The Pope's Remarks

Batten down the hatches folks. His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI committed a most grievous affrontry to Islam by making a speech in which he spoke against religious violence.

The Pope's speech quoted from a book recounting a conversation between 14th century Byzantine Christian Emperor Manuel Paleologos II and an educated Persian on the truths of Christianity and Islam. "The emperor comes to speak
about the issue of jihad, holy war," the Pope said.

"He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached'."

It seems that this allusion to Islam being a religion of violence is not being received well by its adherents, many of whom are the descendants of people forcibly converted when old Byzantium fell to Islamic warriors spreading their religion through, ..... er ....... the sword. In order to prove the falsity of the Pope's premise they are, as I write, setting about indiscriminately attacking Christian churches in the Middle East.

I say indiscriminately because the followers of the religion of peace have had a go at burning Orthodox and Anglican, as well as Catholic, churches in the past two days. Any port in a storm. Any church in a rage. Oh yes, one nun has been murdered, ....... so far.

Blame the Pope do you? Why? He has killed no one. He has burned no mosques. It is entirely within the purview of those Islamic zealots who are undertaking the violence to stop. Now. Completely. If not, be it on their heads. The Pope, being more of a man of peace than I am, has apologized to Muslims for quoting, goodness gracious, a 14th Byzantine emperor (who knew whereof he spake) to the effect that the prophet Mohammed wrote that Muslims are to spread religion by the sword - perish the thought.

Apologies will do no good, of course. The followers of the religion of peace have a head of righteous religious steam a building and they will surely set about, frothing at the mouth in delirious mobs, demolishing churches, killing clerics and innocent Christians and generally proving that the 14th century emperor was an astute judge of religions.

When one considers many Muslims' insane reaction to a few Danish political cartoons a few weeks back one can only await the cataclysmic orgy of violence which is surely about to inundate the world.

Evil is as evil does.