Pope Benedict XVI received 22 Muslim ambassadors at his papal summer residence in September 2006, stressing what he described as the vital necessity of dialogue between faiths. The gathering followed his lecture at a German university, which provoked widespread anger across the Muslim world after he cited a 14th-century Byzantine emperor who characterized the Prophet Mohammed's teachings as "evil and inhuman."
The pope had expressed profound regret for the offense produced by his remarks, though critics noted he stopped short of withdrawing the citation itself. Egyptian newspapers argued he apologized for the reaction rather than for the substance of what was said.
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood was unconvinced. Senior official Mohammed Habib said the group had called for a clear, direct apology and a substantive scholarly discussion of the speech content. He argued that quoting such language obligates the speaker to either endorse or repudiate it.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2006, in its own words.