PERSON OF THE WEEK - Sep. 10-16, 2006

Isn't it amazing how much fuss can be made over one little quote. Honestly, the Pope really didn't really do all that much this week; he didn't say anything particularly grandiose, nor he make any big announcements about Catholic doctrine. Yet, a quote from an obscure 14th century Byzantine emperor buried in one of his speeches somehow caught the attention of the entire Islamic world. I will admit to not having read the whole speech, but I'm starting to get the feeling that his remarks are being blown completely out of proportion. Still, churches in the Middle East are being firebombed, effigies of Benedict are being burned, and a nun in Somalia has been killed - all because the pope had the gall to simply QUOTE somebody who didn't like Islam. Heck, the Vatican has even issued apologized for hurting Muslims' feelings (although they rightly stopped short of disavowing the pope's speech - which I believe had to do with the need for more inter-religious dialogue or something like that), but nobody seems willing to accept the penance.

So, for making the comment that started all of the hoopla, Pope Benedict XVI is ConservaGlobe's person of the week.

I'll end with this: if the Islamic community really wants to show that their religion is not as violent as some people think, then they should accept the pope's apology and start cracking down on the barbarians who are burning churches and killing nuns.

Tags: Pope Benedict, Pope Benedict XVI, Benedict XVI, Catholic Church, Catholicism, Roman Catholic, B16, Vatican, Pope, Religion, Islam, Person of the Week