Meeting with Islamic ambassadors and representatives, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his deep respect for Muslims, pledged to continue dialogue, and said Islamic and Christian leaders should cooperate to curb violence.

"Faithful to the teachings of their own religious traditions, Christians and Muslims must learn to work together, as indeed they already do in many common undertakings, in order to guard against all forms of intolerance and to oppose all manifestations of violence," the pope said.

"As for us, religious authorities and political leaders, we must guide and encourage them in this direction," he said.

The unprecedented encounter at the pope's summer residence Sept. 25 was designed to soothe Muslim resentment over a recent papal speech that cited a historical criticism of Islam and the concept of holy war. The pope later distanced himself from the quoted material and said he was sorry Muslims had been offended.

Addressing the Islamic representatives at Castel Gandolfo, the pope alluded only briefly to the earlier speech. Instead, he focused on assuring Muslim communities that his papacy was not backtracking on the dialogue opened by the Second Vatican Council and developed in large part by his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.

The pope expressed his "esteem and profound respect" for Muslim believers and said he wanted to continue to build bridges, especially between Muslims and Christians. Productive dialogue, he said, will be based on mutual knowledge, which "with joy recognizes the religious values that we have in common and, with loyalty, respects the differences."

He said historical animosities should be left behind. The lessons of the past, he said, should help Christians and Muslims seek "paths of reconciliation" that lead to respect for individual identity and freedom.

In that regard, Pope Benedict cited Pope John Paul on the important issue of reciprocal respect for religious rights, quoting from a speech the late pope delivered to Muslims in Morocco: "Respect and dialogue require reciprocity in all spheres, especially in that which concerns basic freedoms, more particularly religious freedom."

The pope said that in the current world situation it was imperative that Christians and Muslims join to promote human dignity and the rights that flow from that dignity.

"When threats mount up against people and against peace, by recognizing the central character of the human person and by working with perseverance to see that human life is always respected, Christians and Muslims manifest their obedience to the Creator," he said.

The pope closed his talk by recalling that Muslims worldwide were about to begin the spiritual month of Ramadan, and he prayed that they be granted "serene and peaceful lives." When he finished, he was warmly applauded.

The meeting, arranged with unusual urgency by the Vatican, was a formal audience and not a closed-door exchange of opinions. In attendance were ambassadors from 22 predominantly Muslim countries and 19 other Islamic representatives based in Italy.

After words of welcome by French Cardinal Paul Poupard, head of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, the pope delivered his talk in French; the Vatican immediately made available translations in Arabic, English and Italian. Afterward, the pope greeted those present individually, then posed for a photo and left the hall.

The papal talk was broadcast live on the Arab television network Al-Jazeera.

Before the meeting, the Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, said the encounter was a sign that dialogue was returning to normal after a moment of misunderstanding. The spokesman said the pope's speech Sept. 12 at the University of Regensburg in Germany might even turn out to be "providential" for dialogue.

"We hope the tension and suffering of the past days make everyone understand the urgency of a renewed dialogue that is positive, trustworthy, capable of looking at problems in depth, and ready for 'self-criticism,' as the pope said," Father Lombardi said.

"If this happens, the speech in Regensburg, with its intellectual courage ... will have been fruitful, perhaps even providential," he said.

Reaction to the pope's talk was mostly favorable among the participants and mixed among other Islamic leaders.

An Iranian diplomat assigned to the Vatican, Ahmad Fahima, said the encounter was "good and, as far as we're concerned, sufficient." Indonesia's ambassador to the Vatican, Bambang Prayitno, said the pope's encouragement to dialogue should have positive effects.

Abdellah Redouane, who represented the Islamic Cultural Center of Italy, said that with the papal talk "a new stage" in dialogue had begun.

Yahya Pallavicini, a Muslim cleric who is vice president of the Islamic Religious Community organization, welcomed the encounter with the pope but said Islamic leaders wanted more than a papal speech. He suggested forming a commission of Christian, Muslim and Jewish experts to map out a new cycle of dialogue meetings.

In Turkey, Ali Bardakoglu, the head of the country's directorate of religious affairs, said he thought the pope's talk would be welcomed as a positive development and would allay misgivings in the Muslim world.

The Italian news agency ANSA reported that in Egypt, spokesmen for al-Azhar University and the Muslim Brotherhood, said they were still waiting for a clear apology by the pope.

---CNS