Pope assures Muslims of respect, dialogue

Castelgandolfo (Italy), Sept 26: Pope Benedict assured Muslims on Monday that he respected them and was committed to dialogue as he met envoys to defuse anger at his use of quotes saying their faith was spread by violence.

In a speech to diplomats from some 20 Muslim countries plus the leaders of Italy's own Muslim community at his summer residence south of Rome, the Pope said both Christians and Muslims had to reject violence.

Several of the envoys who attended the unprecedented meeting said they considered it had gone a long way to help end the controversy that began two weeks ago with a speech by the Pope at a university in his native Germany.

But Italian news agency ANSA quoted Cairo-based al-Azhar, one of the Sunni Muslim world's most prestigious seats of religious studies, and Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood as saying they still wanted a ''clear apology'' from the Pope.

''All that he said is not the clear apology the Azhar has asked for,'' a spokesman for al-Azhar was quoted as saying.

The deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Habib, was also quoted as saying that the Pope must ''make a clear apology or delete from his speech the offensive references (...) He should not skirt the issue.'' In his meeting with Muslim envoys, the Pope did not specifically mention the quote that angered Muslims worldwide, saying the circumstances that made the encounter necessary ''are well known''.

''Christians and Muslims must learn to work together ... in order to guard against all forms of intolerance and to oppose all manifestations of violence,'' the 79-year-old Pope said at the meeting in the papal summer palace.

It was the fourth time he has tried to make amends, without actually apologising directly, for his speech on September 12.

''I think this meeting has resolved many problems ... we can close this controversy,'' said Khalil Altoubat, a member of the Italian Muslim community's liaison group with the government.

TOUGHEST CRISIS

The Pope is facing the toughest international crisis since his election in April, 2005, and the severity of some reactions has raised doubts about a planned trip to Turkey in November.

Mario Scialoja, an adviser to the Italian section of the World Muslim League who attended the audience, told Reuters afterwards he thought it was a ''very good and warm speech''.

''He recalled the differences but expressed his willingness to continue in a cordial and fruitful dialogue, said Scialoja, who added that he ''had not been expecting another apology''.

The atmosphere at the 30-minute meeting, which was broadcast live on Vatican television and radio, appeared cordial. After delivering his speech the Pope greeted each of the envoys personally and chatted with them briefly.

The leader of more than one billion Catholics has expressed regret at the response to his quoting 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, who said the Prophet Mohammad commanded ''to spread by the sword the faith he preached''.

The Pope said Christians and Muslims had to learn from the past and work for a better future.

''I sincerely pray that the relations of trust which have developed between Christians and Muslims over several years, will not only continue, but will develop further in a spirit of sincere and respectful dialogue ...,'' he said.

Iraqi ambassador Albert Edward Ismail Yelda also said he was satisfied with the speech.

''I pray to almighty God the crisis will be behind us,'' he told reporters. ''We need to sit together, Muslims, Christians, Jews and the rest of the world, the rest of religions, in order to find common ground for peaceful coexistence.''

REUTERS

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