Violent attack on Spanish Catholic Church

[Meunke]

catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10911

“We didn’t do anything because we were praying the rosary [before Mass] and we shouldn’t disrespect the Lord, even in those circumstances. So we just kept praying”

Totally the right thing to do. Afterall, it is soooo not worth preventing someone from comitting acts of violence against the Church. (end sarcasm)

I admit I don’t know everything about the situation, but just based on the article, what kind of cowardly action was this? (and I’m talking about the guy who destroyed the baptism font and the people in the Church.)

Maybe it’s because I’m an American and we just aren’t nice enough to tolerate church desecration here in Kansas City, but if this guy had tried to do that in my church, myself and most of the other menfolk here would have jumped him, hauled him outside so as not to disturb those still praying, (if he resisted he would be beaten into submission) and thrown him off the steps.

What the heck is wrong with people? I guess they did the right thing. I mean, it’s not like our Lord ever threw people out of His Father’s house for desecrating it.

… oh, wait …

 

[Sr_Sally]

The woman quoted was

Isabel Lopez, 80

I doubt she was up to jumping up and hauling off a young man who might have been high.

The police are now involved and will hopefully keep a better eye on the church. I will be praying for Fr. Lauro and the parishoners of that church.

 

[Meunke]

Well, now, don’t get me wrong. Like I said, I don’t know everything about the situation and I wouldn’t expect an elderly lady to try to attack a younger man.

If the entire congregation was comprised of noone except ladies and the elderly, then I guess the story makes sense. Otherwise, no.

Hypothetical situation: A young guy dressed as a clown rushes into a mosque in Spain and starts tearing up the large, 100 year old copy of the Koran that is displayed. I’m willing to bet he wouldn’t get far, perhaps not even out of the front door alive.

 

[Bennie_P]

Well, now, don’t get me wrong. Like I said, I don’t know everything about the situation and I wouldn’t expect an elderly lady to try to attack a younger man.

If the entire congregation was comprised of noone except ladies and the elderly, then I guess the story makes sense. Otherwise, no.

Hypothetical situation: A young guy dressed as a clown rushes into a mosque in Spain and starts tearing up the large, 100 year old copy of the Koran that is displayed. I’m willing to bet he wouldn’t get far, perhaps not even out of the front door alive.

Could it be that Christians are taught to forgive? and is that not what we should do?

Although the police were able to track the man down after he fled from the church, the Augustinian Fathers who operate the parish asked that charges not be pressed, saying, “After all, there are so many on the streets, and we won’t gain anything.” However, he said he hoped police would keep them away from the church.

The story makes perfect sense, for it shows the parishners are follwing the teachings of Christ.

 

[Meunke]

sigh

OK, look, just because our Lord would forgive the money changers in the temple doesn’t mean they should be allowed to keep doing what they were doing. That’s not ‘forgiveness,’ that’s granting permission for violation.

In my opinion, people are using the ‘turn the other cheek’ not always in accord with what Christ taught, but as more an excuse from having to do anything.

Like I said above, if there was no physical way that the attacker could have been stopped, I don’t have anything against the people of the Church.

However, if there was a way to stop him easily, and those that had the ability to take action didn’t, then they deserve blame. Forgiving him after the fact is one thing, not even lifting a finger to stop him from an act of desecration is an act of cowardice.

As a tie in, look at the California incident as discussed in this forum. Guy comes in with a gun railing against God and the church. He is tackeld and disarmed. Did the priest and others forgive him later? I hope so. But allowing him to do whatever he wanted to do and not trying to stop him would not have been ‘practicing what Christ taught.’ It would have been cowardice.

 

[cainem]

Meunke, i understand your frustration here i like you would fight to defend my church, but most days outside of the weekend our church has elderly parishoners attending because the young men are out working, perhaps it was the same here and they chose that parish because they saw it as a softer target compared to a parish filled with younger more capable parishoners

 

[RomanCrusader]

This kind of atrocity would never occur if the noble Francisco Franco was still around (RIP Franco, soldier of Christ).

 

[gam197]

Lopez said every evening two or three people enter the church and disturb people who are praying.

The baptismal font, which dates to the 19th century, was completely destroyed.

This is simply wrong. I don’t care how old any of us are. We can still fight to prevent the destruction of the church. This also sounds like a regular occurrence that they need to stop.

I am afraid they need to lock the main church and pray in a side chapel or meet in each other’s homes for prayer.

Augustinian Fathers who operate the parish asked that charges not be pressed, saying, “After all, there are so many on the streets, and we won’t gain anything.”

The priests make it sound like a justice issue. There are so many poor, we will just let them do what they want even if that entails destroying our church.