I think Jimmy Akin’s analysis of the Pope’s original speech and subsequent clarification is spot on, especially his ending note.
This is an intense time of suffering for him and for all those Christians who are at risk of Muslim violence.
Let us therefore unite ourselves with the Holy Father in prayer for peace.
Sandro Magister, as always, is quite worth reading in his article Islam’s Unreasonable War Against Benedict XVI.
Via Roman Catholic Blog is this reminder that not all Muslims have a knee-jerk reaction to media coverage.
Damascus Sept. 15 (BNA) Syria’s Grand Mufti Dr Ahmed Bader Al Deen Hasoon sent a letter today to Pope Benedict XVI demanding a clarification on what has been reported by international news agencies on his statements against Islam.
Mufti Hasoon said he hoped that the reports were inaccurate and that the Vatican would be a source of world peace in the same way that Islam is a source of affection and goodness. He said he was looking forward to joining efforts to spread heavenly teachings that call for harmony and cooperation. The letter was delivered through the Vatican Embassy in Damascus.
Though you would think somebody could have googled the original speech for him or the subsequent clarification.
The Detroit Free Press does an article on responses by several people who never even read the Pope’s original speech and some didn’t even know about the reaction.
Parishioners at a few local Catholic churches said they were unfamiliar with the controversy.
The Rev. Timothy Pelc of St. Ambrose in Grosse Pointe Park said he had heard secondhand about the pope’s remarks.
This summer, his parish conducted a series on Islam in its adult education classes and book clubs. Pelc said his parishioners "really didn’t know a lot about Islam. … We made a deliberate choice to learn."
"It’s sad, because so much of what we see of violence has been done in the name of religion," Pelc added. "It’s a scary time."
Joy Ford, a member of Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Detroit, called the pope’s reading of the text "ill-advised" and said it likely misrepresented what the Catholic Church, as a whole, believes about Islam.
"Whether it’s part of a text or not, you have to be really careful what public statements you put out there in today’s climate," said Ford, 37, of Detroit.
You could hope that a parish doing adult education on Islam had already thoroughly catechized its members on the Catholic Church. Like I said you could hope, but I wouldn’t lay money on it. A Muslim lady goes on to prove that it does not matter what the Pope has said or will say in reaction to his comments.
Some people said Sunday that the pope should apologize for what he said, not just for the way people have reacted to it. But Baydoun said she wouldn’t believe such an apology.
"We’re all going to know it’s not coming from his heart. It’s not going to be sincere."
Now this is a Papal souvenir I could really go for.
This beer has a real great head and talk about theology on tap. Plus it is not weak like those heretical dissident beers. You know the ones that are all watered down. Pope Benedict Beer is fine with fish, meat, biblical exegesis, Magisterial documents, and spiritual reading. Great also for preparing to talk with dissidents or anyone you know you will be at lagerheads with.
Also available, Pope Sixtus packs.
A reader sent me a link to a site that has the Liturgical Calendar in a format that can be used with most email programs such as Outlook, PDA’s, etc. I copied it to my iPod easily enough and now my calendar has information for each day of the year as it relates to the liturgical calendar and the saints for the day. They have both ics and vcs format files for calendar years 2006 and 2007.
If your an iPod user just copy either the ics or vcs file into the calendar directory on your iPod.
It is Prayerware where Fr. Simon Rundell SCP just asks that you to pray for his parish St.Thomas the Apostle, Elson, UK.
Gerald has translated the Pope’s address in München.
From the bear of Saint Korbinian to St. Augustine as a a God’s draught animal it gives an interesting insight into how the Pope views his service to the Church. Those that called him God’s Rottweiler had no understanding that he sees himself more as God’s ox or mule being pressed into service for the Lord.
Jimmy Akin has a really interesting interview with SF author Tim Powers on his blog. He asks some very interesting questions to which the author responds in like manner. I read several of Tim Powers’ book recently and have enjoyed all of them, especially Declare. As Jimmy mentions Tim does extensive research and bases his novel on real persons and events and then seamlessly weaves a supernatural story into them. Part of the fun of reading his books is later researching elements in them as to their factual nature. At the end of Declare the author discussed the real world events he drew on, a feature which I wished he had at the end of all his books. I do know I definitely want to get a copy of his new book Three Days to Never.
Shouts In The Piazza has a nice series of photos of various Popes and the use of the Capello/Saturno.
I often pick on women’s religious groups or the progressive persuasion, so for some balance check out Dr. Jeff Mirus’s article on Father David Couturier, OFM Cap. attempt to utterly transform religious life. He addressed the annual assembly of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men on August 5th. From the email intro to his article at CatholicCulture:
The Conference of Major Superiors of Men learned the secret to increasing the impact of religious communities at their annual assembly in August. It turns out that the secret is to establish non-governmental organizations to represent worldwide religious orders at the United Nations.
I guess this explains why the majority of the web sites of progressives are more likely to link to the UN than to the Vatican.
Diogenes made me laugh with this:
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious is serious about social justice. During the past 5 years LCWR has issued statements on immigration and the death penalty and racism and debt relief and water usage and nonviolence and the Millenium Development Goals and the Earth Charter and Walmart and fair trade and…
What’s that? You say something’s missing from that list?
Oh, right; that issue. Here you go.