Vatican condemns US-made anti-Islam movie

"The serious consequences of unjustified offence and provocations against the sensibilities of Muslim believers are once again evident,” Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said in a statement released on Wednesday.

"The reactions they arouse, sometimes with tragic results, which in their turn nourish tension and hatred, unleashing unacceptable violence," he said.

"Profound respect for the beliefs, texts, outstanding figures and symbols of the various religions is an essential precondition for the peaceful coexistence of peoples," Lombardi added.

    The US Ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, and three embassy staff were members killed late on Tuesday as they rushed away from a consulate building in the eastern city Benghazi.


Protesters attacked and set fire to the consulate building while gunmen and security forces clashed. Rocket-propelled grenades were also fired at the US consulate.

The incident occurred following a massive demonstration held earlier in the day in neighboring Egypt to condemn an anti-Islam movie.

Thousands of Egyptians gathered in front of the US Embassy in Cairo to express their anger over the movie.

The protesters scaled the walls of the embassy, pulled down the US flag, and called for the expulsion of the US ambassador to Cairo.

They also asked the US government to apologize to the Muslim world over the release of the movie.