Posted on 09/13/2006 12:15:36 PM PDT by pissant
POPE Benedict has hit out at Islam and its concept of holy war during a visit to his Bavarian homeland.
The thinly veiled attack on extremist Islam's justification for terrorism came during a theological lecture to staff and students at the University of Regensburg, where the former Joseph Ratzinger taught theology in the 1970s. Using the words, "jihad" and "holy war", the Pope quoted criticisms of the prophet Mohammed by a 14th century Byzantine Christian emperor, Manuel II, during a debate with a learned Persian.
"Show me just what Mohammed 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," Benedict quoted the emperor as saying.
"The emperor goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable," the Pope said.
"Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul," he added.
But in reiterating his concerns about a modern world "deaf" to God, he warned that other religious cultures saw the West's exclusion of God "as an attack on their most profound convictions".
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
Pope Benedict XVI, visiting the Bavarian city of Regensburg where he once taught theology, used an outdoor Mass to speak out against encroaching ``fanaticism'' in religion. As many as 260,000 worshipers attended, according to the German channel N-TV.
Now will come to pass what was revealed to the children at Fatima.
anti-fanaticism ping.
Way to go Pope Benedict!!
Perhaps.
The Pope steps up!
I'm glad the CC gave up spreading faith by the sword. Hopefully the Pope can get Muslims to do the same.
Thanks for the article. I and a friend have been monitoring how the RC Church and the Pope would deal with Islamofascism/Wahabbism/jihad.
I'd be all for another round of Catholic crusades right now.
What might that be?
The German has more guts than the Pole. JP II, trying to be too politically correct?
This Pope calls evil by its name. Reminds me of our President, in that regard.
JP II helped bring communism to its knees. Not bad at all.
This will not sit well with the nut-jobs.
Which of course makes it a good thing.
He is a man of guts and courage like JPII. I feel great things in my spirit when I pray for this man. May God keep him healthy and safe.
He needs our prayers for protection as much as the President does. I know that the jihadis would like nothing more than to destroy the pope. =(
"I'd be all for another round of Catholic crusades right now"
The same fight w/ the same warriors... centuries later.
He has my prayers, as well as protection from God.
I say stir the bastards up to a frenzy. Then shoot.
Like it or not, GWB started that crusade already, thank God.
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