Why They Pay Him The Big Rupees

An Indian Bishop (actually, the President of the Indian Bishops’ Conference) has a great response to the Papal Upheaval. (Curtsy: open book).

These protests by our Muslim brothers, which started yesterday after Friday prayers, are misplaced as the Pope has not commented on Islam; he only quoted a Byzantine emperor and another great Persian scholar. I have read the text of Benedict XVI, it is an eight-page speech and what has sparked all this is just one quotation extrapolated from the context.
The crowds that have taken to the streets of India are probably reacting to articles in local newspapers about the speech of the pope, where some of his phrases have been quoted out of context.
This is also symbolic of the situation today: without even contextually situating the text, or dwelling on its meaning, some people have taken the quotation as a cue to take to the streets in protests.
This is the time for all Christians to be patient and pray for those who do not understand. The situation which comes at this point in time is also a great gift for the church - for us to engage in serious and lasting dialogue with our brothers and sisters of different faiths. A true culture of tolerance is possible only in a dialogue of religious identities.
The Holy Father was quoting from history and he was trying to show us a way through faith and reason in today’s terrorist ridden society. These reactions are indicative of what the Pope was trying to emphasize – only reason andenlightenment through faith bring about mutual respect and peace.
I am not saddened by these protests: we have to face them with Christian courage and prayer because truth needs no defence. [snip]

Follow the link to the full statement. Remember the Lebanese bishop urging his people to stand their ground with courage? We ought to listen to the bishop who actually live cheek by jowl with Islam a little more carefully --there's a robustness to their Christianity. Meanwhile, the apology has not yet taken hold.