Viewpoint: The Pope Has a Point

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His questions were not reserved only for the Islamic world. As he has done before, Benedict spoke about the need for the West, especially Europe, to reverse its tendency toward godless secularism. He believes that the gift of reason that he cherishes in Christianity has been warped by the West into an absolutist doctrine. And that too, he believes, prevents the opening of a productive channel for dialogue with a more faithful Islamic society. "Reason and faith," he insisted, must "come together in a new way."

Toward the end of his lecture, Benedict said, "It is to this great Logos, to this breadth of reason, that we invite our partners in the dialogue of cultures." Indeed, just last month, on the 20th anniversary of that first Assisi encounter, the Pope sent to the Bishop of Assisi a written message that heralded John Paul's promotion of peaceful dialogue among religions. If Benedict can acquire enough of his predecessor's political touch, the theologian's hard thinking may help the West begin the difficult conversation with its Islamic brothers--one that includes a clear definition of differences as well as a search for common ground--that is so badly needed.