In 2005, then Pope Benedict, while quoting from an obscure medieval text,
declared that the Prophet Mohammed, founder of the Islamic faith, was "evil
and inhuman", enraging the Muslim population and causing attacks on
churches throughout the world before an apology was issued.
Reacting within days to the statements, speaking through a spokesman to
Newsweek Argentina, then Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio declared his "unhappiness"
with the statements, made at the University of Regensburg in Germany, and
encouraged many of his subordinates with the Church to do the same.
"Pope Benedict's statement don't reflect my own opinions", the then Archbishop of Buenos Aires declared. "These statements will serve to destroy in 20 seconds the careful construction of a relationship with Islam that Pope John Paul II built over the last twenty years".
The
Vatican reacted quickly, removing one subordinate, Joaquín Piña the
Archbishop of Puerto Iguazú from his post within four days of his making
similar statements to the Argentine national media, sending a clear
statement to Cardinal Bergoglio that he would be next should he choose to
persist.
Reacting to the threats from Rome, Cardinal Bergoglio cancelled his plans to
fly to Rome, choosing to boycott the second synod that Pope Benedict had
called during his tenure as pontiff.
"The only thing that didn't happen to Bergoglio was being removed from
his post", wrote investigative journalist Horacio Verbitsky in his
column in left-wing daily newspaper Página/24. "The Vatican was
very quick to react,"
Cristina Kirchner, the Argentina president, stated at the time that such diatribes were "dangerous for everyone".
Cristina Kirchner, the Argentina president, stated at the time that such diatribes were "dangerous for everyone".