More than the current headlines

There’s an analysis of Islamic anger against the Pope in the Economist that makes some good points.

However long it takes for the Muslim reaction to Pope Benedict’s remarks to die down, the risk of a broad deterioration in relations between historically Christian and historically Muslim countries may have grown more serious. The violent reaction of many Muslims earlier this year, after European newspapers published cartoons showing the prophet Muhammad, took months to ease. The latest row may be more emotive because it involves a religious leader rather than just newspaper editors.

It gives a bigger excuse to those who want one.

Ever since the terrorist attacks in America in 2001, and Osama bin Laden’s call for a titanic battle between Muslims and “Crusaders [ie, Christians] and Jews”, senior figures in the Western and Islamic worlds have tried to prevent a confrontation along explicitly religious or “civilisational” lines. Westerners have insisted that the “war on terror” is not directed against Islam. The Vatican has sought to parry Muslim ire by maintaining a dialogue with Islam and by keeping a distance from American foreign policy.

But since Pope Benedict took office last year, the Vatican’s attitude has become fractionally, but unmistakably, less emollient. Especially after the murder of a Catholic priest in the Turkish port of Trabzon in February, Vatican pronouncements have put more emphasis on the idea of “reciprocity”: if Christian countries are expected to look after their Muslim minorities well, then Christians should get similar treatment in Muslim countries. The Pope has also downgraded the part of the Vatican bureaucracy which deals with Islam. Its respected former head, Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, has been sent to Cairo.

Okay, a couple of things are important to look at here. One, I’m really glad to see major media refer to Fr. Andrea Santoro’s murder last February, though this was a passing reference. I’ve brought him up in discussion about this issue with a priest friend and wondered where the outrage was over acts like that. Fr. Santoro was a much-loved priest in Turkey who was murdered by a young Muslim man for being a Catholic priest. It deeply saddened everyone who knew him, and the repercussions were felt in Italy, where he was beloved. It was an assassination over religion. And that’s why Benedict calls for “reciprocity” to allow people the freedom to practice their own faith in safety. That’s what the Church’s term “reciprocity” means, religious freedom both ways.

Also, the Vatican did not “downgrade” the office in the Roman Curia that “deals with Islam.” That was the Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and Pope Benedict has merged that office into the Council for Cultures because of the way the world’s religions are now interacting. Archbishop Fitzgerald is a pre-eminent scholar on Islam, and was sent to Egypt to the heart of Islamic studies and teaching. It’s a fine-tuning for the times. His diplomacy and discretion — two of Fitzgerald’s hallmarks — are needed now more than ever.