The Pope’s Problem
GUEST COLUMN
Even popes have problems. And Pope Benedict XVI is no exception.
His “Regensburg lecture” raised the ire of the Muslim world and provoked spasms of violence when he quoted the words of a Byzantine emperor. More recently, the comments the Holy Father made about condom use in Light of the World, a book-length interview with Peter Seewald, elicited outbursts of concern throughout the Western world.
Yes, the Pope has a problem: He expects something from his listeners and readers.
As a professor and theologian of many years’ standing, he’s accustomed to addressing educated audiences — audiences able to employ logical and rational skills, audiences that grasp subtleties and interpret remarks within their proper contexts, that take the time to evaluate and consider comments at length and don’t resort to knee-jerk reactions. Pope Benedict realizes his problem. In Light of the World, he said, “I had conceived and delivered the [Regensburg] lecture as a strictly academic address without realizing that people don’t read papal lectures as academic presentations, but as political statements.”
You May Also Enjoy
How do we renew our beloved Holy Mother Church? We must begin with how we worship -- on our knees, before God, who is really God.
Sources of information abound on the persecution of Christians, so ignorance is no excuse. What is the reason that Christians worldwide are doing so little?
Allah's laws and actions do not have to be reasonable; they simply have to be obeyed. Religious obligation flows not from reason or moral philosophy but from sharia law.