Pope Benedict Apparently Looking Back to the Good Old Days – the 14th Century

Pope Benedict XVI gave a speech this week in which he quoted remarks made by Emperor Manual II Paleologos of Byzantine. The Pope’s choice of a 14th century Christian emperor-and boy, isn’t the very idea of a “emperor” probably just what Jesus had in mind for a Christian revolution-to quote was probably his first mistake. His second mistake was choosing the particular quotations he chose. Pope Benedict XVI went back in time to bring kicking and screaming into a 21st century facing many of the same religious problems faced by this medieval emperor these perhaps incendiary words:

“Show me just what Muhammad 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.”

Yeah, Muhammad definitely was responsible for only evil and inhumane acts, quite unlike the Catholic Church.

Just in case you forgot, during just 14th century the Catholic Church was responsible for the burning of Jews up and down the breadth of the continent because it was assumed that the Jews were responsible for the Black Death. Then, also during the 14th century, we have the Ecumenical Council of Vienne, which basically was brought into existence for only one reason: to give authorization for the brutal, violent and deadly suppression of the Knights Templar. Lest you forget, the Knights Templar were created by the Catholic Church to help with that mission of humanity, the Crusades. Oh, and let’s not forget one of Benedict’s precursors, the great Pope John XXII who bears most of the responsibility introducing the concept of black witchcraft to the Christian world and whose edicts gave the French Inquisition (not so very different from their Spanish brethren) the rather convenient ability to confiscate any property belonging to anyone who was accused of practicing witchcraft-even if they were long dead.

Hmm, apparently Muhammad wasn’t the only one responsible for evil and inhumane actions.