There was a group of dudes belonging to Al-Qaeda who were killed in a drone strike in the Pakistani-Afghan Border Region (along with 300 other people but they don't pertain to this). It was soon discovered that they had discussed bombing the Vatican. What if they went through with it? How would the Pope react? What if he was killed?
WI: Al-Queda bombs Vatican
- Thread starter ThatOneGuy
- Start date
Well, they would have some trouble getting there. And would Catholics go for a one way suicide trip? But i could see Spain, Italy and South America taking very active role in a coalition against ISIS.
Mecca has been visited by non-Muslims before, it's not impossible to infiltrate.
Why? The Saudis would check the premises and the visitors. And, don't think cheating is even permitted nowadays [plus it makes the person a liar]. Finally, planes with non Muslims are not allowed in Mecca and the surrounding airspace.
What POD would be necessary for Islamic terrorism to be a problem but the Catholic Church to really be able to pull a crusade?
Italian police has arrested today 18 persons in Sardinia accused to plan a terrorist attack on the Vatican. Some of them are believed to have been involved in past terrorist acts in Pakistan.
It's one of those cases where reality mirrors fiction.
It's one of those cases where reality mirrors fiction.
I don't get your point. Mecca has always been off-limits for non-Muslims, yet Westerners have still managed to sneak in. If somebody in said scenario wants to commit a reprisal attack, I don't understand why lying would be an issue. It wouldn't be an easy task to do, but if said people are motivated enough to engage in suicidal behavior than who knows what can happen.
The more important question is, how exactly would Catholics respond? I don't see it triggering a religious war, but it would obviously appall the West. Maybe a coalition like somebody else mentioned is formed to stamp out Al-Qaeda.
Plenty of precedent for Popes (and other Catholics) to be martyred - fast track to sainthood, in fact. Similarly, there's nothing unique about the Vatican being bombed - lots of other densely populated places have been too. I don't see the response being any different to the rest of Rome being bombed - maybe a bit more diplomatic grandstanding, but that's about it.
allanpcameron
Donor
I'm with pdf27 on this. Shock, horror, outrage. Terrible sense of loss for those of us who like Francis. But revenge isn't a very Catholic concept. Forgiveness, turning the other cheek etc., is a bit more our style. There aren't any "Catholic" governments, so you're idea of some kind of coalition of the rosary isn't going to fly.
ISIS etc are wiping out Christians all over the Middle East and nobody is giving a hoot. So killing the Pope would just be another outrage. There might be more outrage from the art folk who would probably be more concerned with the loss of a Michelangelo piece than anything else.
ISIS etc are wiping out Christians all over the Middle East and nobody is giving a hoot. So killing the Pope would just be another outrage. There might be more outrage from the art folk who would probably be more concerned with the loss of a Michelangelo piece than anything else.
Although the Vatican is an independent nation, it's in the middle of Rome. A major bombing of the Vatican is likely to kill Italian citizens who are working or visiting. It may also kill people from all over the world who are visiting as tourists or pilgrims. I have a hard time believing it would not be treated as an attack on Italy and be used to justify some sort of military response by a variety of nations, regardless of whether or not the Vatican issued a statement against revenge. Also, while the official Vatican position my be against revenge, there could be a groundswell of demands for revenge by Catholic laypeople, especially in places where turning the other cheek is not always high on the list (after all the IRA was not known to be a quiet bunch, and the US is always ready to stage strikes on ISIS and other terrorists).
On the other hand, I see absolutely no reason ANY western government would use this to justify an attack on Mecca.
On the other hand, I see absolutely no reason ANY western government would use this to justify an attack on Mecca.
Precisely.
I've never felt comfortable doing it, but I have several non-Muslim friends who've visited Mecca.
allanpcameron
Donor
You have to be a lot more careful here. The IRA was not a Catholic organisation, its aim was for Northern Ireland to join the Republic of Ireland. While people who were brought up in Catholic families committed terrible acts of terrorism (often funded by Americans), and while it had the support of many people who were Catholic, its aims and objectives were not the aims and objectives of the Catholic Church. In the same way that Loyalist terrorist organisations did terrible things, their aim was to keep Northern Ireland part of the United Kingdom. The problem is not religious but political. However one of the things that separated people was a different religious upbringing. It was not a post-reformation terrorist war about faith alone or scripture and tradition. It was a political fight. Often a sense of Nationalism is linked to a particular religious affiliation, former Yugoslavia is another example. A three way fight - was it between Croats, Serbs and Albanians, or between Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims?
Vatican? Bombed by Islamic Terrorists?
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I forsee quite a lot of laypeople calling for blood and glassing of everything that moves/ produces fruits in the Middle East, especially if the Pope dies in the attack, and even more if the bomb goes off and hits buildings under Italian administration.
But, if sanity is kept, the most likely response would be a rush of militarism and some attacks with ground troops in Lybia and/or in Syria. If sanity does not prevail... can you say "shelling of the two Islamic Holy Cities"?
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I forsee quite a lot of laypeople calling for blood and glassing of everything that moves/ produces fruits in the Middle East, especially if the Pope dies in the attack, and even more if the bomb goes off and hits buildings under Italian administration.
But, if sanity is kept, the most likely response would be a rush of militarism and some attacks with ground troops in Lybia and/or in Syria. If sanity does not prevail... can you say "shelling of the two Islamic Holy Cities"?
The pope is a european head of state , killing him would be a NATO article V act legally akin to 9/11.
Why is everyone getting at SA? The terrorists were in Afghanistan/Pakistan, so surely the more logical place to hit would be there.
I do think we'd see a crusade of sorts, but against the Taliban and AQ, on both sides of the border, and if Pakistan doesn't like it, well tough titties them.
A map showing the level of Catholicism around the world:
And a by-country list of the percentage of catholic citizens.
I do think we'd see a crusade of sorts, but against the Taliban and AQ, on both sides of the border, and if Pakistan doesn't like it, well tough titties them.
A map showing the level of Catholicism around the world:
And a by-country list of the percentage of catholic citizens.
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