Update on the Unapologetic "Apology" post (Sujatha)

A couple of pertinent links to add to the discussion. Read these and form your own opinions regarding the pope's speech.

Translation of the pope's speech

It's my considered opinion on reading the whole speech ( seemed like a form of water torture to follow the meanderings from the main idea) is that while the pope was ostensibly discussing of the concept of a 'reasonable God', by pulling in a non sequitur insult of Islam from Manuel Paleologus, is arguably implying that Islam is not founded on the same concept of a 'reasonable' God as Christianity. The quotation from the emperor that he chose to insert in his speech is not germane to his discussion of the reasonableness of his preferred deity. It merely serves as a gratuitously derogatory reference to prophet Mohammed.
To me, it seemed like an off the bat reference to something only faintly connected to the main topic of discussion, as if a professor lecturing his students on the desirability of vegetarianism, suddenly added " I happened to be reading a book by prof.XYZ the other day and  XYZ said, and I quote "All non-vegetarians are the most evil and reprehensible beings on the planet." Which brings us to the main point of the discussion- How can we perceive that the influence of the ABC culture on our society has had the beneficial effect of promoting vegetarianism."

MJ Akbar's excellent commentary on the speech