VARIOUS: Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the violence in Mohammad's word quoting a XIV century Byzantine Emperor

Muslim leaders have condemned Pope Benedict over comments he made on Tuesday (September 12) during a visit to his German homeland and called on him to apologise. Some Islamic scholars have said Islamic countries should threaten to break off relations with the Vatican, which said the Pope had never meant to offend Islam. An influential Iranian cleric on Friday (September 15) called Pope Benedict's remarks on Islam "absurd" and said it showed the Pontiff knew little about the religion. The Organisation of Islamic Conference has also said it regretted the Pope's remarks. Pope Benedict invited Muslims on Tuesday to join a dialogue of cultures based on the premise that the concept of an Islamic "holy war" is unreasonable and against God's nature. In a major lecture at Regensburg University in Germany, where he taught theology between 1969 to 1977, Benedict said Christianity is tightly linked to reason and contrasted this view with those who believe in spreading their faith by the sword. In his speech, Benedict quoted criticism of Islam and the Prophet Mohammad by 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, who wrote that everything Mohammad brought was "evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." The 79-year-old Pontiff avoided making a direct criticism of Islam, packaging his comments in a highly complex academic lecture with references ranging from ancient Jewish and Greek thinking to Protestant theology and modern atheism. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said on Friday (September 15) Pope Benedict XVI had no intention of offending Islam with his comments on holy wars. "It was certainly not the intention of the Holy Father to undertake a comprehensive study of the jihad and of Muslim ideas on the subject, still less to offend the sensibilities of Muslim faithful," said Lombardi. Lombardi added that a careful reading of the Pope's lecture would show that "what is clear then, is the Holy Father's desire to cultivate an attitude of respect and dialogue towards other religions and cultures, including, of course, Islam."

ITN Source | September 16, 2006

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