The Seeds Of Peace
This column was written by CBS News Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith.
Pope Benedict has called for a meeting with Muslim leaders Monday at his summer palace outside of Rome. It's not only the smart thing to do, it's the right thing to do.
Riots erupted when the pope quoted a Byzantine emperor in a talk about religion and violence. The pope's comments were misunderstood to the point that some protestors have called for his death.
The pope has already apologized for any misunderstanding, but this shows the Vatican is interested in having a conversation about what went wrong.
Even more important is a little item I saw in the Washington Post this morning. Some American Muslims have started raising money to help rebuild churches that were damaged in the protests in the West Bank and Gaza.
It's not the sort of story that makes the front page unfortunately, and the money isn't much — $5,000 — but the gesture — the symbolism — is significant.
It represents the seeds of peace.
Harry's daily commentary can be heard on manyCBS Radio News affiliates across the country.
By Harry Smith