an excuse for the zealots

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/09/18/pope.islam.ap/index.html\

So, when I first heard about the pope's speech I wondered what all theexcitement was about. He was, after all, quoting a 700 year oldpassage, not as if he was speaking it as if it were his own thoughts.So, I figured I'd try to find the speech and look at the context. Well,I can assure you that the idiots burning effigies and getting all crazywould have NO IDEA what the Pope was saying.

I think I'm a prettybright guy, Chuck's opinion notwithstanding, but the Pope's speech is about "Faith and Reason", I had a tough time understanding it. This part of philosophy has never been my thing, but this is a theological/philosophical discussion, hardly something that you could take out of context and blast him for it. Regardless of what I think of The Church, this Pope or what he believes, this speech of itself is just another way for the despots to get their followers riled up. And the Media in the West and the East has done a poor job covering this (by not really covering it).