“The American commander, with a small force, and in a short space of time, has done more for the cause of Christianity than the most powerful nations of Christendom have done for ages”.
The above comment of Pius VII was in regard to Commodore Edward Preble, commander of the American naval squadron that humbled the power of the Barbary States that had for centuries sent forth pirates to prey upon Christian commerce in the Mediterranean, the white captives being held for ransom, or sold at a handsome profit in the slave marts of the Arab world. The first of two wars fought by America against these pirate principalities, the First Barbary War, 1801-1805, established that the United States Navy, although tiny by European standards, was highly professional, with an officer corps filled with “Salamanders”, men who were quite willing to seek out hot enemy fire to accomplish their missions. The Marine Corps Hymn recalls “the shores of Tripoli”, where eight Marines, after a 600 mile forced march, led 500 mercenaries to victory in an all out attack, seizing the key city of Derna in Cyrenaica, an astounding, near miraculous victory.
Perhaps Pius VII was thinking of all of this when on April 8, 1808 he made Baltimore an archdiocese and established dioceses in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Bardstown, Kentucky. Americans were capable of remarkable feats, and the Church would grow with this new unusual nation.
Thank you for this. God Bless our troops. They stand in the shoes of giants.
Pardon me for thinking that, if the US military presently smacked Iran, ISIS or a similar entity, they would come in for a severe tongue-lashing from our foot-kissing pontiff, not praise as in the case of Pius VII.
” Liberalism is a mental disorder.” – Michael Savage
What is the music? I can’t understand the words, but it is maddeningly familiar. What movie are these clips from? I’d love to see it.
The movie is Tripoli (1950).
Not much has changed since the Battle of Tripoli two hundred eleven years ago. In fact the Muslims have not changed much in some eleven hundred years! What has changed is our response to their ever mounting aggressions. Whereas before, as in Tripoli, the United States, under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson faced the challenge and defeated the Muslims on their own turf. Unfortunately, that is not the case today. Now we have a President who chooses to do nothing as countless Christians are slaughtered by what can only be described as barbarians! Is it any wonder that we now have fighter jets from a foreign power blatantly buzzing our ships on the high seas with impunity?