It's clear that the Pope's comments were taken out of context

[eagler]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/pope/story/0,,1873277,00.html

The question we need to be asking now is who would most benefit from making sure that it was taken out of context?

[mike_c]

1. the question we need to be asking is why anyone is paying attention...

...to the ravings of a guy who thinks he's the earthly representative of a supernatural being that he's never actually seen or heard, only read about in an ancient book that's been stepped on for political or other purposes by every culture it has passed through. My god how the money rolls in....

[QuestionAll...]

6. I think I may somewhat agree...

but really.
popes have been very into the sheeple mass comas.

I was raised Catholic and all that hell and brimstone was just too much for me.
I thought Jesus was a nice guy. Catholicism turned me off of him for quite some time.

Now I see Jesus as a possibility in all of us. Not as a religious icon, but just what we are capable of without extraneous wot wot, war war.

I loved his Money Changer act.

[demosincebirth]

2. Benifits the "flame thowers" here on DU

[rodeodance]

3. BINGO

[Malikshah]

4. Nope-- it's most definitely not clear.

I've read, reread, read yet again over the last week, the text of the speech.

The same points keep coming up:

He's calling for dialogue after first casting Islam in a negative irrational light. This condescending attitude has been exacerbated by his repeated non-apologies.

His choice of quote was insensitive, yes, but that was not the problem as much as his attempt to come at the dialogue in a spuriously superior position. This arrogance, again matched only by his Jesse Helms/Strom Thurmond-style false mea culpa attitude.

He needs to realize and admit this arrogance.

Without doing so he simply enables those who wish to rile up the pockets of disaffected in the Muslim world to stoke more fuel on the fire.

The media portrayal of this whole affair simply underscores their collective inability to analyze the message, those on the receiving end, and the myriad groups who wish to benefit from this mayhem.

[greenman3610]

8. I read the piece, and feel as you do

overblown perhaps - but stated in an arrogant manner.

[acmejack]

5. Anyone who thinks the Pope is out of line is a troublemaker?

He blew it. That was an offensive quotation. The Muslims have every right to call for an apology. To defame those who do so is bullshit.

[MetaTrope]

7. Remember he's a former BUSINESS partner of one Neil Bush

In the (forgive the irony) Foundation for Interreligious and Intercultural Research and Dialogue.

Just like the two George Bushes have been BUSINESS partners of the Bin Laden family.

And what has come out of both "businesses"? A bit of a Middle Eastern conflict...