The Pope’s speech is deeply rooted in Orientalist myths; it presents a particular vision of a rational and enlightened “West” while obscuring Christianity’s own history of violence. He quotes the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus, who said, “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.” It is ironic that Joseph Ratzinger—who was elected Pope Benedict XVI after serving as head of the Vatican office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly known as the Inquisition)—could denounce the spreading of religion through violence and face little or no criticism. This is in no small part due to another deeply entrenched myth: that Islam is at its core a violent religion.

XREF: Connects to Said's Orientalism and broader postcolonial critiques of how the West narrates its own history.

Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politi…, loc. 190