The Vatican reverses into a darker age

Melanie Phillips:

One of the most disturbing features of the visceral hostility to Israel displayed by the Anglican Church is its underlying revival of replacement theology, or supersessionism – the ancient Christian calumny that, because of their denial of the divinity of Christ, the Jews have forfeited God’s promises to them which have been transferred to Christians. This pernicious doctrine was the principal motor behind the medieval Christian pogroms against the Jews, and persisted until the Holocaust, after which it went underground until it was revived in recent years and fused with Palestinianism. As a result, some Anglican theologians now claim that God’s promise to the Jews of the land of Israel is forfeit and has passed instead to the Palestinians.

Until now, the Catholic Church seemed to have wanted to bury this doctrine of replacement theology, with the Second Vatican Council showing an awareness of the role of Christianity in the persecution of the Jews and an apparent desire to put an end for ever to the theology that had fuelled it. But now Rome has reversed itself.

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Whether or not one subscribes to replacement theology, Israel’s claims to the west bank and Jerusalem are legitimate under international law. Perhaps the arab states surrounding Israel should think twice before attacking a peaceful neighbour or they will lose even more territory.  I would remind Jordan that the land it currently occupies was originally promised to Israel but the British reneged on their promise and turned it over to a Saudi born [Mecca]  arab sheik who had helped them out during WWI.

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