Word: benedict
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Though Barack Obama won't be announcing his foreign travel plans anytime soon, it's a good bet that the new U.S. President will meet Pope Benedict XVI sometime next year, perhaps in early July to coincide with the G-8 summit in Italy. It promises to be one of the great photo ops of 2009. Benedict sent a personal message to Obama the day after his victory, which referred to the "historic occasion" of his coming presidency; Obama subsequently telephoned the Pope as part of a round of calls to world leaders...
...years and two months after the most highly charged episode of his papacy, Benedict's invitation to Muslims to a new, more "frank" inter-faith dialogue finally has a time and a place. An unprecedented three-day Catholic-Muslim summit begins Tuesday at the Vatican, with leaders of both religions hoping not only to heal the wounds of Regensburg and its aftermath, but also to bring about a deeper understanding between the world's two biggest religions...
...Vatican's current approach to relations with other religions marks a subtle but fundamental break from the recent past. The previous pope, John Paul II, emphasized the common traits and shared experiences among Catholics and holders of other beliefs, favoring feel-good summits and symbolic gestures of unity. Benedict is ready to extend his hand, but sees a risk of diluting the essence of one's belief when straining for the proverbial common ground...
...Islam is concerned, Benedict also felt an urgency, as the first post-Sep. 11 pontiff, to wade into rough theological and historical waters in the face of fundamentalist violence. In the Regensburg speech, which was delivered the day after the fifth anniversary of 9/11, he wondered aloud whether the Islamic conception of absolute submission to God might preclude reason, and even help explain why today a disproportionate number of Muslims are killing in the name of religion. Most explosive was a reference in the speech to a 15th-century Christian Byzantine emperor who said: "Show me just what Mohammed brought...
...Still, beyond the offensive historical quote about Mohammed (the Pope later clarified that he strongly disagrees with the old emperor's characterization), Benedict's idea that Islam operates outside of reason is still a point of contention. "This is a gross oversimplification and misreading of Islamic tradition," says Kalin. Other religions also require an absolute devotion to their god, he insists, and Islam's cultural history has been greatly influenced by the pursuit of reason. Despite that difference, he says the fact that Benedict "takes his theology seriously" is a key to finder a deeper understanding...