The “Committed Catholic” Threat

Antonio Guterres, former prime minister of Portugal, takes the helm of the United Nations on January 1, 2017, and the Christian press seems pleased. CNA/EWTN News describes him as a “committed Catholic,” Religion News Services calls him “a deeply committed Catholic,” and Aleteia says he is a “devout” Catholic. Guterres is strongly pro-life and helped overturn attempts to legalize abortion in Portugal. Moreover, he believes marriage should be between one man and one woman, and he has spoken out against same-sex “marriage.”

From a Catholic point of view, what more could you want from the top man at UN? Well, how about someone with realistic views on migration? Guterres, who was for ten years the head of the UN High Commission for Refugees, does not seem to grasp the fact that the refugee crisis is not just a crisis for refugees, but also for the countries they seek refuge in.

Many European leaders seem to be backing away from the headlong rush to welcome the “other” that has brought soaring rates of crime and violence to once-peaceful cities and towns. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, for example, recently said that “If I knew what was going to happen, I would turn the clock back many years.” But Guterres doesn’t seem to have learned any lessons from the recent refugee debacle in Europe. At a recent conference in Lisbon, he said that “migration is not the problem but the solution.” In his view, “It must be recognized that migration is inevitable and will not stop … we must convince Europeans that migration is inevitable, and the multi-ethnic, multicultural, multi-religious societies are the ones generating wealth.”

That last observation is questionable. Some multi-ethnic societies (the U.S.) generate wealth, but many of the world’s economic powerhouses—Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea—are decidedly not multi-ethnic. On the other hand, migrants from Muslim countries have been a net drain on the European economy. And the migrant explosion of 2015-16 could very well break the backs of several European economies. For one thing, migrant-related terrorism and the threat of more terrorism has put a decided dent in the European tourism industry.

But leaving aside the looming financial collapse of Europe, how about the cultural catastrophe? Even if you take away the major terror attacks in France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, and the UK, life in Europe is increasingly nasty and brutish. Sexual assaults by migrants are now a common occurrence in England, Sweden, and Germany. Roving gangs of Muslim youth terrorize the citizens of nearly every large and medium-size German city. In France and Sweden, Muslim have established hundreds of no-go zones where women have no more rights than they do in Saudi Arabia or Somalia.

In the Catholic press, Guterres is hailed as an ally of Christian values. And in many respects he is. On the other hand, the kind of migration policies he favors seem likely to undermine those values and hasten the decline of Christianity in Europe. Like many other Christians, Guterres believes that marriage should be between one man and one woman. Muslims are also opposed to same-sex “marriage,” but they have a somewhat different view of opposite-sex marriage. It can be between one man and one woman, or—if he can afford it—between one man and four women. The “multicultural, multi-religious” society Guterres applauds is one in which Muslim men are allowed a multiplicity of wives.

Polygamy is already widely practiced by Muslims in Europe. And, as the practice spreads, it will accelerate the birthrate imbalance between Muslims and native Europeans. That in turn will shift the cultural balance in favor of Islamic cultural practices. That means more polygamy, more female genital mutilation, more child marriages and forced marriages, more honor killings, and more abused spouses.

As for Christian culture? Well, many of the remaining vestiges of Christian culture in Europe are being phased out for fear that they will offend Muslims. In Cremona, Italy a parish priest has cancelled the annual nativity scene at the local cemetery because it might be seen “as a lack of respect” for some nearby Muslim graves. In Sweden, meanwhile, an increasing number of cities, communities, and schools are dropping the traditional celebration of St. Lucy’s Day out of respect for all the Turks, Iraqis, Bosnians, and Somalis who don’t appreciate St. Lucy. Another Christian cultural tradition that may be headed for the chopping block is the Christmas market. These are particularly popular in Germany, which hosts approximately 2,500 markets that attract over 50 million visitors a year.

But now a climate of uncertainty hangs over the Christmas markets because of concerns about potential terrorist attacks. In November, a Muslim boy tried to set off a nail bomb at a Christmas market in Ludwigshafen, and in Belgium, police arrested ten Muslims for plotting bombings at Christmas carnivals. In addition, French security forces thwarted a planned attack against the Christmas market on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Meanwhile, the Christmas market in Strasbourg, France—one of the world’s largest—has been the target of at least one terrorist plot. Just this week, Berlin suffered an attack at a Christmas market when a Muslim migrant drove a truck into a crowd killing twelve pedestrians. In response, the U.S. State Department has issued a travel advisory to U.S. citizens who plan to visit European fairs and open markets this season. For their part, European cities and towns have beefed up security at the Christmas markets. Thanks to multicultural and multi-religious enrichment, holiday cheer is mixed with holiday fear this season in Europe.

Even if there were no terrorists among the migrants flooding into Europe from Muslim lands, there would still be plenty to worry about. A large percentage of these migrants come from sharia cultures, and they carry the sharia ethos with them. That means that many of them will harbor very strong anti-Semitic and anti-Christian sentiments, a low opinion of women, and other attitudes that spell trouble for non-sharia-compliant infidels.

While it is refreshing to have a UN Secretary General who is pro-life and anti-same-sex “marriage,” it is unsettling to have one who thinks that more migration is the “solution” to Europe’s problems. We expect that a committed Catholic will oppose abortion and same-sex “marriage,” but does “committed Catholic” now mean that one must commit to suicidal immigration policies?

On October 19, Mr. Guterres met with UN delegates in a plenary meeting. After telling Guterres, “We want and expect a lot from you,” the Algerian delegate added that because of his election a lot of people were attempting to learn Portuguese. But if Muslim migration into Portugal follows form, the Muslims won’t bother to learn Portuguese, and the government will pass a law requiring all Portuguese schools to teach Arabic. That will come in handy once it dawns on the Portuguese that their survival might well depend on their ability to integrate into the Eurabian culture that is slowly spreading through Europe.

(Photo credit: Associated Press)