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| Europe |
| August 14th 1480 A.D. |
| 2007-08-14 |
| Full article at link Ahmed condemned all the eight hundred prisoners to death. The following morning, they were led with ropes tied around their necks and their hands bound behind their backs to the Hill of Minerva, a few hundred meters outside of the city. De Marco writes: “All of them repeated their profession of the faith and the generous response they had given at first, so the tyrant commanded that the decapitation should proceed, and, before the others, the head of the elderly Primaldo should be cut off. Primaldo was hateful to him, because he never stopped acting as an apostle toward his fellows. And before placing his head upon the stone, he told his companions that he saw heaven opened and the comforting angels; that they should be strong in the faith and look to heaven, already open to receive them. He bowed his head and it was cut off, but his corpse stood back up on its feet, and despite the efforts of the butchers, it remained erect and unmoving, until all were decapitated. The marvelous and astonishing event would have been a lesson of salvation for those infidels, if they had not been rebels against the light that enlightens every man who lives in the world. Only one of the butchers, named Berlabei, believed courageously in the miracle and, declaring himself a Christian in a loud voice, was condemned to be impaled.” During the beatification process for the eight hundred, in 1539, four eyewitnesses spoke of the prodigy of Antonio Primaldo, who remained standing after being decapitated, and of the conversion and martyrdom of the executioner. This is the account of one of the four, Francesco Cerra, who in 1539 was 72 years old: “Antonio Primaldo was the first to be slaughtered, and without his head he remained upright on his feet, nor could any of the efforts of the enemy knock him down, until all were killed. The butcher, stunned by the miracle, confessed that the Catholic faith was the true one, and insisted on becoming a Christian, and for this the pasha condemned him to death by impaling.” |
| Posted by:classer |
| #1 A magnificent column, all of it. A few remarks by President Bush at a Sons of Italy gala a few years ago. An excerpt (empahsis added): The war on terror continues in Iraq. We're standing together in that desperate country as a part of a strong coalition. America appreciates the contributions and sacrifices of nearly 3,000 soldiers that Italy has deployed in that country. We honor the memory of 19 Italians killed by a terrorist's bomb last November, and the memory of the Italian soldier killed this week. And we honor the courage of men like Fabrizio Quattrocchi, a baker who went to Iraq to work as a security guard. He was kidnapped by terrorists, and faced his killers with the bravest defiance. Just before he was murdered, he stood up and shouted, "Now I will show you how an Italian dies!" (Applause.) In that moment, this good man from Genoa showed us that, and more: He showed us how a hero lives. Now all our efforts in Iraq are approaching a crucial moment. The Prime Minister and I had a strategy session on how to help the Iraqis realize their liberty. I appreciate his good, strong advice. On June 30th, our coalition will transfer its authority to a sovereign Iraqi government. With the assistance of the United Nations and our coalition, Iraqi citizens are currently making important decisions about the nature and the scope of that interim government. In time, Iraq will be a democratic nation at the heart of the Middle East. This will send a powerful message from Damascus to Tehran, that democracy and freedom can bring hope to lives in every culture. (Applause.) And this advance of freedom will bring greater security to America, to Italy, and to all who love freedom. As June 30th approaches, the enemies of freedom grow even more desperate to prevent the rise of democracy in Iraq. That's what you're seeing on your TV screens -- the desperate tactics of a hateful few; people who cannot stand the thought of free societies in their midst. They're targeting brave Iraqis who are leading toward democracy, such as Mr. Saleem, who was assassinated in Baghdad on Monday. They're murdering Iraqi policemen, who stand as symbols of order. They kill foreign aid workers who are helping to rebuild Iraq. They attack our military. You see, their goal is to undermine the will of our coalition, and to drive us out before our mission is complete. They will not succeed. They will not shake the will of America or our coalition. (Applause.) My resolve is firm. The resolve of the Prime Minister of Italy is firm. The resolve of the American people is firm. Our military is skilled and determined. We all understand the stakes are high for America and the world. We will not be intimidated by thugs and assassins. We will win this essential victory in the war on terror. (Applause.) These are historic times. This is an historic moment. The world watches for any weakness. They will see no weakness in America. They will see no weakness in Italy. We will answer every challenge. U.S. soldiers and Iraqi security forces are systematically destroying the illegal militia in the south of Iraq. Coalition forces are working with Iraqis in Fallujah, to end control by Saddam loyalists and foreign fighters. We're building up Iraqi security forces so at some point they can safeguard their own security. We're flexible in our methods, but our goal is unchanging: Iraq will be free; Iraq will be a democratic nation. (Applause.) |
| Posted by: mrp 2007-08-14 12:28 |