Pope Warns Of Fascism In Italy

By Cernig

Well, here's a turn up. Pope Benedict has spoken out against Bush-buddy Silvio Berlusconi's hardcore rightwing crackdown, complete with a McSurge of Italian troops in major Roman cities to combat the Gypsy menace.

In his customary midday Sunday address, the pontiff expressed concern at "recent examples of racism" and reminded Catholics it was their duty to steer others in society away from "racism, intolerance and [the] exclusion [of others]".

On any other day, his remarks might have been seen as no more than a restatement of official Catholic doctrine. But they came instead in the midst of a furious dispute over an editorial published by Italy's bestselling Catholic weekly, Famiglia Cristiana.

In an editorial on Friday, condemning recent government moves against immigrants and Roma, the magazine said it was to be hoped fascism was not "resurfacing in our country under another guise". The jibe outraged Berlusconi's supporters, many of whom are themselves pious Catholics.

It's possible to be a rightwinger and a good Christian, but sadly they usually conflict when religion is bent to political purposes.

The pope said: "One of humanity's great conquests is indeed the overcoming of racism. Unfortunately, however, there are new and worrying examples of this in various countries, often linked to social and economic problems that nonetheless can never justify contempt or racial discrimination."

Berlusconi's family minister, Giovanardi, denied Benedict's words were aimed at the government. "The pope has a global perspective", he said. "He wasn't talking about Italy."

Famiglia Cristiana's editor, Father Antonio Sciortino, agreed that the pope "was certainly speaking to the whole world". But he added: "And therefore also to Italy where, sorry to say, there are many signs of racism that trouble us and which cannot be hidden."

Urged on by his allies in the anti-immigrant Northern League, Berlusconi has ordered a crackdown on crime, and the illegal immigrants his government says is responsible for a disproportionate share of it.

Earlier this month, the Berlusconi government ordered troops onto the streets to combat an alleged crime wave it blames largely on illegal immigrants and Roma. Interior ministry figures show that more than a third of the arrests carried out by police last year were of non-Italians.

Now which American soft totalitarian was calling for a military-style surge as a crimefighting exercise in American cities? Oh yeah - it was John "Cotton Hill" McCain. Well, now he and America's Catholics know what the Pope thinks of that badly flawed and open-to-abuse idea, as put into practise by Italy's conservatives. Does anyone really think a McCain administration would perform any better, given his party's history of rabid fearmongering about "the other"?