[Salvation]

Last paragraph:

**As for the conversation about Islam’s future that Benedict XVI proposed, well, it now seems rather unlikely. But if it’s to take place, Christian leaders must prepare the way by naming, forthrightly, the pathologies of Islamism and jihadism; by ending their ahistorical apologies for 20th-century colonialism (lamely imitating the worst of western academic blather about the Arab Islamic world); and by stating publicly that, when confronted by bloody-minded fanatics like those responsible for the reign of terror that has beset Syria and Iraq this summer, armed force, deployed prudently and purposefully by those with the will and the means to defend innocents, is morally justified.**

Will we answer this challenge?

[Ouchthatonehurt]

......I do.

[cloudmountain]

Pope Benedict XVI (Latin: Benedictus XVI; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger) was known by his peers to have a towering intellect and a backbone of tempered steel.

[bboop]

Benedict 16 was a courageous, brilliant, and compassionate Pope. I loved his speech at Regensburg. I miss him.

[thesligoduffyflynns]

Firstly it would occur to me the author of this post must live an extraordinary life out of the pew. To have the advantage of travel and invitations and access to information that a regular joe or jane catholic does not have one must lead a more privileged life.

Joe & Jane & the fam go to church on Sunday or even a Sat Mass so Sunday is free for other activities.

I’ve never heard in all my born days any parish priest discussing items like the author

Who’s to blame? Is it the parish priest?

Is it the hierarchy of the Catholic Church with a no “trickle down information policy” to local parishoners?.

Yesterday I read that article from the Italian press that was linked here regarding Cardinal Burke.

That sure was an eye opener and who knows the moves on this chessboard the Vatican has with dismissing Cardinal Burke to an honorific Order of Malta .

I recommended the information regarding Burke to a friend and the response was —>??huh??<-———

I’m a longtime Catholic and honestly all of this is new & I’m not bashing the Vatican just truly questioning where Pope Francis is taking the Church.

[arthurus]

Don't you know? the Regensburg Lecture is what caused all the Moslem Righteous Anger?

[livius]

I think that Weigel missed one of Benedict’s most important points, namely, that Islam fundamentally rejects reason and thus is probably incapable of changing. This was the thing that enraged the Muslims, although 1400 years of the hideous life of this violent, dark, irrational cult have certainly proved that he was correct.

Also, what’s this with “colonialism” and Islam? The only reason there were any “colonies” is that Islam can only be controlled when it has no power bases from which to attack, and the colonies were basically the result of defensive activities by non-Islamic states to protect themselves. This led to the suppression of the terror and conquest- supporting Islamic states and even their occupation.

Also, bear in mind that there is no such thing as a functional Islamic state. Violence and poverty and dysfunction are the rule, because Islam makes a miserable system of governance.