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As some of you may know, the American contingent in the annual Chartres pilgrimage flies a flag on which a Sacred Heart and cross are superimposed on the blue field of the American Flag. This sort of thing bothers me severely as it represents a tragic confusion of categories. Basically, a sacred image — the Sacred Heart and cross — are being used to defile the flag. How, you ask, can the Sacred Heart “defile” a flag? Because you can’t add any other element to the American Flag without ruining its symbolism. This isn’t like the flag of the United Kingdom where you can superimpose the crosses of various kingdoms. Rather, the American Flag *needs* to have all 13 of its 13 stripes and all 50 of its 50 stars visible. For every star that the Sacred Heart image covers up, a state of the Union is denied representation in the federal standard. I truly wish that the people who came up with this Bad Idea of adding a Christian symbol to the flag had first considered that there is no room on the flag for any other image unless you wish to destroy its meaning. The flag is over-saturated with meaning and adding any image — even a great and noble one — takes away rather than adds. Furthermore, it’s not as though a country *needs* to have a Christian image in its national flag. Sure, its nice, but there are many Christian countries whose national image is not explicitly Christian.
16 Responses to “Pesky pilgrimage flags”
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St. Louis-Marie de Montfort,
Pope St. Pius X,
St. Joseph,
St. Ambrose of Milan,
St. Thomas Aquinas,
St. Francis (and St. Clare),
St. Catherine of Siena,
St. Alphonsus Ligouri,
St. John Chrysostom,
Not sure I agree.
It’s nice to dream of a day when such an updated flag design would be realized for this country.
Well they could put the images over the stripes a la the early snake and “don’t tread on me” flags in the Revolution.
The other problem is that the imposition of the Sacred Heart on the French flag was done in response to a purported private revelation, whereas the American version was done from private imitation.
I agree with Doctor Asinorum – if they put the image over the stripes without covering the stripes completely, there would still undisputedly be 13 stripes.
Should we get bent out of shape that crosses or memorials surmount old pagan structures and religious symbols and sites, or feasts?
What would protestants do for tract material?
I don’t agree. Which comes first, the Sacred Heart of Jesus or a country’s flag? You seem to be saying that Jesus is getting in the way of America’s identity. Also “defile” is a completely inappropriate word to pair with the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Neither do I agree. Catholics care little about national flags. Nationalism is abhorrent to everybody who by religion should think and feel in a thoroughly supra-national way. My diocese, for example, has since time immemorial prohibited the display of the US flag in churches (and at military funerals it must be taken off the casket before it is carried into the nave). Leave nationalism to the Protestants.
Okay, after forty days, I can post again. The computer literally did not permit me to post to this site until now.
Let me address your concerns.
First, I apologize for using the word “defile.” This was scandalous. A sacred image cannot defile a secular one.
However, I still maintain that the addition of the Sacred Heart where it was added on that pilgrimage flag does indeed *ruin* the symbolism of the flag. I reiterate: the *entire point* of the blue field is to display *50* stars for the *50* states. It doesn’t matter what you add to that field of stars, if you cover up any one of the stars, you ruin the entire symbolic message of it. Period. Don’t dispute this; you cannot.
Secondly, one might well superimpose a sacred image over the stripes, as the rattlesnake once was so imposed.
But I ask: why? Not every national image or symbol contains a sacred image. The American Flag is already established. If you want to come up with some other, specifically religious image for America, knock yourself out. But it’s not like the coats-of-arms of every major European ruling house during the era of “Christendom” contained a cross or Sacred Heart. So this impulse to add a Sacred Heart to the flag for the sake of adding a Sacred Heart doesn’t rest on any necessity. In fact, the Flag of the Papal States was just red and yellow, no Christian imagery at all: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_the_Papal_States_(pre_1808).svg If Blessed Pope Pius IX saw nothing wrong with that flag, don’t mess with the American Flag, which is already “complete,” in that each element has a significance that should not be obscured by the addition of some other element.
“Catholics care little about national flags. Nationalism is abhorrent to everybody who by religion should think and feel in a thoroughly supra-national way.”
I know where you’re coming from. And you’re still very, very wrong. You make a mistake so typical among traditional Catholics. From the fact that nationality (forget national*ism*) and national emblems are not everything, you infer that they are nothing. Or at least that’s how you talk. Catholics care little about national flags? Gee, that’s awfully enlightening. Do you have a papal decree on that? Or maybe you’re making a broader cultural observation. Okay, then which Catholic country lacks a national flag? If national flags matter so little, then why did Our Lord ask for a Sacred Heart to be placed on the French Flag (not, I note, American one)? Or why did the Catholic claimant to the Throne of France in the late 1800s refuse to restore the Monarchy because the condition for doing so was to accept the Tricolour in place of the French Royal Banner? Catholics in the Middle Ages knocked themselves out over coats-of-arms, which are related to flags in their symbolism. If Catholics then were loyal to dynastic and municipal symbols, why not national ones. Why don’t you go back in time and tell the Catholics fighting for Ireland or Spain or Poland that they should thinking a “thoroughly supranational way.” Nationalism presents problems and has often morphed into a false ideology, but a devotion to one’s patria and natio neither requires one to abandon supra-national affinities (in their proper place) nor does it require fanaticism. Catholics do in fact love their countries and their countries’ national symbols, including flags.
And if what you say is true, why are the flag-changers so bent on making sure their flag has a religious symbol on it? If flags are a matter of indifference to Catholics (defined by you), 1.) why are the flags brought on the pilgrimage? 2.) why do the pilgrims think that the national flag should be rectified to match religious belief?
Now, I personally am ambivalent about the presence of the American Flag within churches, jus as I am ambivalent about the display of the Flag of Vatican City, which is in fact the flag of a foreign state, not of the Pope qua religious leader.
“Leave nationalism to the Protestants.”
And leave poor reasoning, non sequiturs, and false dichotomies to them as well.
Funny, but are our faith teaches us to respect our nation through patriotism and obedience to its laws. Part of this patriotism is showing honor and respect for its symbols. Now some of our symbols may be problematic, but the flag is not one. This is classified by the US Code as disrespect and mutilation of the flag. That happens to be the law which we are obliged to obey. I can’t find any compelling reason not to obey it except personal pride and will. I don’t think it is an unreasonable law since the Sacred Heart can be displayed in many other ways without any oppression from the state.
TITLE 4 > CHAPTER 1 > § 8
(g) The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.
Editor:
I was going to write and ask if the article was meant to be a satire – until I read the followup comments.
Good grief, are we in a pitiable state in America.
Bonifacius,
The flag used at our recent Pilgrimage for Christian Culture roughly corresponds with Doctor Asinorum’s suggestion, supra. By adding the Sacred Hear of the Vendée to the American Flag, it is our intent to supplement the national symbol and create what we call an American Flag of Social Kingship of Christ.
A representative picture may be seen here
Does this banner sufficiently avoid the faults which caused you complained as to the Chartres flag?
~Paul
May I point out that the US Flag Code forbids putting ANYTHING–object or device–on the American flag?
Therefore, a Sacred Heart emblem on the flag is illegal.
Why quibble over this? Catholics in the USA. You are not the majority and your flag and constitution show it. Why do you object when a flag without Christian symbolism is improved?
Why are you even concerned? Your flag means little to a Catholic.
National flags have no place in the sanctuary of a Catholic Church.
Why? Because the nationistic claims of one country as as good as another.
I am a Catholic first!
Where have you been Boniface?
I would dispute the characterization as “illegal” – it is true that the Flag Code states that such things shall not be done. Nonetheless, since Texas v Johnson (Supreme Court, 1989) – which is federal law – no penalties can attach to violation of that unenforced code.
The Flag of the Social Kingship of Christ is not intended to be a confusing mixture of sacred and secular but instead to rightly subject the secular to the sacred.
The pilgrimage occurred in France, where laws of the USA do not apply. Thus, it matters not, legally, what was done to the USA flag in France. It seems the intent of those people from the USA who altered the flag for the pilgrimage were making a statement about their faith and about their country through a creation of a new symbol, one meant to be suggestive, not literal, so that in such a context there need be no concern as to how many stars are visible. One need not be concerned about a loss of symbolism of the 50 stars if they can’t all be seen in this context, because we all know that there ARE 50 stars, whether you can see them or no. The symbolism is not affected, except perhaps in a too-literal mind.