Priest murder was about Cartoons

When this story about the murder of Father Santoro broke, I received an email from a taunter who wrote that the priest was “probably shot by some kid he raped…”

Because a handful of bad soldiers means all of our military people are bullies, right? And a handful of bad priests condemns all of them.

The scandals of some unfaithful priests will, undoubtedly – and possibly for our own good – follow Catholics around like a bad shadow, but I was struck by that note. A priest is shot in Turkey, and the immediate equation, for some, is the squalid one, whereas common sense might wonder if the priest was killed due to the Islamic unrest “caused” by the publication of cartoon-depicitions of Muhammed, 5 months ago.

Michelle Malkin has the story – seems that yes, Fr. Santoro was killed with the cartoons as the excuse. She has links to the story, Vatican reaction and more, including this recollection of Fr. Santoro by one who knew him. Check it out. I expect Jim at TKS, who lives in Turkey, will have more.

Michelle is like a one-stop news and information center!

And I have decided to link all of the “Cartoon” stories under the category “Touch of Evil.” Normally, I wouldn’t…but so much of this rage seems to be contrived, yet deadly, and the whole chaotic episode seems so organized (hey, getcher Danish flags here, all these signs are in the same handwriting…let’s put out a few more fake cartoons …) that I believe “evil” may not be too strong a word. This madness cannot end well, and can only feed the baser instincts of others. Writes Charles Moore:

Right now, at the fashionable White Cube Gallery in Hoxton, you can see the latest work of Gilbert and George, mainly devoted, it is reported, to attacks on the Catholic Church. The show is called Sonofagod Pictures and it features the head of Christ on the Cross replaced with that of a primitive deity. One picture includes the slogan “God loves F***ing”.

Like most Christians, I find this offensive, but I think I must live with the offence in the interests of freedom. If I find, however, that people who threaten violence do have the power to suppress what they dislike, why should I bother to defend freedom any more? Why shouldn’t I ring up the Hon Jay Jopling, the proprietor, and tell him that I shall burn down the White Cube Gallery unless he tears Gilbert and George off the walls? I won’t, I promise, but how much longer before some Christians do? The Islamist example shows that it works.

Not every Muslim should be painted with the brush of “extremism,” any more than every soldier should be tainted by Abu Ghraib, or every priest by the terrible behavior of some. But these folks who are organizing this, and fomenting this madness…I think they may fit the category. They are trying to set the world ablaze.

UPDATE: Winds of Change questions the timing and suggests things are not as “spontaneous” as they appear in this situation. I concur. Pajamas Media has an ongoing round-up that you will be happy to find. Sigmund spells out how absurd much of this is.

Also, if your kid is going to school in California, be ready for this.