Tayyip Erdogan said the Pope in his speech about Islam 'spoke like a politician rather than as a man of religion'.
Ankara: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said comments in a speech by Pope Benedict about Islam were "ugly" and the Pontiff should withdraw them.
"The Pope spoke like a politician rather than as a man of religion," Erdogan said in televised remarks about the Pope's speech on Tuesday in Germany.
"The statements are ugly and unfortunate. The Pope needs to take a step back to preserve inter-religious peace," Erdogan added.
Erdogan is a pious Muslim with roots in political Islam.
He was speaking before the Vatican issued a statement saying the Pope was sorry for upsetting Muslims in his lecture.
Pope Benedict is due to visit Turkey in November.
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