Articles like this one miss the point. Perhaps the former "Pope's Rottweiler" was speaking more as professor when he should have been speaking more as Holy See. But that's not the fundamental issue here. The fact of the matter is that Benedict is right. Al-Qaeda, Hizbollah, Hamas, and the myriad loose-knit groups that mimic them are proving that Benedict--and Paleologus from whom the comment originally comes--are spot on: At least a significant faction of the Muslim faith is seeking to propagate itself through the sword. The proof is the devastating intolerance shown even when violence isn't originally the issue. The Muslim response to Danish cartoons, for example, or the murder of Theo Van Gogh show a movement that refuses liberal ideas or religious freedoms. One can argue, as Dionne apparently does, that the Pope made a misstep and put his foot in his mouth. But to do so is to put a Band-Aid on a scratch and simultaneously avoid treating a gaping gash. Clumsy or not, the Pope is correct in his use of the reference. And that's a reality Dionne and everyone else is going to have to grapple with sooner or later.

UPDATE: Do the Muslim extremists understand that they are helping rehabilitate the Pope's image?

ANOTHER UPDATE: I should have gone here first!