Defender of the West, Scourge of Islam: The Crusade of Pope Rat by Gary Leupp

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI gave a speech September 12 at the University of Regensburg in his German homeland. He discussed "the question of God through the use of reason" and the matter of getting "reason and faith [to] work together in the right way." His basic theme was that there has been a "synthesis with Hellenism achieved in the early [Christian] church" and that this relationship between Christianity and Greek philosophy and logic has been a very good thing. He warned against those who believe this synthesis is "not binding" upon new converts from non-western traditions; this view, he declared, is "false." The pontiff plainly intended to depict the Roman Catholic Church as supportive of modernity and science in general, and both western and tolerant.

The Pope opened his homily by referring affectionately to his years teaching at the University of Bonn (from 1959) during which the university was a "universe of reason." He then segued into a description of some of his recent reading.

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