Pope Benedict said yesterday that his use of medieval quotes portraying a violent Islam did not reflect his views and were open to misinterpretation, but Muslims still demanded a clear apology.

The Pope's comments last week led to violent protests in Indonesia, Turkey and Syria. In addition, churches were attacked in the West Bank, while a nun was shot dead in Somalia.

Speaking amid tighter security at his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square, the Pope expressed his "profound respect" for Muslims and encouraged more dialogue among religions and cultures.

The pope's address yesterday was the second time in four days that he has sought to clarify his intentions and defuse the anger that followed his speech.

"For the careful reader of my text it is clear that I in no way wanted to make mine the negative words pronounced by the medieval emperor and their polemical content does not reflect my personal conviction," he said.

"My intention was very different. I wanted to explain that religion and violence do not go together but religion and reason do." He expressed his "profound respect for the great religions, particularly for Muslims, who worship the one God and with whom we are committed to defending and promoting together social justice, moral values, peace and freedom for all humanity".

He added: "I trust that after the initial reaction, my words ... can constitute an impulse and encouragement toward positive, even self-critical dialogue."

President Ahmadinejad of Iran - an Islamic hard-liner - said during a trip to Venezuela on Monday that he respects the Pope, apparently playing down the uproar. "Regarding the issue of the Pope's comments, we respect the Pope and all of those who are interested in peace and justice," Mr. Ahmadinejad told reporters.

In addition, Prime Minister Badawi of Malaysia said Tuesday that Pope Benedict's expression of regret was acceptable. Malaysia - which chairs the world's largest Islamic bloc, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference - had earlier demanded that the Pope offer a full apology and retraction.