same approach to dissidents, witness how Communist China is treating Tibet protestors ,with violence.

And so, it is good to stand up to bullies, if you no longer fear them then they have no power over you. By baptizing a prominent Muslim the Pope is making a statement that will not be lost on the militant, fanatical Muslims, and that is we are not afraid of you.
 
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