Pope 'deeply sorry' for offending Muslims
Pope Benedict XVI says he is "deeply sorry" for the reaction to comments he made about Islam, adding the remarks don't reflect his own personal beliefs.
"These (words) were in fact a quotation from a medieval text which do not in any way express my personal thought," Benedict told pilgrims Sunday at his summer palace outside Rome.
"At this time I wish also to add that 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.
Security was tight as the pope made his Sunday speech, amid fears Benedict himself would be targeted.
Benedict had quoted from a book that sets down a conversation between Byzantine Christian Emperor Manuel Paleologos II and an educated Persian on the truths of the two religions.
The pope quoted the emperor saying that Islam was spread by violence and describing the Prophet Mohammed as "evil and inhuman."
Experts say such an apology is unprecedented in the Roman Catholic church's history.
The comments have sparked protests in the Muslim world and cast doubt on the pontiff's upcoming trip to Turkey, scheduled for November. (keep reading)
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