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Learning from Pope's controversial speech
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 09/21/2006 8:24 AM | Opinion
Aleksius Jemadu, Bandung
There is a Latin saying, Roma locuta, causa finita, which means what Rome says cannot be disputed. Or, in other words, the Vatican can say no wrong.
Muslims around the world recently took to the streets and vehemently condemned a speech by Pope Benedict XVI at the University of Regensburg, Germany, on Sept. 12. In that speech the pope made some comments on Islam by quoting a medieval text, with those comments being perceived as hateful and humiliating.
Any statement by the pope, as the highest authority of the Catholic Church, has a tremendous effect on the shaping of public opinion in Europe. Although many European Catholics no longer go to church and even tend to be indifferent about the religion's teachings, they still respect the pope and consider him the heavenly voice of humanity and peace.
Compared to his predecessor John Paul II, the current pope is known to be more conservative and tends to distance himself from secular politics.
While John Paul II openly criticized repression by the communist regime of the former Soviet Union in Poland and other Eastern European countries, Benedict XVI pays more attention to theological problems and church affairs.
But now that the pope has taken center stage in connection with the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Islamic world, there is an urgent need on the part of the Church to reexamine its position concerning interfaith dialog and tolerance. The Vatican has to convince Muslims that the pope's speech does not reflect the Catholic Church's point of view about Islam and its followers.
The good news is that the pope himself has admitted his mistake and extended an apology. On top of that, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and prominent Muslim leaders in the country have accepted the pope's public apology as the best way to restore good relations between Catholics and Muslims.
There are some important lessons we may learn from this controversy.
First, this is not the first time Western secular and spiritual leaders have made public remarks that sparked mass protests in the Muslim world. Western leaders should be more careful in making public statements about other religions to avoid being seen as giving a tacit endorsement of Samuel Huntington's clash of civilizations thesis.
Second, in any religion an attitude of self-righteousness always leads to arrogance and judgmental comments on other people's faith. Instead of engaging in an exchange of criticism against each other, it is far better for leaders of different religions to improve their cooperation in overcoming universal social problems like poverty, corruption, human rights abuses, unemployment, gender discrimination, environmental degradation and communal violence.
Third, over the last few years social conflicts related to religious differences have been on the rise in Europe. This is unfortunate because many people have high expectations for a more constructive role on the part of the European Union compared to that of the United States in promoting mutual understanding between the Christian and Islamic worlds.
On top of that, the insistence by the European Union to support multilateralism instead of unilateralism in the global war on terror is widely perceived as a more acceptable and effective approach in achieving the common goal of world peace.
Last but not least, good interpersonal relationships among Indonesian religious leaders is crucial in neutralizing tensions in society. They are able to hold joint events to demonstrate their friendship, which sets a good example for religious communities.
The leaders must now convince the public that the controversy has settled following the pope's apology, and those in the wrong will not repeat the mistake in the future. Politicizing the issue will only make things worse and no one will benefit from that.
The writer is head of the Department of International Relations and the MA study program in international relations at Parahyangan University, Bandung. He can be reached at aljemadu@yahoo.co.uk.
