>> I guess he's in a no-win situation, then <<
Well, no, not really. As a Sovereign Head of State he can simply accept such congratulations as a part of the hypocrisy of diplomatic protocol. He just doesn't need to pass it on to the faithful. Secondly, please point out, precisely, where I "dump" on His Holiness.
>>Many Muslims recognize in JPII a true man of God and of peace <<
Many, a great many, don't. You are also on shaky ground in assuming that they recognise the One, True, God. If you feel like running with that one, I'm in the mood for a good long argument on the topic.
>> JPII is the only voice of sanity at the moment <<
No he isn't. And, on Iraq, he was flat-out wrong.
The remainder of your argument simply doesn't hold up. It runs parallel to the specious Liberal notion of.... "If only the nasty West would refrain from resisting Islamic tyranny, they'd really get to like us and stop trying to kill us"
You don't. At least not directly. You posted a comment which appeared to me to imply that the reception of congratulations from Muslim countries reflected negatively on the Pope. If that was not your intention then I withdraw my comment.
You are also on shaky ground in assuming that they recognise the One, True, God. If you feel like running with that one, I'm in the mood for a good long argument on the topic.
I'm sure you are. And I'll resist your attempt to draw me into one. At least on this thread. Other than to say that the Church has spoken on this subject and I hold with Her pronouncements on this issue. Perhaps my meaning would have been clearer had I said that many Muslims recognize in JPII a man who sincerely longs for the face of God, truth, justice and peace. My comment was not intended as a commentary on what Muslims do or do not worship.
And, on Iraq, he was flat-out wrong. The remainder of your argument simply doesn't hold up. It runs parallel to the specious Liberal notion of.... "If only the nasty West would refrain from resisting Islamic tyranny, they'd really get to like us and stop trying to kill us"
Every passing day shows that the Pope was correct. Last Friday, the first of Ramadan saw the bombing of 5 Christian churches. If you are a Christian, living in Iraq, there is absolutley no question that life is much, much worse than before our intervention. The ultimate form of government for this country is far from clear. As for "resisting Islamic tyranny", I could write an essay on this. Beginning with the Catholic conditions for a just war and whether they were satisfied in this case, moving on through just what a secular dictator like Hussein had to do with Islamic tyranny and ending on how a faithful Catholic or Christian should resist Islamic tyranny.
If you look at the activity of the insurgents in Iraq and today's pronouncements from Zarqawi, for instance, I'd say we've given Islamic tyranny a helping hand.
I understand where you are coming from with what you are saying, but you are missing out on the "X" factor: that JPII knows both from prophecy, and from divine communication that the rise of Islam (in a very violent form), opposed to Western (formerly) Christian civilisation, is not only predicted - but is coming true before our eyes.
He knows that it has the potential to overwhelm and lay waste to Western civilization. And that it makes possible the rise of the Man of Sin.
He is desperately trying to keep us from killing ourselves, and trying to stave off a woldwide holocaust. All of this has very little to do with 911, the Word Trade Center, and the like. That is just the tip of the iceberg.
PLease understand! There is much more at stake then the priede of the USA here.