April 08, 2007

That's What He Said, Or Is It?

Associatedantiamerican Press headline (and Drudge sucked it up too, go figure):

Pope: 'Nothing Positive' From Iraq

But, what did he mean? Yes, he used the two words, "nothing positive," but...

VATICAN CITY (AP) - In an Easter litany of the world's suffering, Pope Benedict XVI lamented that "nothing positive" is happening in Iraq and decried the unrest in Afghanistan and bloodshed in Africa and Asia.

"How many wounds, how much suffering there is in the world," the pontiff told tens of thousands gathered Sunday at St. Peter's Square on what is Christianity's most joyful feast day.

Benedict, delivering his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" Easter address from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, read out a long list of troubling current events, saying he was thinking of the "terrorism and kidnapping of people, of the thousand faces of violence which some people attempt to justify in the name of religion, of contempt for life, of the violation of human rights and the exploitation of persons."

"Afghanistan is marked by growing unrest and instability," Benedict said. "In the Middle East, besides some signs of hope in the dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, nothing positive comes from Iraq, torn apart by continual slaughter as the civil population flees."

He singled out what he called the "catastrophic, and sad to say, underestimated humanitarian situation" in Darfur as well as other African places of suffering, including violence and looting in Congo, fighting in Somalia—which, he said, drove away the prospect of peace—and the "grievous crisis" in Zimbabwe, marked by crackdowns on dissidents, a disastrous economy and severe corruption.

Benedict called for a negotiated solution to end the drawn-out, bloody conflict in Sri Lanka, and said East Timor needs reconciliation ahead of elections.

Okay, in the section I emphasized, just who could he be talking about, hmmm??? As a matter of fact, the only place he mentioned not being assaulted by Muslim fanatics is Zimbabwe. You may say Sri Lanka, but the Tamil Tigers have been suspected of ties to Al Qaeda.

But, let's look at this part again:

"Afghanistan is marked by growing unrest and instability," Benedict said. "In the Middle East, besides some signs of hope in the dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, nothing positive comes from Iraq, torn apart by continual slaughter as the civil population flees."

Huh? "Besides some sign of hope in the dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, nothing positive comes from Iraq..."

Sorry, that just doesn't make sense to me and I smell a rat. An editing rat. As soon as I have an official transcript of this speech, I'll either confirm my suspicions or issue a mea culpa.

Update: Thanks to my buddy Kyer, I have the full transcript of the speech. Seeing the whole quote in context, now it makes sense:

Likewise the population of East Timor stands in need of reconciliation and peace as it prepares to hold important elections. Elsewhere too, peace is sorely needed: in Sri Lanka only a negotiated solution can put an end to the conflict that causes so much bloodshed; Afghanistan is marked by growing unrest and instability; In the Middle East, besides some signs of hope in the dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian authority, nothing positive comes from Iraq, torn apart by continual slaughter as the civil population flees. In Lebanon the paralysis of the country’s political institutions threatens the role that the country is called to play in the Middle East and puts its future seriously in jeopardy. Finally, I cannot forget the difficulties faced daily by the Christian communities and the exodus of Christians from that blessed Land which is the cradle of our faith. I affectionately renew to these populations the expression of my spiritual closeness.

So, the AP decided to focus on one sentence in a whole paragraph, making it seem as though Pope Benedict was making some sort of anti-war statement. Not true. He was praying for peace in war-torn areas, of which Iraq is just one. Most Christians, especially at Easter-time, pray for peace the world over. I support what we're doing in Iraq, but it doesn't stop me from praying for peace there.

Nice try, AP.