Rare personal apology from pope over words that offended Muslims

ROME — In his first public appearance since igniting a firestorm in the Islamic world, Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday said he was "deeply sorry" that Muslims were offended and outraged by his use of a medieval citation critical of their faith, saying it did not "in any way express my personal thought."

The pope used his weekly Angelus blessing, at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo outside Rome, to confront the most serious controversy of his 17-month-old papacy. For a pope, it was a highly unusual gesture of regret.

By making a personal, public apology, Benedict hoped to calm the fury that exploded after delivering a major address last week at the University of Regensburg, Germany, in which he quoted a 14th-century Byzantine emperor who regarded some of the prophet Muhammad's teachings as "evil and inhuman."

Major Arab television networks gave considerable coverage to the pope's Sunday message; the Al Arabiya network carried it live.

Initial reaction from Islamic groups was mixed, with many saying they still wanted a fuller apology.

In Somalia, gunmen killed an Italian nun outside a children's hospital in the capital. It was not clear whether the shooting of Leonella Sgorbati, 64, was related to the pope controversy; Somali Islamic extremists had threatened to attack Catholics after his remarks.

"We hope this remains an isolated act," said Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi. But he said he feared it could be "the fruit of the violence and irrationality" that has arisen from the pope's speech "without motive or justification."

The Italian Interior Ministry, meanwhile, said it raised the level of the security alert in parts of the country in reaction to the international protests. National Police Chief Gianni De Gennaro called on authorities to be especially vigilant of Catholic sites, noting the presence in Italy of a radical Islamic minority.

At Castel Gandolfo, security was tighter than usual. Police sharpshooters overlooked the piazza where the crowd assembled to hear the pope. Guards screened the estimated 2,000 pilgrims, passing them through metal detectors and checking purses and backpacks.

"I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg, which were considered offensive to the sensibility of Muslims," the pope said, adding that the quote from Emperor Manuel II Paleologus did not reflect his own opinion.

The pope on Tuesday had quoted the emperor as saying: "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

Benedict noted that on Saturday, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the No. 2 official in the Vatican, had offered a written clarification of the meaning of the pope's speech. The statement also relayed the pope's "deep regrets." But many of the pope's critics wanted to hear it from the pope himself.

"I hope that this serves to appease hearts," Benedict said, "and to clarify the true meaning of my address, which in its totality was and is an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue, with great mutual respect."

Reception across the Islamic world remained skeptical. One official of the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the largest and most influential Islamic movements in the Middle East, was quoted as saying the pope's statement was a "good step." But others in the movement were not satisfied.

"The pope's apologies were not enough because, in his aggression, he clearly knew and meant what he said," Jihan Halafawi, director of the Islamic and Political Bureau of the Muslim Brotherhood, said in Cairo, Egypt. "We need a clear and direct apology to all the Muslims in this world."

Opinion in Turkey was not unanimous but, significantly, the Turkish foreign minister said the pope was welcome to proceed with a trip to the Muslim nation scheduled for late November. The visit was thrown into doubt after Benedict's remarks, with some of the sharpest criticism coming from senior Turkish officials.