Columnists
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Columnists
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February
13 , 2002
Religion can be a dangerous business. How much sorrow throughout history has been due to a “Holy Cause” or a misguided zeal. Poor God! In His name so many armies have marched. So many cities have burned. So many widows and orphans have been created. The genius of the Catholic Church has been that, guided by the Holy Spirit, she has managed to walk a moderate course. Yes, there have been excesses and at times great injustices done in the name of the Lord. But, somehow, someway, the Church has come through her bad times purified and strengthened for the future. We have had, at times, our own form of the Taliband—or Puritans. These are almost always good sincere people carried away by a sense of their own righteousness. They are reformers. Two years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Florence. There one will find the beautiful monastery of San Marco. It is now a museum. Each cell is decorated by a fresco done by Fra Angelico. It is magnificent. However, the biggest cell is that of the most famous of all the monks who ever lived in this holy place. (At one time there were 250 Dominicans). His name was Girolomo Savanarola. Outside his cell, one can see a most authentic painting that depicts (believe it or not) his execution. Now, at this late date, some people wish to make him a saint. Perhaps he was. Perhaps he was a prophet. But consider this. He came to the monastery under the protection of Lorenzo de Medici. Italy was at that time a patchwork of city-states and petty rulers. The Pope was Alexander VI. Alexander was hardly a model of virtue, nor were most of the clerics. Savanarola had charisma. He claimed to have had visions. “Behold,” he cried, “God’s sword over the earth, it will fall soon and swiftly. Do penance!” He predicted terrible sufferings but then, he said, after a period of terror and tribulation, the Church would emerge renewed, the Turks would be converted, peace and brotherly love would prevail, Christ would return to begin a 1,000 year reign on earth. From 1491 until 1498, he preached to thousands in the great Duomo of Florence. He attacked the pomp and circumstance of the Liturgy. Most of all, he attacked the vices of the city itself. Savanarola played politics. Charles VIII and the French allowed him, in effect, to take control of Florence. He, in turn, called Charles “the new Cyrus.” His power of persuasion was unsurpassed. He mobilized thousands of children. He took sacred psalms and set them to popular music. He had the children dance around huge bonfires into which they threw trappings of luxury and wealth— especially the clothing of rich women. These orgies of destruction gave us the words “bonfire of the vanities.” Everyone was intimidated. After a while, he overplayed his hand. The Church handed him over to the state. The city council hung him and burned his body. The people had had enough of his piety. Even until his death he was composing songs and hymns for his followers. Their theme song was “Oh how good and how pleasant for brothers to dwell together as one,” (Ps 132), set to a popular tune. Savanarola was a genius and a fanatic. He made life unbearable for the free-living Italians. He ducked and dodged excommunications. He was holier than the Church. People were executed because of him. In the end, he destroyed himself. Not all reformers are suspect. Many are sent by God. But many are self-delusional. And if not corrected, they can lead multitudes into disaster. That is why we need a Church. That is why the Church needs the Holy Spirit. So beware of the overly pious. The devil can change himself into an angel of light. (For archives of columns go to www.msgrgilchrist.freeservers.com)
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