[Brian Kopp DPM]

Pope Francis' run-in with Benedict XVI over the Prophet Mohammed

Pope Francis came close to losing his position within the Catholic Church after he criticised his predecessor seven years ago.

By Alasdair Baverstock

10:11AM GMT 15 Mar 2013

In 2005, then Pope Benedict quoted from an obscure medieval text which declared that the Prophet Mohammed, founder of the Islamic faith, was "evil and inhuman", enraging the Muslim population and causing attacks on churches throughout the world before an apology was issued.

Reacting within days to the statements, speaking through a spokesman to Newsweek Argentina, then Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio declared his "unhappiness" with the statements, made at the University of Regensburg in Germany, and encouraged many of his subordinates with the Church to do the same.

"Pope Benedict's statement don't reflect my own opinions", the then Archbishop of Buenos Aires declared. "These statements will serve to destroy in 20 seconds the careful construction of a relationship with Islam that Pope John Paul II built over the last twenty years".

The Vatican reacted quickly, removing one subordinate, Joaquín Piña the Archbishop of Puerto Iguazú from his post within four days of his making similar statements to the Argentine national media, sending a clear statement to Cardinal Bergoglio that he would be next should he choose to persist.

Reacting to the threats from Rome, Cardinal Bergoglio cancelled his plans to fly to Rome, choosing to boycott the second synod that Pope Benedict had called during his tenure as pontiff.

[Brian Kopp DPM]

Pope Francis: 'I Am Thinking Particularly of Dialogue With Islam'

March 22, 2013

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By CNSNews.com Staff

(CNSNews.com) -- Speaking on Friday at an audience held for diplomats accredited to the Vatican, Pope Francis said that he hoped to "intensify dialogue" with other religion, particularly Islam.

He noted the pope is also known as the "pontiff"--or "a builder of bridges"--and that St. Francis was a peacemaker.

"In this work, the role of religion is fundamental," said the pope. "It is not possible to build bridges between people while forgetting God. But the converse is also true: it is not possible to establish true links with God, while ignoring other people. Hence it is important to intensify dialogue among the various religions, and I am thinking particularly of dialogue with Islam."

Here is the complete text of the pope's speech to the diplomats

[Excellence]

I fear Mr. Magdi Cristiano Allam is correct.

[Olog-hai]

I suppose the true gravity of the situation with the Copts and other Christians in Muslim countries has not set in yet for the new pope . . . ?

[Cicero]

Well, we’ll see.

The Pope is between a rock and a hard place. Pope Benedict used some hard words at Regensburg, but he, too, tried to reach out to Islam.

The reason is not hard to find: there are Christians living in Muslim countries all over the world, and if the Pope says what he really thinks about Islam, then they get killed at a higher rate than they already are.

The Popes have been fully aware that the Muslims have a habit of burning churches and murdering or forcibly “converting” Christians. The problem is, what to do about it. It’s easy enough to say that Mohammed was a murderous, slave-taking, violent pederast from the safety of Rome, but it’s harder if you are a Christian living under the Muslim regime. Or to put it in opposite fashion, it’s OK to be a martyr to the truth when you are the martyr, but it’s less satisfactory when you say things that lead the killing of other people.

This guy has been used to fighting Communists under very difficult circumstances. Hopefully that has taught him something about fighting Islam.

[bayouranger]

Enough with the cowards.

[EEGator]

[HerrBlucher]

If he is leaving the Church because he doesn’t like the new Pope, or for political reasons, then his conversion was political to begin with and thus a sham.

[stuartcr]

As long as the Church recognizes any religion other than itself, isn’t that relativism?

[Alex Murphy]

Magdi Cristiano Allam, an Egyptian-born Muslim whom Pope Benedict publicly baptised at Easter five years ago in St Peter's Basilica has announced that he is leaving the Church because it has taken too soft a stand against Islam....

....In 2005, then Pope Benedict quoted from an obscure medieval text which declared that the Prophet Mohammed, founder of the Islamic faith, was "evil and inhuman", enraging the Muslim population and causing attacks on churches throughout the world before an apology was issued.

Reacting within days to the statements, speaking through a spokesman to Newsweek Argentina, then Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio declared his "unhappiness" with the statements, made at the University of Regensburg in Germany, and encouraged many of his subordinates with the Church to do the same. "Pope Benedict's statement don't reflect my own opinions", the then Archbishop of Buenos Aires declared. "These statements will serve to destroy in 20 seconds the careful construction of a relationship with Islam that Pope John Paul II built over the last twenty years".

Does Magdi Cristiano Allam say where's he's going?

[Wurlitzer]

Once again, another day, another topic to be discussed ONLY after the lying left first defines the terms of the debate.

Not everything is a religion. Certainly this 6th century sand monkey creation of pig sperm, Mo-ham-mud and his devil allah should never be in a debate about religion.

A debate about hate cults, death, destruction, pedophilia, beheadings, refusal to become civilized, sure. Those would be rational topics to debate Is-Slime.

Once we allow Is-slime the cloak of religion, then no rational debate can take place as the entire actions of these vermin defy rational thinking.

[OldNewYork]

We’ll see how many churches are built and maintained in Turkey, etc. during Francis’ papacy.

[bronxville]

“The only thing that didn’t happen to Bergoglio was being removed from his post”, wrote investigative journalist Horacio Verbitsky in his column in left-wing daily newspaper Página/24”...

I’d need another source before I’d believe this leftist “journalist” as the story doesn’t ring true.