A couple of weeks ago, I received a very thoughtful letter from the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, Carl Anderson. You are all aware of the tremendous work the Knights of Columbus accomplishes on behalf of the church and our society. You may also know that, from the start, 125 years ago, the Knights have had a special promise of loyalty to the Holy Father.

The Supreme Knight’s correspondence was so timely and pointed that it actually sent a chill through me. Mr. Anderson wrote me – and all other bishops – to ask our support of the initiative of the Knights of Columbus to embark on a spiritual pilgrimage with Pope Benedict XVI as he travels to confer with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constanti-nople, in Istanbul, Turkey, on Nov. 30, 2006, the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle.

To that, I say, bravo!

Implicit in this spiritual pilgrimage is – let’s be candid – a fear for the very safety of the pope’s life.

The frightening explosive reaction to Pope Benedict XVI’s address in Regensburg, Germany, two months ago, by a small but very vocal minority of the world Islamic community, makes such apprehension, I am afraid, understandable.

I am eager to add that I am one of those who strongly believes that the three great monotheistic religions of the world – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all children of Abraham – are, at their core, committed to love, justice, and peace. I am one of those who believe that the vast majority of the leaders and people of all three religions recognize that freedom of religion, the right of conscience, and the promotion of human dignity is absolutely essential today.

I am one of those who believe that ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue is a pressing duty for all who believe in the one, true God.

Flowing from these convictions is the obligation to condemn acts of violence by those who claim – with tragic error – that fidelity to their own religion necessitates violence against others. Candor forces us, as Catholics, to admit that some who have claimed to be Catholic have been guilty of this in the past.

But, there is no denying that such calls for revenge and violence seem to be coming today mostly from Islamic extremists. Some of these fanatics – totally unrepresentative of the larger Islamic community – have literally threatened to do physical harm to Pope Benedict XVI.

During his first pastoral visit to the United States back in 1979, Pope John Paul the Great observed that the United States of America can serve as a shining model of freedom of religion and respect for the religious rights of all, that people of different faiths and ethnic backgrounds can, in fact, live in mutual reverence and friendship in their neighborhoods and country.

Religious strife – while an undeniable historical fact – is really an oxymoron. Genuine faith and religion can have no truck with violence of any kind.

Pope Benedict XVI travels to the Orthodox Patriarch in Turkey on a pilgrimage of faith, mutual love, and yearning for religious unity. Although Turkish authorities have given assurances of safety and security, he may be risking his life for these noble goals. People have pointed out to him the danger. But, he cannot not go.

More than ever, he deserves our love, loyalty and prayer. I would ask that such prayers be offered at every Mass this Sunday, the Feast of Christ the King.

Through the intercession of St. Andrew, may Jesus protect and defend the successor of Andrew’s brother, St. Peter!