Monday morning head start: Pope to meet Islamic envoys today

The Pope is scheduled to meet with Islamic envoys early Monday morning. Here is advance coverage of that event as well as a roundup of the best recent commentary:

CWNews:

Pope Benedict XVI will meet on September 25 with envoys from Islamic countries, and representatives of Muslim groups in Italy, to discuss protests generated by the Pope's speech earlier this month in Regensburg.

Confirming reports that had circulated earlier this week, the Vatican announced that ambassadors from countries with Islamic majorities would be invited to Castel Gandolfo for a meeting with the Pontiff, to be held at 11:45. Leading Muslims in Italy-- including Abdellah Radouani, the head of the mosque in Rome-- have been included in the invitation.

...

Informed Vatican sources had reported that soon after the Regensburg address, when protests began in Islamic countries, representatives of the Holy See begin quietly contacting diplomats from those countries, working to set up a meeting at which the Pope's speech and the public response could be discussed. The September 25 meeting is the result of those diplomatic initiatives.

More from CNS here. BBC News covers this story here.

Good recent commentary:

• "Benedict Takes the Next Step with Islam" by Mark Brumley at IgnatiusInsight
• "The Pope Was Right" by George Weigel
• "Why Benedict XVI Did not Want to Fall Silent or Backpedal" by Sandro Magister

And of course, the always-excellent Pope Benedict Blog roundup by Christopher Blosser:

• "Pope Benedict Roundup!"
• Pope Benedict and "Regensberg Rage" - The Islamic Reaction (Pt. III)

Mr. Blosser also has a contribution to the various "I Support the Pope" banners being circulated:

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