That bastion of morality, the New York Times, has something to say regarding the Holy Father’s recent words concerning the nature of Islam.
There is more than enough religious anger in the world. So it is particularly disturbing that Pope Benedict XVI has insulted Muslims, quoting a 14th-century description of Islam as “evil and inhuman.”
And of course no editorial about the Catholic Church would be complete without that required mention of that “rigid” Catholic teaching.
A doctrinal conservative his greatest fear appears to be the loss of a uniform Catholic identity[note to ed: check out the creed of the Church, the part about "one, holy. catholic and apostolic], not exactly the best jumping-off point for tolerance or interfaith dialogue.
The world listens carefully to the words of any pope. And it is tragic and dangerous when one sows pain, either deliberately or carelessly. He needs to offer a deep and persuasive apology, demonstrating that words can also heal.
Sure the world listens. But liberals like those at the NYT only pay attention to those words that they can try to twist in an attempt to tarnish the Church. Do they listen to the pope concerning teaching of morality? How about these words of the pope:
How many winds of doctrine have we known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking. The small boat of the thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves – flung from one extreme to another: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism and so forth. Every day new sects spring up, and what St Paul says about human deception and the trickery that strives to entice people into error (cf. Eph 4: 14) comes true.
Today, having a clear faith based on the Creed of the Church is often labeled as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, that is, letting oneself be “tossed here and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine”, seems the only attitude that can cope with modern times. We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one’s own ego and desires.
The pope’s words were deliberate, but not careless.
