Professor John Robertson OBA

I’ve written more times about McKenna than I care to remember and had resolved to just ignore his ill-informed and petty tirades against the SNP, but for dog (sorry Kev) knows what reason, I feel the urge.

At the heart of his stuff is what seems to be an evidence-free feeling of anti-Catholic discrimination still pervading live in Scotland. The Great Professor Tom Devine disagrees completely but Kev is not for thinking or reading any facts.

Ironically given his faith, Kev the Doubter doesn’t seem to worry too much about the religious institution he belongs to.

Has the Catholic Church done more than the SNP to drag us into an ethical abyss?

I’ll consult St Grok the Informer. What would be a really bad thing for the Catholic Church or the SNP to have done? I know – genocide!

Yes, the Roman Catholic Church has been accused, and in some cases has acknowledged involvement, in several events described as genocides or genocidal acts throughout its history. The term “genocide” was coined in 1944, so it’s often applied retroactively to historical events involving the deliberate destruction of ethnic, religious, or cultural groups. Below is a summary of key examples based on historical accounts and acknowledgments:

• Albigensian Crusade (1209–1229): Launched by Pope Innocent III against the Cathars (a Christian sect deemed heretical) in southern France. It involved mass killings, such as the sack of Béziers where thousands were slaughtered indiscriminately, and is sometimes described as one of the first genocides in Western Europe for its aim to eradicate the Cathar faith and population. reddit.com
• Conquest and Colonization of the Americas (15th–19th centuries): The Church supported Spanish and Portuguese colonial efforts, including forced conversions, enslavement, and the destruction of indigenous cultures. This contributed to the deaths of millions of Native Americans through violence, disease, and exploitation, often labeled as genocide. Papal bulls like those from Pope Alexander VI in 1493 granted lands to colonizers, facilitating these acts. quora.com
• Ustashe Regime in Croatia (1941–1945): During World War II, the fascist Ustashe government, with support from some Catholic clergy and the Vatican, carried out genocide against Serbs, Jews, and Roma, killing hundreds of thousands in concentration camps like Jasenovac. The Church’s role included conversions and complicity in ethnic cleansing. cambridge.org
• Rwandan Genocide (1994): Catholic clergy and institutions were implicated in the massacres of approximately 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu, with churches serving as sites for killings. Pope Francis later asked for forgiveness for the Church’s failures and the actions of some members who supported the Hutu-led government. theguardian.com +3
• Cultural Genocide Against Indigenous Peoples in Canada (19th–20th centuries): Through residential schools run by the Church, indigenous children were forcibly assimilated, leading to widespread abuse, deaths, and cultural erasure. Pope Francis described this as a form of “genocide” in 2022. brooklynworks.brooklaw.edu +1

Other events like the Crusades (1095–1291) and the Inquisition (12th–19th centuries) involved massacres and persecutions (e.g., of Jews and heretics) that some historians describe as genocidal in intent or effect, though debates exist on the terminology.

Ooh a confident opener by the Catholic Church. I don’t know if the SNP can compete.

The Scottish National Party (SNP), founded in 1934 as a center-left political party advocating for Scottish independence, has not been responsible for any genocidal events or acts throughout its history. It has primarily operated as a democratic entity within the UK political system, focusing on domestic governance, social justice, and international advocacy. However, the SNP has taken public stances on recognizing and condemning several historical and contemporary genocides, often using its platform in the Scottish Parliament and government to push for recognition, boycotts, or humanitarian actions.

Disappointing, eh Kev?

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