The Pope and the Muslims

They met and, I think, the proper words were spoken. Papa Benedict respects the Muslims, and so we all should. It doesn't change what is a universal truth, ugly though its historical implications may be: "religion and violence do not go together, but religion and reason do". This is true for Christians and Muslims alike -- for any person of any background. We've all had days of infamy, when religion and violence were somehow justified together. The worst thing we can do is to deny that. The best thing we can do is to admit that, be truly sorry, and make amends if possible. And with what we've learned, we move on, and pass it on. I know some people have gloated at the Catholic Church for the sins of her children, but they forget that the Gospel was built on top of sin: built, that is, to come out on top of sin. We forsake the Gospel when we forget that the first half of the Good News was a saga of infamy.