Pope Benedict XVI today called on Christians and Muslims to reject violence in an unprecedented meeting intended to defuse Islamic anger at his use of quotes saying their faith was spread by the sword.
The Pope expressed his "esteem and profound respect" for members of the Islamic faith in a speech to diplomatic envoys from 20 Muslim countries plus the leaders of Italy's Muslim community at his summer residence south of Rome.
He did not specifically mention the quote that angered Muslims, saying the circumstances that made the meeting necessary "are well known". But he called for greater dialogue between the two religions.
"Christians and Muslims must learn to work together . . . in order to guard against all forms of intolerance and to oppose all manifestations of violence," the 79-year-old pontiff said.
It was the fourth time he addressed the comments he made two weeks ago at a university in his native Germany.
Then, Pope Bendict had quoted 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, who said the Prophet Mohammad commanded "to spread by the sword the faith he preached".
He later said his intention was to explain that religion and violence are not compatible. The severity of some reactions has raised doubts about a planned trip to Turkey in November.
Mario Scialoja, an adviser to the Italian section of the World Muslim League who attended the audience, said he thought the Pope's speech was "very good and warm".
The atmosphere at the 30-minute meeting, which was broadcast live on Vatican television and radio, appeared cordial. After delivering his speech the Pope greeted each of the envoys personally and chatted with them briefly.
The Pope said Christians and Muslims had to learn from the past and work for a better future. "I sincerely pray that the relations of trust which have developed between Christians and Muslims over several years, will not only continue, but will develop further in a spirit of sincere and respectful dialogue," he said.
Iraqi ambassador Albert Edward Ismail Yelda also said he was satisfied with the speech.
Other included those from Indonesia, Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey, and Iran, plus the League of Arab States.
Thousands of Muslims demonstrated against the Pope after last Friday's prayers at mosques around the world, but the anger and the size of the protests appears to be diminishing.