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POPE FRANCIS HAS criticised ’deviant forms of religion’ after last week’s attacks in Paris that left 20 people dead, including the three gunmen.
In a ‘State of the World” speech this morning, the Pope said that the slayings in Paris are an example of people becoming ‘enslaved to deviant forms of religion’.
“Losing their freedom, people become enslaved, whether to the latest fads, or to power, money, or even deviant forms of religion,” he said, laying the blame on “a culture of rejection” which leads to “the breakdown of society and spawning violence and death.”
“We see painful evidence of this in the events reported daily in the news, not least the tragic slayings which took place in Paris a few days ago,” he said in his yearly speech to the members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See.
The Pope’s comments come as Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will today visit the kosher supermarket in eastern Paris where four Jews were killed when the Islamist gunman stormed the store last week.
Accompanied by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Netanyahu will pay tribute to victims at the site, according to an embassy spokeswoman, adding that no speech would be made during the brief ceremony.
It was also announced today that France will call up 10,000 military personnel to bolster security around “sensitive” sites in the country, in the wake of last week’s attacks that left 17 dead. It’s expected that about 5,000 security forces and police will be deployed to protect the county’s Jewish schools.
Defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian unveiled the fresh measures after an emergency meeting called by President Francois Hollande as attention turned to preventing a repeat of France’s bloodiest attacks in half a century.
France turns its attention Monday to plugging security holes blamed for failing to prevent the deadliest terrorist attack on the country in half a century, after millions united in historic rallies.
In the biggest show of solidarity, in Paris, more than a million people mourned the victims of three days of terror that began with a massacre at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday.
President Francois Hollande will chair a crisis meeting with cabinet ministers today to discuss security measures after the shootings raised questions about how the attackers slipped through the intelligence services’ net.
Hollande has warned his traumatised nation to keep up its guard in the face of possible new assaults.
All three gunmen — brothers Said, 34, and Cherif Kouachi, 32, and Amedy Coulibaly, 32 — had a history of extremism and were known to French intelligence.
Prime Minister Manuel Valls has admitted there were “clear failings” after it emerged that the Kouachi brothers had been on a US terror watch list “for years”.
Said was known to have travelled to Yemen in 2011, where he received weapons training from Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, while Cherif was a known jihadist who was convicted in 2008 for involvement in a network sending fighters to Iraq.
Coulibaly was a repeat criminal offender who had been convicted for extremist Islamist activity.
All three were shot dead by security forces Friday after a reign of terror that targeted Charlie Hebdo magazine, a kosher supermarket and police.
Coulibaly’s partner Hayat Boumeddiene is now most likely in Syria according to a Turkish security source.
Boumeddiene is believed to have been in Turkey at time of the Charlie Hebdo attack but entered Syria the following day when Coulibaly is believed to have killed a policewoman.
‘Not afraid’
The French press hailed Sunday’s rallies, the biggest in the country’s history that saw nearly four million people pour into the streets, with some estimates putting the number in Paris alone at 1.6 million.
All major newspapers splashed photos of the sea of humanity on the French capital’s streets, with banner headlines reading “A people rise up”, “Freedom on the march,” and “France stands up”.
Hollande on Sunday led more than a million people on the march in Paris in tribute to the victims of the attacks as the crowd cried, “Not afraid.”
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All religion is deviant
From what does it deviate?
And all is arrogant. Each assumes they are right, they are perfect, others are wrong. Yet each one is completely contradictory in it’s messages.
@ Ailbhe Actually it seems to me there is a lot more acceptance and genuine dialogue between the major religions than there is between new atheists and religious organisations
Genuine dialogue while simultaneously thinking the other party will suffer in hell for eternity?
Talk about genuine!
Religion, the atheists favourite topic!
So Mike, by mocking our desire to passionately discuss the status quo are you trying to silence us? You’ve better chances at it trying to behead us or burn us at the stake.
It deviates from REASON.
Get over yourself Emilio. I’m agnostic and your lack of a sense of humour is embarrassing.
Religion is not funny, Mike.
It deviates from science, logic, personal and sexual freedom. It uses the threat of eternal anguish to control, blackmail and exploit the vulnerable. It craves power and wealth. It subjugates and isolates. It creates mistrust, suspicion and hatred. Enough deviation for ya?
@ Sean – I think you mixed up deviates & derives.
There are good Christians and bad Christians, good Muslims and bad Muslims, good atheists and bad atheists, etc etc.
To me, the major religions of the world are hypocritical and arrogant. Individuals can be just as hypocritical and some are more conscious of their actions. Just my opinion lads.
“There are good Christians and bad Christians, good Muslims and bad Muslims, good atheists and bad atheists, etc etc.”
Absolutely, and good people, whatever creed should be respected and welcome to participate in society. There are also good ideas and bad ideas, ideas should be scrutinised and ripped apart with rigour. Christianity and Islam fall firmly into category of bad ideas. More specifically, treating works of fiction with divine reverence is a bad idea (and dangerous).
But ideas should not be conflated with people. We seem to, rather insultingly, forget that most Muslims, like Christians, treat their Quran as a deli menu, from which they select the options that most closely resonate with their predetermined beliefs. How could you not, the thing is a complete contradictory mess! While I would like to see religion eliminated entirely, I will happily settle for people selecting beliefs that chime with liberal democratic values.
“Religion, the atheists favourite topic!”
When religion stops its unwarranted interference in our lives, we’ll be quiet about it. I know you meant it as a joke, but a lot of people are genuinely this dismissive of the concerns of the non-religious.
They don’t want freedom, Barbarians.
Well what does that freedom lead to? from their perspective an anaemic degenerate, western culture where the self is at the centre of everything.
Why don’t you go plant yourself in Afghanistan?
Religion,at least the 3 Abrahamic religions are nothing more than a way to control the masses and always have been.
Sorry but the Catholic Church can’t talk.what about all the mothers and babies that lost their freedom in the mother and baby homes (prisons) and the babies sold off for adoption to the USA once the parents made a contribution to the dioceses.all the babies that were starved to death and thrown in that septic tank like animals in Sligo.catholic church has no credibility anymore
One of the most deviant forms of religion has been proven to exist right under the Pope’s nose. According to Vatileaks Satanism is being practiced in the Vatican. Perhaps if the Pope concentrated on that first …
I expect a lot of red thumbs – but you know it’s true …..
One other question – “How has Rome’s teachings added to homophobia ?” ….
If so then why – when it knows that an underground homosexual grouping exists within the clergy – we know because they have admitted it – I am not conjecting this !
These are the theological questions missing at the heart of the Vatican the questions that the clergy don’t want answered – especially the higher echelons – confession is knowledge – knowledge is power …
All religions are diviant, the catholic church as much as any other.
Unfortunately, it is so-called ‘peaceful’ Muslims who are practicing a ’deviant form of Islam’
Because the Koran specifically commands Muslims to “all muslims must fight, until there is no more ‘fitna’ ”
‘fitna’ means ‘resistance to Islamic law’
The Paris murderers, Boko-Haram, Taliban, & all the other terror groups, are actually practicing pure Islam, as preached and exemplified by Mohammad himself.
They’re a tint minority – how is the deployment of troops – especially to jewish schools, going to add to the situation ?
Will it be like a fire blanket or oil ?
Where is the call for negotiations with all the moderate muslims – - It was John Hume that won the Nobel Peace Prize and for good reason too… and David Trimble ended up representing the majority of moderate unionists just as John Hume represented the moest moderate of Nationalists -The majority in both cases ….
This should always be remembered and learnt from….
Remember, Bush said god told him to invade Iraq, which resulted in the killing of up to 1,000,000 people.
I wonder was that the same god (I mean devil) that told “the butcher” Zarqawi to drill holes in people that went against his form of radical islam?
Have I missed mainstream reporting of this:
Muslim Scholars strongly condemn the actions of the murderers.
Sure they condemn the actions, but they also justify them in some of the articles in that web site.
“‘Abdallah Al-’Athbah, editor of the Qatari daily Al-Arab, wrote on his Twitter account (@A_AlAthbah) that the Muslims should not apologize for the shooting at the headquarters of the satirical French weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris, just as the Christians and Jews do not apologize for the actions of their countries. In a series of tweets following the attack, he called on the Muslims to “be men” and refrain from apologizing for something they did not do, and also added that the shooting may have been staged by France in order to manufacture an excuse to invade Libya”
Wonder if he knows Frank? Anyway what is said on Islamic TV and printed in the ME newspapers is always different to what is said in English as has been exposed many times, half of the Al Jazzery journalists left because of this taqquia.
Frank would have gotten away with it too if hadn’t been for you pesky kids..
and that dog.
The Muslim scholars will come out condenm the murdereres in English purely for damage control reasons. If we look at this objectively, if you drew these cartoons and published them in most Islamic countries you would end up at best doing a long stretch in prison. At worst you would end up on the hangman’s gallows. And that’s only if some randomer did not take if upon themselves to carry out the sentence.
The depiction of the Irish in English literature and in particular Punch magazine of the 19 th century led to increased unrest in Ireland and facilitated the Famine being largely ignored by the population of Britain as a result !
The population of Britain in Ireland and the other island as well it should be pointed out !
For anyone that doesn’t know this http://www.onislam.net has preachers that preach that the Jews lost their right to Israel because they crucified Jesus.
It is clear in their war book that Israel was supposed to be Jewish not Muslims but then again they can lie in the name of that war book in order to further/ protect their religion.
He’s as mad as a bag of cats
Pope calls Imam black, me thinks.
That’s a double blasphemy, red hot pokers for you then stoning.
I can’t believe that this man of all people believes in this lie.
After all this is the pope of whose foundation is built upon the number 13 and there is 13 letters in “Je Suis Charlie”
https://deusnexus.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/pope-francis-and-the-number-13/
There are 13 letters in frank McCarthy !
@ Frank – like I said to you before you will use your numbers on anything. The more you do it the less credible it becomes :)
I think I have you all misunderstood Frank! This is pretty much your hobby! And odd hobby but at least you have one!
Declan Noonan_ That name is not on my passport so I am OK.
How come your Nobel peace prize winning buddy was not present to join your other mate Bibi?
BTW Do you remember George H Bush famous chilling fascist New World Order Speech?
That was made on 11 September 1990 which was 11 years before 9/11. (Yesterdays date also added up to 11)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdyWs367iLQ
That was EXACTLY 8888 days from yesterday when the worlds elitist hypocrites and war mongers gathered together in the name of “peace”.
The numbers of the three Malaysian airlines MH370., MH17 and QZ8501 also add up to 8888.
Jesus is Coming. This comment may enrage the Charlies out there, but the truth of the matter is, unless Jesus returns our planet is doomed. Jesus himself told us that prior to his return there would be global wars, earthquakes and unrest. I was previously banned from commenting on the Journal, without explanation. Is that the freedom of speech you all want? Comic book cartoons that mock religious beliefs, is not freedom of speech, it is lowly politically correct abuse, that intends to silence any opinion or belief that differs from the multicultural atheist agenda.
Ah here we go….
“Is that the freedom of speech you all want?”
You don’t have freedom of speech on a privately-owned website.
Search Eagle, you are saying there are limitations on freedom of speech in privately owned websites? Who owns the Journal, and what is their agenda? Ailbhe, nice to see you again. How is the gay marriage referendum crusade going?
Patricia is entitled to her opinion. If you think it is daft or believe in it then you can say so or ignore. Spare a though for those in countries who do not have that right. In some countries Patricia would be killed for openly expressing her Christian beliefs and likewise others for believing in nothing, Gay people, supporters of free speech.
I have no idea who owns the Journal, and I care little what their ‘agenda’ is (presumably ‘make money’), I’m saying that on a privately-owned website, the owners have the right to allow or remove whatever content they see fit.
No one is stopping you setting up your own website.
Search Eagle, no one is stopping you from setting up your own website either. You want to censor my freedom of speech, while demanding freedom of speech for yourself and those who agree with your opinions.
” Jesus himself told us that prior to his return there would be global wars, earthquakes and unrest.”
Before Jesus was born there were global wars earthquakes and unrest. I’d say that a few thousand years ago the brutality of wars and unrest was far worse that it is today.
“You want to censor my freedom of speech, while demanding freedom of speech for yourself and those who agree with your opinions.”
It amazes me how you managed to extract this from what I actually said. So let me repeat it:
“I’m saying that on a privately-owned website, the owners have the right to allow or remove whatever content they see fit.”
*I* don’t want to ‘censor’ your freedom of speech, I was merely replying to your claim that your ‘freedom of speech’ has been suppressed by a private website removing your comments. If I set up a website, where I allow people to contribute, then *I* get to decide what content gets posted. If, for example, I don’t want racist content on my website, I’ll remove it. This does not affect someone’s right to air their views elsewhere.
This should be obvious.
Aul John Paul is right – mullions of French people worshipping Aidan Gillen as Charlie Haughey is getting out of hand.
Joe how about you forget about Irish current affairs and focus on that Free Palestine nonsense on your picture, because lets face it the recent attacks in Paris have wakened people up to radicalized islam. Thanks.
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