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”.

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.

“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 Amman.

But his past comments continue to fuel criticism by some Muslims. Jordan’s hard-line Muslim Brotherhood said yesterday before the Pope arrived that its members would boycott his visit because he did not issue a public apology. The brotherhood is Jordan’s largest opposition group.

Although it commands a small bloc in parliament, it wields considerable sway, especially among poor Jordanians. A Vatican spokesman said it has made all possible clarifications, adding that “we cannot continue until the end of the world to repeat the same clarifications”.

The Pope will also visit Israel and the Palestinian territories during his week-long tour. Abdullah praised the Pope and said the world must reject “ambitious ideologies of division”. Christians make up 3% of Jordan’s 5.8 million people.

Benedict’s three-day stay in Jordan is his first visit to an Arab country as Pope. During his time in the country, Benedict is 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.

The Pope is also expected to meet Iraqi Christians driven from their homeland by violence.