LCCC ENGLISH NEWS BULLETIN
September 18/06

Biblical Reading
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 8,27-35.
Now Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?"
They said in reply, "John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets." And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter said to him in reply, "You are the Messiah." Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him. He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.

Opinions

The pope is right about Islam, by Jim Kouri -Renew America
 

US urges tight financial siege on Iran

World Tourism Organization calls for major aid effort to help Lebanon

Abbas freezes talks on unity government
Saudi, Jordanian kings rule out Shiite-Sunni conflict

Dueling diplomats: Iran and Israel top agenda for week-long IAEA conference

Latest New from Miscellaneous sources for September 18/06

80 Percent of IDF Soldiers Out of Lebanon-Arutz Sheva

Analysis: Hezbollah, Lebanon at odds-Seattle Post Intelligencer

Report: Israel to consider Shebaa Farms withdrawal-Ynetnews

Aoun Holds the Government, Hizbullah ResponsibleNaharnet

Israel says hands over most of south Lebanon to UN-Reuters

Damascus official: Syria losing patience with Israel-Ynetnews

Israeli cabinet approves govt inquiry of Lebanon war-Reuters.uk

Israel Appoints Commission of Inquiry Into Lebanon War-Voice of America

Israel Expects Lebanon To Honor Truce Deal-All Headline News

Attack in Syria raises questions-Boston Herald

Lebanese army troops continues south deploymentPeople's Daily Online

Syria Caught Sneaking In North Korean Weapons-Strategy Page

Aoun Attempts to Strike a Prisoners' Swap Deal in Utmost Secrecy-Naharnet

The Pope Should Not Apologize To Muslim Leaders-American Chronicle, CA

Pope Benedict XVI? Glad I voted for him-Wizbang, DC

Second Assyrian Christian Killed in Retaliation for Pope's Remarks-AINA, CA 

Islamic groups seek apology from Pope-Jordan Falls News

Iraq militants threaten reprisals against Vatican Khaleej Times
Pope expresses deep sorrow at Muslim anger Sydney Morning Herald

Threats of revenge on Pope-The Australian, Australia

Vatican Believes Pope will Still Visit Turkey-Zaman Online

Merkel Says Pope was Misunderstood-Zaman Online

Italian nun slain in Somalia, speculation of Pope link-Scotsman

Pope: DON'T Renege!-American Daily

Calls for Pope's Apology are Meaningless and irrelevant-Media Monitors Network

Criticism of the Pope is overreaction-Shelbyville Times-Gazette

NZ Theologian Defends Pope-newswire.co.nz, New Zealand 

West Bank Churches Burned in Light of Muslim Anger Over Papal -FOX News

So much faith, too little reason-New York Daily News

Head of Egypt's Coptic Church denounces Pope-Jerusalem Post

Non-aligned states line up against US-Aljazeera.net

Pope sorry for reaction to his remarks

By PIER PAOLO CITO, Associated Press Writer
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy - Pope Benedict XVI said Sunday that he was "deeply sorry" about the angry reaction to his recent remarks about Islam, which he said came from a text that didn't reflect his personal opinion.  "These (words) were in fact a quotation from a Medieval text which do not in any way express my personal thought," Benedict told pilgrims at his summer palace outside Rome. The pope sparked the controversy when, in a speech Tuesday to university professors during a pilgrimage to his native Germany, he cited the words of a Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, Islam's founder, as "evil and inhuman.""At this time I wish also to add that I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg, which were considered offensive to the sensibility of Muslims," the pope said Sunday.
Muslim leaders in the Mideast gave mixed reactions to the pontiff's apology.
Mahmoud Ashour, the former deputy of Cairo's Al-Azhar Mosque, the Sunni Arab world's most powerful institution, told Al-Arabiya TV immediately after the pope's speech that, "It is not enough. He should apologize because he insulted the beliefs of Islam. He must apologize in a frank way and say he made a mistake."
Mohammed al-Nujeimi, a professor at the Institute of Judicial and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, also criticized the pope's statement. "The pope does not want to apologize. He is evading apology and what he said today is a repetition of his previous statement," he told Al-Arabiya TV. The Vatican released a statement Saturday saying the pope "sincerely regrets" that Muslims were offended, but stopped short of the apology demanded by many Muslim leaders.
But the leader of Egypt's largest Islamic political group, the Muslim Brotherhood, said that "while anger over the Pope's remarks is necessary, it shouldn't last for long.""While he is the head of the Catholic Church in the world, many Europeans are not following (the church) so what he said won't influence them. Our relations with Christians should remain good, civilized and cooperative," Mohammed Mahdi Akef told The Associated Press.
Turkey's foreign minister said Sunday the pope was still expected to visit in November in what would be his first trip to a Muslim nation. "From our point of view, there is no change," Abdullah Gul told reporters before departing for a trip to the United States. The Vatican's secretary of state echoed Gul's remarks.
"I hope that he will do" the trip, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone was quoted as saying by the Italian news agency ANSA. "Until now, there are no reasons not to make it."Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier urged world religious leaders to show "responsibility and restraint" to avoid what he called "extremes" in relations between faiths.
"We understand perfectly how sensitive this sphere is. I think it would be right if we call for responsibility and restraint from the leaders of all world faiths," he said during a meeting with parliamentary leaders from Group of Eight nations in the Russian resort city of Sochi. In his speech on Tuesday, Benedict quoted from a book recounting a conversation between 14th century Byzantine Christian Emperor Manuel Paleologos II and an educated Persian on the truths of Christianity and Islam. "The emperor comes to speak about the issue of jihad, holy war," the pope said. "He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.'"
The remarks sparked protests and some violence across parts of the Muslim world. Earlier Sunday in the West Bank, two churches were set on fire as anger over the pope's comments grew throughout the Palestinian territories. In the town of Tulkarem, a 170-year-old stone church was torched before dawn and its interior was destroyed, Christian officials said. In the village of Tubas, a small church was attacked with firebombs and partially burned, Christians said. Neither church is Catholic, the officials said. Palestinian Muslims hurled firebombs and opened fire at five churches in the West Bank and Gaza Strip Saturday to protest the Pope's comments, sparking concerns of a rift between Palestinian Muslims and Christians.
Security was high at the summer palace before Benedict spoke Sunday. Police patted down many pilgrims, confiscating umbrellas with metal tips and bottles of liquids. Sharpshooters kept watch from a balcony and other officers, dressed like tourists, monitored the crowd with video cameras. Police headquarters across Italy were also ordered to raise security at potential Catholic targets, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. However, at the Vatican, no additional security measures could be seen as tourists strolled across St. Peter's Square. Italian Interior Minister Giuliano Amato said he believed tensions over Benedict's remarks wouldn't result in any further heightening of security concerns. He told Italian state radio that suspected terrorist cells under surveillance inside the country were considered to be focused on targets "outside of Italy."
 

Pope stops short of apology to Muslims

By FRANCES D'EMILIO, Associated Press Writer
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI "sincerely regrets" offending Muslims with his reference to an obscure medieval text that characterizes some of the teachings of Islam's founder as "evil and inhuman," the Vatican said Saturday.
But the statement stopped short of the apology demanded by Islamic leaders around the globe, and anger among Muslims remained intense. Palestinians attacked five churches in the West Bank and Gaza over the pope's remarks Tuesday in a speech to university professors in his native Germany.
An Iraqi insurgent group threatened the Vatican with a suicide attack over the pope's remarks on Islam, according to a statement posted Saturday on the Web.
"We swear to God to send you people who adore death as much as you adore life," said the message posted in the name of the Mujahedeen Army on a Web site frequently used by militant groups. The message's authenticity could not be independently verified. The statement was addressed to "you dog of Rome" and threatens to "shake your thrones and break your crosses in your home."
In a broader talk rejecting any religious motivation for violence, Benedict cited the words of a Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith."
The pontiff did not endorse that description, but he did not question it, and his words set off a firestorm of protests across the Muslim world.
The new Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, said the pope's position on Islam is unmistakably in line with Vatican teaching that says the church "esteems" Muslims.
Benedict "thus sincerely regrets that certain passages of his address could have sounded offensive to the sensitivities of the Muslim faithful and should have been interpreted in a manner that in no way corresponds to his intentions," Bertone said in a statement.
He noted that earlier during his German trip, Benedict warned "secularized Western culture" against holding contempt for any religion or believers.
Bertone said the pontiff sought in his university speech to condemn all religious motivation for violence, "from whatever side it may come." But the pope's words only seemed to fan rage.
Bertone's statement, released Saturday by the Vatican press office, failed to satisfy critics, although British Muslim leaders said it was a welcome step.
Mohammed Bishr, a senior Muslim Brotherhood member in Egypt, said the statement "was not an apology" but a "pretext that the pope was quoting somebody else as saying so and so."
"We need the pope to admit the big mistake he has committed and then agree on apologizing, because we will not accept others to apologize on his behalf," Bishr said.
There was no indication whether the pope would do so. His first public appearance since his return from Germany was set for Sunday, when Benedict planned to greet the faithful at Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence in the Alban Hills near Rome.
Morocco recalled its ambassador to the Vatican on Saturday to protest the pope's "offensive" remarks, and Afghanistan demanded the pope apologize.
Turkey cast some doubt on whether Benedict could proceed with a planned visit in November in what would be the pontiff's first trip to a Muslim nation.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted the pope apologize to the Muslim world, saying he had spoken "not like a man of religion but like a usual politician."
Asked if Muslim anger would affect the pope's trip to Istanbul, where he hopes to meet with Orthodox leaders headquartered there, Erdogan replied, "I wouldn't know."
Turkey's top Islamic cleric, Religious Affairs Directorate head Ali Bardakoglu, welcomed the Vatican statement.
"He says that he respects Islam and didn't want to hurt the feelings of Muslims. I find that a civilized position," said Bardakoglu in an interview posted on the Web site of Germany's Der Spiegel magazine.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of the world's 200 million Orthodox Christians, issued a statement saying he was deeply saddened by the tensions sparked by the pope's comments.
"We have to show the determination and care not to hurt one another and avoid situations where we may hurt each others' beliefs," the Istanbul-based Patriarchate said.
In West Bank attacks on churches, Palestinians used guns, firebombs and lighter fluid, leaving church doors charred and walls scorched by flames and pocked with bullet holes. Nobody was reported injured. Two Catholic churches, an Anglican one and a Greek Orthodox one were hit. A Greek Orthodox church was also attacked in Gaza City.
A group calling itself "Lions of Monotheism" told The Associated Press by phone that the attacks were a protest against the pope's remarks on Islam.
During his speech, Benedict stressed that he was quoting words of a Byzantine emperor and did not comment directly on the "evil and inhuman" assessment. On Saturday, Bertone said that "the Holy Father did not mean, nor does he mean, to make that opinion his own in any way."
Benedict quoted from a book recounting a conversation between 14th century Byzantine Christian Emperor Manuel Paleologos II and an educated Persian on the truths of Christianity and Islam.
"The emperor comes to speak about the issue of jihad, holy war," the pope said. "He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.'"
The grand sheik of Cairo's Al-Azhar Mosque, the Sunni Arab world's most powerful institution, condemned the pope's remarks as "reflecting ignorance."
The Shiite Muslim militant group Hezbollah and Lebanon's top Sunni Muslim religious authority also denounced the pope's comments.
British Muslims sought to calm the situation.
"We welcome his apology and we hope now we can work together and build bridges. At the same time we would condemn all forms of violent demonstration," Muhammad Umar, chairman of Britain's Ramadhan Foundation, a youth organization, told Sky News.

Text of Vatican statement on Pope speech

By The Associated Press
Sat Sep 16, 10:28 AM ET
Text of Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone's statement, issued Saturday in Italian, about criticism in the Muslim world over Pope Benedict XVI's remarks about Islam and violence. English translation is provided by the Vatican:
Given the reaction in Muslim quarters to certain passages of the Holy Father's address at the University of Regensburg, and the clarifications and explanations already presented through the Director of the Holy See Press Office, I would like to add the following:
The position of the Pope concerning Islam is unequivocally that expressed by the conciliar document Nostra Aetate: "The Church regards with esteem also the Muslims. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself; merciful and all-powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth, Who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even His inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere Him as a prophet. They also honor Mary, His virgin Mother; at times they even call on her with devotion. In addition, they await the day of judgment when God will render their deserts to all those who have been raised up from the dead. Finally, they value the moral life and worship God especially through prayer, almsgiving and fasting" (no. 3).
The Pope's option in favor of interreligious and intercultural dialogue is equally unequivocal. In his meeting with representatives of Muslim communities in Cologne, Germany, on 20 August 2005, he said that such dialogue between Christians and Muslims "cannot be reduced to an optional extra," adding: "The lessons of the past must help us to avoid repeating the same mistakes. We must seek paths of reconciliation and learn to live with respect for each other's identity."
As for the opinion of the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus, which he quoted during his Regensburg talk, the Holy Father did not mean, nor does he mean, to make that opinion his own in any way. He simply used it as a means to undertake — in an academic context, and as is evident from a complete and attentive reading of the text — certain reflections on the theme of the relationship between religion and violence in general, and to conclude with a clear and radical rejection of the religious motivation for violence, from whatever side it may come. On this point, it is worth recalling what Benedict XVI himself recently affirmed in his commemorative Message for the 20th anniversary of the Inter-religious Meeting of Prayer for Peace, initiated by his predecessor John Paul II at Assisi in October 1986: " ... demonstrations of violence cannot be attributed to religion as such but to the cultural limitations with which it is lived and develops in time. ... In fact, attestations of the close bond that exists between the relationship with God and the ethics of love are recorded in all great religious traditions."
The Holy Father thus sincerely regrets that certain passages of his address could have sounded offensive to the sensitivities of the Muslim faithful, and should have been interpreted in a manner that in no way corresponds to his intentions. Indeed it was he who, before the religious fervor of Muslim believers, warned secularized Western culture to guard against "the contempt for God and the cynicism that considers mockery of the sacred to be an exercise of freedom."
In reiterating his respect and esteem for those who profess Islam, he hopes they will be helped to understand the correct meaning of his words so that, quickly surmounting this present uneasy moment, witness to the "Creator of heaven and earth, Who has spoken to men" may be reinforced, and collaboration may intensify "to promote together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom" (Nostra Aetate no. 3).


Second Assyrian Christian Killed in Retaliation for Pope's Remarks
Posted GMT 9-17-2006 6:46:16 ------
Baghdad (AINA) -- Sources at Baghdad's Yarmouk Hospital announced on Saturday the death of a second Assyrian Christian who fell victim to multiple stab wounds at the Assyrian market in the Doura District. His murder comes a day after the attack on Syriac Catholic Church in the Ashar district of central Basra where another man was murdered.
Christian Leaders in Iraq have asked their parishioners to be extremely cautious and not to leave their homes as a new group called the young Brigades of Fundamental Islam ' has distributed papers announcing the slaying of all Iraqi Christians in three days if the Pope does not Apologize.
According to the insurgency-loyal news website, islammemo.cc, the bishop of the Syriac Catholic Church has also taken his plea to the central government of Iraq and the coalition forces in hopes that they intervene and offer protection to the native Christians.
© 2006, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use.

Pope is right on Islam
At the height of the war in Lebanon two months ago, an assortment of Arabs, British Muslims, radical socialists and bleeding heart liberals marched through the streets of London with placards proclaiming "we are all Hezbollah." Since Pope Benedict XVI delivered his scholarly but contentious lecture in Regensburg last Wednesday, an equally unlikely assortment of individuals bound by a common distaste for Islamist terrorism have been whispering the counter-proclamation: "We are all Papists now."
Before rushing to take rival positions in the trench warfare of civilisations, it is prudent to remember that the contemporary Islamist assault on the "decadent" West, epitomised by "American imperialism", has long enjoyed the backing of influential Muslim theologians. This is, perhaps, the first time that the philosophical gulf between Islam and Western civilisation has been delineated by someone who wields authority in the Christian world.
Pope Benedict, unlike many of his colleagues in Rome, has not succumbed to either the pretensions of Christian universalism or the mumbo jumbo of inter-faith dialogue. He has rightly viewed both Christianity and the Catholic Church as load-bearing pillars of Western civilisation. He has disavowed the growing secularisation of national cultures and, by implication, called into question the moral relativism which accompanies the practice of multiculturalism in the EU.
In an article If Europe Hates Itself written when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger, the Pope despaired about Europe's growing inability to distinguish good from evil: "The West reveals ... a hatred of itself, which is strange and can only be considered pathological; the West ... no longer loves itself; in its own history, it now sees only what is deplorable and destructive, while it is no longer able to perceive what is great and pure."
In November 2004, he despaired that secular ideology which is "imposed through politics... does not give public space to the Catholic or Christian vision (and) runs the risk of becoming something purely private and, thus, disfigured."
The Regensburg lecture amounted to a Christian critique of the violence that is inherent in political Islam. However, rather than fall back on the politically expedient and customary detachment of Islamism from Islam, the Pope chose to distinguish between Christianity's reason-based European underpinnings and Islam's faith-based traditions centred also on literal acceptance of its texts. By implication, his lecture was also an attack on some of the more aggressively evangelical churches found in the US and would have been treated as such if the references to the Byzantine experience had been omitted. In arguing that violence was at odds with reason, the Pope was also tacitly repudiating some of Christianity's bloody inheritance, but this aspect of his lecture has been overshadowed by the furore over Islamic certitudes.
What the Pope argued last week is not strikingly original. Many of the contemporary critiques of Islam have dwelt at length on the fact that the apparent finality of the Quran has made it difficult for Islam to experience a Reformation. What is also undeniable is that whereas the claims of Islam to be a religion of peace have been unceasingly made, almost all the Islamists have justified their terrorism in terms of religious obligation.
Heinous crimes have been committed and justified in the name of religion. Concern has also been voiced that the tenets of brotherhood in Islam do not always extend to non-believers, making them incompatible with multi-religious existence.
These are issue which warrant dispassionate debate and dialogue. The Pope may have been injudicious in citing a 14th century assessment by a Byzantine emperor but the questions he has raised are relevant both in theological and political terms. What is alarming is the fierce reaction to his lecture. They suggest that any debate on Islam based on critical scrutiny is bound to be accompanied by threats and intimidation. Far from encouraging sympathetic understanding of Muslim societies, this climate of intolerance is certain to fuel Islamophobia.
Political correctness necessitates debunking the clash of civilisations but realities on the ground are beginning to suggest otherwise.

The Pope Should Not Apologize To Muslim Leaders
Robert Paul Reyes-American Chronicle
September 16, 2006
Pope Benedict has caused an uproar in the Muslim world with a speech quoting a 14th century Christian Emperor. The Pope quoted the Emperor's declaration that the Prophet Mohammed had brought the world "only evil and inhuman things such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached". The pontiff took great pains to point out he was quoting and not necessarily endorsing the words of Emperor Manuel Paleologos of the Byzantine Empire.
The reaction in the Muslim world was quick and predictable, as soon as the Pope's words hit the wires, faithful Muslims commenced to burn his Holiness in effigy. Devout Muslims threatened, in so many words, to rain down evil and inhuman things on the infidels, if the head of the Roman Catholic Church did not apologize immediately. As a freethinker I have disdain for all forms of organized religion -- Islam and Catholicism are both guilty of intolerance and homophobia. But in this instance I must defend the Holy Father, this gifted theologian and nuanced thinker did not categorically condemn Islam.
The BBC quotes German Chancellor Merkel: "What Benedict XVI emphasized was a decisive and uncompromising renunciation of all forms of violence in the name of religion." I on the other hand do categorically condemn Islam. I look around the Muslim world and what do I see, nothing but evil and inhuman things. I see Jihadists kidnapping journalists and forcing them to convert to Islam at the point of a gun. I see Muslims killed for converting to Christianity. I see thousands of peace-loving Palestinians dancing in the streets in celebration of the butchery of 9/11. I see women treated like chattel. I see Jews portrayed as monkeys and pigs in the Muslim media. I see the acceptance and glorification of homicide bombers by an overwhelming majority of Muslims. I see women stoned for the "sin" of adultery. I see Hezbollah rain down rockets on civilians. I see Shiites and Sunnis killing each other in the name of Allah. I see multitudes in bondage to their holy book. In short, I see nothing but evil and inhuman things. If Pope Benedict doesn't promptly apologize I expect Muslims by the thousands to protest violently, in a clear demonstration that Islam has not brought the world evil and inhuman things.

Pope Benedict XVI? Glad I voted for him
The more I think about Pope Benedict's remarks last week, and the fallout thereof, the more I think I like this guy.
He initially quoted they Byzantine emperor Manuel II, who said in 1391:
"Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."It provoked a HUGE furor, with all sorts of people -- not just Muslims, but some others as well -- calling him all sorts of names and demanding all kinds of apologies and acts of contrition and even some for some serious retribution against the Pontiff.
Then he issued his apology, stating that he"sincerely regrets that certain passages of his address could have sounded offensive to the sensitivities of the Muslim faithful..."A few accused Bennie (I like him so much, I feel comfortable calling him by a nickname) of weaseling, of backing down from his initial statement. Hell, at first, so did I. But then I thought about it some more, and two things struck me:
1) While whole hosts of people got bent out of shape over his quoting Manuel II, I didn't see too many refutations of it, with people citing just where Manuel got it wrong and showing some positive innovations from Islam.2) Bennie's "apology" followed the liberal model of such things, saying in essence "I'm sorry you were offended." He didn't say he was wrong, that he regretted saying it, or any of the other hallmarks of a sincere apology; he just said he felt badly that some folks didn't like hearing it. I have a lot of issues with the Catholic Church in general, and I'm not really thrilled with a lot of Benedict XVI's notions and policies, but in this matter he's got this agnostic firmly in his corner.Can I have an "AMEN!" from the people?

So much faith, too little reason
Much as happened last year when a Danish publication printed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed, Muslim tempers are rising in response to Pope Benedict's remarks regarding the use of jihad to impose faith. Two churches were firebombed on the West Bank. In India, the pontiff has been burned in effigy. In Turkey, a spokesman for the ruling party declared that the Pope "is going down in history in the same category as leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini."
The growing fury was all too predictable the moment that Benedict uttered a brief reflection concerning Islam in a half-hour scholarly speech on the interplay of faith and reason. And, given the outbreaks of violence that followed publication of the cartoons, the anger is worrisome.
The Vatican responded yesterday in a statement that was more an appeal to reason than an apology: "The Holy Father thus sincerely regrets that certain passages of his address may have sounded offensive to the sensibilities of Muslim faithful. Confirming his respect and esteem for those who profess the Islamic faith, he hopes they will be helped to understand his words in their true sense."
That would be most beneficial because Benedict was addressing one of the dominant issues of our time - the triumph of religiously inspired fanaticism over reason among some Muslims. That triumph is the wellspring of suicide bombers. That triumph gave rise to 9/11.
The Pope touched on the perilous subject by quoting a 14th century Byzantine emperor's description of a conversation about holy war - an illustrative quotation that, he emphasized yesterday, did not reflect his beliefs.
Here is the heart of what Benedict said toward the start of an oration that was devoted primarily to discussing how the Christian world has allowed reason to crowd out faith: "He [the emperor] addresses his interlocutor with a startling brusqueness on the central question about the relationship between religion and violence in general, saying: 'Show me just what Muhammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.' "The emperor, after having expressed himself so forcefully, goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable. Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul....To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death....'"
The Pope's fumdamental moral meaning - his "true sense" - cannot be disputed, nor can his commitment to interfaith relations. It is distressing that such thoughts, intended to start dialogue, cannot be spoken without provoking dangerously overheated condemnations. One fears for what may be next among those without reason.
Go away, Jim
The man's crassness is just breathtaking, isn't it? Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, having been forced to jump a fast freight out of the executive mansion after giving his secret boyfriend an important job on the state payroll, seeks now to reinvent himself as a gay icon, the very emblem of tortured spiritual journey out of the closet into self-discovery and self-realization, a courageous navigator alone on the tempest-tossed sea of life.
McGreevey's new book just brims with unflinching accounts of his bravery in at last confronting himself. Also it just happens to brim with accounts of this and that furtive encounter - thanks for sharing, Jim - but of course that goes without saying here in today's bottom-feeder book business.
Such naked opportunism is revolting from a man otherwise best known merely as one of Jersey's sleazier pols. Even the Oprah & Audience crowd, ever eager to extend the cup of forgiveness and redemption to book-writing souls if only they seem to be abjectly humble enough, is said to be affronted by McGreevey's baloney. We imagine that Jimbo's moment of celebrity here will be quite fleeting.
We see, by the way, that editor Judith Regan is annoyed that prepub descriptions of her blockbuster literary project have crimped a PR campaign. "With the lack of ethics in this culture," she sniffs, "you never know who's cheating on you." It might have occurred to Regan that her comments apply more to her own author than to anyone else.

Iranians demand arrest of President Ahmadinejad for human rights violations
Sunday, September, 17th, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Homa Arjomand calls Press Conference at Queen's Park, Toronto, on Monday September 18, 2:00 pm
Homa Arjomand, Coordinator of the International Campaign Against Sharia Court in Canada is calling a press conference where she and other Iranian activists will demand the arrest of President Ahmadinejad for crimes against humanity. "We declare that President Ahmadinejad has violated Articles 9, 10, 11 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.", said Homa Arjomand. "We therefore call on the United Nations to arrest President Ahmadinejad for violating human rights in Iran". The protestors claim President Ahmadinejad is responsible for the assassinations and executions of tens of Iranian activists both in Iran and abroad.
"It is a disgrace to the United Nations to permit this man, with his record on human rights, the privilege to speak at this assembly, especially when he has taken the same rights from people in Iran and in tens of cases he has also taken their lives", added Homa Arjomand.
Iranian refugees and exiles living in Canada will gather at Queen's Park in Toronto to demand that Canada extradite President Ahmadinejad and to have him stand trial in Canada for the death of Canadian photographer, Zahara Kazemi. Friends and family of the following activists who have been killed by Iranian authorities in the past three months will speak at Queen's Park:
· Vali Faiz Mahdavi
· Akbar Mohhammadi
· Hojat Zamani
Location: Queen's Park, Toronto
Date: Monday, September 18, 2006, 2:00 pm
An open microphone will also be available for other Iranians attending the protest. They will be able to tell their personal stories and to expose the crimes and human rights abuses of this Iranian regime and the leading terrorist – President Ahmadinejad.
Hundreds of activists from Canada will join several thousands Iranians protesting at the United Nations to demand the arrest of President Ahmadinejad
After the press conference on Monday, Homa and several hundreds of Canadians will travel to New York City to protest at the United Nation where they will demand the arrest of the Iranian President Ahmadinejad.
Location In front of the United Nations
Date: Tuesday, September 19, 2006, 10:00 AM
"We have three buses going to New York, as well many cars and minivans, said Homa, "please contact us if you want to join the protest of this terrorist from Iran".
About the Campaign
Homa Arjomand is the Coordinator of the International Campaign Against Sharia Court in Canada. She started her campaign in Toronto in October 2003 with a handful of supporters, and today it has grown to a coalition of 87 organizations from 14 countries with over a thousand activists. In February 2006, the Ontario Government passed legislation which ended the use of religious laws for family arbitration. Since then, the Campaign has focused its efforts on stopping political Islam globally. Homa is now Coordinator of a campaign called “No to political Islam” and was a human rights activist in Iran until she was forced to flee in 1989.
Media Contact: Ms. Homa Arjomand 416-737-9500.
Email: homawpi@nosharia.com
Web site: http://www.nosharia.com