Iranian supreme leader: Pope part of US-Zionist conspiracy

After being told by an advisor that the Pope was outraged by one of many Soviet atrocity, Josef Stalin reportedly replied, "How many divisions (of troops) does the Pope have?"

The correct answer to that question is none then, none now.

But leave it to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's boss, to see things differently:

From the world's greatest newspaper, the Tehran Times:

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said (in Tehran) on Monday that Pope Benedict XVIÂ’s offensive remarks were part of a U.S.-Israeli conspiracy to create a conflict between religions.

Ayatollah Khamenei stated that the comments were part of the same conspiracy that started with the U.S. invasion of Iraq, which was devised by great powers intent on creating crises between religions to "pursue their evil objectives."

"Leaders of the global arrogance have already defined the links of the chain in this U.S.-Zionist project by attacking Iraq," he observed at a meeting with members of a committee responsible for promoting prayer.

"The issue of the insulting cartoons and the remarks of some U.S. politicians about Islam are different links in the chain of conspiracy to begin a crusade, and the Pope's remarks are the latest link in this chain," he added.

Clarification: Israeli troops were not part of the coalition of troops that invaded Iraq in 2003. Nor were the Vatican's Swiss Guards. Although not all of the Swiss Guards are guys in pretty uniforms--many of the guards are perform similar functions in less flamboyant clothing--that the US Secret Service does here.

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