Vatican City• Muslim anger at Pope Benedict XVI’s comments linking Islam with violence showed the first signs of abating yesterday as Iran’s hardline president voiced his “respect” for the Pope and religious leaders met for inter-faith talks in Rome.
Rome’s top Muslim religious official said the pontiff’s apology to Islam had opened the way for fresh dialogue between religions.
Sami Salem, the Imam of Rome’s Grand Mosque, said the pontiff had “stepped back” with his apology on Sunday for linking Islam with violence, and this was a “positive signal for the development of dialogue.”
“Now the time is ripe for a dialogue between the different religions,” the imam said in an interview with Rome’s radio 101.
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Salem said he hoped yesterday’s meeting would open “a new phase of love and understanding between the religions.”
His words were in marked contrast to a statement on Monday in which he said the pope’s statement had “set back by years” the progress of inter-religious dialogue.
Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad struck a conciliatory tone during a visit to Roman Catholic-majority Venezuela, saying the pope had “modified” his remarks that had offended Muslims worldwide.
“We respect the Pope and all those interested in peace and justice,” Ahmadinejad told a news conference before departing Caracas. “I understand that he has modified the remarks he made.”
On Sunday, the pope said he was “deeply sorry” for the reaction to a speech he made last week.
The speech sparked several days of protests in Muslim countries against the leader of the world’s 1.1 billion Roman Catholics.
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There have been no incidents of violence in Britain as a result of the anger caused by the pope’s remarks, though London police are investigating whether a Muslim protest outside Westminster Cathedral breached laws on incitement to violence.
Australia, with a growing Muslim population, has also escaped violence, but Sydney Archbishop George Pell said the reaction in parts of the Muslim world to the Pope’s remarks bore out fears over the link between Islam and violence.
These two points cannot be stressed enough, so I will post them again:
1) the Pope said he was “deeply sorry” for the reaction to a speech he made last week.
He was sorry for the reaction by the moslem hordes, HE WAS NOT SORRY FOR WHAT HE SAID...
2) Sydney Archbishop George Pell said the reaction in parts of the Muslim world to the Pope’s remarks bore out fears over the link between Islam and violence.
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