What the Pope Didn't Say
On Monday, Pope Benedict XVI condemned the terror attacks in Britain, Egypt, Turkey, and Iraq. He did not mention the terrorist attacks in Israel. Vatican spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls stated after Israel's protests that the Pope expressly mentioned the terrorist attacks in "recent days". Why not mention Israel specifically?
Turkey had five of it's innocents killed, the same number as Israel in the Netanya attacks on July 12. Later that week, Israel lost two more innocents in a separate terrorist attack.
Perhaps it was a just a mistake on the Pope's part that he failed to mention Israel specifically. A country that has suffered repeated terrorist attacks, sometimes on a daily basis. So many attacks in fact, that Israelis have become the world experts on how to defend against these murderous attacks against innocents.
So many world governments fail to mention the terrorist attacks against Israel. It would say a lot if the leader of the Catholic Church would specifically condemn terrorist attacks against Israel.
posted by SEAWITCH at
5:40:00 PM
3 Comments:
Seawitch,
This is an official press release from Vatican Information Service:
ATTACK ON ISRAEL WAS INCLUDED IN PAPAL CONDEMNATION
VATICAN CITY, JUL 26, 2005 (VIS) - Yesterday evening, Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls released the following declaration to journalists:
"Concerning the Israeli reaction to the fact that the Holy Father, in his Angelus of Sunday July 24, did not also mention Israel alongside other countries, it should be noted that Benedict XVI's words specifically referred to the attacks of 'these days.'
"It is surprising that the Holy Father's intention should have been thus groundlessly misinterpreted, it being well known that in numerous interventions the Church, the Magisterium of the Supreme Pontiffs, and most recently Pope Benedict XVI, have condemned all forms of terrorism, from whatever side it comes and against whomsoever it is directed.
"Obviously, the serious attack in Netanya two weeks ago, to which the Israeli comments refer, also falls under the general and unreserved condemnation of terrorism."
What they are saying is that it's not as much what the Pope said but how the media decided to interpretit.
As you said it would be nice though if:
" the leader of the Catholic Church would specifically condemn terrorist attacks against Israel."
felis,
Thank you for the press release. I did rewrite this post several times before publishing because as noted, the press does put a certain slant on things. And it would have had a great impact if the Pope had mentioned specifically the attacks on Israel.
gindy,
I'm watching closely too.
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