I admire the Pope as a good Christian man.
Obviously, there are advisors (ala Wormtounge for LOTR fans) feeding him poison on a regular basis --- bad economics, better relationsips with Muslims than other Christian denominations, and a general failure to realize that the muslims have declared jihad on all Christiandom.
I agree with you, for a guy that helped the Polish resistance in WWII and helped bring down Communism in Eastern Europe, it seems strange that he makes statements like this. I think his illness has left him at the mercy of his "advisors".
The pope is one step away from god; and now he's confined to a wheelchair - terrible irony.