Castel Gandolfo, Italy
Pope Benedict XVI told Muslims this week that he wanted to begin a new dialogue between Christians and Muslims. A 30-minute meeting between the pope and 22 ambassadors from Muslim countries was carried live on Al-Jazeera and other Arabic satellite stations. Most ambassadors refused to comment on the encounter, which was prompted by Muslim outrage over a papal speech last month in which Benedict quoted a Byzantine emperor who vilified Mohammed’s teachings. Several commentaries in Muslim countries, though, observed that the pope’s call for “dialogue” was delivered as a monologue.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, changeSpeed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensiveSpeed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
'The arts are not just expressions of creativity'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
