This WaTi article is mostly silly --suggesting that John Paul II "blended" religions, whereas "tough-talking" Benedict doesn't even grant that Muslims worship the same God as Christians. JP II did no such thing, and of course we worship the same God (there being only one) --the Pope's point is that we conceive Him very differently. Which John Paul II certainly also knew (and said, if anyone cared to research or read, sigh). But there is this line from John Allen at the end that's on target:
"He feels that if we have dialogue, we need to talk about things," Mr. Allen said of the pope, "and not just be nice to each other. When he said on Sunday that he wants a 'frank and sincere dialogue,' he meant that we have to put actual issues on the table.
Thank you! Usually people who use the word "dialogue" mean "not talking about anything." The Pope uses the word as it was intended. Which reminds me of Tom Lehrer's line when confronted with people always talking about "communication." Roughly:
If people cannot communicate, the very least they can do is shut up.
