McCarrick: U.S. needs `religious channels’ to Muslim countries
Citing his own experience in negotiating for the freedom of two hikers held in Iran as suspected spies, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick suggested in a Monday night speech in New York that U.S. diplomats need to do more to develop “religious channels” to other nations.
The cardinal provided some interesting details of his trip to Iran in September. My impression had been that he and other clergymen had dealt mainly with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whom McCarrick had met in New York a year earlier. McCarrick said that Ahmadinejad had indeed encouraged him to come to Iran, but that his primary business there was to encourage Iranian religious leaders to support the release of hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal.
“Our job was to persuade the religious leaders,” he said. This took place over five to six days, he said, and involved “citing the Qur’an” to the Iranian clergy. “I recommend its reading,” he added.
McCarrick said there was discussion of the importance of compassion in Islam. “They released them two days later,” he said.
The cardinal spoke to the Catholic community connected to the United Nations – gathered by the International Catholic Organizations Network – at Holy Family church, down the block from the U.N.
“There is a need and usefulness for a religious channel,” he said, and added that the State Department needs to see its value.
McCarrick said he went to Iran without telling the State Department, but that on the way, the White House called to say the president knew what he was doing and wished him good luck. (McCarrick cited what he said was Cardinal Francis Spellman’s definition of a secret: “something you tell one person at a time.”)
McCarrick also spoke darkly of the difficulties facing Christians in the Middle East as a result of the Arab Spring revolt. He expressed particular concern about Syria because, he said, 500,000 Iraqi Christians have fled there and are vulnerable. If the Syrian government falls, he said, there could be a bloodbath. “Where are the Christians going to go?” he asked. “Who will take a half a million Christians?”
McCarrick sounds like a good and solid man. It is very difficult, I think, for non-religious people to really understand the region and the area. Intuitively, I think much of the hulaboo surrounding Iran is more neo-conning.
Christians have lived, thrived and have no issues with Muslims in Iraq, including under Hussein for 1500 + years until the US decides to “liberate” them. Ditto for Palestinian and Jews. One older Palestinian woman I once heard said that Jews and Palestinians had no issue whatsoever. The lived and worked side by side with little problem. It was only until some European descended Jewish person from Brooklyn, New York decided to relocate to their “ancient homeland” that people began to go “HUH???!!!”
The issue is not religious, it is cultural. As long as Jews or Christians represent Westernization, they will not be trusted. And I think Benedict has to be very careful in linking too closely the development of Western Europe with Christianity. He forgets the Copts, the Eastern Christians, etc. That Latin prejudice is not good for the Church.
The Western powers have so completely botched and bungled this whole area that I just pray that Russia and China can keep vetoing and ignoring these ridiculous and irrational US driven sanctions against Iran.
As a total aside, but not completely unrelated, what were these hikers doing really??? I am not into the whole hiking world but is this a popular destination? If so, you would think that you would hear a lot more about it. Haven’t seen a lot of interviews. First question I would ask is “what were you doing?” and go from there.
Margaret, it sounds like the Vatican’s diplomatic corps could play a pragmatic role in building these bridges.
Cardinal McCarrick, who I always thought was a good guy (but what do I know?), seems to have taken on a post-retirement mission, somewhat like Jimmy Carter. Good for him. A real catholic (i.e., universal)!
I also thought of Jimmy Carter as I read this post and its links. Can a “McCarrick Center” for human rights be far behind? :)
Also, at this time of turmoil in the Middle East, let’s hope that the many talents of Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald are being put to good use. Fluent in Arabic and an expert on Islam and Muslim-Christian relations, he’s the former president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Recall that he was demoted (?) in 2006 from that post to papal nuncio to Egypt and the Vatican’s delegate to the Arab League. One would hope that the Pope is drawing on the Archbishop’s knowledge, skills, and sage counsel regarding the minefield that is the Middle East.
Mark – In light of recent events in Egypt, I doubt anyone “forgets the Copts”.
It is quite a tragedy really.
In any case, like it or not, in our lives we will deal with Muslims, both socially as friends and neighbors, and on an international/political level, more strategically.
As such, we will do well to learn about Muslims and their culture, to at least try to understand these folks.