"Pope Benedict expresses deep sorrow over reactions to his words" - CNA

From CNA:

Castelgandolfo, Sep. 17, 2006 (CNA) - Pope Benedict XVI personally addressed the violent reaction to remarks he made last week, which made brief mention of Islamic Jihad. The Pontiff who offered his regrets in Italian, also repeated his remarks in English and French.

Both Vatican spokesman, Fr. Federico Lombardi, and Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, have made statements in recent days insisting that the Pontiff did not intend to cause offense with his quoting of a 14th century emperor who called militant Islam “evil and inhuman.”

During his regular Angelus address, Sunday, the Pope attempted himself to assuage the angry reactions on the part of many Muslims, saying that he is, “deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries” to the remarks, “which were considered offensive to the sensibility of Muslims.”

The offending quotations, the Pope continued, were from a medieval text, which do not “in any way” express his personal thought.

Instead, he said, the true meaning of his address, “was and is an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue, with great mutual respect.”

In the meantime violence and anger have continued to escalate in the Middle East. [More...]

Christopher Blosser at the Benedict Blog has excellent ongoing news coverage and analysis.