Word: islamic
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...face. The Pope's defenders argued that some of the more radical reactions to the speech, including church burnings in the West Bank and the murder of a nun in Somalia, were themselves proof that Benedict was right to delve deeply into the question of violence in Islam. All agreed that more than tea would be needed to repair the damage...
...Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the Pope's point man on relations with Islam, told the French Catholic daily La Croix this week that the meeting launches a "new chapter" in relations between Muslims and Catholics that must never gloss over the religions' fundamental differences. "This dialogue is not about finding the lowest common denominator, saying we're all alike. It reminds us instead the exigency of the truth, which for us is Jesus Christ," Tauran said. "You need to look, listen and respect the other. But then, affirm your own identity...
...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...
...more than 50 participants meet the Pope, is structured as a mostly closed-door nuts-and-bolts workshop amongst scholars. There are Muslim participants from Saudi Arabia, the United States, Libya, Turkey and elsewhere, representing Sunni and Shi'ite and other major strands of the religion. Catholic experts on Islam are also in attendance. The sessions have been built around the dual commandments in both religions: love of God and love of neighbor...