What is it with this Pope?

First, Pope Benedict XVI purposely offends Muslims by stating in a lecture given at a German university “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”

When I first heard about the controversy - prior to reading the speech - my initial reaction was that the Pope had probably said something somewhat politically incorrect, but not offensive to the reasonable mind and that this was just the “protest too much” crowd expect this time it was Muslim extremists instead of college-town liberals. But then I read it myself and the Pope was offensive. His remarks about Islam being “evil and inhuman” and a faith spread by the Western-caricature of the Saracen smacked as nothing more than nostalgia for the Crusades. And when asked to apologize the Pope issued a halfhearted communique: “At this time I wish also to add that I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg, which were considered offensive to the sensibility of Muslims.” His ostensible apology was not one at all since he lamented the reaction to his lecture not the actually words spoken, which he has never retracted.

And, as Jon Stewart put it, nice way to go in choosing German as the language before making a bigoted attack.

Second, recently the Vatican has brought back into the fold a priest who has denied the Holocaust. The anti-Semitic British priest Richard Williamson had stated not too long ago that “I believe there were no gas chambers... I think that 200,000 to 300,000 Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps but none of them by gas chambers. There was not one Jew killed by the gas chambers. It was all lies, lies, lies!”

Father Williamson has also endorsed the notorious “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” a Russian forgery that states that Jewish are bent world domination. He also pins the Jews for the World Trade Center attacks and the Kennedy assassination. This is the man intended to offer moral guidance?

It was clear that this Pope - unlike his courageous and honest predecessor Pope John Paul II {whom I greatly admire} - was not interested in interfaith dialogue when he downgraded that respective office. But he had been more than indifferent, but offense; and in the case of Muslims with conspicuous intent.

So, let’s see. Offend List: Muslims [check], Jews [check], gay [check], pro-choice woman [check], Africans [to do today].

Now the Pope - in his infinite wisdom - has attacked the great demon that is a humble condom. On his first day of his week-long trip to Sub-Saharan Africa, - where 22 million are infected with HIV; 75% of the world’s total AIDS population - the Pope landed in autocratic Cameroon where he derided the use of condoms as protected against AIDS and - without elaboration as to why - added that the condom “increases the problem.”

When I first sat down to write this post as I was going to make a joke about how a celibate Pope would no anything about sex and condoms to begin with, but the matter is simply to serious to speak about lightly. The Vatican has great influence in Sub-Saharan Africa and it is unfortunately throwing its weight in a manner that can only end up hurting the people the Church claims to care for. Sub-Saharan Africa is already too full with wild theories as for the cause and cure for AIDS at the cost of too many lives lost. The last people in the region need to hear is the condoms are counter-productivity. The Vatican’s reasoning is public: the way to prevent infection is through abstinence until marriage and fidelity in marriage. True, but simplistic. Most people do not wait till marriage and expecting them to due so is an excursive in denial. Even if one accepted that sex only in marriage is ideal, one should be reasonable enough to recognize that such practices are far from norm. One needs to look at AIDS-rampant - relatively - Africa and put aside questions of personal morality and simply ask: what is the most effective and practical why to help people? Answer: match moral lectures with the handing out of condoms so that in the event people do have sex they are not punished by a life-ending disease. Do do otherwise and to embed in vulnerable people false ideas - as the Pope has - that are detrimental to their health is nothing but uncharitable and, really, unChristian.