Why are Christians silent? asks Carl in Jerusalem (via Joem)

Earlier this week, yet another article came out about the appalling treatment of Christians in the 'Palestinian' territories. (Hat Tip: Dhimmi Watch) This is a story I have covered before, and which first burst into prominence with the takeover of the Church of the Nativity - - one of Christianity's holiest sites - by 'Palestinian' terrorists in 2002.

From the Charisma article, which lists such human rights violations as "individual loss of job or property; firebombed churches; destruction of Christian-based centers; beatings; torture; forced marriages; sexual harassment; and extortion."

He noted that most of the persecution has taken place since the empowerment of the Palestinian Authority in 1995 under Yasser Arafat. He described the torture suffered by Christian converts from Islam since then as “the kind of thing you only read about in Medieval books—it’s very difficult to describe.”

Carl points out that "The silence is deafening and it seems that the Jews may be the only ones who care:"

At a “Save the Christians” rally in Rome earlier this month, the AP reported several hundred people gathered to demand an end to the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. In addition to top Vatican officials and Italy’s former Premier Berlusconi, a prominent Jewish activist from the U.S. also attended.

“I stand here tonight as an American Jew and as a survivor of the Holocaust to say to you that ‘never again’ was a pledge that the Jewish people learned with great pain and sadness,” said Abraham Foxman, U.S. director of the Anti-Defamation League. “But ‘never again’ is not limited to Jewish pain and suffering…I pledge to you that our voices will be heard whenever Christians are discriminated against.”

I’ve noted this before. Certain Christian news sites happily amplify Palestinian (mostly Muslim) propaganda when it is directed against Jews. Even the most trivial complaints are trumpeted loudly, but when it comes to far more serious issues of persecution of Christians, there is silence.

Carl suggests a dhimmi fear of criticising Muslims, while I suspect an underlying anti-Semitism which makes them more receptive to criticism of Israelis.

There may also be another reason. The ‘deification’ of Palestinians by some Christian groups, like Sabeel, whose imagery identifies the Palestinians with Christ. This is echoed in even secular news stories which treat the belongings of Palestinians as being more valuable than Israeli lives. Objects like olive trees become holy by association with their Palestinian owners. As a Catholic I can recognise a similarity to attitudes towards religious relics

In other words, Palestinians have been turned into a deity by some Christians, and therefore beyond criticism no matter what they do. Their cruelties and persecution must be seen on the same level as the natural disasters which God permits to occur – not to be questioned or criticised but accepted as the will of the poorpalestinians ,as some of their worshipers call them.

A final comment on Fr Rydzyk, at least until he repents in sackcloth and ashes, accompanied by his religious superiors - or else says something else outrageous.

Damian Thompson, editor-in-chief of the Catholic Herald, once described by the Anglican Church Times as a "blood-crazed ferret", pursues Rydzyk and the Church leaders who refuse to bring this priest under control. As I’ve pointed out before, it is up to Rydzyk's Redemptorist superiors to act. If they refuse, however, to then it should not be beyond the power of the local Polish bishops to do something about it.

One of the creepiest radio stations in the world is named, I’m sorry to say, after the Virgin Mary. Radio Maryja, Poland’s largest Catholic broadcasting agency, is obsessed with Jewish plots.

After sinking his teeth into Church leaders for their weak response to this, he points out:

You can’t help wondering the rosary-clutching anti-Semites of Radio Maryja are missing a rather obvious point. I hate to break it to you, guys, but you’re named after a Jewish housewife.

Polish priest Father Tadeusz Rydzyk, who runs the influential Radio Maryja, can’t see anything wrong with his behaviour.

Here's a little test. Read the following and see if you can spot any statements no good Christian should make.

According to the weekly, Fr. Rydzyk was to say that the First Lady "is a witch" and "should undergo euthanasia". About the President, he allegedly said that he is a "cheat who lets himself be influenced by the Jewish lobby".

Easy, wasn’t it? The odd thing is that neither Fr Rydzyk nor his superiors in the Redemptorist Order can see anything wrong with his statements, even if you can.

First, Fr Rydzyk:

Fr. Rydzyk himself does not question the authenticity of the quotes, but denies having the intention to offend anyone:

'It never crossed my mind to offend anyone. This affair is artificially blown up.'

As the brother of Polish President Lech Kaczynski said: "It's a serious problem which the Redemptorist order needs to address."

There seems to be little hope of that.

The outspoken director of a Polish Catholic radio station has denied charges that he made anti-Semitic statements, and his religious superior has backed his statement...

...Father Zdzislaw Klafka, the Polish provincial of the Redemptorist order, said that an investigation into the charges against Father Rydzyk had concluded that he "does not identify himself with the anti-Semitism that has been attributed to him." Father Klafka-- who said that his own statement was approved by Father Joseph Tobin, the worldwide head of the Redemptorist order, said that Father Rydzyk's colleagues knew he was not an anti-Semite.

Do they also support his statements that his President is a cheat and the First Lady is a witch, I wonder?

A reminder here that the Pope has tried to rein in Radio Maryja, but it is really up to the Redemptorists to lance this particular boil - something they seem unwilling to do.

More than 700 people in Poland, including a former prime minister and foreign minister, signed an open letter condemning statements about Jews by a right-wing Roman Catholic priest who runs a controversial radio station.

Only 700? Still, enough to make the Guardian pay attention, and it seems there are some high profile names among them.

``As Polish Catholics, laymen and clergy, we express our moral protest against the worsening statements of the director of Radio Maryja,'' the letter says. ``It hurts us that the contemptible and anti-Semitic statements come from a representative of our church.''

The letter, posted on the Web site of the Krakow-based Center for Culture and Dialogue, calls on Roman Catholic Church leaders to bring Rydzyk in line with church teaching that anti-Semitism is a sin.

Rydzyk is a member of the Redemptorist order. An official who answered the phone at the Redemptorists' headquarters in Rome "would not comment. Calls to the order's office in Warsaw went unanswered."

Rydzyk's religious superiors are Redemptorists, not his local Bishop in Poland (although the latter should protest about him to the Redemptorist leadership). You can contact their headquarters here.

Antisemitic Polish priest Father Tadeuscz Rydzyk is still spreading his poison .

Father Rydzyk’s extremism was previously criticized by Pope Benedict XVI. His radio station has hosted antisemites and Holocaust deniers. Join the Wiesenthal Center’s call to the Catholic Church to dismiss this “Josef Goebbels in a collar.”

Why hasn't this disgrace to the Catholic priesthood been dismissed long ago?

The Wiesenthal Center give us the opportunity to call on Archbishop Jozef Michalik, President of the Polish Bishops' Conference, to work for his dismissal here.