Pope Invites Muslims to Dialogue

The headline:

Pope enjoys private time after slamming Islam H/T Amy.

“Slamming?” What a provocative word.

The WaPo, more accurately: Pope Invites Muslims to Dialogue.

In a major lecture at Regensburg University, where he taught theology between 1969 to 1977, Benedict said Christianity was tightly linked to reason and contrasted this view with those who believe in spreading their faith by the sword.
The 79-year-old Pontiff avoided making a direct criticism of Islam, packaging his comments in a highly complex academic lecture with references ranging from ancient Jewish and Greek thinking to Protestant theology and modern atheism.

In his lecture, the Pope quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor who wrote in a dialogue with a Persian that Mohammad had brought things “only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”

The Pope, who used the terms “jihad” and “holy war” in his lecture, added: “Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul.”
[,,,]
Papal spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said Benedict used Emperor Manuel’s views on Islam only to help explain the issue and not to condemn all of the Muslim religion as violent.
[…]
Last week, the Pope said no one had the right to use religion to justify terrorism and urged greater inter-religious dialogue to stop the cycle of hate and revenge.

Hello, mediafolk – can’t you get a grip on your employees? Between the Reuters folk doctoring photographs, and the headline writers doing all they can to spin things (and they have some effect; lots of people don’t read beyond the headlines) are you really wondering why you’re so disliked and distrusted? You write a headline like Pope enjoys private time after slamming Islam and you let it go out, knowing it’s not right, knowing it will foment hated and distrust and possibly violence, but still it stands?

Why am I surprised. You think the “Kill Bush” stuff is “compelling” and (if you’re Chris Matthews) “funny,” too.

An free press is necessary to a free society. Increasingly our press seems less-than-free. The press seems willingly constrained by the political dictates of the PC crowd, by the easy and seductive, tantalizing play of hate, and by their own agendas. The press is not free but rather a happy captive. I grieve to say this, but some in the press are starting to do more harm than good.

Initial translation of Benedict’s speech is here. The Vatican’s translation should be out today or tomorrow. Gerald is likely to have more on this speech, so keep your eyes on his place.

Oh, and while we’re at it, check out this story: Benedict sheds image of dour theologian.

Oh yeah? Well who gave him that “image,” who perpetuated it at his election when one talking head after acted like they knew Benedict and predicted all sorts of nonsense about him?