Morocco recalls Vatican envoy over Pope remarks

RABAT, Sep 16 (Reuters) Morocco's King Mohammed has recalled his ambassador to the Vatican for talks as a result of the Pope's comments about Islam, the official MAP news agency reported today.

''Ali Achour is recalled for consultations as from Sunday following offensive remarks by Pope Benedict about Islam and Muslims,'' MAP quoted a foreign ministry statement as saying. It added the instructions had come from the king.

The Pope's suggestion in a lecture on Tuesday in his native Germany that early Muslims had used violence to spread their faith has sparked fury across the Islamic world along with demands for a public apology from the Pope.

In the speech, the Pope referred to criticism of the Prophet Mohammad by 14th-century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, who said everything the Prophet brought was evil ''such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached''.

The Vatican secretary of state said in a statement today the Pope was sorry Muslims were offended by the speech.

REUTERS SAM VC2130