Pope Benedict begins a papal offensive against Islamic fundamentalism. Who says this isn’t a war of religion?…

Of course there is backtracking. You don’t seriously think the Pope is condemning all of Islam?

honora, if your question in the emphasized section was addressed to me, then, no, I don’t think that the Pope was condemning all of Islam, as the excerpt from AP’s linked article attempts to show:

The thinly veiled attack on extremist Islam’s justification for terrorism came during a theological lecture to staff and students at the University of Regensburg, where the former Joseph Ratzinger taught theology in the 1970s.
Using the words, “jihad” and “holy war”,

Also, one could make a strong argument that extreme Christian fundamentalists absolutely view God as transcendent in the same sense the Pope hangs on Islam.

honora on September 15, 2006 at 8:56 AM

Theoretically that might be, but what efforts are they making to take over other people/territories and subjugate them by force, or kill them, in this day?

Sad.

Catie,

I think so. And I’m not even sure I got the quote right. He either said “brigades” or “divisions”, I think.

In any event, it was by no means an endorsment of Stalin. It was just a lame attempt to make a joke out of a historically ridiculous phrase.

Jack M. on September 14, 2006 at 3:21 AM

You got it right: “How many divisions does the pope have” is Stalin’s famous retort to an advisor who suggested Stalin might want to tread lightly in Eastern Europe so as to avoid the wrath of the Church. It is significant in our time because it points out the folly of assuming that the ultimate key to relations among nations is military power.

And I notice that “Muslim clerics, organizations and Web sites have expressed outrage at the pope’s remarks” without saying exactly why they were outrageous, nor why Benedict should have to apologize for quoting someone else’s words.

Then the ever-present demand to “apologize, or else” which comes as routinely as the sun rising in the east.

If that alone marks him for death that would be regrettable, but it can’t be allowed to sway him from what he needs to say or limit what he says, or else the enemies of civilization have already won.

Let’s see what follows from him…might be part of European nuance.

Entelechy on September 14, 2006 at 1:50 AM

Unfortunately, the backtracking has begun.

Muslihoon on September 14, 2006 at 10:20 PM

Never question the potency of European nuance!

On September 12, 2006, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI delivered a lecture at the University of Regensburg during “the Meeting with the Representatives of Science.” I am quoting a portion of his lecture that has been popularized recently, pu…

Islam has been on Benedicts mind for quite some time now. The church has tried to reach out and make peace with Islam, but I think they’re coming to the realization that peace isn’t possible. They’ll still try, they have to, but you’ll see more crticism from the church in the future.

BTW, should anything unfortunate happed to Pope Benedict, I would look for the next Pope to choose the name Leo – the traditional name for Popes in times of war between the Western and Muslim civilizations.

chsw

Pope Benedict XVI has made some statements that are in clear contrast to what Muslims had expected from the Holy See. This is not the first time he has challenged Muslims and Islam. Although, to be fair, his administration is far more outspoken than he is, for obvious reasons. However, this is also in contrast to Pope John Paul the Great, of blessed memory, who sought cooperation among faiths and, in attempting this, refrained from criticizing Islam. John Paul the Great’s policies had their laudable purposes, and so do Benedict’s.

I hope this is the beginning of a somewhat friendly challenge to Muslims to shape up their behavior. Thanks to the goodwill generated by John Paul the Great, Muslims do tend to listen to what the Holy See says, considering it one of their allies in Christendom. But there is no doubt that even in quoting a long-dead emperor, the Pope’s words will stir resentment among some Muslims (who expect others to respect them only and not criticize them).

The Pope needs our prayers nevertheless: he needs protection from evil and the strength to speak what must be spoken. I, for one, approve of his recent remarks (as I admit I have not been fond of other remarks he has made).

I admire the pope for speaking the truth but he might just find out that the above isn’t a humorous play on words.