Islam, Violence Go Hand in Hand: [Cardinal] Pell
The West Australian ^ | september 19, 2006
thewest.com.au
Australia’s most senior Catholic has launched a stinging attack on Muslims, saying their aggressive reaction to the Pope’s recent comments about Islam highlighted the link between their religion and violence.
As the world braced for more Muslim anger over Pope Benedict’s remarks, Cardinal George Pell said “the violent reactions in many parts of the Islamic world” justified one of the Pope’s main fears.
“They showed the link for many Islamists between religion and violence, their refusal to respond to criticism with rational arguments, but only with demonstrations, threats and actual violence,” the Sydney Archbishop said yesterday.
He also described as “unfortunately typical and unhelpful” attacks on the Pope’s comments by two prominent local Muslims, Sheikh al-Hilaly, the Mufti of Australia, and Dr Ameer Ali, of the Government’s Muslim advisory committee.
Security was increased around the Pope yesterday, despite his apology for the offence taken by Muslims for his quoting of a medieval emperor that linked Mohammad to violence.
In Somalia, Italian nuns were evacuated from Mogadishu after the weekend murder of one of their colleagues amid the international Muslim fury.
The slain nun, Sister Leonella, 65, one of the longest-serving foreign members of the Roman Catholic Church in Somalia, worked at a charity hospital.
Cardinal Pell began his statement by saying it was a sign of hope that no organised violence had flared in Australia following Pope Benedict’s comments.
“Our major priority must be to maintain peace and harmony within the Australian community, but no lasting achievements can be grounded in fantasies and evasions,” Cardinal Pell said.
He detailed his criticisms of Sheikh al-Hilaly and Dr Ali. “Sheikh al-Hilaly often responds to criticism by questioning the intelligence and competence of the questioner or critic,” he said. “So too with the Pope, whose speech he claimed was not what was expected of a holy person and indeed ‘the Church needs to re-examine its thoughts about someone who doesn’t have the qualities or good grasp of Christian character or knowledge’.”
Cardinal Pell criticised Dr Ali for misunderstanding the Pope’s speech. “Dr Ameer Ali’s published reply was more surprising as it called on Pope Benedict to be more like Pope John Paul II than Pope Urban II, who called the First Crusade,” he said.
“In fact, the Pope’s long speech was more about the weaknesses of the Western world, its irreligion and disdain for religion and he explicitly rejected linking religion and violence. He won’t be calling any crusade.”
Sheikh al-Hilaly said the language used by Cardinal Pell was “not helpful”. “The point is Pope Benedict quoted a most inappropriate quote at a most inappropriate time,” he said.
The head of the world’s Anglican Church also stepped up to defend the Pope yesterday.
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, spiritual leader of 77 million Anglicans worldwide, said Pope Benedict had been right to apologise for the offence caused but his comments should be taken in context.
SYDNEY |
