How will new Pope handle ties with Muslims?

Joseph Ratzinger is entitled to his Catholic conservatism, his theological rigidity and his opposition to religious relativism. It is up to Catholics to internally debate his traditionalist views on a series of social issues. They already are, even before the applause has died down over his election as Pope.

It is not up to us to dictate what Catholics should believe and who they pick as leader. Otherwise, the secular idea of freedom of religion ceases to have meaning.

Rather, the relevant issue for the world is: How will Pope Benedict XVI be different from his predecessor in dealing with other faiths and nations?

We will have to wait and see whether Pope Benedict XVI will distance himself from Cardinal Ratzinger. One of the legacies of John Paul II was that he helped end the Cold War. Will the new Pope fan the war being waged by neo-conservatives and fundamentalist Protestants against Muslims and Islam, or will he help diffuse it?

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