What’s this? The Pope making anti-Semitic remarks? Well, there’s more than one Pope. It’s not Pope Benedict XVI. Nor one of those self-appointed alternative Popes, like blog-writing Pope Michael (more about him here). No, it’s the Coptic one.

THE LEADER of the Coptic Church, Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria told Egyptian television last month the Western Churches were wrong to exonerate Jews for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and criticised recent statements apologising for Christian anti-Semitism.

Asked whether Jews were “Christ-killers”, responsible for the crucifixion, Shenouda stated, “The New Testament says that they are,” and asked rhetorically whether the Vatican was “against the teachings of the New Testament?”

Shenouda stated he had banned Copts from visiting Israel for fear they will “be influenced by the Israeli media, and we will not be able to prevent this. Who knows what ideas they will return with?”

The Coptic Christians are oppressed by their Muslim overlords. Is this dhimmi nervously trying to please the latter in the hope that they won’t hurt him? Or is he anti-Semitic anyway? Or both?