?We tell the worshipper of the cross (the Pope) that you and the West will be defeated, as is the case in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya,? said a Web statement by the Mujahideen Shura Council. The statement by an umbrella group led by Iraq?s branch of al Qaeda came after the Pontiff said on Sunday he was deeply sorry Muslims had been offended by his use of a mediaeval quotation on Islam and holy war.

?We shall break the cross and spill the wine (...) God will (help) Muslims to conquer Rome ... (May) God enable us to slit their throats, and make their money and descendants the bounty of the mujahideen,? said the statement, posted on Sunday on an Internet site often used by al Qaeda and other militant groups.

In Iraq?s southern city of Basra, up to 150 demonstrators chanted slogans and burnt a white effigy of the Pope. ?No to aggression!?, ?We gagged the Pope!?, they chanted in front of the governor?s office. Shops, businesses and most schools closed in Kashmir?s main city, Srinagar, yesterday in response to a strike call for protest by separatists. A speech by Pope Benedict last Tuesday was seen as portraying Islam as a religion tainted by violence, causing dismay among Muslim states where some religious leaders called it the start of a new Christian crusade against Islam.

The Vatican has instructed its envoys in Muslim countries to explain Pope Benedict?s words on Islam. His new Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, said the Holy See?s nuncios (ambassadors) in Muslim countries would be visiting government and religious leaders.

<B>Archbishop Williams defends Pope </B>

French President Jacques Chirac on Europe 1 radio refused yesterday to criticise the 79-year-old Pontiff, but called for a more diplomatic use of language. ?It is not my role or intention to comment on the Pope?s statements?? but (?) ?We must avoid making any link between Islam, a great, respected and respectable religion, and radical Islamism, which is a totally different activity and one of a political nature.?

The head of the world?s Anglican church, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, defended Benedict. ?The Pope has already issued an apology and I think his views on this need to be judged against his entire record, where he has spoken very positively about dialogue,? said Williams, the spiritual leader of 77 million Anglicans worldwide. Williams told the BBC that all faiths could be distorted and the Pope was simply giving an example of that. ?There are elements in Islam that can be used to justify violence, just as there are in Christianity and Judaism.?

<B>Papal visit to Turkey</B>

In Iran, a government spokesman said yesterday Pope Benedict?s regret was a ?good gesture? but not enough. Questions had been raised on whether a papal visit to Turkey in November could go ahead, but the government, while calling his remarks ?ugly?, said there were no plans to call it off. The Pope, head of the world?s 1.1 billion Roman Catholics, said the quotation did not represent his personal views, but failed to satisfy some Islamic groups seeking a full apology.

A senior Chinese Muslim expressed anger over the Pope?s comments, Xinhua news agency said yesterday. This was in contrast to Chinese reticence over last year?s publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in a Danish paper that sparked violent Muslim protests elsewhere in the world. ?In his speech, Benedict insulted both Islam and the Prophet Mohammad. This has gravely hurt the feelings of the Muslims across the world, including those from China,? Xinhua quoted Chen Guangyuan, president of the Islamic Association of China, as saying. China insists its Catholics belong to a state-backed church that does not recognise the Pope?s authority. Muslims are also under state control.

<B>Pope?s statement about Islam</B>

The following is the official Vatican translation of Pope Benedict words at his Sunday address clarifying his remarks about Islam, which have caused an uproar in world Muslim communities:

?The Pastoral Visit which I recently made to Bavaria was a deep spiritual experience, bringing together personal memories linked to places well known to me and pastoral initiatives towards an effective proclamation of the Gospel for today. I thank God for the interior joy which he made possible, and I am also grateful to all those who worked hard for the success of this Pastoral Visit. As is the custom, I will speak more of this during next Wednesday?s general audience.

At this time, I wish also to add that 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. These in fact were a quotation from a mediaeval text, which do not in any way express my personal thought.

Yesterday, the Cardinal Secretary of State published a statement in this regard in which he explained the true meaning of my words. I hope that this serves to appease hearts and to clarify the true meaning of my address, which in its totality was and is an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue, with great mutual respect.?