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Does Benedict XVI agree with Ratzinger?

Reader comment on item: A Key Change to "The Pope and the Koran"

Submitted by Tom McLaughlin (United States), Jan 30, 2006 at 09:13

"Sharia shapes society from beginning to end. In this sense, it can exploit such partial freedoms as our constitution gives, ..." writes Ratzinger. What does he mean by "our constitution,"? Is he referring to the US Constitution? Does Germany have a constitution? The Catholic Church doesn't have one, I don't believe. The EU didn't have one when he wrote that, I don't think. There is little tradition in Islam for "separation of Church and state," or "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's," as there has always been in Christianity, except in Turkey. There's a model that might be expanded upon. Is there any such thing in the new Iraq Constitution?

Most of Ratzinger's comments above I agree with. Even here in post September 11th America, I have few objections to his comparison of Islam with Christianity and I'm glad he was elected pope. That he was indeed elected is evidence that even the authoritarian Catholic Church has some democratic principles. Democracy has a place in the church and the church has a place in a democratic country.

Ratzinger says that there is no central authority in Islam to deal with, but there's little uniformity in the Christian Church either. The Roman Catholic Church is the single biggest denomination, but there are other denominations which differ markedly from it and from each other. In Crusader times, the Catholic Church was western civilization and commanded legions. Now there's a profound separation but the Church is not without power. What Soviet leader was it who asked, "How many legions does the pope have?" As the USSR discovered too late, there are other ways for a pope to exercise power. I hope Benedict is as effective as John Paul was when he uses it. This writing indicates that he at least has a vision.

There are implications in Ratzinger's remarks for Bush's long-range Middle East policy of establishing democracy in the region as a bulwark against radical Islam. Will there be more elections like the one last week in Palestine? Will a Shiite-dominated government in Iraq follow their coreligionists in Iran? These are real concerns.

Also, our dependence on Middle East oil fortifies resurgent Radical Islam with infusions of petrodollars. Ratzinger is describing a very real problem. Though I believe in free trade and laissez faire economics, our dependence on oil is a national security issue now. Perhaps Bush should steer the US toward other technologies like hydrogen and whatever else. I hope there's some seriousl talk in Washington about this. It would be easier for a Republican (like Nixon in China) to lead this than for a Democrat administration (perish the thought) to do so after 2008.

Ratzinger appears to be someone the Bush administraton can deal with the way Reagan dealt with John Paul. Now that he's Benedict XVI, will he think the way he did as Ratzinger?
Submitting....

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Reader comments (34) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Another Lie [35 words]AaronMay 7, 2006 07:2544977
A French newspaper [141 words]Kees RudolfApr 21, 2006 16:2043756
Goosa [11 words]RajJul 19, 2009 15:2243756
Don't over-react to what Fessio thinks he understood what Pope said [165 words]SA FranceApr 5, 2006 10:1542450
WITHOUT CHRIST [99 words]donvanMar 8, 2006 17:2839419
Peace [91 words]JumanaMar 7, 2006 23:4839296
1Struggling with Identity of Islam [304 words]PonderingFeb 23, 2006 04:0837549
1Qu'ran or Islam [109 words]tellisMar 16, 2006 20:0037549
struggling Identity [60 words]observerSep 26, 2006 00:4837549
Keep dreaming [171 words]NOORFeb 19, 2006 02:1236302
Hey, then please go back to that and let us be!!! [136 words]AnneMay 6, 2006 12:2336302
Leave us alone [62 words]Octavio JohansonMay 6, 2006 17:5236302
version corrected for diplomatic resons? likely [162 words]brunoFeb 6, 2006 15:2133952
Expounding On Ambiguity? [563 words]orange yonasonJan 31, 2006 16:0833309
Conspiracies to Control The World [810 words]howlinJan 30, 2006 16:2133146
kuran and reform [134 words]G.BisvasJan 31, 2006 12:5533146
Reply to Howlin [353 words]No DhimmiJan 31, 2006 22:0733146
No Dhimmi [60 words]howlinFeb 1, 2006 12:1833146
Reforming Barbarians [359 words]orange yonasonFeb 1, 2006 14:2233146
Howling at Howlin: Learn the Facts [635 words]JoeFeb 14, 2006 22:0233146
an all out effort [76 words]donvanFeb 21, 2006 13:4833146
To Joe: [29 words]jeffreybFeb 25, 2006 23:0833146
reply to Jeffery, here is the proof [52 words]JoeFeb 28, 2006 00:2233146
To Joe [99 words]jeffreybFeb 28, 2006 16:1533146
again [666 words]JoeMar 1, 2006 13:2533146
To Joe [23 words]jeffreybMar 1, 2006 16:4033146
Does Benedict XVI agree with Ratzinger? [473 words]Tom McLaughlinJan 30, 2006 09:1333097
Conditions for Changing Islam [553 words]Mike RamirezJan 29, 2006 18:4033045
Last chance to turn this around? [284 words]Darwin barrettJan 29, 2006 17:3333037
The compounding of error [284 words]WilliamJan 29, 2006 09:0633001
Comments by William [15 words]JerryJan 29, 2006 20:0633001
oil and women [72 words]yuval brandstetterJan 29, 2006 08:4032998
why u people see only one side of picture [42 words]Ahsan HussainJan 30, 2006 08:5932998
Comment to #643 Correction to Pope and the Koran [135 words]William Sumner ScottJan 29, 2006 04:2932982

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