America's Vatican-Conferred Badge of Honor.

Strangely enough, I beginning to think that the ferocious criticism of America regarding the war coming out of Rome is actually a sign of favor.

Bear with me. Ponder this: What other nation is the recipient of such ferocious criticism? Who else has been called "Pharaoh"? The answers--no other, and no one.

Only America.

Consider the savage Russian campaign against the Chechens. Vatican condemnations? Zilch. Why? Well, it can't antagonize the Russians over genocide in Chechnya--that would cause Moscow to deny passports to our priests. And you can permanently flush the slim hopes of a pontifical visit to Russia under those circumstances.

What about China? Plenty to criticize there: the occupation and ethnic cleansing of Tibet, the continuing occupation of territory taken from India during the 1963 war, the brutalization of various other ethnic groups. Don't get me started about forced abortions, either. Response from Rome? Crickets. Why? Well, protests would lead to the underground Church taking it on the chin, and a sharp limitation of contacts with the Patriotic Church, too.

What about the assorted/sordid Muslim tyrants and their atrocities? Saddam Hussein got the kid glove treatment from Rome. Ditto the Syrians, whose head optometrist Bashar Assad trotted out the-Jews-as-Christ-killers canard in the presence of the Pope, who did not respond. Why? Well, confronting such tyrants means the dhimmis will pay for it.

But America....America will do nothing to its Catholic minority. Its government will not respond with anything other than mild unofficial irritation--if that. Therefore, that makes it a country Rome can denounce with impunity. It's a safe nation to criticize.

Since it seems that Rome only berates those who won't cause trouble for the faithful, we as Americans ought to feel honored by that. Wear it with pride.