Ilkley Baptist

I don't agree with what the pope said, but I think it may turn out to be a good thing that he did.

I think he emphasised reason, in his speech, too one sidedly. The Christian faith is about heart and relationships as well as logic and understanding. Jesus, in the synoptics, thinks with his guts. It's not just about being right, even if you are pope, but about being an imaginative friend to others, and he didn't get this right. In fact is was an astonishing misjudgement.

However, he has said he is sorry. He has responded to the outrage (some of it far too eagerly enjoyed) and has looked human, almost warm. There is now a genuine dialogue. Muslims and pope, each are aware that there is a person on the other end of the exchange, and this can only be good.

I've always felt that goodness isn't so much about never getting it wrong, but about how we deal, creatively, with ours and others errors.