Obviously realizing that comparing President Obama to God like so many have before is ridiculous and soooo last month, Fr. Dominic V. Monti is breaking the mold by comparing Obama to…(wait for it)…St. Francis of Assisi.
Yup. That’s right. A priest is comparing Obama to St. Francis of Assisi.
I know your first instinct is to assume that the good priest doesn’t know a darn thing about St. Francis in order to make that statement. But alas, Fr. Monti actually wrote a book on St. Francis.
Now, mind you I’m sure the comparison of Obama and St. Francis has nothing to do with the fact that he’s trying to sell his book about St. Francis. I’m sure this is what he really thought after long consideration and didn’t even know that one way to get publicity for your book is to say something controversial and liberal.
If you want to check out The Times Union and read the whole thing feel free but I’ll give you the lowlights and then we’ll see how St. Francis and Obama actually compare.
Fr. Monti writes:
Since taking office in January, President Barack Obama has made what some consider to be unusual, even controversial overtures to the Muslim world.
His message of “initiating a new partnership, based on mutual respect and mutual interest” has been consistently communicated, whether in his inaugural address, in his landmark January interview on the Al-Arabiya television network or in his speeches to the Turkish parliament in April or at Cairo University in June.
But these overtures are not as unusual or controversial as one may think when viewed from a longer historical context. Almost eight centuries ago — or more precisely 557years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence — another person sought a better understanding of Muslims through the pursuit of an open dialogue. That person is now known as St. Francis of Assisi.
OK. I had to stop because my gag reflex was kicking in. Sorry. I’ll continue now.
Although Francis did not obtain the sultan’s conversion to Christianity in this meeting, which was his primary goal, he experienced a conversion of his own…
Francis was also impressed and moved by several values of the Muslim religion and sought to incorporate them into his spiritual life and that of his “Lesser Brothers.” These included the practice of publicly calling people to pray at various times of day, an acute sense of God’s majesty, goodness and transcendence, and the adoration of God with both fear and reverence.
Scholars say Francis and the sultan created the first real dialogue between Christians and Muslims. In fact, some people believe that Obama is employing St. Francis as his model in his attempts to pursue the same between American and Islamic nations.
“Some people” meaning Fr. Monti, I guess.
And I must have missed a presser or two but when exactly did Obama call on the people to pray at various times of the day. Isn’t this the President who took six months to decide on a Church?
Now I’m warning you that the ending is going to make you want to hurl. I’m just telling you because I don’t want any lawsuits about “oh Matt Archbold made me puke all over my keyboard at work and now my computer’s busted and I got fired and it’s all CMR’s fault.”
It would not be the first time an individual has followed the example of St. Francis in reaching out to different and opposing cultures to discover a common ground and to gain a better understanding.
Maybe the seeds for this latest effort can be traced to his first two years of grade school, when a very young Barack Obama attended a Catholic elementary school while living in Indonesia, the largest Muslim populated nation in the world.
The name of that school was St. Francis of Assisi Foundation School.
Bleh. Bleh. Bleh. I just lost my healthy breakfast of cold pizza and diet coke. Who can I sue? Priests don’t have any money. And newspapers are disappearing faster than Gov. Mark Sanford’s presidential chances.
But you know, I’m not willing to toss aside Fr. Monti’s suggestions. I’ll give him some credit for perhaps seeing a similarity we were just too stupid to see. On second thought you’ve gotta’ admit that it is kind of freaky when you look at it how similar Obama and St. Francis are…except when you think about Obama seeking to increase the number of abortions by pouring money to abortion providers. And making it legal to kill babies outside the womb too. Yeah, except for those things…it’s a perfect analogy.
Let’s compare some of Obama’s quotes with St. Francis’ because the similarities are eery:
“Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self” – St. Francis
Obama on his Election: “This was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless. This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal. This was the moment when we ended a war, and secured our nation, and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth.”
“If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.” – Francis of Assisi
Obama on exclusion: “I’ve got two daughters. 9 years old and 6 years old…I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.”
“Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance.” – Francis of Assisi
Obama on fear and ignorance: “It’s not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
Yeah, Fr. Monti I totally see the similarities. I’d write more but I really have to clean up my keyboard now. Good luck selling your book.
August 10, 2009 at 8:06 pm
St. Francis gave his stuff away. But Socialists give away the stuff of other people. I don't recall Lord Jesus teach, "Take the rich mans belongings and give it to the poor", do you?
August 10, 2009 at 8:15 pm
That was St. Robin Hood.
August 10, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Matthew you need to get a hold of yourself. You are coming dangerously close to bearing false witness. NOWHERE in that article does Fr Monti compare Obama to St Francis. He alludes to the fact that Obama MAY be using St Francis as his example towards reaching out to Muslims. But that's as far as it goes. He never compares the two. You really need to get a grip here.
August 10, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Anonymous is correct: nowhere does Fr. Monti compare Obama to St. Francis.
Obama a modern St. Francis
By THE REV. DOMINIC V. MONTI
Oh, wait.
August 10, 2009 at 8:55 pm
I know your first instinct is to assume that the good priest doesn't know a darn thing about St. Francis in order to make that statement. But alas, Fr. Monti actually wrote a book on St. Francis.
Margaret Mead wrote a book as well and I don't think she knew a darn thing about the Samoans.
August 10, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Jay,
I guess you need to get a grip too.
August 10, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Comparing the President to a Saint is annoying, comparing the President to our Savior is hard to describe as anything but stupid, and comparing him to God…we will have to create a new word, fawnication, to establish the level of syncophantic love thrown this man's way.
But in truth, isn't this a step down in superlatives for the President?
August 11, 2009 at 1:25 am
When you take into account the Assisi-style politics that St. Francis was famous for using among his brothers, well, then, the similarities do make sense.
August 11, 2009 at 1:25 am
This comment has been removed by the author.
August 11, 2009 at 3:28 am
Let me know when B.O. is carrying the stigmata, THEN I'll think of him along the same lines as St. Francis!
August 11, 2009 at 5:46 am
Ha! These are closer to the truth.
http://obamiconme.pastemagazine.com/entries/1346277-obey.html
http://obamiconme.pastemagazine.com/entries/1346282-submit.html
August 11, 2009 at 7:25 am
Might I suggest Fr. Monti read Frank Rega's book St. Francis of Assisi and the Conversion of the Muslims for the real story?
August 11, 2009 at 5:05 pm
I vote "Or something." or more correctly "Anti-something."
August 11, 2009 at 11:23 pm
What Right-Wing, fanatical Traditionalist said this?
"It is just that Christians invade the land you inhabit, for you blaspheme the name of Christ and alienate everyone you can from His worship."
This same person supported the Fifth Crusade against the moslems as well as being taken prisoner, beaten and put in chains by them.
He also fully expected to be martyred for Christ and His Church.
For the answer, go here – http://catholic-caveman.blogspot.com/2008/04/it-is-just-that-christians-invade-land.html
August 12, 2009 at 5:05 am
Some good posts on this by others, but Rick wins again in my book.
Thanks for being a Christian role model, man.
August 12, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Praying several times a day shows how Islam influenced St. Francis? Yeah, the Church never had the Divine Office prior to that…they just rang the church bells on the hours because they liked the sound.
August 14, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Fr. Monti's prose reads as if he is an ESL high school student who had this translated from Italian to English by a software program. If my home schooled teens wrote this poorly, they would be in summer school right now.
"Almost eight centuries ago — or more precisely 557 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. . . ." I know I told you the essay had to be 500 words minimum, but just give me the year and don't waste my time with this irrelevant timeline. What do the Crusades or St. Francis have to do with the Declaration of Independence?
". . . another person sought a better understanding of Muslims through the pursuit of an open dialogue." – Was St. Francis' purpose "better understanding"? St. Francis' purpose was to convert Muslims (which you later admit), not "understand" them. Seems like you're knowingly stretching here.
"That person is now known as St. Francis of Assisi." Again, the 500 word minimum seems to make you too loquacious. Honestly, please just write, "That person is St. Francis of Assisi" if you want to be gender neutral. "He is St. Francis," is even better. Also, you could end your previous sentence with a colon followed by "St. Francis." Much more powerful and that saves you six precious words that you could use later to assert, "St. Francis and St. Barack are so totally very, very, very, very, very, very awesome."
"Comparisons of the current day to the times of Francis are uncanny for their similarity." Both periods were affected by war that involved 'western' intervention." As was true with Greece, the Roman Empire, WWI, WWII. Heck, the "east" and "west" have been continually entangled. Common events are not "uncanny for their similarities" unless you believe water is uncannily similar to H20.
Francis was also impressed and moved by several values. . . . These included the practice of publicly calling people to pray at various times of day . . . ." A "practice" is not a value. It may be based on a value, but the practice itself is not a value.
"Scholars say Francis and the sultan created the first real dialogue between Christians and Muslims." Who are these scholars and why are they ignorant of the dialogues from 639 BC (e.g., Patriarchs John I and Timothy I)?
". . . some people believe that Obama is employing St. Francis as his model in his attempts to pursue the same between American and Islamic nations." Is there any evidence that BHO knows anything about St. Francis other than your unsubstantiated assertion? Has he ever invoked St. Francis' example as a model for modern engagement?
You quote BHO: "Instead, they overlap, and share common principles — principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings." Do you share BHO's value of abortion-on-demand as a principle of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings?
"Maybe the seeds for this latest effort can be traced to his first two years of grade school, when a very young Barack Obama attended a Catholic elementary school while living in Indonesia, the largest Muslim populated nation in the world." Or, more likely, the seeds you speak of were sown by the radical father figures and benefactors BHO has been surrounded by since his birth (e.g., mother [Unitarian socialist], father [Marxist Muslim], Lolo Soetoro [radical Muslim Marxist], Frank Marshall Davis [Radical Marxist], Jeremiah Wright [no explanation needed]. (If this is the level of "scholarship" we can expect from a former interim president at a "Catholic" college, why would I believe that BHO's Catholic education was any better?)
It seems you're merely cherry picking facts and distorting history.
Understanding of subject: F
Citation of relevant sources: F
Style: C
Grammar and Spelling: C
Overall grade: D- (See you at 7:30 a.m. for remedial practice. Or is it values? I always confuse practices with values.)