Pope Benedict's "elegant move"

In his discussion of the relationship between faith and reason at the German University of Regensburg on September 12, Pope Benedict XVI quoted a Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologus, who reigned around the end of the 14th century.

According to the quote, the emperor believed that Mohammed brought to the religion of Islam "things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith that he preached." (The complete text of the pope's speech is freely available on the Vatican's website.)

The words have caused violent uproar among many Muslims, leading to attacks on professing Christian churches – both Catholic and non-Catholic – as well as possibly the murder of an Italian nun in Somalia. Many Islamic nations, including Turkey, have made pronouncements condemning the speech and demanding an apology from the pope, himself. While Pope Benedict XVI has addressed the outrage and his role in provoking it, he has not truly apologized for the use of the quote – only his regret for the offense that has ensued.

Some in the media have expressed their opinion that the use of the incendiary quote was a political gaffe by an untrained academician, and a mistake born out of naiveté. Is this the case? Others have wisely remarked that underestimating this pope is a mistake.

In an opinion article for the Wall Street Journal on September 22, Daniel Henniger confronts the idea that the pope's use of the quote was a mistake or accident: "Really? I'd say Benedict is right about where he hoped to be after Regensburg: The whole world saying that a serious conversation between the pope and Islam is necessary." (Emphasis his.)

Similarly, in an analysis article for the popular Stratfor Geopolitical Intelligence Report, George Friedman wrote on September 19, 2006: "From an intellectual and political standpoint, therefore, Benedict's statement was an elegant move. He has strengthened his political base and perhaps legitimized a stronger response to anti-Catholic rhetoric in the Muslim world."

Already, one major European leader – Romano Prodi, prime minister of Italy – has come under attack from Catholics and conservatives for seeking high-level contacts with the Iranian government, which has blasted the pope (Financial Times, September 20, 2006). As one conservative Italian senator said, "In not defending the pope, Prodi dishonours Italy. … His silence in the face of the violent campaign against the pope is scandalous" (Ibid).

Of the many possible goals that the Roman Pontiff might hold for firing such a volley in the rhetorical war of cultures, one can be gleaned from another quote taken from the pope's speech – this one original to the pope, himself: "[T]his convergence [of biblical faith and Greek philosophy], with the subsequent addition of the Roman heritage, created Europe and remains the foundation of what can rightly be called Europe."

With the fears of many Europeans focusing on the great influx of Muslim immigrants into their society, Turkey's energetic effort to be an Islamic country within the European Union, and the Catholic Church's publicly stated desire to see Europe unified as a Christian entity, any thought that Benedict's words were hastily chosen should be reconsidered.

None of this should catch serious Bible students by surprise! On the contrary, the growing conflict between the western and eastern powers was prophesied many centuries ago (cf. Daniel 11:40), as was the rise of a religious power that would unify an end-time revival of the Roman Empire (Revelation 13:11–15).

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