Subscribe to Print Edition | Sat., May 09, 2009 Iyyar 15, 5769 | | Israel Time: 20:19 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Focus U.S.A. Travel Week's End Anglo File TLV 100
Last update - 21:38 08/05/2009
Pope expresses 'deep respect' for Islam at beginning of Mideast trip
By News Agencies
Tags: Israel news, Benedict XVI 

Pope Benedict XVI began a delicate trip to the Middle East on Friday by expressing "deep respect" for Islam and calling for a three-way dialogue of Christians, Muslims and Jews to help peace.

He said that peace efforts were often blocked by partisan interests and that the Church could "help reasonable positions bloom" and that it wanted to engage Jews and Muslims in a dialogue for peace.

"A trilateral dialogue must move forward. It is very important for peace and also to allow each person to live his or her faith well," he said.
Advertisement

The pope arrived in Jordan on Friday, where he began his first Middle East visit as a self-proclaimed pilgrim of peace but could face criticism from Muslims still upset over past comments he made about the Prophet Mohammed.

He was met at the airport by Jordan's King Abdullah, Queen Rania and Muslim and Christian leaders. A Jordanian army band equipped with bagpipes and drums played the Vatican and Jordanian national anthems before the pope and the king inspected the honor guard.

The 82-year-old pope appeared careful to avoid politically tinged statements at the start of his first visit to the region, which will also take him to Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Benedict's three-day stay in Jordan is his first visit to an Arab country as pope.

Jordan's powerful Muslim Brotherhood has demanded Benedict apologize ahead of his visit for his September 2006 speech in which he quoted a Medieval text that characterized some of Mohammed's teachings as evil and inhuman, particularly his command to spread by the sword the faith.

The pope has already said he was deeply sorry over the reaction to his speech and that the passage he quoted did not reflect his own opinion. But he has not issued a public apology as demanded by the Brotherhood, setting the stage for potential conflict with Jordan's largest opposition group when he arrives in Amman on Friday.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said the Vatican has made all possible clarifications, telling Associated Press Television News that we cannot continue until the end of the world to repeat the same clarifications.

During his time in Jordan, Benedict is scheduled to meet with Muslim religious leaders at Amman's largest mosque - his second visit to a Muslim place of worship since becoming pope in 2005. He prayed in Istanbul's famed Blue Mosque, a gesture that helped calm the outcry over his remarks.


Related articles:
  • Highlights of pope's Holy Land tour
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    'Unfair Gaza probe'
    Peres tells Ban that Israel will never accept UN's conclusions on its Gaza war conduct.
    Arab fears on Iran
    U.S. allies in the Gulf are worried over Obama's diplomatic overtures to Tehran.
      1.   NOT THIS ONE, POPE 15:50  |  indrajaya 08/05/09
      2.   the Vatican and Jordanian national anthems before the pope 16:41  |  Israeli observer 08/05/09
      3.   Response to #2 18:18  |  Col [res] Cohen 08/05/09
      4.   Vatican is a nation 18:35  |  obvious 08/05/09
      5.   #2, Observer, peace to you 18:35  |  MB 08/05/09
      6.   #2 19:04  |  Joan 08/05/09
      7.   As a Muslim I accept his apolgy for his mistake 23:01  |  Sheik Ibrahim Ahmad 08/05/09
      8.   Sheik Ibrahim Ahmad - it was the truth, not mistake 01:14  |  17 09/05/09
      9.   Pope and ignorance 02:10  |  Brod 09/05/09
      10.   Theologically interesting - if not bizzare 02:39  |  Mark Lincoln 09/05/09
      11.   The Pope`s Deep Respect For Islam 03:20  |  Bill Foonman 09/05/09
      12.   Pope Benedict and Islam 03:53  |  Sergio 09/05/09
      13.   Papal Pandering 04:32  |  Ilene 09/05/09
      14.   Response to #3 04:33  |  Ilene 09/05/09
      15.   The Pilgrimage 05:54  |  Shimon Cleopas 09/05/09
      16.   #1 Indrajaya: why ask if you don`t forgive 10:17  |  Benedict 09/05/09
     Haaretz Hot Topics
    Durban II conference
    Air strike in Sudan
    Israel 2009 election results: Voter breakdown
    Israel vs. Hamas
    Iran: Nuclear and regional ambitions
    More Headlines
    19:42 Hamas: We won't accept two-state solution
    19:32 Muslim Brotherhood: Obama aims to keep Arab world divided
    15:25 Pope: Catholic Church and Jewish people united by 'inseparable bond'
    16:04 Hezbollah: UN envoy biased in favor of Israel
    21:40 ANALYSIS / Netanyahu is beginning to look worried
    18:57 U.S. rabbi gets 30 years for molesting his daughter
    13:28 Sadat's widow: Israel would be attacking Egypt if not for peace treaty
    21:58 WATCH: Daily news round-up from Israel
    19:13 Netanyahu: Israel will never withdraw from Golan
    18:34 Hamas: Egypt expected to resume Gaza ceasefire efforts next week
    15:09 19 hurt, 1 seriously, during altercation in southern town of Rahat
    08:22 UN team prepares to investigate alleged Gaza war crimes
    11:17 Lebanese rights group fights to overturn law banning homosexuality
    Previous Editions
    Special Offers
    Advertisement
    Spring Specials-Dan Hotels
    Jerusalem from 179$. Tel-Aviv from 223$. Herzliya from 336$
    The Meier on Rothschild Tower
    Masterpiece Residence in the Heart of Tel Aviv
    Dead Sea Skin Care
    Quality cosmetics from the Dead Sea. Coupon code HAARETZ for 12% off!
    Camp Kimama Israel 2009
    The best place for your children this summer
    Eldan Rent a Car
    Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on online reservations
    Jewish Singles Personal Ads
    Find the love of your life on JDate.com
    Junkyard
    Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt
    Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | | Israel 2009 election results
    Site rules | Makom: Engaging on Israel | Search engine marketing
    Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
    © Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved