Reading, for me, is entertainment and an escape from the real world. But it can also inform and stretch the boundaries of the life I live.
At least he's acknowledging his own hypocrisy in looking the other way when his "reform" movement is committing the same crimes and using the same tactics as the church system they're working to overthrow. An "end justifies the means" approach always corrupts the actor, no matter how pure their motives, IMO.