LOS ANGELES (Xinhua) -- A local Muslim leader on Sunday called for "dialogue" with Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony in the wake of Pope Benedict XVI's recent remarks on Islam that sparked a violent reaction.

Executive Director Salam al-Marayati of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) also condemned the violent response to the pope's speech, saying dialogue could promote understanding.

He said relations between local Muslims and Catholics had always been "excellent" and the dialogue was aimed at reinforcing those ties.

When asked if local Muslims were offended by the pope's speech, al-Marayati only said the council was "calling for more dialogue" that would provide the Vatican with more knowledge of the text that the pope referenced and highlight Muslim contributions. "Because of the pope's remarks, we want to reengage with Catholics," he said. "The basic message is we should redouble our efforts for dialogue."

"I don't want to see a departure from what Pope John Paul had established in terms of the mutual understanding between Muslims and Catholics," he said. "We can be a resource in terms of renewing the relationship we've had for quite some time." In a speech to a German university on Sept. 12, Pope Benedict XVI called for dialogue between Christians and Muslims to resolve their differences peacefully. In doing that, he quoted a 14th century dialogue between a Byzantine emperor and a Persian in which the emperor called some of Prophet Mohammed's teachings "evil and inhuman."

The pope's remarks touched off Muslim protests around the world. The pontiff has apologized twice for his remarks, saying he was "deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg, which were considered offensive to the sensibility of Muslims. These in fact were a quotation from a Medieval text, which do not in any way express my personal thought."