Priest Murdered By Islamist Extremists To Become A Saint

[naomi24]

//For someone to become a saint usually a miracle needs to have been declared but that can be waived if there is evidence that the individual is a martyr.//

http://news.sky.com/story/priest-murdered-by-islamist-extremists-to-become-a-saint-10602783

With all due respect to Father Hamel, martyrdom is a choice. He had no choice – just as Father Francois Murad and Father Yacob Boulos had no choice – but they seem to have been forgotten.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2352251/Horrific-video-shows-Syrian-Catholic-priest-beheaded-jihadist-fighters-cheering-crowd.html

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/05/italian-news-isis-decapitates-christian-priest-praying-altar/

All met with appallingly gruesome deaths at the hands of maniacs driven by the same evil religious philosophy so why one and not the others? Is the church remiss here?

[douglas9401]

From the outside looking in, when you scrape away all the dross and shiny stuff religions seem to be all about the front line boys dying for an airy fairy idea reinforced by the guys in the nicer dresses sitting safely in their opulent surroundings.
People need to grow up or at least stop jumping at shadows and living by a couple of bloodthirsty novels.

[Mamyalynne]

As a Catholic the route to Sainthood has never sat easily in my mind.

[andy-hughes]

douglas - //From the outside looking in, when you scrape away all the dross and shiny stuff religions seem to be all about the front line boys dying for an airy fairy idea reinforced by the guys in the nicer dresses sitting safely in their opulent surroundings. //

Swap the dresses for uniforms, and you've got the military situation anywhere in the world.

You don't need religion to set up this scenario, just human nature.

[naomi24]

//Swap the dresses for uniforms, and you've got the military situation anywhere in the world. //

Why military in particular? That would apply in any walk of life where a uniform is the required mode of dress. The boss is the boss - the workers.... aren't.

Does anyone have an opinion on the OP?

[douglas9401]

'You don't need religion to set up this scenario, just human nature.'

Yer, but religion is on the table, not human nature.

[andy-hughes]

douglas - //'You don't need religion to set up this scenario, just human nature.'

Yer, but religion is on the table, not human nature. //

Since the latter informs the former, they cannot be mutually exclusive.

[naomi24]

^It's at times like this I despair.

I repeat, does anyone have an opinion on the OP?

[vulcan42]

Having read a number of reports on Francois Murad and Yacob Boulos executions, I couldn't find the Catholic church even condemning their deaths let alone suggesting sainthood. This only confirms for me that Catholicism is as inconsistent as every other religion and that they are remiss comes as no surprise.

[naomi24]

Vulcan, thank you for responding. The killing of Father Hamel in Europe was met with widespread horror - the others killed in the Middle East practically ignored. Politics?

[Khandro]

Saints are enlightened humans who have suffered for their beliefs and knowledge. As the young thug came towards his throat with a knife, the frail in body, 85 year old priest said, "Va t'en Satan!" - (begone Satan), he didn't accuse the boy, but the personification of evil in humanity embodied within him.
If anyone truly deserves sainthood, it must be Father Hamel.

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2016/07/27/there-can-be-no-doubt-that-fr-jacques-hamel-died-a-martyrs-death/

[naomi24]

Khandro, is there any doubt that the others also died a martyrs death?

[Zacs-Master]

See, what you're doing here Naomi is trying to apply logic to religion. Never good bedfellows.

[Khandro]

n. // is there any doubt that the others also died a martyrs death? //
I'm not sure what you mean, there's an awful lot of saints and I don't know all of them. Bonhoeffer was a great man and undoubtedly died a martyr's death, but he wasn't a Roman Catholic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_Bonhoeffer

[Khandro]

One of several of my portraits of him;
http://tinypic.com/m/jg6vkk/3

[Mamyalynne]

You are very talented Khandro.

[vetuste_ennemi]

There's also Stunde Null, Orpheus and Rainy Nights in Georgia, Mamya.
Sorry, Elba.

[vetuste_ennemi]

And he may be working on Burke.

[Mamyalynne]

Who may be, are you speaking in code?

Never been to Georgia but I've been to me.