Saturday, December 06, 2008

From Rome: largest mosque in Europe...


Does everybody know that the largest mosque in Europe was built in Rome?

Yours truly has been there twice. The first time was in 1999, almost ten years ago. I rode a vespa up there and asked for a tour. And again earlier this year I walked there one day as I was bored.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Too bad there's one in Rome at all.

Fortunatly it's rather flat save for the minaret so it's not really all that visible against the Roman skyline...I hope.

Many people in many places (even the Vatican) have given dozens of reasons for the loss of conviction and religious zeal, of pride in Faith and in religious practice, in vocations to religious life across Europe, of a general spiritual exhaustion and spiritual poverty which has engendered an opportunity for Islam to "make a move" into Europe.
Many ridiculous reasons have been given for the spiritual loss of Christianity in Europe. Secularism, modernity, technology.
All is nonsense (to use a polite word).
Among Protestants, there is a loss of spiritual vigor and expression because there never was much there to begin with, and they have become almost entirely secular. So since their roots are really based on nothing, they might have an "excuse".
But for ROMAN CATHOLICS, what has happened in the Church is a total and complete collapse which is a disgrace before God, as all of our ancient traditions, beliefs, ceremonies, music, liturgies have been discarded and warped into a modernist replacement which has turned away millions from the practice of the Catholic Faith, from the priesthood, and religious life.
Two words define the root cause of the spritual disaster across Western Europe, and in many other parts of the world.......VATICAN II. Vatican II in it's reforms themselves, their implementation, and the men (Popes, bishops, cardinals, priests) as well as nuns and scores of radical liberal laity who have implemented these disasterous reforms.
The best and easiest visual description is supposing you were locked in a dark closet, but were blessed with a candle which gave off enough light so that you were conforted and sustained. This candle symbolizes our ancient Roman Catholic traditions, the Tridentine Latin Mass, and all our rituals and traditions regarding the priesthood, religious life, etc.
Then suppose an unexpected, unanticipated and unforseen gust of foul wind snuffs out the candle, and you are left in the dark closet, in total blackness groping for your way. This represents Vatican II and its reforms, and how the Catholic people of Europe have been left groping in the blackness looking for something, anything to hold on to.
Maybe a simplistic example, but it's true. And in large measure it explains the massive turnaway from the Catholic Faith which has left the door open to the warm and friendly, accomodating and welcoming spirit that has opened the door for Islam to take hold in Christian Europe.
They have made enourmous advances, not only by immigration by floods of people into Europe, but also by conversions from Christianity. With regards to converts from Protestantism, it doesn't really matter, but thousands have also converted from Catholicism....particularly in France.
It there's nothing left of your own Faith, nothing to sustain...then you obviously look elsewhere. That's what milions of Roman Catholics in Europe and elsewhere have done.
And despite what sociologists and other say, (even Cardinals, Bishops, and priests), the root of the crisis is Vatican II.
Benedict XVI has more than one time admitted it in a very obtuse way.

Anonymous said...

Bored in Rome! John!

Anonymous said...

Allowed because of the personal intervention of JPII!http://numalahdewi.fotopages.com/?entry=1538367
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1163656950725&pagename=Zone-English-Euro_Muslims%2FEMELayout

Anonymous said...

perturbing

Anonymous said...

Dear JP
I did not know that. The knowledge leaves me joyless. Anyway that cruel and false religion denies God the Blessed Trinity. I dearly hope you don’t go there anymore. Try visiting some seminaries instead. (Particularly when bored as that is when the devil finds work for idle hands.) Maybe our Lord has a place for you in one. (Hopefully traditional!) I will now double my prayers for you.

Anonymous said...

Muslims in Rome are still wearing Obama pins a month after

Anonymous said...

I see we're not the only ones plagued by bad architecture...

Anonymous said...

I would love to see the muslims expelled, the mosque raised to the ground and a immense monastary built atop the ruins.

rezzoni said...

The sacred character of Rome has vanished completely since the nationalist italian occupation. In the last 40 years the process of hyper-secularization of this once so glorious city of the popes developed drastic dynamics. Today for example homosexuals demonstrated at St. Peter´s against "the Vatican". Therefore a mosque is not something which one should wonder.

Anonymous said...

Is the mosque a busy place? Its immense size makes me wonder if it was built to provide for the city's Muslims, or rather to give the middle finger to the Church.

Anonymous said...

John Paul 2! We love you!

rezzoni said...

"I would love to see the muslims expelled, the mosque raised to the ground and a immense monastary built atop the ruins."

of course but there are no deeply catholic sovereigns like Isabella or ferdinand anymore to accomplish that.