Today’s Sunday Sermon is on how actions speak louder than words.

Last week, Pope Benedict XVI, during a speech to some professors while visiting Germnay, quoted from Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus who said: “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.” Now, I’m not going to leap to the pontiff’s defence or anything nor do I object to many of the comments which have come from Muslim secular and religious leaders which have strongly condemned the remarks. After all, one of the pesky side-effects of freedom of speech is that others are equally free to criticize or condemn some of the things you say.

But, being somewhat familiar with Byzantine history, I found the source of the quote very interesting. Manuel was one of the very last of the Byzantine emperors (the third-last if you want to keep score). At this time, the once-mighty empire had shrunk down to little more than the city of Constantinople itself (modern Istanbul) and the ‘emperor’ was actually a vassal of the Ottoman Sultan. So Manuel was not one of the ‘crusading’ emperors who led great armies against the Caliphs and Sultans of old. In fact, when Manuel led troops, it was often in the service of his overlord, the Sultan. The Sultan frequently demanded this service of Manuel and his father; partly to ensure they were obedient vassals, and partly to see if he could push them into rebellion in order to have the pretext for seizing their lands (especially, the strategically located Constantinople).

So when Manuel speaks about the evil and inhumanity of Islam being spread by the sword, he’s talking about events that he has personally witnessed. A number of his letters reveal his great sadness at the devastation being wrought by the Sultan’s army, which he was nominally a part of. So it’s a very interesting source that Pope Benedict XVI chose to use.

But enough of the ancient history, let’s now look at current events. Since the pontiff made his (possibly ill-chosen) remarks, what has happened? Well, an Italian nun along with her bodyguard and another hospital worker were shot in a hospital in Somalia. Since no one’s claimed responsibility, it’s impossible to know whether the two incidents were linked. But on Saturday, five churches came under fire from guns and firebombs in the West Bank and Gaza during protests by Palestinian Muslims. Two more churches (neither of them Catholic) were set on fire today in the West Bank.

So while I greatly respect the Islamic religion, I am forced to wonder whether Manuel II knew of what he spoke? And do I listen to the words of the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood when he says “Our relations with Christians should remain good, civilized and co-operative”, or do I instead look at the body of a murdered nun and the burned out churches in the land where Christ lived?

Don’t actions speak louder than words?