Pope's "withdrawal from the debate is a considerable loss for the forces of reason and Western preservation"MELANIE PHILLIPS: How is it possible that he changed so much, asked a young Islamist girl called Merve Celikkol, who concluded to the New York Times reporters on the ground that the Pope is ‘a hypocrite’. The answer to the charming Merve’s question is clear. He has changed because he has been forced to pacify the Islamic beast, and because support for Turkish entry is clearly in the Pope’s calculation the least he can offer. Papal bull
Mark Alexander
4 comments:
Benedict's original purpose for going to Turkey was for the benefit of the Christian minorities. The destroyed churches and murdered nun are signals that Islam denigrates and disrespects all Christians, their opinions, their house of worship, their lives.
Unless the Christians held hostage is Muslim lands can be protected or extricated, Benedict can no longer enter into the dialogue without putting them at extreme risk.
If he can't say anything truthful about Islam, which all know is negative, he should at least remain silent and apart from Muslims which would appear to give them semblance of a moral victory.
Eleanor:
Benedict's original purpose for going to Turkey was for the benefit of the Christian minorities. The destroyed churches and murdered nun are signals that Islam denigrates and disrespects all Christians, their opinions, their house of worship, their lives.
Yes indeed. But it would appear that the whole trip was somewhat hijacked by Muslims for their own agenda.
Given that he had made the Regensburg address, and given that it went down so badly in the Islamic world, I suppose the Pope was left with little alternative but to appease the Muslims of Turkey.
The whole trip was fraught with danger from the start. Thank God he got home to the Vatican safely! This wasn't in any way a given.
Unless the Christians held hostage is Muslim lands can be protected or extricated, Benedict can no longer enter into the dialogue without putting them at extreme risk.
This would appear to be the case. Alas!
If he can't say anything truthful about Islam, which all know is negative, he should at least remain silent and apart from Muslims which would appear to give them semblance of a moral victory.
Yes, silence seems to be the only course of action for him now.
What bothered me so much about his trip to Turkey, however, were two aspects: one, his prayer in the direction of Makkah, which was so symbolic for Muslims; and two, his speaking in favour of the accession of Turkey to the EU, especially in view of the fact that he had been four-square against Turkey's accession all along.
Mark - Yes, his gesture toward Makkah did bother me. Perhaps there was a security problem that could not have been solved without that gesture and making a statement about Turkey's entry into the EU.
Could it be that other lives were held in the balance until he made that concession? I can't imagine another reason for that tough-minded scholar to seem to give in. Let's hope he won't allow himself to be put in that put in that position again.
On the face of it, Eleanor, he was ill-advised to make that address in Regensburg, for he has had to backtrack ever since, and that's never a good thing for a pope.
Although we all know that what he said was true, he had no politician to back him up. He was therefore hung out to dry; and, as a result, appears to have been hurt badly.
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