Still, neither Dolan nor the Pope can bring themselves to say the word Islam or call Muslims to account for their behavior.
The Pope gave a particularly foolish homily today in which he said that “all human beings are capable of going so far as even to destroy brotherhood” (I guess that’s the new way of saying beheading?) and that it was, actually, all the fault of international commerce and the arms trade. I wasn’t aware that things like gasoline and knives were the stock in trade of international arms dealers, but in case you wonder where the jihadis got them...well, the Pope has answered that one in his usual brilliant way. And it’s the fault of “all of us,” in case you wondered if the jihadis were really responsible for their acts.
I'd like to address the term "brotherhood" here. It was a term that was used in the Church and even in ads on television by other groups back in my day.
I was instructed as a Catholic that brotherhood meant that we were all God's children, made in His Image and Likeness, and that the color of a person's skin, what they believed, and where their family came from should not stop us from being good to them, even sticking up for them if they got picked on. Simplistic, sure. It was geared toward kids, but that's how I was raised.
Catholics get criticized for the Crusades; now the Pope gets criticized for not doing enough to fight the Muslims. Is he expected to gather up an army? Should he encourage more hatred? All he can do is be an example of kindness. We're going to need that in the times to come, because, if we hate, even if we are persecuted, then the enemies- both the jihadists and the devil himself- will have won.