POPE: He's not the enemy

In the Oct. 14 Readers Write section of The Press, Peter Biamonte accused Pope Francis of being “an Antichrist.” I am a parishioner at St. Thomas Church, and I must admit that I disagree with Pope Francis on economic philosophy.

However, to call him an Antichrist seems paranoid, and to write that the Catholic church “…is responsible for the deaths and persecution of millions of Christian martyrs during the Inquisition” is historically inaccurate. I believe the Inquisition lasted from about 1540 to 1700 and, during these two centuries plus, my studies reveal that about 3,000 people were killed. Every murder was immoral and unforgivable, but 3,000 is not “millions.”

I find it interesting that Mr. Biamonte had to go back centuries to note the sins of the Church, while ignoring the fact that atheism led to perhaps 100 million deaths in the 20th century. During that bloody century, tens of millions of Christians — Catholics and Protestants — spilled their blood fighting the twin evils of communism and fascism.

LES ATCHLEY

Coeur d’Alene