Translated article: Pope condems Islamic fundamentalists

[Mr.Obvious]

Another article, translated to the best of my capabilities, that I wished to share.

source: http://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=dmf20140921_01278896

POPE CONDEMS ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISTS

Pope Franciscus has, at his first visit to a European country, condemned the inflicted terror by the Islamic fundamentalists. "Nobody should think that he can hide behind God when planning and executing violent acts!", said the prelate on sunday in the Albanian capitol of Tirana.

In this poor country of Balkans Catholics are a minority, making up only 15% of the population. Yet tens of thousands of people cheered on the 77-year-old pope from the sidelines of the street as he rode through the city's centre. The majority of the approximately three milion Albanians is muslim.

"Nobody may take religion as a pretext for his actions which contradict the values of humanity and it's fundamental rights", the pope apparently said in respons to the violence of the extremists in Syria and Irak. The fundamental human rights mean "first and foremost the right to life and freedom of religion for everyone", said Franciscus.

The pope makes Albania out to be a sort of alternative because it has "a climate of mutual respect and trust between catholics, the orthodox and muslims". The country in the south of the Adriatic sea "proves that peaceful and fruitful coexistance of people and communities of different religious beliefs is in fact both possible and achievable".

Tolerance is a 'precious commodity', which "in these times has a special meaning, in which true religious feelings are misrepresented by extremist groups and the difference between different religious beliefs are distorted and instrumentalised".

Despite heavy rainfall during the open-air mass in the centre of Tirana, thousands of people remained to enthousiastically cheer on the pope.

The small country of Albania was, in 1967, named the first atheïst state of the world by communists. Mosques and churches were closed down and even destroyed. Many members of the clergy were thrown in prison and murdered.

Take this article as you will.

While I don't follow the exploits of the current pope all that much, I still get a feeling of "Cettle, meet pot. Pot, Cettle." when reading the article.
Also I don't understand what the reporter's mindset was when putting in the closing statement. While an interesting piece of history, I don't see what has to do with anything else in the article.

Penny for your thoughts?

[SGOS]

I don't understand what the reporter's mindset was when putting in the closing statement. While an interesting piece of history, I don't see what has to do with anything else in the article.

It doesn't fit in with the rest of the article.  It almost seems like the writer had a some connection in his mind, but forgot to articulate its relevance.

[SGOS]

It could be that the article is really about persecution of Christians, but the title focused on the terrorist threat.  So it confuses the reader.  It's the media.  They do those sorts of things frequently.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Pope announces desire to buy the whole world a puppy, doesn't offer to clean up after it.. Nothing really new..

[Hydra009]

"Nobody may take religion as a pretext for his actions which contradict the values of humanity and it's fundamental rights",

Good idea.  Let's start with the Vatican.

[stromboli]

Pope announces desire to buy the whole world a puppy, doesn't offer to clean up after it.. Nothing really new..

^this.