承前*1
AFPの記事；
これで少なくとも外交上は〈手打ち〉かと思ったが、これに対する世界各地のムスリム指導者の反応は割れているという；
Pope expresses 'sincere regrets' for angering MuslimsSat Sep 16, 11:23 AM ET
VATICAN CITY (AFP) -
Pope Benedict XVI apologised to Muslims for controversial comments that appeared to link Islam to violence.
Following widespread outrage across the Muslim world over the remarks, the head of the Roman Catholic Church said his speech had been intended as a rejection of religiously-motivated violence from any side.
"The Holy Father thus sincerely regrets that certain passages of his address could have sounded offensive to the sensitivities of the Muslim faithful, and should have been interpreted in a manner that in no way corresponds to his intentions,"
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said in a statement Saturday."In reiterating his respect and esteem for those who profess Islam, he hopes they will be helped to understand the correct meaning of his words ... quickly surmounting this present uneasy moment," Bertone said.
The Roman Catholic Church's hierarchy appeared deeply concerned about the seriousness of the crisis the pope's remarks has sparked, with Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi referring to the current furore as a "difficult time."
The situation was "important," and "being followed closely and very seriously," by Vatican officals Bertone added.
Before the pope issued his apology, Lombardi said that he thought Benedict would try to explain his statements in more detail.
"We can expect some clarifications," he told AFP.
Vatican officials themselves have been reluctant to make detailed comments about the pope's speech however.
As is usually the case with texts of this kind, Benedict XVI prepared his address alone and did not show copies to advisors before he spoke in Germany Tuesday.
For his part, Paul Poupard, the French cardinal in charge of inter-religious dialogue at the Vatican, called on Muslims to read the entire speech and not just the controversial extracts before judging Benedict XVI's words.
Poupard also called for an inter-faith meeting between Catholic and Muslim clerics to be held, "when possible and when spirits are ready," in order to "study all of the questions (in the pope's speech) between men of culture in a serene university-style debate."
Initial reactions from the Muslim world to Benedict XVI's apology have been mixed.
British Muslim groups welcomed the statement, although one group said it might not be "enough of an apology."
Ajmal Masroor, from the Islamic Society of Britain, told the BBC it was "greatly noble" of the head of the Roman Catholic Church to accept "his mistake."
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said the pope had made "a good first step" in "recognizing the hurt he caused" but planned to write an official letter asking the pope for further clarification.
But Egypt's opposition Muslim Brotherhood said Benedict XVI's statement, "did not constitute an apology."
"The Vatican secretary of state says that the pope is sorry because his statements had been badly interpreted, but there is no bad interpretation," Abdel Moneim Abul Futuh, a senior official with the group, told AFP.
Benedict XVI sparked the controversy Tuesday when, during a speech at Regensburg University in Germany, critics say he appeared to have painted Islam in a violent light, particularly with reference to jihad or "holy war".
In his speech, the pope also quoted a 14th-century Byzantine emperor who said innovations introduced by the Prophet Mohammed were "evil and inhuman".
Despite his apology, the pope has stopped short of retracting his remarks, explaining that in citing the emperor he had not meant "to make that opinion his own in any way."
The pope's support for inter-religious dialogue and harmony is "unequivocal," the Vatican statement said.
Italian newspaper Corriere dell Sera reported that anti-terrorist measures had been stepped up at the Vatican since Benedict XVI returned from the trip to his native Germany last week.
But at Saint Peter's Square in Rome on Saturday the number of both police and Swiss Guards on duty did not seem greater than usual.
Experts say this may be because the pope this week intends to give his traditional Angelus Sunday prayer address from his country residence of Castel Gandolfo outside Rome rather than in the Vatican itself.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060916/wl_afp/vaticanpopeislamresponse_060916152350
Luke Harding, John Hooper, and Jamie Doward “Pope seeks to calm storm over 'evil Islam' comment” http://www.guardian.co.uk/pope/story/0,,1874379,00.html
