Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Leo the Great and Attila the Hun

The Roman Empire was falling.  The Fifth Century was a disaster for the Empire, but it didn't help when Attila the Hun invaded Italy in 452.  The Empire's armies were exhausted and beaten, and the path to the Eternal City itself lay open.  With nobody to defend the people, Pope Leo rode out to meet the (in)famous barbarian.

Fresco by Raffael showing the meeting of Leo and Attila
Fresco by Raffael showing the meeting of Leo and Attila


Leo faced Attila and his Huns.  All we know for sure is that it was Attila that blinked; the Huns withdrew beyond the Danube river, leaving Rome untouched.  Not for nothing is Leo called "The Great" - the first Pope receiving that much-desired adjective.

But that was then, and this is now.  St. John's Episcopal Church sits on Lafayette Square in Washington D.C., across from the White House.  Rioters tried to burn it down, and Donald Trump took an unexpected walk across the square to stand up for civilization.  You'd think that people trying to burn down historic churches would be, well, barbarians.  If you listened to the Bishop from that church, you'd think you were wrong:

She told Anderson Cooper of CNN, "I am outraged. The president did not pray when he came to St John’s nor, as you just articulated, did he acknowledge the agony of our country right now — in particular, that of the people of color in our nation who wonder is anyone in public power will ever acknowledge their sacred worth and who are rightfully demanding an end to 400 years of systemic racism and white supremacy in our country … We distance ourselves from the incendiary language of this President."
 
The bishop sided with the barbarians. I suppose turncoat bishops have done that over the centuries.

Mariann Edgar Budde is no Pope Leo the Great.  The barbarians are trying to sack our Eternal City and the Church is telling us that we're on our own.

10 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

Being the "sexist pig" that I am, I don't believe in women preachers--speakers, yes, but not preachers.

lee n. field said...

We, we have barbarians.

I've spent the last year (more, actually) working through Augustine's City of God. It seems kind of a fortuitous thing to have started at this time. Started in response to the sack of Rome by barbarians, after many centuries of security. "Surely the world is ending now."

ProudHillbilly said...

Just curious - what has she had to say about so many having lost their right to attend church?

I thought about sending her an email but I've already accumulated a big pile of things I need to go to confession for.

ASM826 said...

My wife is an ordained preacher. She's good at it.

Beans said...

Godliness in a minister, preacher, priest, reverend, rabbi, etc. is a good thing.

Using the cloak of the church or ministry as camo to cover one's wordly or non-Godly motives is... well... geee... plays right into the Morningstar's hands.

Richard said...

Leo may have faced Attila down or maybe not. It may have been logistics. Historians disagree.

Glen Filthie said...

She’s also a dyke. Donald Trump will not find any friends in a pozzed church run buy wahmen or sexual degenerates.

My heart lifts when I see neoliberals getting attacked by their Own monkeys. I laughed like hell when CNN was swarmed by the howling baboons they try to radicalize.

Old NFO said...

Sadly true... sigh

Craig Mark said...

Leo didn't "face down" Attila. He took him the 'Danegeld' to pay him off and go away, with promise of more to come. Attila died before he could come back and collect.

alo 89 said...

It must suck to be a black man. White men fought for your freedom. White men got you the vote. White men (Republicans at that) voted for your civil rights. And now you are saying that only whites can do anything about racism. Only money from white people can help your communities and only obeisance from white people will make you feel better. Who knew white people had all this power and you have none. If you keep telling them they are irredeemably racist the real danger is they might believe you.