Editor: History has given us many figures from whom to draw strength, they encourage us from the pages of history like a brave captain in the middle of a fight. Sometimes they fall, sometimes they get up again and sometimes their selfless gift of self rings through the history like the tolling of the Angelus Bell, bringing us to prayers of thanksgiving; yes, prudence and courage go together to make the cynic doubt his hard heart at last.
[FT.com] Tony Abbott’s risk-averse and tightly managed poll campaign has not only elevated him from his status as an underdog, but Australia’s opposition leader is now within striking distance of a victory at this weekend’s election.
Dubbed the “mad monk” because of his period studying to be a Roman Catholic priest, the 53-year-old leader of the centre-right coalition is on a final blitz among marginal seats that will determine whether he can defeat Julia Gillard’s first-term Labor government.
On Thursday, Mr Abbott dismissed as Labor party propaganda opinion polls that found the government could win the popular vote but lose the election on the back of a rout in New South Wales and Queensland marginal seats.
Read further, here.
Marco Fidel Suárez
Like Tony Abbott, the President of Columbia, was nicknamed with the epithet "Monk". He was a poet and a deep Catholic thinker. Overcoming the stigma and challenge of illegitimacy, he went on to become President of Columbia, and founder of the Columbian Airforce, who gave some substance to the old Columbian saying that "most of our presidents have been poets, not soldiers".
Lou Tseng-Tsiang
Another monastic, indeed hermetic, figure of political life in the turn of the last century was this great Chinese scholar, intellectual, poet and statesman, Lou Tseng-Tsiang. After an eventful public career he joined the Monastery of Sint Andres in Bruges, Belgium. He was later raised to the title of Abbot by Pius XII. He is famous for having said:
Europe's strength is found not in her armaments, nor in her knowledge — it is found in her religion [...]. Observe the Christian faith. When you have grasped its heart and its strength, take them and give them to China.
Gabriel Garcia Moreno
Much has been written about him, for he did many good things, most notably he forgave the Freemasons who slew him even as he was at the altar. Writing earlier to Pius IX, he prepared himself for death:
I wish to obtain your blessing before that day, so that I may have the strength and light which I need so much in order to be unto the end a faithful son of our Redeemer, and a loyal and obedient servant of His Infallible Vicar. Now that the Masonic Lodges of the neighboring countries, instigated by Germany, are vomiting against me all sorts of atrocious insults and horrible calumnies, now that the Lodges are secretly arranging for my assassination, I have more need than ever of the divine protection so that I may live and die in defense of our holy religion and the beloved republic which I am called once more to rule.
It's indeed interesting that this great man was a victim of the Kulturkampf in Germany. He loved the Church, his family and country. He was truly a most royal son of God's holy Church and it would be hard indeed to meet a man as single-minded
and good in any age.
President Ngo Dinh Diem
Another untimely and most Catholic victim who loved his country and went to his death defending her from the Communists, President Ngo Dihn Diem was murdered ironically by the machinations of the Kennedy Whitehouse in a coup accomplished by Cabot Lodge. Every Vietnamese knows about this tragedy, and even the Communists in Hanoi were astonished at the stupidity exhibited on behalf of American Foreign Policy. It's especially interesting that his murder was accomplished on the pretext of a lack of cultural sensitivity, a charge which has brought down many conservative, reactionary and religious leaders of the 20th Century.
Dedicated to a great Caudillo from Columbia whose inspiration this was.
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