Cardinal Meisner: People Are Afraid of Offending Muslims, Not Christians

Cardinal Meisner:  "It is significant that Christians are often the targets of satire and blasphemy.  With Muslims, one goes much more carefully, because one fears that there will be anger".

Cologne (kath.net/KNA)  Cologne's Cardinal Joachim Meisner criticized the treatment of Christians in Germany.  It is "significant" that Christians are often the targets of satire and blasphemy., said the Bishop to the «Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger» on Saturday.   "With Muslims one has to be more careful, because one fears that they will become angry."  Such public outrage is merely "the false reaction" and is denied to Christians.  It is "unfair, for them to distinguish themselves when it doesn't cost them anything".

Cardinal Meisner defended the Pope's legal action against the satirical magazine "Titanic".  "It looked to me as though they wanted to whipe their dirty boots on the Pope's white cassock," said the Cardinal.  Under the headline "The Leak is Found" thePope was shown in a white cassock with a yellow patch on the front and a brown one on the back.  The Hamburg regional court has  prohibited the further spread of the title picture through an injunction.

Meisner confides that he himself has never seen the picture, because he "doesn't want to pollute his eyes with it".  Some things "you should not come into close proximity to."

Link kath.net....