De Kruistochten

Paus Benedictus de XVI is geen intelligent mens, dat staat nu wel vast. Bovendien is hij een hypocriet, want het hoofd van de rooms katholieke kerk is wel de laatste persoon die zich kritisch over het geweld van een concurrend geloof kan uitlaten, gezien de uiterst bloedige geschiedenis van het christendom. Slechts drie voorbeelden: het uitmoorden van de Katharen, de vervolging van de Indianen in Latijns Amerika en de Kruistochten.

De Paus citeeerde de veertiende-eeuwse Byzantijnse keizer Paleologos, die had verklaard dat de profeet Mohammed ’niets dan kwaads en onmenselijks heeft gebracht, zoals zijn bevel het geloof met het zwaard te verspreiden’.

Een paar tamelijk willekeurige andere citaten: 'Incidentally, the quote is from the Eastern Orthodox Emperor Paleologos II of Constantinople, three centuries after the split between the Eastern Orthodox (Greek/Russian) Church and the Western Orthodox (Catholic) Church in 1056. It was also quoted not 100 years before the Muslim jihad of Constantinople in 1453.'

Het is ironisch dat de huidige Paus een veertiende eeuwse Byzantijnse Keizer citeert. Wat gebeurde er namelijk een eeuw eerder? Juist, de plundering van Constantinopel door rooms katholieke kruisvaarders die in opdracht van de toenmalige Paus op weg waren naar Jeruzalem.

Citaat: 'The crusaders awoke the next day, 13 April 1204, expecting the fighting to continue, only to find that they were in control of the city. There was no opposition. The city surrendered.

Thus began the sack of Constantinople, the richest city of all Europe. Nobody controlled the troops. Thousands of defenseless civilians were killed. Women, even nuns, were raped by the crusading army and churches, monasteries and convents were looted. The very altars of churches were smashed and torn to pieces for their gold and marble by warriors who had sworn to fight in service of the Christian faith.Even the magnificent Santa Sophia was ransacked by the crusaders. Works of tremendous value were destroyed merely for their material value. One such work was the bronze statue of Hercules, created by the famous Lysippus, court sculptor of no lesser than Alexander the Great. The statue was melted down for its bronze. It is but one of a mass of bronze artworks which was melted down by those blinded by greed.The loss of art treasures the world suffered in the sack of Constantinople is immeasurable.It is true that the Venetians looted, but their actions were by far more restrained. Doge Dandolo still appeared to have control over his men. Rather than wantonly destroying all around, the Venetians stole religious relics and works of art which they would later take to Venice to adorn their own churches.In the following weeks a curious election took place in which the conquerors finally decided upon a new emperor. an election it might have been, but it was self-evident that it was the Doge of Venice, Enrico Dandolo, who actually made the decision as to who should rule.Boniface, the leader of the Crusade would have been the obvious choice. But Boniface was a mighty warrior knight with powerful allies in Europe. The Doge obviously prefered a man to sit on the throne who was less likely to be a threat to the trading powers of Venice. And so the choice fell upon Baldwin, Count of Flanders who had been one of leaders junior to Boniface in the Crusade.

The Triumph of Venice
This left the republic of Venice in triumph. Their greatest rival in the Mediterranean was smashed, led by a ruler who would be of no danger to their aspirations of dominating maritime trade. They had successfully diverted the Crusade from attacking Egypt with whom they had signed a lucrative trade agreement. And now many artworks and religious relics would be taken back home to adorned their own great city. Their old, blind Doge, already in his eighties, had served them well.'

Als ik deze Paus was geweest dan had ik mijn mond stijfdicht gehouden, om te voorkomen dat de bloedige geschiedenis van het christendom weer eens besproken zou worden. Het is natuurlijk mogelijk dat deze reactionaire Paus een moderne variant van de Kruistochten voorstaat, een christelijke jihad. Het is mogelijk, in de geschiedenis zijn er meer gekken aan de macht geweest. Eens kijken of de Nederlandse rooms katholieken zich kritisch over deze Paus zullen uitlaten.