The real story isn’t what the Pope said or didn’t say in Regensburg about Islam. The real story is the reaction his comments generated in the Islamic world: enraged denunciations, characterizations of the Pope as Hitler or Mussolini, attacks on churches, and claims the pope is about to launch a new crusade. And that’s just for starters.
Yes, not all Muslims have reacted in this way. But enough prominent Muslims worldwide have to make clear just how they see things.
Former America Magazine editor Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest, is quoted by the BBC as saying, “If the Vatican says something dumb about Muslims, people will die in parts of Africa and churches will be burned in Indonesia, let alone what happens in the Middle East.”
Reese apparently wishes us to think Benedict erred by his remarks but in fact another lesson should be drawn. The pope merely quoted a medieval Christian emperor critical of Islam—quoted him without necessarily agreeing with him—and many Muslim leaders went berserk. If that’s the way things are, it will hardly do to think non-Muslims can engage in a fruitful dialogue with Islam. Not in the absence of leaders from the Islamic world fiercely denouncing the kind of Muslim reaction the pope’s remarks have received.
To be sure, the Vatican can and should continue to urge dialogue and conversation, etc. It makes sense that Pope Benedict would express regret that his words have been misunderstood, though he shouldn't apologize--he has done nothing to apologize for. Perhaps there are other things that might be done to attempt to diffuse the situation. Even so, we must all have a realistic sense of what such efforts are likely to yield with people who reacted as so many Muslims have in this instance.
It may be that the response of so many Muslims to Pope Benedict’s lecture will intimidate others into avoiding even the semblance of criticism of Islam or its history. However, Islamic rage in this case may also be seen as a wake up call for non-Muslims, especially in the West, to see how dangerous a situation the world is in.
Comments