Pope expresses respect for Islam

AMMAN. May 9. KAZINFORM Pope Benedict XVI visited an Arab state for the first time yesterday, expressing his ?deep respect? for Islam and hopes that the Catholic Church would be a force for peace in the region; Kazinform refers to the Arab News.
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The pope was given a red-carpet welcome at the airport by Jordan?s King Abdallah and Queen Rania. He praised Jordan as a leader in efforts to promote peace and dialogue between Christians and Muslims. An honor guard played bagpipes and waved Jordanian and Vatican flags. The trip to the region is the first for the German-born Benedict, who will travel on Monday to Israel and the Palestinian territories. The pope has faced sharp criticism in the Middle East from both Muslims and Jews. Benedict angered the Muslim world three years ago when he quoted a Medieval text that criticized the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Earlier this year, he sparked outrage among Jews when he revoked the excommunication of an ultraconservative bishop who denies the Holocaust. ?My visit to Jordan gives me a welcome opportunity to speak of my deep respect for the Muslim community, and to pay tribute to the leadership shown by his majesty the king in promoting a better understanding of the virtues proclaimed by Islam,? Benedict said shortly after landing in Jordan. He said Jordan was in the forefront of efforts to promote peace, inter-religious dialogue and to ?curb extremism.? Later at a Catholic center for the handicapped, he said his only agenda was to bring hope and prayers ?for the precious gift of unity and peace, most specifically for the Middle East.? The pope also called religious freedom a fundamental human right. ?It is my fervent hope and prayer that respect for the inalienable rights and dignity of every man and woman will come to be increasingly affirmed and defended, not only throughout the Middle East, but in every part of the world,? he said; Kazinform cites the Arab News. See www.arabnews.com for full version
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