Who is afraid of the pope?

For the ones of us that make evolutionary biology our profession (or our hobby) and politics our hobby (or our profession), around a month ago there were reasons to be concern. The current Pope, it was rumoured, was about to embrace the so called “intelligent design” viewpoint. Never you mind that the title of this movement is in itself an oxymoron. Never you mind that not really intelligent people embrace intelligent design... after all, the Pope might be infallible in the eyes of God, but he does not have to be intelligent. Since long time ago this discussion is not about intelligence, but about power. And whether we like it or not, the Pope does carry some clout. Think in his influence in curricula all over the world, not only in basic schools of the third world, but in basic schools of the dutch bible belt.

But Ok, then and there we had reasons to relax. Despite all the rumours, it looked like Benedictus was not going to break with the tradition of John Paul, and at least the catholic church remained out of the evolution discussion. Actually, then and there, we somehow believe that the academic career of the Pope had some value after all. The argument supported by John Paul were that science and religion must coexist, and not fight. Benedictus, formerly a scholar of renown, end up subscribing this view. After all, a principle of scholar life is that you don't mess up with your fellow researcher from another field, given that, very likely, you do not even understand what he is saying.

Well, good but not for long. As his latest speech on multiculturalism (or shall I be proper and talk about multireligiosity, ecumenism) the Pope went crazy. And if in his previous escape from intelligent design he showed up some academic know how, here he showed academic folly. Because here comes another problem with academici: they believe that because they speak in lingo, or quote from another researcher, nobody will figure out what they are saying. Alas, not true in this case. All too clear his prejudices on Islam showed up, his clear conviction on western and christian supremacy. And even better, in his shallow excuses, he manage not to appease Muslims, and to enrage Jews.

Now, does this matter? Moreover, does this matter in a country with such a antipope tradition as the Netherlands? I believe it does. What I personally find sad of the whole incident is the underlying thinking. A thinking that is sponsored so often in our society, that it's almost self evident. After all, isn't people convinced that europe, western and christian europe that is, is a force of peace? Don't we heartedly support the sending of our troops to fulfil conflict prevention? And don't we do that under the same reasoning, after all, that the crusaders had? Read again the texts of that emperor quoted by Benedictus, Paleologus. He hoped that muslims will hear him with open hearth, but he knew better, sponsoring the sending of troops to liberate Jerusalen from violence, muslim violence, that is.

Have we move a lot further?