The Latin Union
06-02-2005, 06:16
Article taken from the Latin National Daily Journal (LGQE):
A DIVIDED PEOPLE
By Yolanda Beatriz Quiñonez
SETUBAL, PAX PROVINCE - This city has been the scene of an unprecedented religious conflict. In the Church of the Holy Virgin on Via 48, Cardinal Giuseppe Arnandini and several dozen other religious leaders of the Union's Catholic community have been meeting for the past two years, debating, often in a very heated manner, over the issue of unification.
But it is not the issue of the nation's unification that troubles these holy men. A more pressing matter troubles them. Nearly 24% of the Latin Union's 790 million residents identify themselves as members of the Catholic faith. That's nearly 189,600,000 people - an amount so large it dwarfs the populations of many other nations. With such a large community comes a large responsibility, and a very large stake in the issue at hand for any major religious figure outside of the Union.
The Catholics in the Union are at an impasse: which Pope is the true voice of God? Or, should the Catholics of the Union even follow the mandate of any specific Pope at all? Prior to the signing of the Latin Constitution and the unification of the five provinces into what we now call our great nation, the Catholics living in this region remained divided over which Pope to follow. Since the political unification of the nation, Cardinal Arnandini has sought to unite the Catholics of the nation as well. He feels such a unification would "eliminate dissention in a community that should have none." According to Arnandini, "we all believe in the same Lord, and the same Savior. There is no need for us to debate about who is the true voice of the Lord. If we as Catholics can peacefully co-exist with completely different faiths, we should be able to peacefully co-exist with one another."
But for years before the unification of the nation, the Catholics of the region debated and disputed the nature of their leadership. Some believe Pope Leo of the Holy Vatican See is the true leader of Catholics. Some believe Cardinal Middelhuis of the Holy See of Twente is the true voice of God. A minority follow the mandate of Pope Castor III of Frenzberrie. Still others feel that Pope John Paul II holds their allegiance. And among many there is the feeling that the Latin Catholic community should simply abolish the notion of a Pope and worship on their own, with only local religious leaders to look to for leadership.
Cardinal Arnandini feels this last choice is what is best for the nation. "Our government believes there should be to each his own," he says. "If our government sees all people as equal and all faiths as equal, can we not see all religious leaders as equal, and eliminate this meaningless conflict over who is right and who is wrong?"
But he knows many others disagree with him, so for years he had hosted debates in his church to help bring this issue to resolution. Candidly he revealed they are farther from a solution than they were when he began.
Arnandini is formally a leader in the Catholic sect that views Pope Leo as its true leader, but he and many other local religious figures adhere to the belief that those who choose other religious leaders should not be shunned by their fellow Catholics. He is the head of a movement to eliminate this dissention and restore peaceful coexistence to the Catholic community, even if their own beliefs are not chosen as the correct path.
The issue of Catholic unification was a troubling thorn in the side of President Pedro Marquez's effort to unify the nation. He overcame the issue by proclaiming church and state to be separate and saying that disputes of faith were to be resolved by leaders of faith. His campaign on a solely political platform is what unified the nation. When questioned repeatedly about his stance on the Catholic issue, the President has always replied, "I urge the various leaders of the Catholic faith to come to a quick and peaceful resolution on this issue. Prolonging this dispute merely helps intensify it." Marquez, a self-proclaimed agnostic, was married to his wife in a Protestant church.
The issue not only extends to Catholicism. The interfaith community in the nation is also troubled over this issue. Up to now, the Catholic community has been represented by only one delegate to any meeting, just like any other faith. But in recent months some have been pushing for Vatican Catholics, Twentish Catholics, and Frenzberrie Catholics to be represented each by their own delegate. This has helped widen the gaps in the Catholic community.
"I am troubled by seeing this happen," says Rabbi Sabas Tomás Feliciano, a member of the National Interfaith Committee. "As a Jew I simply don't understand this sort of conflict. Within Judaism we have five sects, but only one of them recognizes a single man to be the direct line to God. The rest believe that God listens to all people individually. As a professor of interfaith relations, I want to help my Catholic friends resolve this issue without widening the dissention. But as a Jew I just can't think of a solution. My people have not seen this kind of dispute."
"I think making this an issue will be devastating to the Catholic faith in our nation," says Father Érico Barba, himself a follower of Cardinal Middelhuis. "These people who think we should renounce any Pope and follow God on our own threaten to make Catholicism into Protestantism. Our faith is strong because its leader is strong. I believe Cardinal Middelhuis is the true voice of God. There are those who disagree with me, and follow other leaders, but this does not bother me. Trying to eliminate our faith in one religious leader is what frightens me."
The tension has thankfully not reached violent levels, but Catholic schools in the nation have recently been denying students access on the basis of who they or their families believe is the true leader of Catholicism. This issue has come to the attention of many municipal governments. Most are simply turning the issue away, but some have become entangled in the nationwide dispute and are no closer to a solution than any others. School officials are bickering with each other, and even some companies are starting to warn employees that if they engage in any religious debates on company time they will be reprimanded.
While a few call for government intervention, most agree this is an issue to be solved within the Catholic Church. Cardinal Arnandini's requests to meet the President have been politely declined to this day. Repeatedly Arnandini has been told "this is not an issue for the government, in whose eyes all religions are equal."
"I respect the government's commitment to freedom and equality," says Arnandini, "but I want to meet with the President out of personal interest. He is the unifying leader of our great nation. I want to know if he could give me some tips on how to unify a divided religious community."
Yolanda Beatriz Quiñonez is a staff writer of the Latin National Daily Journal.
A DIVIDED PEOPLE
By Yolanda Beatriz Quiñonez
SETUBAL, PAX PROVINCE - This city has been the scene of an unprecedented religious conflict. In the Church of the Holy Virgin on Via 48, Cardinal Giuseppe Arnandini and several dozen other religious leaders of the Union's Catholic community have been meeting for the past two years, debating, often in a very heated manner, over the issue of unification.
But it is not the issue of the nation's unification that troubles these holy men. A more pressing matter troubles them. Nearly 24% of the Latin Union's 790 million residents identify themselves as members of the Catholic faith. That's nearly 189,600,000 people - an amount so large it dwarfs the populations of many other nations. With such a large community comes a large responsibility, and a very large stake in the issue at hand for any major religious figure outside of the Union.
The Catholics in the Union are at an impasse: which Pope is the true voice of God? Or, should the Catholics of the Union even follow the mandate of any specific Pope at all? Prior to the signing of the Latin Constitution and the unification of the five provinces into what we now call our great nation, the Catholics living in this region remained divided over which Pope to follow. Since the political unification of the nation, Cardinal Arnandini has sought to unite the Catholics of the nation as well. He feels such a unification would "eliminate dissention in a community that should have none." According to Arnandini, "we all believe in the same Lord, and the same Savior. There is no need for us to debate about who is the true voice of the Lord. If we as Catholics can peacefully co-exist with completely different faiths, we should be able to peacefully co-exist with one another."
But for years before the unification of the nation, the Catholics of the region debated and disputed the nature of their leadership. Some believe Pope Leo of the Holy Vatican See is the true leader of Catholics. Some believe Cardinal Middelhuis of the Holy See of Twente is the true voice of God. A minority follow the mandate of Pope Castor III of Frenzberrie. Still others feel that Pope John Paul II holds their allegiance. And among many there is the feeling that the Latin Catholic community should simply abolish the notion of a Pope and worship on their own, with only local religious leaders to look to for leadership.
Cardinal Arnandini feels this last choice is what is best for the nation. "Our government believes there should be to each his own," he says. "If our government sees all people as equal and all faiths as equal, can we not see all religious leaders as equal, and eliminate this meaningless conflict over who is right and who is wrong?"
But he knows many others disagree with him, so for years he had hosted debates in his church to help bring this issue to resolution. Candidly he revealed they are farther from a solution than they were when he began.
Arnandini is formally a leader in the Catholic sect that views Pope Leo as its true leader, but he and many other local religious figures adhere to the belief that those who choose other religious leaders should not be shunned by their fellow Catholics. He is the head of a movement to eliminate this dissention and restore peaceful coexistence to the Catholic community, even if their own beliefs are not chosen as the correct path.
The issue of Catholic unification was a troubling thorn in the side of President Pedro Marquez's effort to unify the nation. He overcame the issue by proclaiming church and state to be separate and saying that disputes of faith were to be resolved by leaders of faith. His campaign on a solely political platform is what unified the nation. When questioned repeatedly about his stance on the Catholic issue, the President has always replied, "I urge the various leaders of the Catholic faith to come to a quick and peaceful resolution on this issue. Prolonging this dispute merely helps intensify it." Marquez, a self-proclaimed agnostic, was married to his wife in a Protestant church.
The issue not only extends to Catholicism. The interfaith community in the nation is also troubled over this issue. Up to now, the Catholic community has been represented by only one delegate to any meeting, just like any other faith. But in recent months some have been pushing for Vatican Catholics, Twentish Catholics, and Frenzberrie Catholics to be represented each by their own delegate. This has helped widen the gaps in the Catholic community.
"I am troubled by seeing this happen," says Rabbi Sabas Tomás Feliciano, a member of the National Interfaith Committee. "As a Jew I simply don't understand this sort of conflict. Within Judaism we have five sects, but only one of them recognizes a single man to be the direct line to God. The rest believe that God listens to all people individually. As a professor of interfaith relations, I want to help my Catholic friends resolve this issue without widening the dissention. But as a Jew I just can't think of a solution. My people have not seen this kind of dispute."
"I think making this an issue will be devastating to the Catholic faith in our nation," says Father Érico Barba, himself a follower of Cardinal Middelhuis. "These people who think we should renounce any Pope and follow God on our own threaten to make Catholicism into Protestantism. Our faith is strong because its leader is strong. I believe Cardinal Middelhuis is the true voice of God. There are those who disagree with me, and follow other leaders, but this does not bother me. Trying to eliminate our faith in one religious leader is what frightens me."
The tension has thankfully not reached violent levels, but Catholic schools in the nation have recently been denying students access on the basis of who they or their families believe is the true leader of Catholicism. This issue has come to the attention of many municipal governments. Most are simply turning the issue away, but some have become entangled in the nationwide dispute and are no closer to a solution than any others. School officials are bickering with each other, and even some companies are starting to warn employees that if they engage in any religious debates on company time they will be reprimanded.
While a few call for government intervention, most agree this is an issue to be solved within the Catholic Church. Cardinal Arnandini's requests to meet the President have been politely declined to this day. Repeatedly Arnandini has been told "this is not an issue for the government, in whose eyes all religions are equal."
"I respect the government's commitment to freedom and equality," says Arnandini, "but I want to meet with the President out of personal interest. He is the unifying leader of our great nation. I want to know if he could give me some tips on how to unify a divided religious community."
Yolanda Beatriz Quiñonez is a staff writer of the Latin National Daily Journal.