In 1480 a Turkish force invaded Otranto in Italy, killing 802 people. Catholics claim that they were killed for refusing to convert to Islam. Pope Clement XIV beatified the group in 1771, and now Pope Francis is declaring all 802 saints. He will thus become the Pope with largest number of saints created, overnight.
The Turks, however, furiously deny the story of a religious massacre. They say that the people killed were soldiers, or at least armed men. Italian researchers conclude that some acts of terror were committed by the Turkish invaders to create panic among the Italians around Otranto. But evidence that the 802 were killed for their Christian faith is apparently hard to come by.
I am deeply sorry about deaths in Otranto, as I am deeply sorry about the deaths of Muslims killed by drones today. But 802 saints?
Dear Mr. Pope, read Epicurus! Moderation, please.
Will Pope Francis now do the decent thing and make the philosopher, Epicurus, a saint?
Epicurus stood for many of the things that Christians should now stand for: equality of the sexes, disdain for racism, better treatment for the poor and disadvantaged and, above all, peace of mind and lack of fear. His followers were hounded and discriminated against by early Christians, his written work destroyed and his reputation trashed. It is time for at least an apology? Even better? Saint Epicurus ( just joking)
Plus ça change, etc. New saints in 2013=802; new Christians in one day, ca 500 A.D. near Reims=3,000 Frankish soldiers, emulating Clovis, their leader.
Epicurus must have been a dignified man and I think he’d rise from his grave before allowing himself to be a candidate for “blessed,” much less “saint.” But, yes, wouldn’t that be a cosmopolitan gesture for Pope Francis to dare?