I guess I should have said Catholics, but my point was how outrageous the comment was. The Vatican is kind of like the US; I love Bush and love the new pope, but they each need new State Departments.
JPII was critical of the Iraq invasion. Maybe the Vatican is afraid of creating the preception among Moslems of a crusade if they condemn every attack. That's my best guess but I honestly can't figure it out.
Note to Mike from a Catholic...
The current Pope is undoubtedly in the process of rather abruptly downgrading the Secretariat of State which grew to too much prominence under Pope Paul VI and his successors and is elevating the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which lost too much authority. In other words, the Church's mission is not temporal but spiritual--the province of CDF. If you doubt this, look closely at Pope Benedict the XIV, the Pope for whom this man undoubtedly took his name.
Cheers,
Frank