Dancing with Scimitars

George Weigel opines on the diplomatic -- and one might add magisterial --dance between the Holy Father and representatives of Islam, all 138 of them, in this essay.

The Pope has made clear what the objectives of the dialogue should be; Benedict’s conviction is based on the Catholic Church’s 19th and 20th century experience of wrestling with the question of religious freedom and other challenges posed to religion by the modern state. The “138,” as represented by the Jordanian prince, keep trying to change the subject. The exchanges are polite, but the gap is unmistakable. And the gap is not accidental ... [h/t: New Advent]