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Italians show what
religious tolerance is -
A Letter from Rome
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By Marcus Aurelius
Sunday Times.lk - Columbo,
Sri Lanka
Sunday January 27, 2008
The Roman Empire reminds us of the extraordinary power wielded
by the
Catholic Church. Like Makkah to the Muslims and Buddhagaya
to the
Buddhists, Rome is sacred to the Catholics around the world.
The Pope,
the Holy Father, is the most revered religious figure in
the world. At
that time the Roman Empire and the Catholic Church believed
they had a
sacred mission to forcefully convert to save the souls of
unfortunate
human beings from being burnt in hell forever.
From what is happening around the world, with religious
fanaticism
giving birth to fundamentalism, this has become a major driving
force
and thousands are dying to defend, what they believe to be,
the word of
God. In India, where there is a pantheon of gods, religious
intolerance
is becoming a major concern as terrorism thrives on the fertile
ground
of religious fundamentalism. Even in the United States, fundamentalism
is growing to unprecedented levels. The mid-west states are
called the
church belt and the extent to which some Americans exhort
the greatness
of God and strive to convert the non believers is alarming.
Therefore, the expectations of a person who had not visited
Italy or
Rome would be that there would be Catholic missionaries in
every nook
and corner waiting to convert you and spread the message
of the Gospel.
And like the Taliban, they would not tolerate any other faith
and would
disparage them as unbelievers, who ought to know the truth
about the
message of God.
In fact, there were rumbling in Sri Lanka when the present
ambassador
was nominated. Many Catholics were concerned over the appointing
of a
non-Christian as the Ambassador to this sacred city. But,
the Roman
Empire has ceased to exist. The Holy Father's territory is
confined to
the Vatican which is the smallest state in the World. In
Rome, we find
the Italians are one of the most tolerant people in the world.
Religion
or Religious beliefs are never the subject of conversation.
Recently, the Dalai Lama visited Italy. This visit created
much
controversy amongst the politicians in Italy. As many in
Sri Lanka would
expect, the controversy was not about a Buddhist Religious
leader
visiting a predominantly Catholic country. No, the controversy
was the
Italian reaction to the attitude of the Chinese government.
China
opposed the visit of Dalai Lama, because of the Nobel laureate's
campaign for independence for Tibet which Beijing regards
as part of China.
China will soon become an economic powerhouse and global
giant. Most
industrialized countries like Italy have strong trade relations
with
China. An angry Beijing informed the Italian Government that
serious
consequences would follow if the Dalai Lama was allowed to
visit Italy.
In fact, the Chinese government warned that visa applications
of
Italians seeking to visit China would be delayed by as long
as three
weeks. Most countries would bow down to such pressure and
refuse an
entry permit to the Dalai Lama. Some time ago, there was
much
controversy in Sri Lanka when the Dalai Lama was invited
to visit Sri
Lanka by 'Malewana Hamuduruwo'.
But, neither the Italian government nor the Mayor of Milan
wilted under
such pressure. The football stadium, where the Dalai Lama
was to make
his address, was packed with more than Ten Thousand people,
some who had
paid nearly 1000 Euros (Rs. 160,000.00) to obtain a seat
close to the
Dalai Lama. He spoke about the Four Noble Truths and the
crowd was
engrossed in the content of his sermon.
He spoke about the Chinese intervention in Tibet and said
China was
enforcing a policy of depriving Buddhist monks of essential
food and
clothing. The visit of the Dalai Lama was a great success.
The Italian
public and the main opposition party were furious that the
Prime
Minister did not receive him. Others were critical of the
Pope for not
affording the welcome that the Noble Peace laureate deserved.
This is
Italy, a Roman Catholic Country.
It is my contention what most countries in the Middle East
and in some
parts of Asia and even in the US are undergoing today what
the Italians
had undergone many centuries ago. It was Russell who commented
that when
one traverses the globe one could intertwine in a time wrap
taking one
back to the middle or the dark ages and the Renaissance and
civilization. Many countries are still in the Middle Ages.
Killing for the glory of God was a trait common to the Roman
Empire.
Throwing Christians to the wild beasts and burning them at
stake too was
common. Then when the Emperor became Christian, the same
applied to the
non-believers. But today, after centuries of civilization,
Italians have
become so broadminded and tolerant that they could assemble
and listen
to one of the most revered religious figures in the world
like the Dalai
Lama.
To all those who decide to commit murder for their belief,
the Italian
example of tolerance, is a lesson for all. To understand
the suffering
of a minority is a trait we have forgotten. This is the main
reason for
the ethnic divide. Where else in the world, other than in
Rome, do
university professors and students, together in unison, refuse
to accept
the Pope as their chief guest?
For the first time, a Pope did not attend the ceremony in
Rome at the
foremost University in Rome for security reasons. The Professors
and
students expressed the view that the present Pope was against
science.
The prosecution of Galileo became an issue and a professor
insisted that
the Church must tender an unconditional apology for what
they considered
a heinous crime against development and science.
Italy has reached the level of civilisation only few nations
have
achieved. When any Sri Lankan says that Italians are the
most tolerant
people in the world, I say amen!
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