The Pope irritates the Muslim world

"By quoting Manuel II Paleologue, the Christian emperor of Constaniople who stigmatised the violence of the prophet Mohammed, Benoit XVI has succumbed to the temptation of regaining his role of professor of theology who, to capture the attention of his students, thrusts out quotes that are at once erudite and provocative", considers Jean-Noel Cuenod. "If this attitude is perfectly acceptable within the boundaries of a seminary or in an academic debate, it is no longer so when there is an intervention - by the leader of one of the largest Christian faiths - on the tumultuous terrain of the media. In this space where there is no room for turning back, prudence is more than a cardinal virtue. It is an ardent duty. It is evident that Joseph Ratzinger is not yet at ease in the immaculate cassock of Benoit XVI... You cannot judge a pope by his robe any more than a book by its cover.”

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