What does ISIS mean when they issue repeated threats about conquering Rome? This is not, as some have speculated, a metaphorical term for America. It is not directed at some vague notion of Christianity. It is not about a larger invasion of the West.
They mean this:
To those who know, who understand the longstanding conflict that has spanned over a millennium, the reason is clear. What is represented in this image – published several months ago on the cover of the official magazine of the Islamic State – is the only thing that matters: the seat of Christendom itself, the See of Peter, the Vicar of Christ.
We can’t afford to forget this. They won’t.
Steve Skojec is the Founding Publisher and Executive Director of OnePeterFive.com. He received his BA in Communications and Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2001. His commentary has appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, Crisis Magazine, EWTN, Huffington Post Live, The Fox News Channel, Foreign Policy, and the BBC. Steve and his wife Jamie have seven children.