Dear Benjamin:

This is an old issue. The first thing we must do if we see our Pope do something we do not understand is to presume it is our understanding that is problematic, and not the Pope's actions. This idea is similar to the principle of Justice in the United States -- innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Catholic Church teaches that truth can be found in many places, and wherever that truth is found, no matter how small it is, we can reach out our hand in fellowship. While Islam has many false ideas and theology, it also has many elements of truth.

The Pope, on a mission of extending a hand of fellowship to all peoples, which Christ Himself said we are do, kissed the Qur'an as an act of respect to those elements of truth contained in it, and in respect to the Islamic people and the the plight they have suffered in many quarters.

"Kissing" is most likely a cultural gesture. In the United States we would accept the gift of the Qu'ran and shake hands to offer that respect. That is all there is to it.

The Pope's action did not mean that he thought the Qur'an was on equal standing with the Bible, or that all religions are equal. All those accusations were made mostly by Ultra-Traditionalists, who have, in my opinion, the mental disease of scrupulosity (the religious form of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder). It is they, not the Pope, causing scandal (confusing the Faithful).

As for the Assisi ecumenical prayer meetings, I find even less understanding why people are so up-in-arms; but then the scrupulous have to limits to their taking offense. What is possibly wrong with inviting peoples from all religions to come together in a spirit of peace to pray for peace. If there is something wrong with this, maybe that is why there is no peace in the world.

All the religions invited to this central place to hold a prayer-for-peace event each prayed on their own little corner according to their consciences. There was no single prayer service in which any Christian was actively or passively required to pray to a false god.

It was a religious peace meeting. Nothing more. Jesus said that we are to appeal to peace in the world -- "Blessed are the peacemakers." To appeal for peace means talking with those who are not "one of us."

We should not be held captive by the tyranny of the perpetually offended.

An extensive discussion of all this has been written and compiled by Dave Armstrong on his Biblical Evidence for Catholicism website.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary