“Thanks to the wisdom of the planners or the Holy Spirit, I found myself seated next to Pat Robertson — who, to let you in on a secret, is not my favorite theologian. But do I get to deny that he is my brother in Christ any more than Pope Benedict can deny that I am his?”
Michael Kinnamon
The general secretary of the National Council of Churches was speaking about a recent prayer service in New York for ecumenical leaders hosted by Pope Benedict XVI. (RNS)
“Race is important. You [in the United States] have pretended that it wasn't really an issue, but it's important. Katrina comes along and reveals the fissures in your country. I venture to say in the pit of the stomach of every black person in this country is pain that has not been acknowledged.”
Desmond Tutu
The retired Anglican archbishop of South Africa was speaking to reporters after a graduation ceremony at the school of theology at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn. (RNS)