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Pope says he respects Muslims
25/09/2006 19:05 - (SA)
Castelgandolfo - Pope Benedict
assured Muslims on Monday that he respected them and was
committed to dialogue, in an unprecedented encounter to defuse
anger at his use of quotes saying their faith was spread by the
sword.
In a speech to diplomatic envoys from about 20 Muslim
countries plus the leaders of Italy's own Muslim community at
his summer residence south of Rome, the pope said both
Christians and Muslims had to reject violence.
Several of the envoys who attended said they considered the
meeting had gone a long way to help end the controversy that
began two weeks ago with a speech by the pope at a university in
his native Germany.
"I think this meeting has resolved many problems ... we can
close this controversy," said Khalil Altoubat, a member of the
Italian Muslim community's liaison group with the government.
The pope did not specifically mention the quote that angered
Muslims worldwide, saying the circumstances that made the
meeting necessary "are well known". Work together
"Christians and Muslims must learn to work together ... in
order to guard against all forms of intolerance and to oppose
all manifestations of violence," the 79-year-old pope said at
the meeting in the papal summer palace.
It was the fourth time he has tried to make amends, without
actually apologising directly, for his speech on September 12.
The pope is facing the toughest international crisis since
his election in April, 2005, and the severity of some reactions
has raised doubts about a planned trip to Turkey in November.
Mario Scialoja, an adviser to the Italian section of the
World Muslim League who attended the audience, told Reuters
afterwards he thought it was a "very good and warm speech". Cordial
"He recalled the differences, but expressed his willingness
to continue in a cordial and fruitful dialogue, said Scialoja,
who added that he "had not been expecting another apology".
The atmosphere at the 30-minute meeting, which was broadcast
live on Vatican television and radio, appeared cordial. After
delivering his speech, the pope greeted each of the envoys
personally and chatted with them briefly.
The leader of more than one billion Catholics has expressed
regret at the response to his quoting 14th century Byzantine
Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, who said the Prophet Muhammad commanded "to spread by the sword the faith he preached".
Learn from the past The pope said Christians and Muslims had to learn from the
past and work for a better future.
"I sincerely pray that the relations of trust which have
developed between Christians and Muslims over several years,
will not only continue, but will develop further in a spirit of
sincere and respectful dialogue ...," he said.
Iraqi ambassador Albert Edward Ismail Yelda also said he was
satisfied with the speech.
"I pray to almighty God the crisis will be behind us," he
told reporters. "We need to sit together - Muslims, Christians,
Jews and the rest of the world, the rest of religions, in order
to find common ground for peaceful coexistence."
The pope has said his intention in using the quote in
Germany two weeks ago was to explain that religion and violence
do not go together, but that religion and reason do.
- Reuters
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