The Times of London points out something that strikes me as important about the Pope's remarks about Islam:
His address is undermined further by a serious error in regards to the Koran. "Sura 2,256 . . . is one of the suras of the early period, when Muhammad was still powerless and under threat." In fact, this sura [Koranic chapter] is held by Muslim scholars to be from the middle period, around the 24th year of Muhammad’s prophethood in 624 or 625, when he was in Medina and in control of a state. Contrary to what the Pope said, this was written when Muhammad was in a position of strength, not weakness.
This undermines the one passage where the Pope clearly speaks in his own words, as I explain below. And it undercuts his point almost completely.