Arab papers urge Pope apology for Islam comments

LONDON, Sep 16 (Reuters) Arab newspapers today urged Pope Benedict to personally apologise for using quotes in a speech that described Islam as ''evil and inhuman'', and the New York Times said any apology must be ''deep and persuasive''.

A Vatican official said today the Pope was sorry some passages of his speech had caused offence and hoped Muslims would understand the ''true sense'' of his words.

It was not immediately clear if the apology went far enough.

''The world listens carefully to the words of any Pope. And it is tragic and dangerous when one sows pain, either deliberately or carelessly,'' the New York Times said.

''He needs to offer a deep and persuasive apology, demonstrating that words can also heal,'' it added.

In a speech in Germany on Tuesday, the Pope quoted the 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, who said: ''Show me just what Mohammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.'' Muslims worldwide reacted angrily to Benedict's choice of quote and many have said he should apologise to dispel the impression he had joined a campaign against Islam.

While saying the Pope's remarks were ''extraordinarily worrying, saddening and unfortunate'', the English-language Turkish Daily News appealed for restraint.

''We just disagree with this vendetta-like approach of continuing to abuse the Pope after his spokesman made a statement saying that he respected Islam and did not intend to offend Muslims but just wanted to express his opposition to violence in religion,'' it said in an editorial.

Muslims must ''realise how sorry the head of the Catholic Church is about the mess he created. We have more than sufficient tensions between cultures. We should try to avoid a new one.'' Arab papers said the Pope's comments were inflammatory.

''We fear the words of the Pope would be a trigger of war, which we (in West Asia) Muslims and Christians, ... have always been trying to avoid ... ,'' columnist Hani Fahs wrote in London-based Arabic-language al-Hayat newspaper.

OIL ON THE FIRE Another columnist, Hussein Shobokshi, wrote in the London-based Arabic-language newspaper Asharq al-Awsat paper: ''The Pope's latest statement cannot be seen as a blunder.

''No doubt these remarks pour oil on the fire raging between the West and Islam. There is no difference between Osama bin Laden's (remarks and those of the Pope) ... Both sides are giving the world verbal ammunition for mass destruction.

''The Church's wise men should contain the situation and solve the issue with an immediate apology to close a blazing file.'' Saudi-Arabia's English-language Arab News said in its editorial: ''It would indeed be unfortunate if Pope Benedict's comments ... signal a departure from his late predecessor's interfaith vision.

''It is ... surprising that he chose to refer to Islam selectively, especially when history is littered with excesses executed in the name of Catholicism, Protestantism and Judaism.'' The newspaper called for calm. ''Perhaps the best response is for the Muslim world to rise above the occasion.

''Those who are calling for the cancellation of the pope's visit to Turkey in November this year, his first official visit to a Muslim country, are simply misguided and wrong.'' London-based al-Quds al-Arabi editorial compared the furore to the outcry caused by cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad that were printed in a Danish newspaper.

''The Pope's attacks are even more offensive than the cartoons because they come from the foremost Christian religious authority...'' An Iranian newspaper said the Pope had misrepresented Islam and ignored wars launched by Christian crusaders.

''The Christian cleric forgets ... about the atrocities that have taken place in the past centuries in the name and defence of Christianity,'' a commentary in the daily Etemad-e Melli said.

''All those acts from the crusades to the US attack on Iraq have been carried out by those who hide their motives behind holy religious values,'' it added.

REUTERS SY VV1825