With a string of terrorism instigated around the globe in the last few days, and with the particular occurrence of an attack in Bagdad of a Catholic church and 58 deaths, Pope Benedict chose to speak out yesterday saying (translation from Italian):
Last evening, in a grave attack on the Syriac-Catholic cathedral of Baghdad, there were scores of deaths and injuries, among them two priests and a group of the faithful there for Sunday's Holy Mass. I pray for the victims of this absurd violence, even more ferocious in that it has been inflicted upon defenseless people gathered in God's house, which is a house of love and reconciliation. I express my affectionate closeness to the Christian community, now stricken again, and I encourage its pastors and faithful alike to be strong and firm in hope. Beyond these savage moments of violence, that continue to tear apart the peoples of the Middle East, I would lastly like to renew a heartfelt appeal for peace: it is a gift of God, but it is also the result of the efforts of men of good will, of national and international institutions. May everyone unite their strengths to end every act of violence!
I can’t help but be reminded of the remarks Pope Benedict XVI made several years ago at the University of Regensburg, otherwise known as the Regensburg address. Some in the media chose to spin his remarks and take them out of context, which ended in some calling him anti-Islamic and trying to make it seem as if the Pope was making derogatory remark about Muslims. His call, in that address and yesterday, is to join faith and reason—to avoid precisely those instances when some use religion to justify violence—something which Muslims in particular do. To read the rest of the Regensburg address, please find it here.
