Shots at Italy's Istanbul consulate ahead of Pope visit

ISTANBUL, Nov 2 (Reuters) A man fired a weapon in front of the Italian consulate in Istanbul today ahead of Pope Benedict's visit to Turkey, but no one was injured, an embassy spokesman said.

Broadcaster CNN Turk said the man was protesting against the Pope's November 28-Dec 1 trip to the predominantly Muslim country.

''I can confirm the man was shooting in front of the consulate,'' Italian embassy spokesman Antonino Maggiore in Ankara said. ''He was detained by the police.'' Benedict's first visit to Turkey has been overshadowed by Muslim anger since a September lecture he gave at a German university in which he quoted a 14th-century Byzantine Emperor in a passage seen as critical of the Prophet Mohammad.

''We think that this is something that is an isolated incident and does not disturb the overall calm preparations for the trip,'' chief Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi, told Reuters.

The leader of more than 1 billion Catholics has several times expressed regret for the reaction to the speech but has stopped short of the unequivocal apology wanted by some Muslims.

Some of the strongest criticism of the speech came from Turkey, where nationalists and Islamic activists have pushed for his trip to be cancelled.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has decided not to meet Pope Benedict because of a busy schedule, a move Italian commentators said amounted to a diplomatic snub.

Many Turks remain uneasy about Pope Benedict's trip, some fearing it will increase the popularity of non-Muslim religions or threaten the country's secularism.

REUTERS PDM HS2157