France has traditionally had a better grasp of the situation in the Levant (and the Middle East in general) than the other so-called Western Powers. Traditionally, that is, but far less so during the reign of François I.
(NB: I have no intention of elaborating on that in this thread or elsewhere, but both the Levantines and francophiles on the board will know exactly what I mean.) Considering the tradition, it is, in a way, surprising that a French bishop would mouth-off in such a vile way, but this incident leads me to guess at "Bishop X's" political affiliation.
