Treading Carefully
An article in Time about Ratzo's trip to the Middle East has the following opening paragraph:
Which is true enough. His comments since he arrived in Jordan been respectful to the point of gushing - and, given the tendency of some people in the region to blow things up one can scarcely blame him. But, put like that, it would seem unlikely that the reaction to his speech convinced him that he was wrong...
Under Pope Benedict XVI's reign, the Vatican dossier on Islam could be entitled: "Regensburg, and Everything After." Regensburg was the professor Pope's landmark 2006 discourse at his former university that included a nasty historical citation about the prophet Mohammed and provocatively asked if Islam lacks reason, making it inherently prone to violence. The worldwide protests among Muslims, including a handful of church burnings and the killing of a nun, forced the Pope to quickly change his approach, and soften his tone.
Which is true enough. His comments since he arrived in Jordan been respectful to the point of gushing - and, given the tendency of some people in the region to blow things up one can scarcely blame him. But, put like that, it would seem unlikely that the reaction to his speech convinced him that he was wrong...
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