Pope set to meet Muslims to try to defuse crisis

[stu]

By Philip Pullella

Mon Sep 25, 2:45 AM ET

 

 

 

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict meets Muslim ambassadors and Italian Islamic leaders later on Monday in an unprecedented move to try to defuse anger over his use of a medieval text which says their religion was spread by violence.

 

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As many as 20 envoys, including those from Iran, Iraq, Turkey and the Arab League, are expected to attend a special private audience with the Pope at his summer residence at Castelgandolfo, south of Rome.

 

The Vatican said on Friday the meeting, scheduled to start at 11:45 a.m. (0945 GMT), was to relaunch dialogue with the Islamic world.

 

The leader of more than one billion Catholics has several times expressed regret for the reaction to a speech nearly two weeks ago in which he quoted 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, who spoke of the Prophet Mohammad's "command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

 

But he has stopped short of the unequivocal apology wanted by Muslims for the speech, which he gave at Regensburg University during a trip to his native Germany.

 

Besides the Pope, the Vatican will be represented by its new Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, and Cardinal Paul Poupard, its Culture Minister who is also responsible for inter-religious dialogue.

 

It was still not clear what structure the meeting would have and whether the envoys would have a chance to have discussions with the 79-year-old Pope, who is facing the toughest international crisis since his election in April, 2005.

 

Iraq's Vatican envoy, Albert Edward Ishmail Yelda, told Reuters before the meeting he hoped there would be an "exchange of views" rather than just a papal speech.

 

Thousands of Muslims demonstrated again on Friday after prayers at mosques around the world but the anger and the size of the protests appears to be diminishing.

 

"This meeting will be very important, especially in these days, to try to stop every action that is not good," said Fathi Abuabed at the Arab League's Vatican mission.

 

Turkey's religious affairs director Ali Bardakoglu urged the Pope not to just to reiterate that he was misunderstood. He told CNN Turk on Friday that taking this line "comes near to accusing people of blindness in their perceptions."

 

But Bardakoglu would consider meeting Benedict if the Pope's planned trip to Turkey in November goes ahead. The violence of reactions has raised security concerns. Mehmet Ali Agca, who tried to kill Pope John Paul II in 1981, warned Benedict not to travel to Turkey, saying his life would be at risk.

 

The Pope has said his real intention had been to "explain that religion and violence do not go together but religion and reason do."

 

Western politicians, including President Bush, and Christian church leaders have tried to calm the crisis by ensuring Muslims that the Pope was sincere when he expressed regret at the offence caused.