by Oui
Tue Apr 22nd, 2025 at 05:35:36 PM EST
Americans who were proud of their
heritage were wary of immigrants
and an eventual papal takeover.
The Ku Klux Klan vs. Catholics: a Sad Chapter in American History
The activities of the Ku Klux Klan against African Americans and the cause of civil rights has been well documented. Medgar Evers; Cheney, Goodman and Schwerner, and the four girls who died in the 1963 Birmingham church bombing are only a few of the tragic stories involving the KKK.
But black Americans were not the only targets of the organization, which traces its beginnings to the Reconstruction period after the American Civil War. Catholics in America have felt its sting as well.
There have been three iterations of the Ku Klux Klan: the original one, which flourished in the late 1860s; the second, which had its peak in the 1920s, and the third, which saw multiple Klan groups fighting the civil rights movement from the 1950s onward.
The second manifestation--the one that was on the rise just about 100 years ago--is the one that was most virulently anti-Catholic.
The D.W. Griffith film "The Birth of A Nation," which extolled the KKK's role after the Civil War, inspired the revival of the Klan around 1915. The film was based on the novel 'The Clansman: A Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan' by Thomas Dixon, Jr., published in 1905. After the First World War, the Klan began to attract hundreds of thousands of recruits throughout the country.
Deeply conservative both politically and religiously, Dixon remained adamantly against extending political rights to African Americans, fearing that social equality would inevitably result in miscegenation, a prospect Dixon found unseemly. Such reactionary beliefs, in conjunction with his insistent veneration of the South, made Dixon a popular yet controversial figure.
"Much of the second Klan's appeal can be credited to its militant advocacy of white supremacy, anti-Catholicism, anti-Semitism, and immigration restriction," said the New Georgia Encyclopedia, "but the organization also attracted the support of many middle-class Americans by advocating improved law enforcement, honest government, better public schools, and traditional family life."
I do recognize much of colonialism and race "superiority" of the Dutch Reformed Church, slavery, South Africa and today's western Michigan with Erik Prince, Pete Hoekstra, and Betsy De Vos all serving authoritarian Donald Trump.
The Reformist and Humanist Papa Francesco
Cardinal Burke to Malta, Mamberti to Apostolic Signatura | NCR - 8 Nov. 2014 |
Pope Francis today appointed Cardinal Raymond Burke, hitherto prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, as patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, replacing Cardinal Paolo Sardi who has served in the position since 2009.
Confirmation of the appointment was widely awaited: rumors had been circulating for some time, and Cardinal Burke disclosed the Pope's decision himself in an interview last month.
The move means that Cardinal Burke, 66, is completely removed from the Curia and holds a purely honorary position without any influence in the governance of the universal Church. Given his age and seniority, such a move is unprecedented and many therefore view it as a demotion.
Ultra Conservative Burke Loses Post in Roman Curia | 17 Dec. 2013 |
In most recent interview [start @ 9:00] Burke was at a loss of the renewal by Pope Francis, he never saw it coming. A signal to the American conservative bishops like Timothy Dolan and Spadero. Both mentioned in your article.
The Catholic ultra conservatives came out gunning for the new "Marxist" pope from Argentina.
'How America wanted to change the pope.' Chapter 4: Facing the power of money
A dive into the different economic levers at work to overthrow Francis over pronouncements seen as anti-Capitalist
Revolution of Pope Francis, Demotion of Cardinal Raymond Burke | by Oui @BooMan on 18 Oct. 2014 |
More recent ...
Cardinal Who Lost Free Vatican Home Has 4-Word Message on Meeting With Pope | Newsweek - 29 Dec. 2023 |
Raymond Burke, a conservative American cardinal and one of Pope Francis' staunchest critics, had a pithy response when asked how his meeting with the pontiff went: "Well, I'm still alive."
Burke commented to Reuters outside his residence in Rome, a little over one month after the pope revoked his right to a subsidized Vatican apartment and salary.
Conservative Limbaugh Lashes Out At Pope Francis | 15 Dec. 2013 |
I can imagine Pope Francis put all wealth evangelists on notice by his sermons and remarks. Conservative America speaks out as a first warning to the pope in Rome.
[work in progress ... more to come]
