Some think the Pope’s quotation still stands. The Pope’s quotation, the basis for the controversy, does not stand. He said, “These were in fact quotations from a medieval text, which do not in any way express my personal thought.†He not only withdrew His quotation, He repudiated it. Whatever is standing is undetectable by the average person. The standing seems to require one imply that the Pope stands by the proposition as worthy of argument. Yet his apology, it seems, means He thinks the proposition is unworthy of argument.
The truth spoken in a theological essay is an insult to only a liar. Islam is evil based on Christian theology. By one single example the Emperor proved Islam’s evilness. One who lives by the sword dies by the sword. He dies instead of being welcomed into an everlasting joyful life with Jesus; to restate, only evil people die.
That His speech was theological is proven by His words: “Are scholars prepared to speak rationally about the intellectual claims posed by religious believers?†He was referring not just to Christians and humanists but also to Muslims.
Withholding the truth—in this case, the label of evil—in a theological discussion will not gain anything for the opposition except contempt. It shows stupidity or weakness or both. Muslims, like Nazis, must be called to account for their awful principles.
Because a group has many members is not an argument against confronting them and telling them the truth as you see it.
Because many Muslims probably just want to prosper and to live in peace and do not want to war with infidels does not relieve them of responsibility for their evil beliefs. Many Nazis or believers in Hitler just wanted to prosper and to live in peace and did not want to war. One single man started the Nazi wars. One single man can restart the Muslim wars based on its evil beliefs. Should Churchill have pussyfooted with the Nazis? Of course not. Similarly, the Pope should not pussyfoot with the Muslims.