A Diplomatic Missionary

A pope's agenda is divided into things spiritual and temporal and, like any world leader, into things domestic and foreign. Pope Benedict XVI has shown himself sure-footed on the home front, with clear ideas for streamlining the Vatican hierarchy and affirming traditional doctrine among the faithful. The former German theology professor was on pretty familiar turf last week when preaching to hundreds of thousands of young Roman Catholics gathered for World Youth Day in Cologne.

"Only from God does true revolution come," the Pope told a Saturday night prayer vigil. "It's not ideologies that save the world, but a return to the living God." But Benedict's first trip abroad was also a reminder that the 78-year-old Pontiff is a novice as a foreign leader. His visit to a Cologne synagogue on Friday came less than a month after a diplomatic spat erupted with Israel, which had lashed out at Benedict for not including the Jewish state in a list of countries recently hit by terrorism. Issues of religious extremism and inter-faith conflict pose the toughest foreign-policy challenges for this Pope.

And the signs are that he intends to talk tough. He used a meeting with German Muslim leaders on Saturday to bluntly denounce terrorism. "Those who instigate and plan these attacks evidently wish to poison our relations ... to oppose every attempt to build a peaceful, fair and serene life together," Benedict said. Nadeem Elyas, head of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, welcomed the Pontiff's message. "We hope the Pope's visit will help the dialogue between religions attain a new dimension," he told Time. "We need to do more than just talk; we need to act, and to accept responsibility."