Pope Benedict XVI has set off for the Middle East on a self-proclaimed pilgrimage of peace.
Benedict's plane took off from Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport at about 9:50 a.m. (0750 GMT, 0350 EDT) Friday, bound for Jordan. It is the first stop of a weeklong trip that will also take him to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
The Jordan stop is Benedict's first visit as pope to an Arab country and he will meet with Muslim religious leaders in Amman.
Jordan's powerful Muslim Brotherhood has demanded that Benedict apologize for his September 2006 speech in which he linked the Prophet Muhammad to violence. The pope has said he was "deeply sorry" over the reaction to his speech and that the passage he quoted did not reflect his opinion.
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