Soldiers of Christ: the Tragic Tale of the Knights Templar

On Sunday, June 28, Mr.Christopher Check addressed a large audience AT St. Mary’s parish Norwalk on the Knights Templar: their origin, life rule and ultimate demise. Mr. Check is executive vice president of the Rockford institute, the publisher of Chronicles magazine – a publication with which every thinking Catholic should become familiar. His lecture was doubly interesting in that was not an account of stirring battles but rather concentrated the historical and theological basis fro the foundation of the order, its rule and its tragic end. Yet as portrayed by the speaker the story was as engrossing as any tale of action or adventure. Mr. Check was obviously – and quite correctly – an advocate of the rightness of the soldier-monk concept and of Crusading in general. The destruction of the Templars was fro him an act of villainy and cowardice. I am not so sure I can follow the speaker totally here. Nor was there discussion of recent contrary views (such as those of John Paul II) on the subject of taking up arms for Christ. But it was an overwhelmingly impressive presentation of an often misrepresented aspect of the past for which Catholics today should be proud.