The Church Militant and the Battle of Lepanto, 1571-2021
By Andrew Harrod
“The Christian victory of Lepanto on October 7, 1571,” a “triumph…still today is a symbol of the militant spirit that should never leave the Christian,” writes Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Astana (Kazakhstan) Athanasius Schneider in a recent book preface. He thus thematically introduces the excellent new book by leading Italian Catholic historian Roberto de Mattei, Saint Pius V: The Legendary Pope Who Excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I, Standardized the Mass, and Defeated the Ottoman Empire.
Schneider notes that 2021 is the 450th anniversary of this decisive defeat of the Turkish Ottoman Empire fleet off Greece’s western coast by the Holy League’s combined Christian naval force “closely tied to the name of St. Pius V.” Michele Ghislieri, whose brief but tumultuous papacy as Pius V lasted from 1566-1572, “was the true author of the Holy League” in 1571 among the Vatican, Spain’s King Phillip II, and the Venetian Repulic, notes Mattei. “It is not by chance that the Church on earth is called the Church Militant, inseparably united in the communion of saints with the Church Triumphant that rejoices eternally in Paradise,” thus observes Schneider. “St. Pius V offers us a luminous example of this militancy.”
Related History: the Siege of Vienna
The largest cavalry charge in history thundered down a mountainside with 20,000 horsemen. What happened next saved Western civilization.
The Ottoman Empire had laid siege to Vienna for two months, with over 150,000 troops surrounding the city’s crumbling walls. Inside, fewer than 15,000 exhausted defenders faced starvation and imminent defeat. Europe’s heartland stood on the brink of Ottoman conquest.
King John III Sobieski arrived with a relief force of 70,000 men from the Holy League. After surveying the battlefield from the Kahlenberg heights, he made a bold decision. Rather than a cautious approach, he would unleash the full might of his cavalry in one devastating strike.
At around 5 PM, the charge began. Polish Winged Hussars, German cavalry, and Austrian forces formed the largest cavalry charge ever recorded. The distinctive wings attached to their armor created a terrifying sound as they descended. The Ottoman lines, already engaged in fierce fighting, suddenly faced an avalanche of steel and horsepower crashing into their flank.
The charge shattered the Ottoman army within hours. Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa fled, leaving behind treasure, supplies, and 20,000 casualties. Vienna was saved, marking the beginning of Ottoman decline in Europe. Sobieski famously wrote to the Pope afterward, ‘We came, we saw, God conquered.’
The bags of coffee beans abandoned by the Ottomans would spark Vienna’s famous coffeehouse culture.
Restore Britain will put the safety and wellbeing of British women ahead of those third world sex pests that Labour, Reform and Conservative politicians have so warmly imported into our communities.
Rupert Lowe:
I want women to walk through their town centres on a Friday night after a few drinks without the fear of getting harassed by some grabby miscreant who should never have been in Britain to begin with – I want women to feel comfortable walking alone in their own cities. Is that so radical? I think not.
This is happening ALL over our country, and no political party will discuss it. Restore Britain will. I get contacted by so many women who feel like aliens in their own towns, objectified and intimidated. If you think this isn’t happening on an industrial scale, you are spectacularly deluded.
Protests took place in French cities today against the far-left after an Antifa mob killed 23-y-o QuentinDeranque in front of a Lyon university last week.
Update:
IF TRUE THIS IS A SEROUS MAJOR SCANDAL
“Labor government delegate” working with ISIS linked families to bring them to Australia.
Seems the priority is NOT national security or social cohesion.
It is importing lifelong Labor / Greens voters and no concern re risks or incompatibility with Australian values or culture.
LABOR THINKS IT’S OK TO IMPORT THIS IDEOLOGY:
“Our children will continue the path. They will behead the infidels and the apostates.”
We are advised video was recorded in January 2026 (timing TBC) at the Al-Hol camp in Syria where so called ISIS brides and their families are detained.
Transcript (English translation of spoken Arabic):[Reporter, addressing the women]:
“Come, speak. What do you say now? The situation has changed here in the camp…
“[Woman 1, speaking defiantly]:
“We regret that we were not killed for the sake of Allah [or: we wish we had been martyred for Allah], but it’s not too bad.
We entered the heart of the infidels’ territory. Rest assured, our faith is rooted here—no one will uproot it. Not Trump, not America, not the Jews, not the infidels, not the Shiites, and no one else. This is a faith that is rooted even in our children, alhamdulillah [praise be to God].
“[Woman 2 or same woman, continuing]:
“Our children will continue the path. They will behead the infidels and the apostates. This is the promise of Allah. We are not afraid; we are patient. The caliphate will return, insha’Allah.”[Additional overlapping voices/children in background]:
Murmurs and children’s voices saying things like “Allahu Akbar” or similar affirmations.
[Reporter, possibly prompting]:
“And your message to the world / to the countries that left you here?”[Woman, emphatic]:
“Our message is clear: We will not repent. We will raise lions [for jihad]. The blood of the mujahideen will not be wasted. Allah is sufficient for us.”
Syria has urged Germany to halt the mass return of refugees, warning that it could worsen the humanitarian crisis in the country, which is still struggling to rebuild after years of conflict. The Syrian government is seeking more time for reconstruction and has expressed concerns about the impact of large-scale returns on its already strained infrastructure.
Muslim spokesturd claims she does not understand the debate in Germany about Syrians returning to Syria.
“Most Syrians are integrated here, they speak German and work,” she said. “Many do dream of going back, but not under the current conditions of course.”
Al Hijra, migration to make infidel lands islamic, is the most meritorious undertaking for all Mohammedans. Returning to their homelands would be an absolute disaster. But don’t expect the infidel “experts” to pay attention to such a small detail.
Alice Weidel, co-leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), slammed the request by the Syrian government, and suggested that a remigration policy for Syrians would already be in full force were her party in office.
She wrote on X, “Syria is demanding that Germany not send back criminal Syrians – and the German government is complying. With the AfD in government, the deportation offensive would begin immediately – and the safety of its own citizens would be prioritized!”
Restore Britain will make it abundantly clear that any religion can be mocked, offended and insulted. That very much includes Islam. Under a Restore Britain Government, the law will not protect your feelings.
There are large parts of the country that now in no way resemble Britain – this is just a fact. We can all see it. We can all use our eyes. Whilst nothing is done, it worsens each and every day.
There are entire streets of people that are almost incapable of speaking English. They live parallel lives, with parallel laws. A vast proportion do not work, a vast proportion claim benefits, a vast proportion live in social housing.
It would be naive to even label this as multiculturalism, because it isn’t.
There is often only one culture, and one religion. Islam.
In many of these areas, there is no integration. There is no chance of integration. The only integration that is expected is for the remaining British people to integrate into this new society.
Call it what you want. Colonisation, whatever.
Something has to be done. And there is now a political party that will do something – Restore Britain.
You might think to yourself: How come they’re not praying at their 100+ mosques in NYC?
Well, let me explain as someone who used to be Muslim.
Praying in large numbers in public spaces and blocking streets is not random. It is a public display meant to send a message of… https://t.co/P4mtghZI7l
