[Junior]

The Pope is a man of God, and God did specifically command, through His son, that we forgive our enemies -- seems to me the Pope isn't senile, but is simply being the best Christian he can be.

[ishmac]

...seems to me the Pope isn't senile, but is simply being the best Christian he can be.

Indeed, the Holy Father is doing exactly what Popes are supposed to do. He has much practice praying for his persecutors, starting with the Nazis and continuing through the Communists. Note that while praying for them, he also resisted them tooth and nail. He outlasted them and, in the case of the communists, helped defeat them. The Pope knows exactly what he's doing and suffers no lack of "moral clarity."

[agrace]

I have no problem with the Pope forgiving the terrorists. He can forgive whomever he wants, as we all can and should. But he is asking GOD to forgive the terrorists. God's criteria for forgiveness is individual and personal, and one man (other than Christ) can't secure the forgiveness of another man's sin.

Each of those terrorists must ask for himself. All the papal prayers in the world aren't going to change their already determined eternal destination. They're already there.