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March 20, 2006
Its not often the Crusades hit the news
I have always enjoyed the history of the middle ages (especially the period from 1000 to 1400, which includes the Crusades), and so when this article popped up, it piqued my interest.
Vatican change of heart over 'barbaric' Crusades.
THE Vatican has begun moves to rehabilitate the Crusaders by sponsoring a conference at the weekend that portrays the Crusades as wars fought with the “noble aim” of regaining the Holy Land for Christianity ... At the conference, held at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University, Roberto De Mattei, an Italian historian, recalled that the Crusades were “a response to the Muslim invasion of Christian lands and the Muslim devastation of the Holy Places”. “The debate has been reopened,” La Stampa said. Professor De Mattei noted that the desecration of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem by Muslim forces in 1009 had helped to provoke the First Crusade at the end of the 11th century, called by Pope Urban II. He was backed by Jonathan Riley-Smith, Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Cambridge University, who said that those who sought forgiveness for the Crusades “do not know their history”.
There is nothing official from Papa B. there, but I have a feeling this might get some play in the media - and the treatment will not be favourable.
Very timely. I was looking for any excuse to reread Runciman.
Just as an aside, I'm noticing that newspapers appear to increasingly be simple collaters of news feeds, all printing the same article. Looking for different takes on this (or even more detail on the conference) at this time yeilds nothing but carbon copies of this article. Yes, I'm slow. I should have noticed years ago.
Scrawled illegibly by Meathe at March 20, 2006 09:40 AM
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