Pope "Unrepentant"
When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elevated to the role of Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Cathlic Church much was made about his genius as the architect of orthodox Catholic doctrine over the previous twenty-five years. One book I read told of Ratzinger's mentoring of Pope John Paul II on intricate points of Catholic theology. By all accounts he was, and is, the smartest guy in the church.
That's why his comments on Islam last week in Germany cannot be taken as a slip of the toungue. He knew what he was saying. His "apology" on Sunday was not really a retraction of his statements. Whether the Vatican anticipated the response from the Arab street is another question, but it seems clear the Benedict's thoughts about Islam are clear.
Peter Popham in the Independent has a good analysis of the speech and its aftermath. Here is one paragraph:
If the alternative version is more credible - that he knew exactly what he was doing - then the next question arises: why? The gloomy conclusion of some Vatican experts is that there was no inconsistency in the Pope's choice of the words "inhuman and evil" - quoted from the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Palaeologus - to characterise Islam. Such a negative view, they say, is consistent with all his words and actions with regard to Islam.
From the beginning of his reign Benedict has sent signals he would have a differrent approach than his predecessor. Here is an observation by another Vatican observer in the same article:
Marco Politi, Vatican expert at La Repubblica newspaper, wrote: "The debacle into which the Holy See has fallen after [the Pope's speech at the University of ] Regensburg ... is much more than an accident of communication. The unhappy anti-Mohamed quotation, followed by the violent reaction of the Islamic world and the bitter indignation of moderate European Muslims, has brought violently to the light the rupture completed by the Pope with the strategy conducted for more than two decades with success by John Paul II."
Benedict has been anquished over the violent history of Islam and last week's speech seems to be the first open statement of long held private feelings. Where it goes will be interesting to watch. His next scheduled public speech is tomorrow in Rome.
