I was under the impression that JP II supposedly kissed a copy of the Gospels? If not, remember that he was an old man at the time and mabye just thought that it was a good idea to do? He also could have been showing reverance not for the whole Koran but just the aspects of it that Christians and Muslims have in common?

Robert,

I will tell you what I heard (this was years ago). Apparently, and I say this in all charity, I think some people were trying to spin it so that the rumor got out that Pope John Paul II kissed a copy of the Gospels, but fact-checking proved that it was, indeed, the Qur'an.

I would chalk this behavior up to the fact that many were indeed scandalized, and someone thought it smart to devise a "cover up." I didn't know that is what so widely disseminated that you would've heard about it. Although since I heard about it, why shouldn't you, I guess? LOL.

Alexis