Papal palaver

Pope Benedict XVI made a speech at the University of Regensburg, Germany, last week. His words went down like a lead balloon with Muslims around the world. I copy from a CNN newsreport:

Citing historic Christian commentary on holy war and forced conversion, the 79-year-old pontiff quoted from a 14th-century Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologos. "The emperor comes to speak about the issue of jihad, holy war," the pope said. "He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.' "

Clearly aware of the sensitivity of the issue, Benedict added, "I quote," twice before pronouncing the phrases on Islam and described them as "brusque," while neither explicitly agreeing with nor repudiating them."The emperor goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable," Benedict said. "Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul," the pope said, issuing an open invitation to dialogue among cultures.

CNN says, at the start of the last paragraph, that the pope was "Clearly aware". I think he is not sufficiently aware, and this counts as a considerable diplomatic faux-pas in my book.

I have the greatest respect for the pope as a world leader, and for the depth of his convictions. Benedict XVI is the head of the Roman Catholic Church, and in a way heads up Christianity as a whole. It is his job to initiate a dialogue with other religions. Pope John Paul II went to Israel, in spite of the difficult relationship with Judaism on account of Papal inactivity during World War II in the face of the Holocaust.

Although a Pope is St Peter's and God's representative on earth, he is still only human and not infallible. Benedict should have born in mind the outcry which resulted from cartoons on the Prophet Mohammed, which were published in Denmark last year. It is unacceptable for Muslims to have the Prophet criticised.

The invitation to dialogue between the faiths may be an unexpected bonus from this entire episode. Benedict has apologised, and that has been acknowledged by leaders in the Muslim world. It may open an avenue for dialogue, as the current Pope has unwittingly shown himself to be fallible and human, and therefore not above anyone else.

I would like to take the opportunity to restate that atrocities like 9/11, committed under the banner of Islam, are utterly rejected by the vast majority of Muslims as being un-Islamic. The culprits are only Muslims by name, using the problems in the Middle East as an excuse to commit mass murder. As was shown in Northern Ireland after the armed factions agreed to lay down their weapons, terrorists are shown to be nothing better than criminals.