"In a speech on Tuesday the Pope repeated [ Umm, that would be *quoted* to be more precise, but what do you expect from the EneMedia whose only tool is the *mis-quote* -ed. ] criticism of the Prophet Mohammad by the 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, who said everything the Prophet brought was evil "such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached".

The remarks sparked outrage across the Islamic world. [ Welcome to the "shocked by irony" department. -ed. ]

"The Holy Father is very sorry that some passages of his speech may have sounded offensive to the sensibilities of Muslim believers," Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said in the statement. [ No he's not. With a Pope like this, maybe I *will* convert to Catholicism one of these days ;) -ed. ] "