Rice praises Pope for "love of humanity"

NEW YORK, Sep 19 (Reuters) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, entering a firestorm over Pope Benedict's comments on Islam, praised him for his ''love of humanity'' and said people sometimes offended others without meaning to.

Rice said the Pope regretted his comments, which were seen as portraying Islam as a violent faith, and said the pontiff was known for his desire for tolerance in the world.

''Look, we all need better understanding. We all need to understand that offense can sometimes be taken when perhaps we don't see it,'' Rice said today in an interview with ABC's ''Good Morning America.'' ''But I would hope that all religions are willing to step back and to see our common humanity,'' she added.

The Pope enraged Muslims in a speech a week ago in Germany quoting 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, who said everything the Prophet Mohammad brought was evil ''such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.'' The Pope said he was sorry for the reaction his comments caused but he stopped far short of an unequivocal apology demanded by many Muslims.

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