The Hill News

From my perspective, this has been a remarkable three days this weekend. Two central institutions of Western civilization were affirmed: the Roman Catholic Church (what remains of the Roman Empire); and the British monarchy (the symbol of the British Empire); and then you had the slaying of Osama bin Laden (the leading Western antagonist of the Islamic strain) with the implements of Western technical prowess.
 
The Roman Empire and the British Empire were the incubator and primary global distributor, respectively, of the essentials of Western civilization: Judeo-Christian ethics and Christianity, classical learning, technology and, latterly, liberal democracy and market economics/free trade. To watch a million people in London (outstripping even the attendance at the 1981 wedding of Charles-Diana), and an estimated 2 million in Rome for the beatification of Pope John Paul II was an indication that though both are under challenge, these central institutions of W! estern-ism have a remarkable resilience and ability still to captivate.

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