COLOGNE, GERMANY ? Pope Benedict XVI decried the “cruel fanaticism” of terrorism Saturday and urged Muslims to join Christians in trying to combat its spread.

In blunt remarks, he told a gathering of Muslim officials in Germany that Muslim leaders had a “great responsibility” in properly educating their younger generations.

“I am certain that I echo your own thoughts when I bring up as one of our concerns the spread of terrorism,” Benedict told the Muslim leadership, mainly Turks, in his most extensive remarks on terrorism during his four-month papacy.

“Terrorist activity is continually recurring in various parts of the world, sowing death and destruction, and plunging many of our brothers and sisters into grief and despair.”

Benedict did not mention specific attacks or assess blame, but it appeared significant that he chose a Muslim audience for his remarks on terrorism.

“Those who instigate and plan these attacks evidently wish to poison our relations, making use of all means, including religion, to oppose every attempt to build a peaceful, fair and serene life together,” he said.

The meeting, during Benedict’s four-day trip to Germany for World Youth Day, was part of the pope’s outreach to non-Catholics to achieve common positions on social issues and world peace. There are some 3.5 million Muslims in Germany, one of the highest figures in western Europe.

Pope Benedict XVI celebrates the vigil on the Marienfeld Saturday at Kerpen near Cologne, Germany. Hundreds of thousands of high-spirited pilgrims gathered Saturday to hear Pope Benedict XVI's homily at a vigil.

Going into Saturday’s meeting, he had been cautious about making any links between terrorism and Islam, rejecting the idea that the world faced a “clash of civilizations” and reportedly overruling an aide who wanted to brand the July 7 London bombings as anti-Christian.

But in warning Saturday that the world risked exposure to “the darkness of a new barbarism,” he stressed that Muslim leaders must “guide Muslim believers and train them in the Islamic faith.”

“Teaching is the vehicle through which ideas and convictions are transmitted. Words are highly influential in the education of the mind. You, therefore, have a great responsibility for the formation of the younger generation,” the pontiff said.

By working together, Catholics and Muslims could “turn back the wave of cruel fanaticism that endangers the lives of so many people and hinders progress toward world peace,” he said.

The pope spoke of terrorism striking in “various parts of the world” but did not mention any specific attacks.