May 3, 2012                                               Nicholas Clifford, USA

George Weigel on the Christian Conquest of China        

I wonder if you've seen G. Weigel's little essay in First Things on the missed opportunity for a Spanish conquest of China in the 16th century. It's here

I know that Weigel is the fair-haired boy among a particular group of American Catholics. His piece here, however -- quite apart from his obvious nostalgia for Catholic wars of conquest -- betrays such a stunning ignorance of history, that it leaves the reader almost breathless (to say nothing of embarrassed that such stuff can appear in publications purporting to be Catholic).

I doubt very much whether W. takes correction easily from anyone, but I hope some Matteo Ricci scholars can set him straight. They might also introduce him to Ricci, Valignano, and their colleagues. 

I've spent most of my academic career teaching Chinese history, and am appalled that an allegedly serious journal can publish this tripe. Whatever happened to fact-checking?

Nicholas Clifford

c.f.

George Weigel – his hubris and relativism   by David Timbs

Weigel fabricated Bernadin story    by Peter Steinfels