EU-DIGEST

Vatican - Pope's comments seem to throw cold water on worth of interfaith dialogue

No one who knows anything about Pope Benedict XVI believes he is ever going to be enthusiastic about interfaith discussions if they put the various faiths involved on equal footing -- if, in other words, an underlying assumption of such talks is that Islam, or Judaism, or Buddhism, or whatever, is as valid a way of expressing human understanding of God as is Christianity. In Benedict's mind, that is simply not the case: The pope, make no mistake, is Catholic.

Benedict praised a forthcoming book about Christianity, saying it "explained with great clarity" that "an inter religious dialogue in the strict sense of the word is not possible." In theological terms, he added, "a true dialogue is not possible without putting one's faith in parentheses." His comments were contained in a letter to Marcello Pera, the author of the new book, "Why We Must Call Ourselves Christian," which argues that Europe should stay true to its Christian roots. That's a point Benedict has made many times, even as Europe at once grows more secular, and more religiously diverse.

Note EU-Digest: Faith is not what the Pope or any other religious leader tells us, but faith is what you feel in your heart. Religious "man-made" doctrine has been a curse to the world, history proves that.

Labels: EU, Pope, Religion, Religious tolerance, Vatican