The recent angry reaction of Muslim leaders and peoples to
the speech of Pope Benedict in which he quoted a medieval
reference by a European leader about the Koran underlined
the fact that the new Pope's reign as leader of the Roman
Catholic church is likely to be a stormy one.
It was somewhat ironical that a number of Protestant churches
were the target of arsonists following the Pope's statement,
seeing that Protestants were not involved in the controversy.
It cannot be denied that many parts of the world where Muslims
are the predominant religion displays intolerance towards
Christianity and denies followers of Christ the opportunity
of worshipping according to their beliefs.
Perhaps it is understandable if many Muslims do not find
any difference in the Protestant and Roman Catholic approach
to Islam and the Muslim world.
The fact is that a distinct Protestant stance on many issues
is hardly ever heard these days, and many Protestant leaders
do not broadcast the fact that their tradition is separate
from that of Rome.
No wonder the Pope appears to speak for 'Christianity' as
a whole, when he makes statements nowadays. The Protestant
and Reformed attitude these days seems to be one of quiet
support for the Roman Catholic line on matters of morality
and relations with other faiths.
World Protestantism today is a mere shadow of its former
greatness when it comes to echoing the view of Luther, Calvin,
Knox, Cranmer, Ridley, Latimer and other great Reformers and
letting the world know that it is separate from Roman Catholicism.
Even Reformation Sunday is played down, and if it were not
for Orange and Black services, it is doubtful if this day
would be marked by most of our mainstream Protestant churches.
All this can be traced back to the formation of the World
Council of Churches, and the increase in the influence and
importance of the ecumenical movement following Vatican Two
in the early 1960s, and the visit of the then Archbishop of
Canterbury and other Protestant church leaders to Rome.
Since then there has been a tendency of Protestant Church
leaders to fall over themselves to toady up to Rome. There
are, of course, many brave individual clergymen and ministers
who have not been afraid to speak up and remind people that
Protestantism still means a lot to many people.
Had it not been for the Reformation and the spread of Protestantism
to many European countries, the age of enlightenment might
not have happened, but would certainly have been delayed.
Protestants paid a very high price for the courage of the
Reformers. The massacres and destruction of the Huguenots
in France, the almost complete elimination of Protestantism
in what is now the Czech Republic, the dreadful Spanish Inquisition
with its burning of 'heretics' is a sad litany.
In the British Isles, hundreds of Protestant martyrs were
burned alive during the reign of 'Bloody' Mary, and of course
tens of thousands of Protestants were murdered or expelled
from Ulster and Munster during the 1641 Rebellion.
One doesn't have to go far back to find examples of Roman
Catholic intolerance. During the Second World War nearly a
million Serb Orthodox Christians were murdered or forced to
convert to Roman Catholicism by the Fascist Ustashi movement.
The Ustashi were supported by the Roman Catholic puppet state
of Croatia established by the Nazis during their occupation
of Yugoslavia, and many Roman Catholic priests were involved
in the atrocities against the Serbs.
All this is historical fact, but everyone hopes that those
terrible times have gone, and that religious tolerance will
operate throughout the world.
Undoubtedly things have improved as far as Protestant-Roman
Catholic church relationships are concerned, but Protestants
are still regarded as 'separated brethren' by Rome, and not
as Christian equals.
That cannot be denied, as a document a few years ago, which
was influenced largely by Cardinal Ratinzer, now Pope Benedict,
described Protestant Churches as 'Christian communities'.
The document certainly did not acknowledge Protestant Churches
as being equal to Roman Catholicism, and even 'liberal' and
'moderate' Protestants were dismayed.
It did not come as any surprise to Orangemen or to Protestants
proud of their tradition.
But true Protestants, including Orangemen, are prepared to
constantly work for better relationships with all other religions,
including Roman Catholics, without sacrificing dearly held
freedoms earned at terrible cost down the centuries.
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