Pope Benedict expresses his ‘deep respect’ for Islam

POPE Benedict XVI expressed deep respect for Islam yesterday and said he hopes the Catholic Church can play a role in Mideast peace as he began his first trip to the region, where he hopes to improve frayed ties with Muslims.

The Pope was met at the airport by Jordan’s King Abdullah and praised the moderate Arab country as a leader in efforts to promote peace in the region and dialogue between Christians and Muslims.

The Pope rankled many Muslims with a 2006 speech in which he quoted a text that characterised some of Muhammad’s teachings as “evil and inhuman”, particularly “his command to spread by the sword the faith”.