He should do more than merely shut up. He should very publically repent, and recant his previously made easily provable false statements. This is necessary for him to regain any shred of credibility.

What the pope wrote in Evangelii Gaudium is JUST NOT TRUE.

> … authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran
> are opposed to every form of violence.

See the last sentence of paragraph 253 here:
http://www.Vatican.VA/holy_father/francesco/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium_en.html
or here:
http://www.Vatican.VA/holy_father/francesco/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium_en.pdf

This is an official statement of the pope, in his capacity as the bishop of Rome. It is apparently NOT intended to be an infallible statement. That is good — because it doesn’t discredit the entire Church. It only discredits the pope himself.

I have lost all respect for this pope. It is very doubtful that he can ever gain my respect back. In order to do so, he will have to make a very public retraction, and say the exact opposite, in very clear and unequivocal terms.

Here is the truth about what the Koran teaches about violence:

> Fight those who do not believe in Allah
> or in the Last Day,
> and who do not consider unlawful
> what Allah and His Messenger have
> made unlawful,
> and who do not adopt the religion
> of truth from those who were given
> the Scripture –
> [fight] until they give the jizyah
> willingly while they are humbled.
> Koran 9:29
http://Quran.com/9/29

> So when you meet those who disbelieve,
> strike [their] necks until, when you
> have inflicted slaughter upon them,
> then secure their bonds, and either
> favor afterwards or ransom [them]
> until the war lays down its burdens.
> Koran 47:4
http://Quran.com/47/4

> [Remember] when your Lord inspired to
> the angels, “I am with you, so
> strengthen those who have believed.
> I will cast terror into the hearts
> of those who disbelieved, so strike
> [them] upon the necks and strike
> from them every fingertip.”
> Koran 8:12
http://Quran.com/8/12

What the pope said is just factually incorrect. He is wrong. He has thus impeached his credibility.

The only the pope can regain his credibility with me is to emphatically say the exact opposite, and to retract his previous statement.

I don’t know of any pope who has ever retracted any of his official writing. I don’t expect it to happen.

The problem is, though, that the Pope isn’t just there for his flock but must go after the “lost sheep”. The outgroup is of major concern to the Church and a Church which ignores this is one that is derelict in the discharge of its duties.

The second problem is that it is not the Pope’s job to keep the ingroup happy. The Pope’s job is to teach the truth, even if that upsets the ingroup. There is far too much sanctimony amongst the Trads, regardinding themselves as storing the whole repository of the truth. Just because the Liberals are batshit crazy does not mean that the Trads are perfect. It’s my opinion that the Trads are the flipside to the Liberals and they are both working together to undermine the Church. The trads by being totally closed to dogmatic revelation, and the liberals, by being uncritical with regard to any innovation.