{"id":3020,"date":"2019-01-29T02:18:42","date_gmt":"2019-01-29T02:18:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=3020"},"modified":"2025-09-04T15:30:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T15:30:19","slug":"jolo-bombs-at-the-cathedral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/jolo-bombs-at-the-cathedral\/","title":{"rendered":"Jolo: Bombs at the Cathedral"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/jolo-bombs-at-the-cathedral\/#death\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20181226ff\/20190127_105362282_e3fea7ea-0a5f-4178-a1d4-811225527c7d-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\" \/><\/a>Jolo&#8217;s Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish lost 15 of its members Sunday morning. They stopped living when a bomb shredded part of the cathedral.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe they survived the first blast, but not the second. Either way, they&#8217;re dead. So are five soldiers.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m not nearly as upset as I would be if this had happened in my town. But I&#8217;m upset, just the same. I&#8217;m also trying to see this as a time to remember that I&#8217;m expected to love God and my neighbors \u2014 and see everybody as my neighbor. <strong>No exceptions.<\/strong> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/5#48005043\">Matthew 5:43<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/5#48005044\">44<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/22#48022036\">22:36<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/22#48022040\">40<\/a>; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/mark\/12#49012028\">Mark 12:28<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/mark\/12#49012031\">31<\/a>; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/6#50006031\">Luke 6:31<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/10#50010025\">10:25<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/10#50010037\">37<\/a>; Catechism, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s1c1a6.htm#1789\">1789<\/a>)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jolo, Sulu, Philippines\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/jolo-bombs-at-the-cathedral\/#good\">A &#8220;Good Community&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>In the news\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/jolo-bombs-at-the-cathedral\/#death\">Death in the Cathedral<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/jolo-bombs-at-the-cathedral\/#deep\">&#8220;Deep Indignation&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Viewpoints\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/jolo-bombs-at-the-cathedral\/#america\">America and the Kilkenny Cats<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/jolo-bombs-at-the-cathedral\/#life\">Life and Dignity<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><a name=\"good\"><\/a>A &#8220;Good Community&#8221;<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/dir\/\/\/@6.0485018,121.0032946,1463m\/data=!3m1!1e3\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20181226ff\/20190128-Jolo-Philippines-Map-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">(From Google Maps, used w\/o permission.)<\/span><br \/>\n(Satellite view of Jolo, Sulu, Philippines.)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-47018747\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20181226ff\/20190127-_105357892_philippinesjolo4640119-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\" \/><\/a>Jolo is the capital of Sulu province, home to around 125,500 folks, and one of many municipalities not covered by Street View on Google Maps.<\/p>\n<p>The closest &#8216;street view&#8217; area I found was Zamboanga City, Mindanao, about a hundred miles northeast of Jolo.<\/p>\n<p>Jolo is a little like my home town, if I think of Fargo-Moorhead as a single urban entity. The population is about the same as Fargo-Moorhead&#8217;s when I last lived there. Both are regionally-prominent spots in a country&#8217;s outlying regions.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, Fargo&#8217;s current temperature is 4\u00b0 Fahrenheit\/-16 C. At midday. In Jolo it&#8217;s 79\u00b0 Fahrenheit\/26 C, and two in the morning. If I unexpectedly woke up in Jolo, it wouldn&#8217;t take me long to realize that I wasn&#8217;t in the Upper Midwest any more.<\/p>\n<p>Regional cultures and histories are different, too. About six centuries back now, folks from the Middle East arrived in Jolo. I&#8217;m not sure how the first meetings went. By 1405 or so, Jolo was part of the Sultanate of Sulu and officially Muslim.<\/p>\n<p>My guess is that the local&#8217;s first encounters with foreign traders came much earlier. The city&#8217;s name, Jolo, apparently comes from ho l\u00e2ng and ho l\u00f3, &#8220;good people&#8221; and &#8220;good community.&#8221; The names speak volumes, I think, of the folks living there and the Chinese traders. Traders noticed that material they left unattended on the shore was still there when they returned.<\/p>\n<p>Time passed, Ferdinand Magellan showed up in 1521 and said the Philippine islands belonged to Spain. Spain&#8217;s occupation forces followed, successfully held northern parts of the archipelago, but not the Sultanates.<\/p>\n<p>Jolo kept being a regionally-important port city. That probably helps explain why so many folks there have Chinese ancestors, who learned the local language \u2014 mostly in Singapore.<\/p>\n<p>Spanish authorities tried solving their Muslim problem by burning Jolo in 1876. They followed up by building the smallest walled city in the world \u2014 a distinction of sorts \u2014 possibly as a defense against other European forces who wanted a piece of the action.<\/p>\n<p>The United States acquired Spain&#8217;s claim to the Philippines in 1876, following traditional European habits for a while. We&#8217;ve learned quite a bit since then. What not to do, partly.<\/p>\n<p>These days, about 90% of the folks in and around Jolo are Muslims. Quite a few of the others are Christians of one sort or another, and that brings me to Sunday&#8217;s news.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/jolo-bombs-at-the-cathedral\/#1\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><a name=\"death\"><\/a>Death in the Cathedral<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-47018747\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20181226ff\/20190127_105362282_e3fea7ea-0a5f-4178-a1d4-811225527c7d-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">(From Huw Evans picture agency\/Philippine army\/AFP, via BBC News, used w\/o permission.)<\/span><br \/>\n(&#8220;The bomb attack devastated the church in Jolo&#8221;<br \/>\n(BBC News))<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-47018747\">Jolo church attack: Many killed in Philippines<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\nBBC News (January 27, 2019)<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>Two bombs at a Roman Catholic cathedral in southern Philippines have killed 20 people and injured dozens more, local officials say.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Islamic State (IS) group said it was behind the attack on Jolo island, where jihadist groups are active.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The first blast happened as Sunday Mass was being celebrated. A second device exploded outside as soldiers responded&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&#8230;The local officials say the first blast happened at 08:45 local time (00:45 GMT) inside the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which has been hit by bombs in the past.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The second explosion was shortly afterwards on the doorstep of the church.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Police initially put the death toll at 27 but later lowered it to 20, saying there was double counting in earlier official reports&#8230;.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I&#8217;ve got mixed feelings about what happened in Jolo. Mostly, I&#8217;m angry and upset over the deaths and destruction. That makes &#8216;weeping with those who weep&#8217; a bit easier.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Bless those who persecute [you], bless and do not curse them.<br \/>\n&#8220;Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.&#8221;<br \/>\n(<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/romans\/12#53012014\">Romans 12:14<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/romans\/12#53012015\">15<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Blessing folks who do this sort of thing \u2014 that&#8217;s probably easier for me than it is for folks closer to the attack. Even so, it&#8217;s not easy. But it&#8217;s still a good idea.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/who-is-my-neighbor\/#weeping\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20160719ff\/20170131-_93872628_gettyimages-633093892-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\" \/><\/a>From my viewpoint, killing folks at Our Lady of Mount Carmel is &#8220;senseless.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>That doesn&#8217;t keep me from realizing that others have their own perspectives.<\/p>\n<p>Apparently an IS statement describes Sunday&#8217;s target as a &#8220;crusader temple.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>I can see how someone living in Jola might see a Christian church or cathedral in that light. Folks who decided to cooperate with the Sultanate of Sulu, back in 1405, might not have insisted that later generations remember their pre-Islamic roots.<\/p>\n<p>In any case, six centuries is a long time. Long enough for family memories to get a tad fuzzy. The area&#8217;s more recent history hasn&#8217;t helped the situation either. My opinion.<\/p>\n<p>Between conflicts of the Hatfield-McCoy variety, turf and autonomy issues and a succession of occupation forces, there&#8217;s a smorgasbord of local and regional tensions.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/jolo-bombs-at-the-cathedral\/#2\">2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><a name=\"deep\"><\/a>&#8220;Deep Indignation&#8221;<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-47018747\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20181226ff\/20190127-_105357675_edeee930-43b3-4127-9806-5e246a470b32-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">(From EPA, via BBC News, used w\/o permission.)<\/span><br \/>\n(&#8220;The first bomb went off in or near the cathedral of Jolo, followed by a second blast outside the compound as government forces were responding to the attack&#8221;<br \/>\n(Al Jazeera))<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2019\/01\/bombs-target-church-philippines-jolo-island-190127050818906.html\">Philippines church bombing: Twin blasts hit Jolo cathedral<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\nAl Jazeera (January 27, 2019)<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>ISIL claims responsibility for the attacks that killed 20 people and wounded more than 100.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&#8230;Sunday&#8217;s incident claimed the lives of at least 15 civilians and five soldiers, police said, adding that 111 others were wounded&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&#8230;President Rodrigo Duterte&#8217;s spokesman Salvador Panelo condemned the &#8216;act of terrorism&#8217; and vowed that government forces will pursue the perpetrators of the attack.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&#8216;The Armed Forces of the Philippines will rise to the challenge and crush these godless criminals,&#8217; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, said he expressed &#8216;the firmest reproach&#8217; for this episode of violence. As too did Yousef Al-Othaimeen, the head of the OIC, the world&#8217;s largest body of Muslim-majority countries, who said he expressed &#8216;deep indignation&#8217; over the bombings&#8230;.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I figure someone, somewhere, has decided that Francis and Yousef are in cahoots, or Satanic stooges, or space-alien shape-shifting lizard-men. Or something equally colorful and unlikely.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"theres\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2019\/1\/27\/philippines-church-bombing-twin-blasts-hit-jolo-cathedral\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20181226ff\/20190128-12cbf1930bdb4c95bab0759a89986c47_18-detail-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\" \/><\/a>There&#8217;s something oddly appealing about conspiracy theories. I find them appealing, sometimes, in stories. What&#8217;s odd, maybe, is how many folks take them seriously. And that&#8217;s another topic.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/jolo-bombs-at-the-cathedral\/#3\">3<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Back to death, destruction and Jolo; sympathizing with folks in the Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish isn&#8217;t hard. We share the same faith, and apparently at least one of the same devotional habits.<\/p>\n<p>The photo used by both BBC News and Al Jazeera shows a Divine Mercy picture between two stations of the cross. I&#8217;m not involved in Sauk Centre&#8217;s Divine Mercy devotional group, but I do spend about an hour a week at the chapel. (<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/new-windows\/#divine\">October 15, 2017<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>One of these days I may talk about how paying attention to Jesus and what our Lord said isn&#8217;t idolatry, but not today.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><a name=\"america\"><\/a>America and the Kilkenny Cats<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/this-weeks-scandals\/#accusations\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20130220ff\/696px-Klantreerome-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"frothing\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/conservative-liberal-no-catholic\/#fear\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20160719ff\/20160723-674px-Poperob-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\" \/><\/a>Frothing radio preachers denouncing the &#8216;whore of Babylon&#8217; helped me become a Catholic. Decades later, I may understand their viewpoint a little better; and even have a sort of sympathy for them.<\/p>\n<p>They may have seen &#8216;those Catholics&#8217; as foreign agents, in thrall to a diabolical mastermind: a fifth column threat to their &#8220;Christian&#8221; America.<\/p>\n<p>Never mind that, as a Catholic, I&#8217;m expected to recognize legitimate civil authority and be a good citizen. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s1c2a2.htm#1897\">1897<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s1c2a2.htm#1917\">1917<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Remembered rants of yesteryear help me understand why some folks in the Philippines might think bombing a &#8220;crusader temple&#8221; is a good idea.<\/p>\n<p>Understanding motives, or trying to, is one thing. Thinking that spitting venom is a good idea, or applauding mass murder, is another.<\/p>\n<p>In a way, I&#8217;m impressed that there isn&#8217;t more bloodshed in Jolo. Counting the cathedral, I found a half-dozen provocative landmarks within a mile of the city&#8217;s center.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s the Tulay and Abu Harris mosques, a Sacred Heart of Jesus Chapel, and \u2014 right next to the Kasanyangan Mosque \u2014 the Notre Dame of Jolo School for Girls.<\/p>\n<p>If the not-uncommon idea that religion makes folks kill each other was true, I&#8217;d expect the city&#8217;s population to end up like the Kilkenny cats:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;There once were two cats of Kilkenny<br \/>\nEach thought there was one cat too many<br \/>\nSo they fought and they fit<br \/>\nAnd they scratched and they bit<br \/>\nTill (excepting their nails<br \/>\nAnd the tips of their tails)<br \/>\nInstead of two cats there weren&#8217;t any!&#8221;<br \/>\n(<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kilkenny_cat\">Kilkenny cat<\/a>, Wikipedia)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><a name=\"life\"><\/a>Life and Dignity<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/an-ichthyosaur-tale\/#loving\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20170908ff\/20170919-460px-Good_Citizen_Pillar_of_Fire_Church_July_1926-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\" \/><\/a>On the other hand, I&#8217;m not all that surprised either.<\/p>\n<p>I figure that many, probably most, Christians and Muslims aren&#8217;t fanatic assassins or kill-crazy psychopaths.<\/p>\n<p>Others are arguably a bit cracked, but only occasionally violent. (<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/an-ichthyosaur-tale\/#loving\">September 22, 2017<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/london-death-hope-and-love\/#not\">June 4, 2017<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s the &#8216;don&#8217;t get mad, get even&#8217; attitude; and that&#8217;s yet another topic.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, I&#8217;ll talk about life, dignity, and how that applies to lethal threats.<\/p>\n<p>I think human life is precious. Sacred, because &#8220;&#8230;it involves the creative action of God&#8230;&#8221; (Catechism, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s2c2a5.htm#2258\">2258<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>We each have equal dignity. How we act, who we are or where we live doesn&#8217;t affect that. (Catechism, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p1s2c1p6.htm#360\">360<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s1c1.htm#1700\">1700<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s1c1a1.htm#1706\">1706<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s1c2a3.htm#1932\">1932<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s1c2a3.htm#1933\">1933<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s1c2a3.htm#1935\">1935<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Thinking that human life is precious doesn&#8217;t mean that I must let someone kill me. My attacker&#8217;s life is precious, but so is mine. Defending myself is okay. Even if that results in my attacker&#8217;s death. It&#8217;s a question of intent. (Catechism, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s2c2a5.htm#2258\">2258<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s2c2a5.htm#2263\">2263<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s2c2a5.htm#2269\">2269<\/a>; &#8220;Summa Theologica,&#8221; Thomas Aquinas, <a href=\"http:\/\/dhspriory.org\/thomas\/summa\/SS\/SS064.html#SSQ64A7THEP1\">II-II,64,7<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s not even close to &#8216;I thought he was going to hit me, so I killed him.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>And that&#8217;s yet again another topic:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/being-evangelical\/\">Being Evangelical<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(March 4, 2018)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/who-is-my-neighbor\/\">Who is My Neighbor?<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(February 1, 2017)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/murders-life-and-death\/\">Murders, Life and Death<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(March 19, 2018)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/mass-murder-no-fast-fix\/\">Mass Murder: No Fast Fix<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(February 18, 2018)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/death-in-charlottesville\/\">Death in Charlottesville<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(August 14, 2017)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><sup><a name=\"1\"><\/a>1<\/sup> Jolo, Sulu, the Philippines:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Autonomous_Region_in_Muslim_Mindanao\">Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Autonomous_regions_of_the_Philippines\">Autonomous regions of the Philippines<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jolo,_Sulu\">Jolo, Sulu<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Our_Lady_of_Mount_Carmel_Cathedral,_Jolo\">Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral, Jolo<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sultanate_of_Sulu\">Sultanate of Sulu<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sulu\">Sulu<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><sup><a name=\"2\"><\/a>2<\/sup> Factions and friction:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hatfield%E2%80%93McCoy_feud\">Hatfield-McCoy feud<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jolo,_Sulu\">Jolo, Sulu<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jolo,_Sulu#Peace_and_order\">Peace and order<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Quebec_City_mosque_shooting\">Quebec City mosque shooting<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Victoria,_Texas\">Victoria, Texas<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Victoria,_Texas#Points_of_interest\">Points of interest<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>My views\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/london-death-hope-and-love\/\">London: Death, Hope, and Love<\/a>&#8221; (June 4, 2017)\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/london-death-hope-and-love\/#responses\">Responses \u2014 and Hope<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/london-death-hope-and-love\/#not\">Not Missing The &#8216;Good Old Days&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/london-death-hope-and-love\/#assumptions\">Assumptions and the Psycho Santa Catholic Connection<\/a>My views<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/who-is-my-neighbor\/\">Who is My Neighbor?<\/a>&#8221; (February 1, 2017)\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/who-is-my-neighbor\/#samaritan\">The Samaritan: An Unexpected &#8216;Good Guy&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/who-is-my-neighbor\/#weeping\">Weeping With Those Who Weep<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/who-is-my-neighbor\/#why\">Why the Rights of Muslims Matter to This Catholic<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><sup><a name=\"3\"><\/a>3<\/sup> Making sense and other options:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Reptilian_humanoid\">Reptilian humanoid<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>My views\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/planet-9-maybe-nibiru-no\/\">Planet 9, Maybe; Nibiru, No<\/a>&#8221; (September 29, 2017)\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/planet-9-maybe-nibiru-no\/#nibiru\">Nibiru? Don\u2019t Blame the Brit<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/using-vaccines-wisely\/\">Using Vaccines Wisely<\/a>&#8221; (July 21, 2017)\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/using-vaccines-wisely\/#fears\">Fears and the 50s<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/seti-what-if\/\">SETI: What If?<\/a>&#8221; (December 23, 2016)\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/seti-what-if\/#sense\">Sense and Nonsense<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jolo&#8217;s Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish lost 15 of its members Sunday morning. They stopped living when a bomb shredded part of the cathedral. Maybe they survived the first blast, but not the second. Either way, they&#8217;re dead. So &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/jolo-bombs-at-the-cathedral\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[154],"tags":[7,27,18,15,116],"class_list":["post-3020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-discursive-detours","tag-getting-a-grip","tag-history","tag-legitimate-defense","tag-life-issues","tag-tolerance"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Dwtw-MI","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3020"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3020\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9465,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3020\/revisions\/9465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}