'Pope Benedict just visited Brazil and his comments have caused uproar when he said, “the Church had not imposed itself on the indigenous peoples of the Americas. They had welcomed the arrival of European priests at the time of the conquest as they were "silently longing" for Christianity.” Satere Mawe, chief coordinator of the Amazon Indian group Coiab responded, “It’s arrogant and disrespectful to consider our cultural heritage secondary to theirs."

No one, religious or otherwise has room to guffaw. It is typical of every religious figure head to act and say something similar. I have encountered a very similar dialogue where a sense of superiority is conveyed by Hindu, Muslim and clergy of other faiths. It is their business to defend their ‘exclusive’ faith. In reality, no one owns any faith. Faiths are alternative ways of seeking the illusory peace of mind and relief from the misery. Zarthustra, Buddha, Mahavira, Krishna, Moses, Jesus, Mohammad, Nanak, Baha’u’llah, Joseph Smith or Confucius did not intend to create their own brand of people. Their message was for the whole of mankind and their mission was not to create one group versus the other.’

Pope, Brazil & Arrogance