Paris, France - Pope Benedict may have prayed with a mufti in Istanbul's Blue Mosque, but that doesn't mean that Catholic children in his native Germany can follow his example when they gather for pre-Christmas festivities at their schools.
Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne last week unexpectedly banned little Catholics from praying with Muslim classmates just as Catholic and state primary schools geared up for Christmas carols and Nativity plays that Muslim pupils often attend.
Coming only days after Benedict made an unexpected gesture of reconciliation by praying toward Mecca alongside Istanbul's Grand Mufti Mustafa Cagrici, the ban on Catholic pupils praying with non-Christians at these events sparked a wave of criticism.
"Especially after Benedict's trip to Turkey, it's amazing that Meisner wants to be more Catholic than the Pope," wrote the Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger, the main daily in the traditionally Catholic Rhineland city.
Meisner and his aides have spent the past few days explaining they have nothing against children of all faiths getting together to sing carols around a tree or act out the Nativity story. But they should not say any prayer together.
Catholic children will be confused if they also say a prayer with Muslims, who have a different view of God, they say. Benedict prayed silently alongside a Muslim but not aloud with him, a distinction adults can understand but children cannot.
"The image of God in non-Christian religions is not identical with the God who is Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," Meisner said in issuing the ban.
"So each community can only pray alone to its God. If this happens in a mixed setting, one group has to stand by silently while the other prays," he said.
FINE DISTINCTIONS OVERLOOKED
That is a view the Pope can support. In his years as the Vatican's doctrinal watchdog before his election in 2005, Benedict drew clear lines between Catholicism and other faiths and frowned when Pope John Paul seemed to step over them.
At the Blue Mosque, Benedict stood in silent reflection while Cagrici prayed aloud, clearly making the distinction that Meisner said children would be too young to fathom.
These finer points have got lost in the discussion.
"Meisner is contradicting the signals the Pope has just sent out in recent days," said Lale Akgun, parliamentary spokeswoman on Islam for the Social Democratic Party.
The ban was "a slap in the face for all those who work for a dialogue among religions and the successful integration of all people in our society," said Akgun, a German of Turkish origin.
Criticism also came from Christian Democrats. "I think we now need not less but more common points among religions," said Armin Laschet, integration minister for North Rhine Westphalia state where Cologne is located.
The discussion has shed light on the often overlooked fact that many Muslim pupils join in what German schools consider to be general cultural traditions. Some Muslim parents go along to see their children singing carols or acting in Nativity plays.
The Association of Catholic Religion Teachers, who are meant to enforce the ban, has openly disagreed with the cardinal and supported simple non-denominational prayers at such events.
"We are convinced that multi-religious ceremonies that respect the different forms of belief are an expression of a common focus on the God of life," they said in a statement.