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I’ve been so busy at work that I’ve been lax on my absorption of news from the web, newspaper or even the Daily Show. After just a few days immersed in Plato, Copernicus, Solomon, Maimonedes, and Ben Gurion, the news is filled with images of angry Muslims burning the Pope in effigy.

What happened now?

In case you missed it too, Pope Benedict XVI decided to bring up the problems of Islam during a sermon last week in

Germany

:

Citing historic Christian commentary on holy war and forced conversion, the 79-year-old pontiff quoted from a 14th-century Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologos.

"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.’ "

Clearly aware of the sensitivity of the issue, Benedict added, "I quote," twice before pronouncing the phrases on Islam and described them as "brusque," while neither explicitly agreeing with nor repudiating them.

"The emperor goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable," Benedict said.

"Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul," the pope said, issuing an open invitation to dialogue among cultures. (Pope: Conversion by Violence, Not God)

It’s great that the Pope agrees that spreading religion via violence is a bad thing. What I don’t understand is why he didn’t just use events from the history of the Church to make his case. Sure the followers of Muhammad converted people by the sword. However, in general they left “people of the book” alone. Who are these people of the book? Jews and Christians.

Before the Enlightenment, The Church rarely demonstrated the same tolerant behavior. How many Jews and Muslims were tortured and murdered during the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition? What about the Native Americans who were converted or murdered after the discovery of the “

New World

?” Let’s not forget the many wars between Catholics and Protestants which resulted in massacres and devastation.

And to the Muslims protesting the Pope’s comments: good for you. But, do you really need to burn a picture or drawing of him? You seem to only be proving his point.

The Pope is concerned about radical Islam. Well sir, join the crowd. Unfortunately, the Catholic Church is in no position to address the issue, especially from a historic-moral stance.

I have some advice for all religious leaders, be it the Pope, a priest, minister, rabbi, imam, or guru:

Until your religion does not breed hatred, bigotry, or elitism, until you have apologized for every person killed in the name of your God(s), until every one of your religious leaders is sinless, don’t address the problems of another religious community.

As my Bubbie used to say when my chubby Zadie used to call someone on the street fat:

Know thyself.