Pope Invites New Look at Catholicism

Pope Benedict XVI's reference to dark aspects in Islam's history also has opened up another type of backlash for his church: fresh examinations of its past as conqueror, inquisitor and patron of missionaries whose zeal sometimes led to conflict with other faiths.

Stark comparisons between Islam and Western Christianity — and deeds done in their name — are again on the rise even as the pontiff urged Muslim envoys Monday to look ahead rather than back.

Many Islamic leaders, in turn, have appealed for the West not to judge their faith's nearly 1,400-year history solely by modern calls for "holy war" and the Muslim rage over Benedict's Sept. 12 speech, which included a reference to a Byzantine emperor who characterized some teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman" such as spreading Islam "by the sword."

"There is this impression among Muslims that the pope was saying, `We are superior and we are without problems," said Ali El-Samman, president of the interfaith committee for Egypt's High Islamic Council. "The history books will tell you otherwise."

The Vatican in recent years has tried to clear away some historical baggage, including a 2001 apology by Pope John Paul II for the medieval Crusades, which are widely seen by Muslims and Orthodox Christians as Western invasions. During a visit the same year to Syria, John Paul also became the first pope to visit a mosque.

In a meeting Monday with Muslim diplomats from 21 nations and the Arab League, Benedict urged both Christians and Muslims to "guard against all forms of intolerance and to oppose all manifestations of violence." He did not, however, offer a direct apology for his earlier remarks as demanded by some Muslim leaders and clerics.

I want to thank you for the Runciman tip. My library has all three of the series. I'm just into the first few chapters, and am really liking it. I was surprised to find that in the first couple of chapters he confirms Johnson's particulars. Perhaps Johnson's info came from Runciman.

History of the East is very interesting, and what Mohammed accomplished in 10 years, in terms of the spread of Islam, has got to be some kind of world record.

Finally, it's not too hard to see from the get go, that Mr. Runciman's affections point to the East. Nothing wrong with that, don't get me wrong, but I believe he's on record as saying the sack of Constantinople was one of the most egregious evils of history, and from the first few pages you can see his dispostion in this regard.

Anyway, thanks again for the recommendation, and I don't find Runciman as dry as I had imagined, so the plowing, so far hasn't been that tough.

Whoever shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world. --Benjamin Franklin

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