The Pope's remarks are not likely to calm some of the reaction from the Arab street to remarks he made last week in Germany. It is clear he does not intend to apologize for making the statements, only for the reaction some have had.  The Pope went on to say in today's remarks that...

"I wish to explain that not religion and violence but that religion and reason go together. I hope that my profound respect for world religions and for Muslims who worship the one God and which help to promote peace, liberties, justice and moral values for the benefit of all humanity is clear.

"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".

I go back to what I said earlier. Benedict is a very intelligent man and what he says publicly is thought out and reviewed in advance. It is calculated for maximum effect. I am not saying he wishes to provoke violent reaction leading to the death of some of his own Catholic workers. But the Pope is a world leader of more than a billion Roman Catholics and what he says is carefully considered.

Benedict was saying that militant Islam is currently engaged in violence in the name of God. He was careful to say that there is a distinction between Islam and Christianity that must be recognized. His appeal to reason is a key thought here. In fact a careful reading of his text shows that reason was the main focus of his talk.

One thoughtful piece by Stratfor Intelligence connects the Pope's words with the strains in Europe between Muslim immigrants and their host nations such as France and Germany. The Pope's remarks could be taken as a warning to Muslims in Europe as well as Europe as  whole and its spiritual vacuum, a major concern for this Pope. Here is a part of Stratfor's analysis:
 

Given the events of the past months, Benedict may have felt the need for a relatively gentle intervention -- in a way that warned the Muslim world that the church's willingness to endure vilification as a Crusader has its limits, and that he is prepared, at least rhetorically, to strike back. Again, we cannot read his mind, but neither can we believe that he was oblivious to events in the region and that, in making his remarks, he was simply engaged in an academic exercise.

This perspective would explain the timing of the pope's statement, but the general thrust of his remarks has more to do with Europe.

There is an intensifying tension in Europe over the powerful wave of Muslim immigration. Frictions are high on both sides. Europeans fear that the Muslim immigrants will overwhelm their native culture or form an unassimilated and destabilizing mass. Muslims feel unwelcome, and some extreme groups have threatened to work for the conversion of Europe. In general, the Vatican's position has ranged from quiet to calls for tolerance. As a result, the Vatican was becoming increasingly estranged from the church body -- particularly working- and middle-class Catholics -- and its fears.

As has been established, the pope knew that his remarks at Regensburg would come under heavy criticism from Muslims. He also knew that this criticism would continue despite any gestures of contrition. Thus, with his remarks, he moved toward closer alignment with those who are uneasy about Europe's Muslim community -- without adopting their own, more extreme, sentiments. That move increases his political strength among these groups and could cause them to rally around the church. At the same time, the pope has not locked himself into any particular position. And he has delivered his own warning to Europe's Muslims about the limits of tolerance.
 

We continue to say that the main focus of this pope is on Europe. He is a German. His remarks were made  in Germany, at Regensburg University where he formerly taught. Benedict is acutely concerned with the spiritual drift in Europe and knows the church must address this growing problem in its own back yard. In the March/April WNP we reviewed a book about Benedict by John Allen. Read the article again for a brief review of some of the church's, and this pope's, concern about the spiritual future of Europe.