Did the Pope "take ownership" of the quote as if he believed in it, or was this a random quote in a speech taken out of context? I could quote Usama bin Laden in a speech to punctuate a point, but not espouse the quote. What was the Pope's context or reason for including this quote in the speech? BTW, I don't disagree with the premise of the Byzentine emperor's quote!
There is a link to the full text on thread.
And, imo, yes, he has taken ownership of the truth that is in the snipped quote.
VIVA PAPA!!