Popes, like musical composers, tend to weave certain major and minor themes throughout their body of work. If you want to know which compositions they regard as turning points, therefore, look for the ones where they step outside their own skin — breaking with the instincts of a lifetime in order to accomplish something new.<\/p>\n
For instance, when Benedict XVI stood next to a Muslim mufti for a moment of silent prayer in Istanbul\u2019s Blue Mosque in 2006 \u201d\u201c despite his longstanding theological reservations about interreligious prayer \u201d\u201c it offered a clear signal of his commitment to Islamic\/Catholic reconciliation, which was especially crucial in the wake of his Regensburg address just two months before.<\/p>\n
By the same logic, Benedict XVI\u2019s decision earlier this year to create a \u201cPontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization\u201d\u009d also would have to rank as a carefully considered roll of the dice, because this is hardly a pope enchanted by bureaucracy.<\/p>\n