Almost Bush-esque

Is The Pope's Ear For Irony. In Jordan on a Goodwill Visit that appears to be coming up short in the Good Will department

Pope Benedict

Denounced what he called "Ideological Manipulation" as a cause of "tension and division, and at times even violence in society"!"
Remarkable! I must admit I am unable to concieve of any person place or thing on Planet Earth more manipulative of ideological symbols than The Pope. In fact it's pretty much the job description, isn't it?
Of course, The Pope was in the Middle East not just to point out the toxicity of ideological manipulation - he was also there to pray for the Conversion Of The Jews. That prayer is always an e-ticket ride in Jerusalem.
All in all, I think The Pope should be checked for hearing loss. Or, perhaps, he's just lost a few centuries; stuck in the Middle Ages, as it were.