Pope: My 'deep respect' for Islam

[The_Professor]

Well, too bad. I was hoping he would have some cojones...

Pope: My 'deep respect' for Islam
POSTED: 5:31 a.m. EDT, September 20, 2006
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VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI has said he has "deep respect" for Islam and hopes that his recent remarks that sparked anger from Muslims lead to dialogue among religions.

The pope on Wednesday acknowledged his remarks were open to misinterpretation, but insisted he had not intended to endorse a negative view of Islam.

"I hope that in several occasions during the visit ... my deep respect for great religions, in particular for Muslims -- who worship the one God and with whom we are engaged in defending and promoting together social justice, moral values, peace and freedom for all men -- has emerged clearly," Benedict said during his weekly audience at the Vatican.

"I trust that after the initial reaction, my words at the university of Regensburg can constitute an impulse and encouragement toward positive, even self-critical dialogue both among religions and between modern reason and Christian faith," the pope told thousands of faithful in St. Peter's Square. Security in the square had been stepped up.

At the university of Regensburg, Benedict cited the words of a Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith."

"In no way did I wish to make my own the words of the Medieval emperor," the pope said. "I wished to explain that not religion and violence, but religion and reason go together."

On Sunday, Benedict said that he was "deeply sorry" over the reactions to his remarks and that they did not reflect his own opinions. But not all in the Islamic world were satisfied by Benedict's statement of regret.

The pontiff's comments Wednesday were part of a reflection over the September 9-14 trip to his native Bavaria. Benedict said he wanted to share the "sentiments and feelings" he felt during his visit.

[_JS]

Standing up when you make a mistake and discussing it openly is a characteristic of being a man.

Your example of "having cajones" is juvenile and a fine example of what is wrong with politics in this country.

[The_Professor]

Ah, but he DIDN'T make a mistake, he instead backed down from political pressure. Very different reasons, JS. Do not you believe that one should stand up for their beliefs/opinions, etc, regardless of the outside pressure being exerted?

[Michael Tee]

Like the Professor, I don't think the Pope was misunderstood the first time, I think he meant to say something derogatory of the Muslims and then was a little taken aback and realized he had made a mistake.  A big mistake.

Like JS, however, I don't think "cojones" enters into it.  I DON'T think it's in any way admirable for a man to "stand by his words" when he realizes that they are offensive and hateful to millions of people.  What would be the point?  To gain brownie points in "steadfastness" or some other abstract virtue, while as a direct result of his failure to retract his words, human beings are once again hating, maiming and killing one another?  Over some really stupid words that came out of his mouth when he should have known better?  That's way too high a price, IMHO, for bragging rights to the moral high ground.

In the end, the Pope did the right thing.  Made a graceful withdrawal under fire before any more people got injured or killed.  Way to go, Popester!!!

[Xavier_Onassis]

One thing is the Pope saying what he believes, another is the result of saying what he believes. The Pope is not going to convert one Muslim by quoting a Byzantine emperor, no matter how logical his statement might be. If his speech causes fanatics to get violent and destroy and murder innocent people, he should take this into consideration.

Reason is not really a part of either the Christian or the Muslim message. Praying in unison five times a day and ritually snacking on the body & blood of God are not rational acts, even though they may be central to these religions.

Buddhism, Taoism, Confusionism are all far more rational, and none of these Easter religions claims that it is inherently so much more true than other religions that the others should be ignored, disregarded or spurned completely. A truth is a truth, no matter its origin.

Rational people do not gather about the Pope for reasonable philosophy. It's not what he does. Christianity is subordinate to Christ, Islam is subordinate to Mohammad, and neither is subordinate to the truth.

Bravery and demonstrating that one has cojones are not at all the same as rationality or even doing the best one can for humanity.

[Plane]

http://bible.cc/proverbs/15-1.htm

Proverbs 15 - 1

One of my favoriates.

   I suppose it is not proper for a Modern Pope to express a strong preference for Christianity. Or explain why.


    The origional speech is the mildest of unintended insults and it was not delivered to the world at large or a venue in which Muslims are frequent.

     The Pope is forbidden to express a religious opinion within the walls of  a Catholic seminary?

      The Pope is the victim of agents provocateurs who have been combing his speeches hopeing for inflamitory retoric , they had to dig deep to find a small nugget.

      I am happy to see the Pope hold his pride in low esteem and offer a diplomatic apology , humility is in his job description after all and he is looking at a bigger picture.

     On the other hand I don't see the right of Muslims to proof his homilys for conformance to Islamic doctrine , or make such a big fuss over such a small point.

      Will they want to edit Castro , Desmond Tutu or President Clinton (after her election) to ensure that all speeches given in public are in conformance with Islam?

[Plane]

http://www.cagle.com/news/PopeRemarks/images/fairrington.gif