However, the pope also used his address to condemn the use of religion as a justification for violence and war: "Peace is sorely needed" the pope told.

Pope Benedict XVI was quoted condemning the use of religion as justification for violence and war.

Catholics, Protestants, Islamists, Buddhists are all religions.

 Why do Catholics justify violence and war in the name of religion?

and do the Islamist justify violence and war or does all war come from:

People that are not religious but are using religion as a smokescreen to justify the war and killing?

@Y

Comparing Catholics and Islamists is absurd.  Your attempt to draw a common ideology between the two and violence only leads me to believe that any attempts to convince you otherwise would be a waste of time.

I will pray for your conversion.

mattymattychoochoo, Apparantly my post went way over your head. I did not compare religions. I pointed out what the Pope describes as non religious persons using religion as a reason for violence.I did not draw the inference, Pope Benedict XVI did. He said quit using religion as an excuse for violence. That includes the Catholic faith. Quit using the Catholic faith as a reason for promoting violence. Quit using Islam as a reason for violence.You are quite right about trying to convince me otherwise, I am absolutely certain that Pope Benedict XVI is correct, violent Catholics and Islamists alike try to use religion to promote violence and he says, stop using religion to promote violence. If you want to promote violence be honest enough to call it what it is....non-religious retaliation in the form of killing motivated by anger and hatred.

Religious Catholics and religious Islamists are not violent. Non religious Catholics and Islamists are violent and use religion as justification for their violence. Do you see the distinction made by Pope Benedict XVI?

 In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Jakes, You said, "His easily recognized diatribes and style"

Thank you for the complement as the meaning of the word in it's original is: Latin diatriba, learned discourse.

I did indeed take the time to become learned.

Your gracious and wholly correct summation is appreciated. You only made one stupid mistake, I am a girl. May God bless you.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen

fishman, Pope Benedict XVI recently [within the last two weeks] declared the occupation of Iraq unjust and demanded the USA leave Iraq immediately. Futhermore the American Catholic Conference of Bishops recently [within the last two weeks] demanded that Bush withdraw forces from Iraq immediately.

The Pope only conceded occupation about a year ago with the understanding that USA would stop killing and rebuild. The Vatican was in favor of a rebuild and a restore of the country and it's government peacefully, not an occupational war effort to establish dominance using combat tactics.

Bush deliberately uses religion as a smokescreen declaring the enemy as axis of evil and Islamist extremist when the enemy is not religious Islamist at all, rather Godless violent men. Futhermore the USA is presenting its military as Christian solidiers when Christ is specifically against killing. Just defense does not transgress borders, nor does just defense occupy nations with military threat.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen

fishman, George Bush declared himself a Christian and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, further he declared Iraq as the "axis of evil". Evil is a religious term describing one who has as his father, the devil.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen

fishman, And so a handful of people who bomb a government building leads to the killing and death of hundreds and thousands of Iraqi's. In the military when I was there they called that overkill. You know as well as I do the reason the Pope is involved is because Iraqi Catholics are being killed and tortured as well. Pres Bush clearly identified Islamists as his target. The Pope said stop using religion as an excuse for war! [meaning both the US and Al Quaida

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen