February (Web-only) 2006

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1. Lebanon church attacked; was priest's murder part of Muslim outrage?
As worldwide protests against caricatures of Muhammad turn deadly, they have also turned anti-Christian. Retaliation against Christians for European publication of the cartoons has been especially notable in Lebanon, where Christian-Muslim tensions are more acute than they are elsewhere in the Middle East. Rioters with "Prophet's soldiers" headbands attacked a Maronite church in Beirut's largely Christian Achrifiyeh neighborhood, not far from the Danish embassy, and the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox archbishop.

"I thought, 'These are not people. These are monsters,'" Father Elias Feghali, pastor of St. Maron Catholic Church, told Catholic News Service. Some Muslim leaders apparently tried to stop the attack.

Some government officials, church leaders, and others in Turkey are suggesting that the murder of Roman Catholic priest Andrea Santoro on Sunday was also connected to the demonstrations. The murderer, who is thought to be between 14 and 17 years old, shouted "Allahu Akbar" (the frequent Muslim declaration meaning "God is great") as he shot the priest, who was praying after celebrating Mass.

The Vatican called the publication of the cartoons as "equally deplorable" as the "violent actions of protest," and suggested that European countries should crack down against newspapers that published the cartoons. "Authorities might and should intervene eventually according to the principles of national legislation," the Vatican press office said in an unsigned statement. Seriously. The Vatican says the violent riots, which have resulted in deaths, are equally deplorable to the publication of satirical cartoons, and says governments should consider limiting ...