THE POPE CLARIFIES INSULT BEFORE ARRIVING IN TURKEY

As the papal visit gets underway in Turkey this week, thousands of protesters in Istanbul have made it clear that Pope Benedict is not welcome there. Two months ago, the pope sparked protests in the Muslim world by quoting a 14th century Byzantine emperor who called some of the teachings of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad "evil" and "violent." Today, the pope clarified his previous statement by saying the 14th century emperor he quoted was referring to the Prophet Muhammed’s ‘Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’ teachings. "Savagely punching people over and over until they collapse is evil and violent," said the pope. “The Byzantine emperor makes a good point."