--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, bob_brigante <no_reply@> > wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > In other words, as far as I can tell they're blasting > > > the Pope for knowing more about the history of their > > > religion than they do. > > > > http://tinyurl.com/frea5 > > From the Times of London: > > Times Online September 15, 2006 > How an emperor's words landed the Pope in trouble > By Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent of The Times > > Even his critics are agreed that the Pope did not intend to cause > offence to the world's Muslims....The Pope's mistake was his failure > to distance himself from the Byzantine Emperor's comments.... > > And his address is undermined further by a serious error in regards > to the Koran....[He said,] "The emperor must have known that surah > 2,256 reads:`There is no compulsion in religion.' It is one of the > suras of the early period, when Mohammed was still powerless and > under threat." > > In fact, this surah is held by Muslim scholars to be from the middle > period, around the 24th year of Mohammed's prophethood in 624 or 625, > when he was in Medina and in control of a state. Contrary to what the > Pope said, this was written when Mohammed was in a position of > strength, not weakness. > > ...Professor Hans Kung, a former colleague of his when at Tubingen > university, agrees that the Pope did not intend to provoke Muslims. > > "He is very interested in dialogue with all religions. But using this > quotation and his whole approach to Islam in the lecture was very > unfortunate," he said.... > > "This just shows the limits of the theologian Joseph Ratzinger. He > never studied the religions thoroughly and very obviously has a > unilateral view of Islam and the other religions." > > The Pope has a history of criticism of Islam. According to another > leading Catholic...Benedict XVI believes that Islam cannot be > reformed and is therefore incompatible with democracy....Father > Joseph Fessio...said the Pope believes that reform of Islam is > impossible "because it's against the very nature of the Koran, as > it's understood by Muslims."... > > Another senior Catholic source also described the Pope's use of the > Byzantine emperor's comments as"extraordinary"...: "He is fully > entitled to raise the issue of Islamist terror of course, but in this > address he is not really doing that....He should have said the > emperor's comments were deplorable, and that he also recognised the > reality of Christian violence, then there might not be such trouble > now." >
******************** It's hard to imagine a more stupid and provocative statement on Ratfinger's part -- if the Pope goes ahead with his visit to Turkey (unlikely), he'd better slap on another layer of bulletproof glass (wasn't the last guy to shoot a Pope a Turk?). To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
