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Pope: "Remarks not my views"
Sky News ^ | 17 Sep 06 | Sky News

Posted on 09/17/2006 5:49:41 PM PDT by RightOnTheLeftCoast

'Remarks Not My Views'

Updated: 18:52, Sunday September 17, 2006

The Pope has appeared in public to say the remarks he made about Islam which sparked fury across the Muslim world did not in any way reflect his personal views.

Benedict XVI had been under pressure to make a personal apology following a controversial speech he made in Germany on Tuesday.

In the Somalian capital Mogadishu an Italian nun was attacked and killed by gunmen. Sources said there was a very high possibility the incident was linked to the speech.

The Pope told a crowd at his summer retreat at Castle Gandolfo, ltaly, he was "very upset and sorry" his remarks had caused such a reaction.

"This was a citation from a medieval text which doesn't express in any way whatsoever my personal opinion," he said.

He said the speech had been an "invitation to... frank and sincere dialogue".

In it, he referred to criticism of the Prophet Mohammed by a 14th-century Byzantine emperor.

The passage said everything Mohammed brought was evil "such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached".

Using the terms "jihad" and "holy war", the Pope said violence was "incompatible with the nature of God".

Protests in Pakistan Initially Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said the apology was sufficient.

"We consider that the new statements represent a retreat from what went before. We can consider them a sufficient apology, even if we had wanted the Pope to outline his ideas and vision of Islam," said deputy leader Mohammed Habib.

However, later the brotherhood appeared to change its mind and said the Pope had not made a "clear" apology.

The Muslim Council of Britain welcomed the Pope's explanation.

A spokesman said: "We very much welcome the Pope's statement in which he made it clear that his own views do not in any way accord with those of the 14th century emperor.

"This is a very important clarification that we had been seeking. Had this caveat been included in the Pope's original speech it may have prevented this controversy in the first place."

Demonstrations by Muslims around the world saw effigies of the Pope burned and threw doubt over the his planned visit to Turkey in November, with the country's Prime Minister insisting the comments must be withdrawn.

It was also revealed the national security level in Italy had been stepped up in the wake of threats to the pontiff from Islamic groups.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Philosophy; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: appeasement; bxvi; catholiclist; dhimmi; firstfrenchpope; islamevilempire; knowwhentofoldem; knowwhentoholdem; muslims1pope0; pope; popetrop; trop
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To: gcruse

OK, that's good. Ask your pastor or whoever to support the Pope, though, because I am really distressed at how little support he's getting. Not to mention things like the headline that made it sound as if the Pope (rather than the Islamic nutcase) was the one who shot and killed that poor 70 year old nun in the children's hospital in Somalia...


61 posted on 09/17/2006 6:54:13 PM PDT by livius
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To: uncbob

We could use some Aussie backbone in the US.


62 posted on 09/17/2006 6:54:58 PM PDT by gcruse (http://gcruse.typepad.com)
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To: SnarlinCubBear
I'm not Catholic, and I don't get it. If they weren't his personal views, then why did he say anything?

Um, because he was giving an academic lecture at university when he mentioned them. Didn't you ever have to quote others while you were in school...Perhaps in writing a report for history class??

63 posted on 09/17/2006 6:56:13 PM PDT by right-wingin_It
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To: Zman516
So, if the Pope does not "in any way" agree with what he quoted, what DOES he believe?

Part of the answer to this question is in the rest of the text of his lecture.

64 posted on 09/17/2006 6:59:07 PM PDT by right-wingin_It
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To: sageb1
Does he say what his personal opinion is? No.

Does he need to?? Recall, the point of his lecture was not to dwell on his personal views Islam.

65 posted on 09/17/2006 7:01:16 PM PDT by right-wingin_It
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To: Mike Darancette
I hope the European (Western Empire) leaders are bright enough to understand what the Pope was trying to tell them

What about our leaders here in the US? Only silence from our political leaders, our Protestant leaders, our Jewish leaders.

66 posted on 09/17/2006 7:01:38 PM PDT by ladyjane
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To: RightOnTheLeftCoast

Please can someone link to a transcript of the ORIGINAL speech he gave?

I have no idea what to think until I know what he said (in full context!)

Thanks in advance.


67 posted on 09/17/2006 7:01:52 PM PDT by California74
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To: ladyinred
They think they won..perhaps. They don't win, and by the way they will never learn, so it's usless to think that they could be taught a lesson in the first place. We win in the end.
68 posted on 09/17/2006 7:03:17 PM PDT by right-wingin_It
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To: sageb1
It does not express my opinion either, which defines muslims as murderous mentally-disturbed thugs.
69 posted on 09/17/2006 7:03:45 PM PDT by alecqss
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To: RightOnTheLeftCoast
This is surreal...The pope quoted everything Mohammed brought was evil...such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.

Proving this to be a "mis-representation " muslims have burned seven churches and shot a nun.

The west's response??? Have the pope apologize.

70 posted on 09/17/2006 7:05:27 PM PDT by pfflier
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To: RolandBurnam

These are not people, they are sick, demented, satanic evil animals. And I don't mean the animals that roam this earth. I mean the animals that roam in Hell.


71 posted on 09/17/2006 7:10:35 PM PDT by rep-always
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To: vrwcagent0498

The religion of peace, indeed!

72 posted on 09/17/2006 7:16:22 PM PDT by Former Fetus (fetuses are 100% pro-life, they just don't vote yet!)
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To: Shimmer128
How did he cave? He did not apologize for his speech, but rather for the sensitivities of those who were offended. I say 'I'm sorry' when I hear someone passses, but that doesn't mean that I killed them, does it? It's freagin' courtesy...statecraft, if you will. The Pope ain't gonna lie, either. If the words of the 14th century emperor are not his personal views, then, they're not his personal views. Demands from FReepers that he take ownership of them aren't much different than the demands by Muslims that he reject them.
73 posted on 09/17/2006 7:16:58 PM PDT by right-wingin_It
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To: RightOnTheLeftCoast
How dissapointing.

How so? The man is the Pope -

Etymology: Latin pontific-, pontifex, from pont-, pons bridge + facere to make

74 posted on 09/17/2006 7:19:08 PM PDT by jla
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To: Former Fetus

Bunch of cowards to boot. Look how they cover their faces.

Come out in the open and fight like men!


75 posted on 09/17/2006 7:19:51 PM PDT by vrwcagent0498 (Mark Levin and Ann Coulter are my patron saints.)
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To: right-wingin_It

No different?? I'll tell you how they're different! WE are not threatening to kill him. WE didn't murder an innocent woman over this.


76 posted on 09/17/2006 7:22:21 PM PDT by Shimmer128 (Deja moo: The feeling you've heard this bull before)
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To: stm
Pope Benedict caved.I am too am very disappointed.

I am very disappointed also. Mostly because I see hundreds of people reacting to what the Pope supposedly said,which is based on reports by newscasters,who have distilled interpretations,supplied to them by translators.

There are three opportunities for other agendas than the Pope's to come into play. And this is to say nothing of unintended mistakes that could have been caused by thoughtless errors in conveying the information.

For example,I am sure you have an extra "am" in one of your short sentences.

77 posted on 09/17/2006 7:25:43 PM PDT by saradippity
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To: livius; Dark Skies
"I believe he knows what he is doing."

That's been my take on the man since my first exposure to him some years ago.

He's principled, rational and kindly disposed towards others.

But then...

I'm one of those guys whose faith in people is easily rattled.

78 posted on 09/17/2006 7:29:51 PM PDT by billorites (freepo ergo sum)
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To: saradippity

I have a stutter :-)


79 posted on 09/17/2006 7:33:05 PM PDT by stm (Katherine Harris for US Senate!)
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To: saradippity

I have a stutter :-)


80 posted on 09/17/2006 7:33:07 PM PDT by stm (Katherine Harris for US Senate!)
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