We have dialogue, alright

Everyone is talking about Pope Benedict and what he said. So he did, indeed, start a dialogue. It’s buzzing around the world now. Even in somewhat unlikely places.

I tuned in to Fox News Saturday morning for their lively round of business shows, where they usually talk about political news and how it impacts the markets. It’s upbeat and entertaining.

Today, “The Cost of Freedom” had a serious roundtable debate on the Pope’s address. They talked and argued about freedom of speech angle, and one of the Wall Street Journal’s panelists quoted the Pope’s address and focused on its theme of faith and reason.

Later, I checked in with a news roundup again, and found film clips of the Pope on the “Beltway Boys” on Fox. Fred Barnes and Mort Kondrake agreed with what just about everybody is saying now, that the violent reaction by Muslim extremists actually shows how intolerant they are. And they wondered why there are so few Muslim voices of outrage over these violent demonstrations by Islamic extremists. That’s a good question to keep asking.

None of this is new. But now it’s news. Just about everywhere. And it took violence for the world to start listening to Benedict.