Everybody wants to condemn the pope for being a Palestinian Stooge or a Zionist Tool. They all demand he take sides. But his task is to take the human side, and humans are being harmed on both sides. So I cheer for Benedict as virtually the sole voice of sanity in the conflict when he calls both sides to lay down their arms and seek peace. Would that more Christians committed to fashionable leftist love of insurgent violence or the rightist dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the State of Israel could think like Benedict and not like pundits on NPR or FoxNews.
Well said.
I believe the angst arises when the Pope appears silent amidst horrible actions by Palestinians, but is quick to condemn violence when Israel finally responds. I do not know if this appearance is reality, for I did witness the gape between what John Paul said about the Iraq war, and what was reported.
“All war is evil.”
— The primate of Iraq, as reported by even the Catholic press.
“All war is evil, but to do nothing in the face of horrible injustice is a far greater evil. What is being done here is the greatest miracle in the history of the Middle East since the times of the apostles.”
— The primate of Iraq, admittedly paraphrased from memory.