John Allen tries to sort through the whole EU thing, using William Donohue’s blast of the reporting on the matter as a jumping off point.

Yesterday, William Donohue of the Catholic League issued a statement blasting the press coverage, calling it “one of most embarrassing journalistic blunders to have occurred in some time.” He cited a line from the Common Declaration signed by Pope Benedict and Patriarch Bartholomew I, saying the two figures view positively the formation of the European Union, but cautioning the rights of minorities have to be protected, including religious freedom.

“Pope Benedict XVI has not flip-flopped: admission of Turkey into the European Union is conditioned on its willingness to respect the religious rights of minorities (something it has failed to do),” Donohue wrote.

This morning, a senior Western diplomat in Rome called me in light of this confusion to ask what he ought to report to his government about the pope’s position.

What’s the deal?