Pope Sorry for Muslim Reaction

Pope Benedict’s said at his Sunday blessing from Castal Gandolfo, Italy, he was deeply sorry at the anger his remarks on Islam caused.

The pope — amid tight security at his summer residence near Rome — also said the quote he cited in Germany Tuesday did not reflect his personal thoughts.

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 sensibility of Muslims, he said.

These, in fact, were a quotation from a medieval text, which do not in any way express my personal thought, he said.

The pope had quoted a Byzantine emperor who said some teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, Islam’s founder, were evil and inhuman.

The BBC reported security was tight in advance of the pope’s appearance, with police patting down people and confiscating bottles of liquids and other items.