By Richard Owen
IN THE fallout from the furore over the Pope’s remarks on Islam one issue above all is being debated in Rome: did he realise what the effect of his words would be, or is the pontiff an unworldly former theology professor who failed to grasp what impact an obscure reference in a scholarly address would have?
Only the Pope himself knows. But one answer emerging yesterday was that he is provoking a debate on the reasons for Islamic terrorism and the proper Western and Christian response — but lacks experienced media-savvy advisers who can warn him of the inflammatory effect some remarks might have.
In his Angelus address the pontiff made clear that in quoting a Byzantine emperor on Islam he was “in no way expressing my personal opinion”. On the other hand, as both cardinal and Pope, he has repeatedly expressed his alarm over the violent aspect of Islam, the way Islam is imposed as a culture on Muslim societies, and threats to the Christian values on which the West is founded.
“The key to Pope Benedict is that he writes all his speeches and homilies himself,” one Vatican-watcher said yesterday. John Paul II also drafted his own public remarks, but — especially in the latter half of his reign, as his health deteriorated — they were worked on by his closest advisers, including Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the astute Spanish journalist and Opus Dei member who headed his press operation.
However, Pope Benedict is only now assembling his own team. In his first year Benedict made few appointments apart from installing Monsignor William Levada, the former Archbishop of San Francisco, to replace himself as guardian of Vatican doctrine, and bringing in Father Georg Gaenswein, a fellow German, as his secretary. The three main figures in his top circle have only just taken office: Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, former Archbishop of Genoa, installed last Friday as Secretary of State (Prime Minister); Archbishop Dominique Mamberti of France, as Foreign Minister; and Father Federico Lombardi, head of the Vatican press office.
Of these Cardinal Bertone is the Vatican “heavyweight”. On Saturday it was he who moved to defuse the row, assuring Muslims that Benedict “sincerely regrets that certain passages of his address could have sounded offensive to the sensitivities of the Muslim faithful”.
The Pope will also turn to Archbishop Mamberti, who was born in Marakkesh in Morocco and previously served as a papal diplomat in Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Lebanon and Algeria. To some extent his appointment compensates for the absence from Rome of Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald of Britain, formerly the Vatican’s top expert on Islam and head of the Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, who in February was dispatched as papal ambassador to Cairo.
In the end, though, the task of presenting the media image of Benedict to the world falls to Father Lombardi, who has the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of Dr Navarro-Valls, now retired. “This would never have happened if Navarro was still around” was a comment frequently heard in the Vatican last week.
It remains to be seen whether the new papal team will spot pitfalls. The Vatican was yesterday braced for Jewish reactions to a passage in the Pope’s Angelus address in which — having apologised to Muslims — he quoted from I Corinthians on the alleged role of Jews in the Crucifixion, an issue which in the past has aroused heated debate.
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Copyright 2006 Times Newspapers Ltd.
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