September 17, message of the pope at the Angelus
In his message, at the time of the Angelus, in Castel Gandolfo, Benedict XVI said he was “deeply sorry” for the reactions to his words about Islam. “At this time, I wish also to add that I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg, which were considered offensive to the feelings of Muslims. These in fact were a quotation from a medieval text, which does not in any way express my personal thought”, he declared. “Yesterday, the Cardinal Secretary of State published a statement in this regard in which he explained the true meaning of my words. I hope that this serves to appease hearts and to clarify the true meaning of my address, which in its totality was and is an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue, with great mutual respect.”
The words of the pope provoked an unprecedented crisis. Security controls were reinforced around the apostolic palace of Castel Gandolfo, as well as in the Vatican City and all the Catholic buildings in Rome, by reason of the recent Islamist threats against the center of Christianity.
Turkish newspapers judged the regrets expressed by Pope Benedict XVI as “insufficient”, but called upon Muslim to guard against any violence in their reaction. The Turkish minister for foreign affairs, Abdullah Gul, affirmed on Sunday the 17th that Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Turkey would take place as scheduled next November, in spite of what the sovereign pontiff had said about Islam. A high official of the Catholic Church in Turkey, Luigi Padovese, apostolic vicar for Anatolia, suggested on Sunday that Benedict XVI might be given a cold welcome in Turkey, while stating his visit, scheduled from November 28 to 30, would probably take place.
