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Pope Amends Muhammad Comments
A month after Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks about Islam ignited a firestorm of protest among Muslims around the world, the Pope has amended his remarks on the official Vatican Web site.
The changes obviously raise the question: Did the Pope act in response to the protests? In the original address on faith and reason delivered to scientists at the University of Regensburg in Germany on Sept. 12, the Pope quoted the 14th-century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus, who said: "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."
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The amended text includes a new footnote in reference to this text that says, "In the Muslim world, this quotation has unfortunately been taken as an expression of my personal position, thus arousing understandable indignation. I hope that the reader of my text can see immediately that this sentence does not express my personal view of the Quran, for which I have the respect due to the holy book of a great religion."
The Pope also altered the words preceding the controversial quote. Originally he said the emperor's remark was made "somewhat brusquely." The new version says that the emperor’s comment was made with "a brusqueness that we find unacceptable."
Benedict also wrote in the footnote that "In quoting the text of the Emperor Manuel II, I intended solely to draw out the essential relationship between faith and reason. On this point I am in agreement with Manuel II, but without endorsing his polemic.”
The original text of the address posted on the Vatican Web site mentioned that there would later be an amended version with footnotes. So it’s not known if the Pope chose to make all the amendments because of the protests, or if he would have made changes in any case. It is clear, however, that Benedict felt the need to address the protests in the footnote.
As for speculation that another Vatican official actually wrote the Sept. 12 address, Vatican analyst and Catholic commentator John L. Allen Jr. told NewsMax: "Benedict XVI generally writes his own texts from start to finish, often without consulting anyone except in after-the-fact fashion.”
Editor's note:
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics: Inside Cover Stories
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