Very interesting talk on BXVI and Islam

National Catholic Reporter columnist John Allen spoke Nov. 4 at the University of Dallas on "The Cross and the Crescent: The Relationship between the Church and Islam under Benedict XVI."

The heart of my argument in that lecture is that Pope Benedict XVI may well be the last, best hope for serious dialogue between the West and the Islamic world, because he is the lone figure of global standing in the West with the spiritual and theological credentials to address Muslims from within their own thought world. Hence when Benedict challenges Muslims to embrace reason and to respect religious freedom, he does so from within a shared space of commitment to religious truth.

The entire talk can be heard here. It's a long download, so be patient. This talk gives some important background to the pope's upcoming trip to Turkey.