Apology looming? From CNN:
(CNN) — Pope Benedict XVI has said he is “extremely upset” that his speech on Islam offended Muslims and expressed his respect for their faith, according to the Vatican.
Vatican spokesman Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said in a statement on Saturday the pope’s position on Islam was unmistakably in line with Vatican teaching that the Church “esteems Muslims, who adore the only God.”
The pope is “extremely upset that some portions of his speech were able to sound offensive to the sensibilities of Muslim believers and have been interpreted in a way that does not at all correspond to his intentions,” Bertone added, according to The Associated Press.
The statement came as outrage over the pontiff’s comments continued to mount around the world. Unknown assailants threw fire bombs on Saturday at two churches in the West Bank city of Nablus, following a day of Palestinian protests against the pope’s remarks. No one was hurt.
And in Indonesia, up to 1,000 Muslims rallied in protest at the comments made earlier in the week by the pope, who was citing an obscure Medieval text that characterizes some of the teachings of Islam’s founder as “evil and inhuman,” video of the scene showed.
Outside the Palestinian Embassy in Jakarta, police looked on as protesters stood behind the gates waving flags while organizer Heri Budianto shouted, “God is great.”
“Of course as we know the meaning of jihad can only be understood by Muslims,” Budianto told the crowd. “Only Muslims can understand what jihad is. It is impossible that jihad can be linked with violence, we Muslims have no violent character.”
Of course they don’t. Those fire bombs just flew into those churches by accident.
And here comes another veiled threat of more violence from those who have no violent character:
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Saturday urged the pope to apologize and withdraw his controversial comments, according to The Associated Press.
“The pope must not take lightly the spread of outrage that has been created,” the Bernama news agency quoted Abdullah as saying, AP said.
“The Vatican must now take full responsibility over the matter and carry out the necessary steps to rectify the mistake.”