I posted earlier about the minor kerfuffle protesting the FBI designating Trad Catholics (i.e. those who want the Latin Mass, but also groups that oppose the Vatican II reforms) as a possible source of white supremacy violence.
Well, to understand why a lot of Catholics (even Catholics on the liberal side of the church) got their knickers in a knot on reading this, you have to know a bit of history.
The church has long been a source of opposition to political tyrannies that oppress ordinary folk.
Don't believe me? Google Bertolome de las Casas.
There has been a bit of political turmoil in Latin America as socialist presidents are being elected, and sometimes the right wing leaders are pushing back.
And both sides Right (Peru) and Left (Brazil) are busy imprisoning opponants on trumped up charges.
Most of the Catholic bishops are either neutral in these things, or even sympathetic (Liberation theology), but not all, and of course, the conservative opposition to these socialists are mainly found among the Protestant and middle class.
But not all: and if Nicaragua is an example, the bishops may have to walk back their love of socialism and environmentalism to protest human rights being destroyed by regimes that stop freedom of speech.
The socialist president of Nicaragua just deported a bunch of priests and other political dissadents for opposing his government.
But one bishop refused to leave quietly. Therefore, Rolando Alvarez, bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa and Estel, was sent to prison for 26 years after refusing deportation which would have left his people undefended.
Alvarez, bishop of the Matagalpa diocese, was convicted of treason, undermining national integrity and spreading false news, among other charges.During Friday's court hearing it was also announced that he would be fined and stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship.
the background: Nicaragua's president is silencing all opposition, and the Catholic press and radio are part of that opposition. Usually church groups are given respect, but hey, Ortega was a communist in the good old days and loved by the American left, and now that he has won an election (probably rigged election) he is going full force cleaning out the opposition.
this video is from six months ago and reports on the background of the story:
He isn't the only bishop in trouble for defending human rights.
After the communist Chnese takeover of Hong Kong (which by the way was not just illegal but opposed by a lot of locals, whose massive demonstrations were supressed ) Cardinal Zen was arrested under China's security law last May, along with several other HongKong citizens, BBC report from May12 2022.
Cardinal Joseph Zen, 90, is one of four people detained for being associated with a now-defunct organisation that helped protesters in financial need. The others are a Cantopop singer and actor Denise Ho, ex-legislator Margaret Ng, and academic Dr Hui Po Keung.
They are accused of colluding with foreign forces. If found guilty, they could face life in prison.
...Hong Kong Police told the BBC that the group was suspected of appealing to foreign countries or organisations to impose sanctions on Hong Kong, hence threatening China's national security.
The Catholic press has a long history of being an alternative voice against those who threaten human rights, especially in lands where the press is essentially controlled by the government.
So you can see why the FBI might be targeting the right wing trad Catholics as a possible threat to their monopoly.
Tita Cory, call your office. The FBI wants to silence dissadents.
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I should add that there might be reasons to silence the Trad Catholic sites on the internet.
Some Trad Catholic sites were anti vax and reported on sudden death etc problems of the mRNA vaccine before it hit the MSM.
And some are pointing out the folly of the Ukraine war and how the west pressured Russia into starting the war, and how the war is mainly benefitting the Military Industrial complex, and how Biden's pro Ukraine ties before the war make them wonder if a lot of that money sent to help the war effort is being stolen by the corrupt there.
I don't agree with these things, but as an old leftie, I recognize these types of stories from many years ago and yes back then the FBI was trying to infiltrate the Catholic wing of the anti Viet Nam war effort for similar reasons.
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update: It wasn't just the French and Mexican Catholics who were pushed to violence by a regime trying to destroy the faith:
History extra Podcast about Catholics in Tudor England doing the same
`the link is old and might not work
The Western Rising of 1549 was the most catastrophic event to occur in Devon and Cornwall between the Black Death and the Civil War. What started as an argument between two men and their local vicar grew into a determined attempt by ordinary English people to halt the Reformation. Speaking with Emily Briffett, Mark Stoyle reveals how thousands of 16th-century men and women rebelled to defend their faith.
and then there was the Catholic persecution in Japan that led to a similar revolt.
after a rebellion on the Shimabara Peninsula that involved many Christians in the late 1630s, thousands of rebels were executed and a full ban on Christianity became strictly enforced. Only small pockets of "Hidden Christians" continued practicing their religion in secret.
why are these revolts ignored? becaue the big state won over the ordinary folk, and history is written by the winners.
And of course English Language books have an automatic Catholic bias because Elizabeth I was a bastard by Catholic law, and she was in charge.
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