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Sentinelle in Piedi
Standing Sentinels, or in Italian Sentinelle in Piede, is a protest movement. They stand in silence and read to protest the attempt to silence the suppression of speech. They stand in silent witness in front of courts and town halls never saying a word as a warning about the attempt to silence speech to further the cause of politically correct speech.
They have been met with violence by the progressive left because to silence one is never enough. Voice alone is not the target. Individual conscience must be stamped out.
Lest Americans become smug, the drive to stamp out conscience is well underway in the United States. The Little Sisters of the Poor must pay for abortions, the Governor of Oregon states that the death penalty must not be carried out but assisted suicide and abortion must be funded by taxpayers. His conscience must be respected; yours should not.
Tolerance no longer means “I don’t put my hands on you when I disagree with you.” Tolerance now means, “I have to bake a wedding cake for you.”
One of my favorite movie quotes sums up how I feel about those who try to impose their will on my conscience. It comes from The Shootist starring John Wayne:
I won’t be wronged. I won’t be insulted. I won’t be laid a hand-on. I don’t do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.
Catholic World Report provides additional background on the Sentinels:
Whether north or south of the Alps, the Sentinels draw inspiration from the words spoken by John Paul II at his Mass on the Washington Mall, during his first visit to the United States, October 7, 1979:
And so, we will stand up every time that human life is threatened.
— When the sacredness of life before birth is attacked, we will stand up and proclaim that no one ever has the authority to destroy unborn life.
— When a child is described as a burden or looked upon only as means to satisfy an emotional need, we will stand up and insist that every child is a unique and unrepeatable gift of God, with the right to a loving and united family.
— When the institution of marriage is abandoned to human selfishness or reduced to a temporary, conditional arrangement that can be easily terminated, we will stand up and affirm the indissolubility of the marriage bond.
— When the value of the family is threatened because of social and economic pressures, we will stand up and reaffirm that the family is “necessary not only for the private good of every person, but also for the common good of every society, nation and state.”
— When freedom is used to dominate the weak, to squander natural resources and energy, and to deny basic necessities to people, we will stand up and reaffirm the demands of justice and social love.
— When the sick, the aged, or the dying are abandoned in loneliness, we will stand up and proclaim that they are worthy of love, care and respect.”
Image via Catholic World Report
Published in General
Praise God for Sentinelle in Piede and Manif Pour Tous – thanks for linking to that article.
Whenever I hear the progressive left talk about “the pragmatic social truce we call tolerance” I think of these words from Archbishop Charles Chaput:
May these brave and faithful people be strengthened in their stand for truth. Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us.
What a great idea. I can see this happening here in the near future.
I have a deep respect for Archbishop Chaput. On a more personal note I know that you are caring for a family member that is suffering from Parkinson’s I’ll keep you and your loved one in my prayers. Pax Christi
So sayeth the NM Supreme Court and George Will. So let it be written. So let it be done.
The quality and content of the cake is another matter entirely… gentle as a dove, clever as a serpent.
Interesting that some ask for tolerance when they really want acceptance and moreover, celebration. It’s amazing what you can do when you begin rewriting the dictionary.
I live in Italy and have never heard or read of the Sentinelle in Piedi. It is a great idea, but they need more and better publicity!
These guys, on the other hand, who are protesting school reform, or, as they call it, “exploitation,” shut down traffic, blocked businesses, and got massive press. Such protests have been happening all over the country. I have a friend who teaches English at one of the classical high schools in town here; when I asked her what the students were demanding, she replied, “Oh, it’s sunny out and it’s October. A protest is just a good excuse not to do work.”
I posted the link to Sentinelle in my FB page this morning, and it has already been shared by a number of FB friends with their other FB friends. Hopefully that will keep it spreading.
A powerful idea, but I think in some American cities, that standing would be interpreted as loitering and the protesters would have to keep moving. At least that is what some who protest in front of abortion clinics have had to do. What is the experience of others? Maybe it depends on the location, say a large public square or a park-like area as opposed to a sidewalk venue.