Greetings and salutations on this secular New Year day.

Today’s Jerusalem Post has an interesting article on some of the recent actions and statements by the Pope.   Boteach speaks of the Pope’s recent “warm greetings” for Ahmadinajab of Iran, the recent Holocaust denier’s conference there and the Pope’s condemnation of the execution of Sadaam Hussein.

See if you agree with Boteach in the following excerpt from the article,

Last week, the church broke ranks with nearly every moral voice and came out publicly against Saddam’s execution. But if that were not enough, Pope Benedict XVI granted a private audience to a delegation of Iranian officials, led by Iranian Foreign Minister Manoucher Mottaki, whose ministry sponsored the recent Holocaust denial conference in Teheran.

The pope is the foremost spiritual leader on earth. It shocks every moral sensibility that he would choose to legitimize a wretch like this. More troubling yet, the pope conveyed warm greetings to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad through the delegation.

Warm greetings? Ahmadinejad is calling virtually every week for Israel’s annihilation. Does the pope have anything to share with this man aside from his contempt? One would hope that a pope who witnessed the Holocaust and the destruction of the Jewish people would practice extra caution before hanging out with those who wish to renew Hitler’s efforts.

LET’S NOT finesse this. Ahmadinejad is an international abomination who can lay strong claim to being the single most hate-filled man alive. Surely the pope can find more worthy recipients of his time and graciousness?…   (keep reading)

Yes, it is a bit unusual for me to cite Rabbi Boteach, but on this point, I agree.  How about you?