But Bertone said the Pontiff "had absolutely no intention" of presenting Emperor Manuel's opinions on Islam as his own.

Vatican insiders and diplomats say the Pope may have mixed up his new role with his former posts as a theologian and head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, when as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger he was known as a disciplinarian.

BACK TO CRUSADES

Angry Muslim leaders flung the supposed allegations of violence back in the face of the Christian West.

"How can (the Pope) imply that Muslims are the creators of terrorism in the world while it is the followers of Christianity who have aggressed against every country of the Islamic world?" prominent Saudi cleric Salman al-Odeh said. "Who attacked Afghanistan and who invaded Iraq?"

In Libya, the General Instance of Religious Affairs said the "insult ... pushes us back to the era of crusades against Muslims led by Western political and religious leaders".

Turkish paper Vatan quoted a member of the ruling Justice and Development Party saying Benedict "will go down in history in the same category as leaders like Hitler and Mussolini".

Catholic bishops in Turkey feared the angry local reaction, led by the Grand Mufti, may demonstrate that due to its struggle to gain admission to the European Union, public opinion in Turkey was "shifting against the Pope's planned visit".

In Iraq, the government asked Muslims who felt offended not to take their anger out on the small Christian minority, after the door of a church in Basra was attacked overnight.

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