one for the Gipper

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Sep 16, 2006

The Holy Father is under attack. Loyal Catholics will rally to his side. Won't they?

And since the attacks involve a scholarly presentation that he delivered to an academic audience, we'll be looking for help especially from the learned professors at our leading Catholic universities. Won't we?

Silence.

No! Wait! Here's something-- from the PR department at the University of Notre Dame. At last the doughty Catholics of American academe are coming to the Pope's defense. Aren't they?

The press release from Notre Dame quotes Father O'Riordan, of the theology department, saying that the Pope's speech in Regensburg was "brilliant," and explaining the context of his remarks on Islam.

OK, I admit: I made that up. There is no Father O'Riordan. And although there is a theology department at Notre Dame (more's the pity), I haven't heard from them yet (which, come to think of it, is probably just as well).

But there was a press release from the Golden Dome. That part was true.

A. Rashied Omar, research scholar of Islamic studies, says that the Pope's words "were unwise and unhelpful."

"Unhelpful" is the word he used.