Source: upi.com

HERNDON, Va., July 9 (UPI) — Only the Hebrew word “chutzpah” appropriately describes it but a recent demand of the Vatican by Egypt’s senior Sunni cleric Grand Imam of al-Azhar Ahmed al-Tayeb screams for its use.

To better understand why, a brief history of recent Muslim/Catholic relations is necessary.

In 2006, ties between Muslims and Catholics were severed by the former when Pope Benedict XVI innocently recounted an historic observation made centuries ago. In a lecture, the pontiff simply repeated 14th-century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II’s statement about Prophet Muhammad.

Manuel had spent much of his 34-year rule defending his empire against Muslim aggression, finally agreeing to pay tribute to the Ottoman Turks the year before he died.

He stated:

Faith is born of the soul, not the body … To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death …”

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