.Aljazeera take on today's Papal Audience
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Pope Benedict XVI has said his use of medieval quotes critical of Islam, which infuriated Muslims worldwide, did not reflect his own convictions and were misunderstood.
The pope, who has faced calls for an unequivocal apology to the Muslim world but has so far only said he regrets the offence his words caused, said he hoped the furore could lead to "self-critical" dialogue among faiths and cultures.
In a speech in Germany last week, the pope quoted 14th-century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus saying everything Prophet Muhammad brought was evil, "such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached".
At his weekly public audience in the Vatican on Wednesday, the German-born pope, speaking in Italian, said once again that the furore was caused by a "misunderstanding".
The pope said: "But for the careful reader of my text it is clear that I in no way wanted to make mine the negative words pronounced by the medieval emperor and their polemical content does not reflect my personal conviction. "My intention was very different. I wanted to explain that religion and violence do not go together, but religion and reason do."
The 79-year-old leader of the world's one billion Roman Catholics said he hoped the whole furore could eventually serve to encourage "positive and even self-critical dialogue, both among religions as well as between modern reason and the faith of Christians".
Related:
Mixed reactions to pope's explanation
Full text of pope's remarks
Thousands rally against pope speech
Pope criticised over Islam remarks
Pope Benedict XVI has said his use of medieval quotes critical of Islam, which infuriated Muslims worldwide, did not reflect his own convictions and were misunderstood.
The pope, who has faced calls for an unequivocal apology to the Muslim world but has so far only said he regrets the offence his words caused, said he hoped the furore could lead to "self-critical" dialogue among faiths and cultures.
In a speech in Germany last week, the pope quoted 14th-century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus saying everything Prophet Muhammad brought was evil, "such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached".
At his weekly public audience in the Vatican on Wednesday, the German-born pope, speaking in Italian, said once again that the furore was caused by a "misunderstanding".
The pope said: "But for the careful reader of my text it is clear that I in no way wanted to make mine the negative words pronounced by the medieval emperor and their polemical content does not reflect my personal conviction. "My intention was very different. I wanted to explain that religion and violence do not go together, but religion and reason do."
The 79-year-old leader of the world's one billion Roman Catholics said he hoped the whole furore could eventually serve to encourage "positive and even self-critical dialogue, both among religions as well as between modern reason and the faith of Christians".
The Pope acknowledged his remarks were open to misinterpretation, but insisted he had not intended to endorse a negative view of Islam. "I hope that in several occasions during the visit ... My deep respect for great religions, in particular for Muslims - who worship the one god and with whom we are engaged in defending and promoting together social justice, moral values, peace and freedom for all men - has emerged clearly," Benedict said during his weekly audience at the Vatican. "I trust that after the initial reaction, my words at the University of Regensburg can constitute an impulse and encouragement toward positive, even self-critical dialogue both among religions and between modern reason and Christian faith," the pope told thousands of faithful in St Peter's Square. Security in the square had been stepped up.
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