Papal secretary says Christian identity of Europe must be protected

Published: 2007-07-27

MUNICH, Germany (CNS) -- While Christians respect Islam and desire to dialogue with Muslims, they must act to protect the Christian identity of Europe, said Pope Benedict XVI's private secretary, Msgr. Georg Ganswein. A long interview with Msgr. Ganswein appeared in the July 27 edition of Sueddeutsche Zeitung Magazin, published in Munich. The interview was conducted by Peter Seewald, the same journalist responsible for the book-length interviews, "Salt of the Earth" and "God and the World," with then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict. The interview with the pope's secretary covered everything from how the pope looked immediately after his election -- "his face was as white as his soutane" -- to the pope's concerns about the state of most Catholics' faith. Seewald asked Msgr. Ganswein about Pope Benedict's September 2006 speech in Regensburg, Germany, and its criticism of violent trends within Islam. "I believe the Regensburg speech was prophetic," Msgr. Ganswein said, because it countered a "certain naivete" among people who do not recognize that various currents exist within Islam.

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