Our faith makes us aware of the fact that many things are beyond the powers of human beings. But the Christian faith also moves the dignity of human life onto centre stage giving the religion a crucial role in present-day life. ~ German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Pope Benedict XVI and Chancellor Angela Merkel met this week and discussed the Middle East in the course of their conversation. I would have given a lot to be a German-speaking fly on the wall while they were chatting.
Here are two highly intelligent world leaders of the Christian faith. As one of her many noteworthy accomplishments, Chancellor Merkel holds a doctorate in physics. Benedict XVI, who chose the name of two significant peacemaking popes, is renowned as one of the most educated, well-read intellectuals to ever ascend to the papacy.
She is a Protestant head of state; he is the leader of the world's Roman Catholics. When these two brilliant minds think together, they can see light years beyond the technicalities of their differing interpretations of Christianity. They can strategize together in the aftermath of Merkel's letter from Ahmadinejad, Iran's Islamo-Maniac-in-Chief, to which no German response will be forthcoming.
The pope and the physicist arrived at a powerful, perfectly peaceful, counter move. Endorsing Pope Benedict's position, Chancellor Merkel announced that she will work for an EU constitution that emphasizes Europe's "Christian values." I'll wager that's not quite the intended effect the letter writer was hoping for. How did Chancellor Merkel put it? Christianity holds "a crucial role in present-day life."
Let's hope that President Ahmadinejad's knickers are in enough of a twist that he'll have to forego letterwriting for a while.
