Pope’s visit bridges Christian-Muslim gap

By Dan Sandiford
Collegian Staff
December 6, 2006

This past week Pope Benedict XVI made the most important trip in his papacy. His historic travels to Turkey will be remembered as being an important moment for Islamic-Christian relations. Last year when Benedict XVI was elected as Pope, many saw the 79-year-old as just a “temporary fix,” or someone to hold down the position for a few years. He has now proven that his papacy will be a historic one.

Benedict was greeted in Turkey by thousands of protesters, still offended by his statements in September in which he quoted a Byzantine Emperor who believed some of the teachings of Muhammad were “evil and inhumane.” Extremely high levels of security for the Pope put things on edge; however, one must give Benedict a great deal of credit and respect for making this journey.

The problems of the Middle East have caused a major rift between the two cultures. Hatred and violence have marked the relationship between Christians and Muslims. There certainly is a lack of dialogue and understanding. When Benedict made his statements in September, the Muslim world exploded with violent reaction. Churches were burnt to the ground, Christians were targets of violence and a nun was murdered in Somalia. These reactions did nothing more than justify his statement that some of Muhammad’s theology was violent.

Benedict was not out of line in making these statements, either. However, many people here in the West, including the editorial board of the Collegian, believed that he would have been better off not making those statements. This is an enormous miscalculation, though. As the leader of one of the world’s largest religions and someone that people all over the world look to for moral guidance, he has an obligation to speak truths about the world around us. It would be an enormous disservice to the world to silence peace-seeking leaders such as the Pope out of fear that someone might be offended. Sometimes the truth hurts, and it is necessary to make statements like this.

The basic message of the speech he gave in September is that faith must be linked to reason. Flying planes into buildings, murdering nuns and cutting off people’s heads in the name of God are not faith linked with reason. Rioting over a cartoon or a constructive criticism of your religion is not faith linked with reason either. The Catholic Church is far from perfect. Atrocities committed in the past weigh heavily on the church; however, currently the messages from the Vatican are those of peace, love and understanding. This spirit of peace and understanding was highlighted this past week when Benedict went to a historic mosque and paused for a moment of prayer.

We are two very different cultures, but we have to share this world. Pope Benedict’s statement that faith must be linked to reason is very pertinent in today’s violent world. We must promote a just peace with an open dialogue between our cultures. The Pope took an important first step in establishing this dialogue through his trip to Turkey.

sandifordd1@lasalle.edu