How many different ways can Vatican officials put their pious feet in their mouths before they bother to look in the mirror? Pope Benedict's own past as a member of the Hitler Youth Brigade makes this latest grandiose statement all the more ironic and offensive.
The Pope has compared "atheist extremism" to the Nazi tyranny of WWII in a speech given in Edinburgh as he begins a four-day visit to the UK.
The pontiff praised Britain's fight against the Nazis – who "wished to eradicate God" – before relating it to modern day "atheist extremism".
Afterwards his spokesman Federico Lombardi said: "I think the Pope knows rather well what the Nazi ideology is".
Humanists have said the comments were a "terrible libel" against non-believers…
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A statement from the British Humanist Association said the Pope's remarks were "surreal".
"The notion that it was the atheism of Nazis that led to their extremist and hateful views or that it somehow fuels intolerance in Britain today is a terrible libel against those who do not believe in God.
"The notion that it is non-religious people in the UK today who want to force their views on others, coming from a man whose organisation exerts itself internationally to impose its narrow and exclusive form of morality and undermine the human rights of women, children, gay people and many others, is surreal."
The German-born Pope has previously spoken of his time growing up under the "monster" of Nazism.
He joined Hitler Youth at 14, as was required of young Germans at the time.
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