THE POPE yesterday tried to mollify Muslim anger over his midweek speech on Islam, but early reaction suggested it might not be enough.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican’s top official, yesterday read out a statement on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI that stopped short of the full apology demanded by many Muslim leaders. Some of them later insisted he apologise in person.

The cardinal said the Pope was “very sorry that some passages of his speech may have sounded offensive to the sensibilities of Muslim believers”. The Pope said he respected Islam and hoped Muslims would understand the true sense of his words.

But there are now serious concerns about the pontiff’s security and his planned visit to Turkey in November is in doubt. A high-ranking church source said yesterday: “While I think the controversy will go away, it has done damage, and if I were a security expert, I’d be worried.”

In a speech last Tuesday the Pope quoted a 14th-century Christian emperor who said the prophet Muhammad had brought the world only “evil” and “inhuman” things. Using the terms “jihad” and “holy war”, the Pope said violence was “incompatible with the nature of God”.

There has been a build-up of outrage and protests throughout the Muslim world since the speech. Yesterday five churches in the West Bank were attacked by Palestinians wielding guns and firebombs.

Security at the Vatican was stepped up, although yesterday the pontiff was consulting advisers at his summer villa near Rome.

A senior Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood member said the Vatican’s comments were not enough to quell the anger over the Pope’s speech.

“What was issued by the Vatican was considered as an attempt to give an excuse for what the Pope has been quoted saying, and what we demand is a sincere acknowledgment that there was a mistake, not allegations that we misunderstood the Pope,” said Mohammed Bishr, a Brotherhood member.

In Lebanon, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, the country’s most senior Shi’ite cleric, said: “We do not accept the apology through Vatican channels and ask him to offer a personal apology for this false reading.” Iran called his comments “a big mistake”.

Morocco recalled its ambassador to the Holy See, and Turkey’s ruling party likened the Pope to Hitler and Mussolini and accused him of reviving the mentality of the crusades.

Before the Pope’s apology, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister of Turkey, said that his comments were “ugly and unfortunate” and should be withdrawn. But Turkish officials said they would not ask the Pope to cancel his visit.

Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani president, said: “Our strategy must clearly oppose the sinister tendencies to associate terrorism with Islam and discrimination against Muslims, which are giving rise to an ominous alienation between the West and the world of Islam.”

A spokesman for the Islamic Cultural Centre in Dublin was more approving of the Vatican’s statement, saying the Pope was an example to everyone for accepting he had given offence.

Ali Selim criticised the violent protests, but accepted the speech was not intended to offend. “I accept that it is a full apology. Muslims definitely will appreciate this step from him.”

A spokesman for the Islamic Foundation of Ireland, based at the Dublin mosque on South Circular Road, also welcomed the apology. “We were offended and insulted by his remarks — people were upset.”

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