Father Samuel
Encyclopedia
Father Samuel is a Belgian
Roman Catholic Priest
of Turkish
origin. His passport gives his name as Charles-Clément Boniface. However, he was born in 1942 in Midyat
, Turkey, as Samuel Ozdemir. The latter is a surname the priest dislikes because he feels it was imposed on his family by the Turks. Samuel is a Christian
: “At home we spoke Aramaic
, the language of Jesus
.”
and Turkey. They speak an old Semitic language, which Jesus and the apostles used and which Mel Gibson
had his actor
s use in his movie
The Passion of the Christ
.
Young Samuel became a Catholic priest. In the mid-1970s he fled to Belgium, claiming that the Aramaic Christians were being persecuted in Turkey. He became a Belgian and adopted the surname of Boniface – “he who does good things.” He was appointed to the diocese of Tournai, but soon became caught up in the culture war between Christians secularists and Christians traditionalists. Tournai is a thoroughly secularised, modernist diocese. Father Samuel clashed with the bishop
. He then bought the St-Antoine-de-Padoue church in Montignies-sur-Sambre
. There he conducts the Mass according to the traditional rites of the Catholic Church.
n immigrants, a large number of young people and many young families with small children. In his sermons and on his website Father Samuel speaks out against secularism, but also fights on another front of the three-way culture war, warning against “the islamic invasion” of the West
. Boniface says he has witnessed in Turkey what the future has in store for Europe
. He claims Muslim
s are invading Europe and warns for an impending civil war. According to Father Samuel “so-called moderate Muslims do not exist.”
(CEOOR), because of a remark he made in a 2002 television interview when he said:
In 2006, the Belgian judiciary
decided that the priest will have to stand trial before the penal court in Charleroi
. He reacted by repeating his "time bomb" statement and added that he would be honoured if he had to go to jail for speaking his mind. He added that Jesus, too, had been convicted. During a sermon he called upon the faithful to accompany him to court. “We will turn this into an excursion, driving there in full buses.”
s established a list of 189 movements containing the Father Samuel (see List of groups referred to as cults or sects in government documents). Former members say he has an anti-social speech which breaks families, he praticize sexual touchings against adult women and he receives many cash donations. Father Samuel is also criticized by evangelical associations fighting against cults, but mainly on doctrinal issues.
Samuel rejected these accusations and sent protest letters to the parliamentary members.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
Roman Catholic Priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
of Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
origin. His passport gives his name as Charles-Clément Boniface. However, he was born in 1942 in Midyat
Midyat
Midyat is an originally Assyrian/Syriac town in Mardin Province of Turkey. The ancient city is the epicenter of a centuries-old Assyrian/Syriac enclave in Southeast-Turkey, widely familiar under its Syriac name Tur Abdin. A cognate of the name Midyat is first encountered in an inscription of the...
, Turkey, as Samuel Ozdemir. The latter is a surname the priest dislikes because he feels it was imposed on his family by the Turks. Samuel is a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
: “At home we spoke Aramaic
Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
, the language of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
.”
Early life in the Church
The Aramaics are a Catholic minority in SyriaSyria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Turkey. They speak an old Semitic language, which Jesus and the apostles used and which Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
had his actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
s use in his movie
The Passion of the Christ
The Passion of the Christ
The Passion of the Christ is a 2004 American drama film directed by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus. It depicts the Passion of Jesus largely according to the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John...
.
Young Samuel became a Catholic priest. In the mid-1970s he fled to Belgium, claiming that the Aramaic Christians were being persecuted in Turkey. He became a Belgian and adopted the surname of Boniface – “he who does good things.” He was appointed to the diocese of Tournai, but soon became caught up in the culture war between Christians secularists and Christians traditionalists. Tournai is a thoroughly secularised, modernist diocese. Father Samuel clashed with the bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
. He then bought the St-Antoine-de-Padoue church in Montignies-sur-Sambre
Montignies-sur-Sambre
Montignies-sur-Sambre is a section of the Belgian town of Charleroi within the Walloon region in the Province of Hainaut. It was a commune of its own before the merger of the communes in 1977....
. There he conducts the Mass according to the traditional rites of the Catholic Church.
Career
Hundreds of faithful from all over the country and even from the north of France attend Sunday Mass in Montignies-sur-Sambre. The congregation includes AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n immigrants, a large number of young people and many young families with small children. In his sermons and on his website Father Samuel speaks out against secularism, but also fights on another front of the three-way culture war, warning against “the islamic invasion” of the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
. Boniface says he has witnessed in Turkey what the future has in store for Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. He claims Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s are invading Europe and warns for an impending civil war. According to Father Samuel “so-called moderate Muslims do not exist.”
Allegations of incitement to racist hatred
Father Samuel has been prosecuted for “incitement to racist hatred” by the Belgian government’s inquisition agency, the Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to RacismCentre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism
The Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism , also referred to as Centre for Equal Opportunities and Fight against Racism or translated as Centre for Equal Opportunities and Struggle against Racism The Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism (CEOOR), also referred...
(CEOOR), because of a remark he made in a 2002 television interview when he said:
- "Every thoroughly islamized Muslim child that is born in Europe is a time bomb for Western children in the future. The latter will be persecuted when they have become a minority.”
In 2006, the Belgian judiciary
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
decided that the priest will have to stand trial before the penal court in Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
. He reacted by repeating his "time bomb" statement and added that he would be honoured if he had to go to jail for speaking his mind. He added that Jesus, too, had been convicted. During a sermon he called upon the faithful to accompany him to court. “We will turn this into an excursion, driving there in full buses.”
Cult status
In 1997, the Belgian parliamentary commission on cultCult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
s established a list of 189 movements containing the Father Samuel (see List of groups referred to as cults or sects in government documents). Former members say he has an anti-social speech which breaks families, he praticize sexual touchings against adult women and he receives many cash donations. Father Samuel is also criticized by evangelical associations fighting against cults, but mainly on doctrinal issues.
Samuel rejected these accusations and sent protest letters to the parliamentary members.