Excuse me?

[mdlbear]

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Muslim world divided over Pope's apology

Pope Benedict's admission that he was "deeply sorry" for offending the sensitivities of Muslims does not necessarily mean that the worst crisis of his papacy is over yet. Speaking in Rome yesterday, the Pope said that the views of the 14th-century Byzantine emperor Manuel II Palaeologus that he quoted last week - describing Islam as "evil and inhuman" - were not his own.

...but presumably he wouldn't have quoted them if they didn't say what he wanted to say.

Now, it is possible to argue -- and I've seen several attempts over the last couple of days -- that Muslim terrorism has a higher bodycount during the last couple of centuries than Christian. Possibly even if you omit 09/11 and the IRA. I'm not sure about the crusades. But the former head of the organization once known as the Inquisition is hardly in a position to cast stones, and he damned well ought to know better.

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

That was the consensus here at the Treehouse, that Josef *chose* the quote...

It's both accurate... and insensitive.

I mean, I've had it up to here with the Jihadists... but if Herr Ratzinger *wants* to restart the Crusades, he's doing a damn fine job of it.

[mdlbear]

I think it was the Shrub that first brought back the word "Crusade", immediately after 9/11. He's stopped using the word, but you can tell that the thought behind it is still there.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Hey, weren't the Crusades done with the advice and consent of the Holy Roman Emperor? True that Dubya is neither holy nor Roman, but he sure as heck thinks he's the f'ing Emperor... and the whole biz of separation of church and state has long since gone by the board.

[andyheninger.livejournal.com]

you can tell that the thought behind it [crusade] is still there.

I'm not so sure that the Shrub was that smart. "Crusade" in Modern American Christian Speak is used for any good, righteous, moral endeavor - a crusade against breast cancer, the campus crusade for christ, whatever. That the original wars might not have been viewed positively by all, leaving the word badly tainted probably didn't even enter Dubya's mind when he made his unfortunate Crusade comment.

[mdlbear]

Hi!

Of course, "Jihad" just means "struggle" in Arabic, and most Muslim literature uses it primarily to mean "inner struggle". There's a different word for "holy war".

Doesn't mean the Shrub was that smart -- I've never known anyone to whom it was more appropriate to apply Hanlon's Razor.