Have you noticed the irony?  The Pope is being criticized for a speech in which he said, among other things, that it is wrong to spread religion by the sword.  Much of the protest against him is by violent people who have said explicitly that they want to spread religion by the sword.

Already an innocent nun has been killed in Somalia, simply for being Catholic.  Whether or not Pope Benedict owes an apology to peaceful Muslims, he owes no apology to those who would carry out, and are carrying out, exactly the actions the Pope criticizes.  And we will be better off if more and more people understand that.

But religion isn’t the only religion.  Belief in democracy is also a religion.  President Bush has gotten the United States into a war to spread democracy.  Not just Muslims, but also Americans, including many Christians and Jews, need to heed the wise words of Pope Benedict XVI.

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