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Pope to meet Muslim ambassadors
This should be interesting. Let's see what Gods Rottweiler does.Pope Benedict has invited ambassadors from Muslim countries and Italian Muslim leaders to a meeting on Monday in an attempt to draw a line under the polemics sparked by his comments on Islam. The meeting, also to be attended by the Vatican's top official on inter-religious dialogue, is scheduled to take place at Castel Gandolfo, the lakeside papal residence outside Rome. The Vatican has diplomatic relations with about 20 Muslim countries, including Iran and Pakistan, two of the countries where reaction to Benedict's words was strongest. "This is a positive first step...but diplomatic efforts alone are not enough to close this affair," Egypt's government-run daily al Akhbar said in a comment published on Friday . The paper, which apparently had news of the invitation a day early, went on to call for "practical measures" to confirm the pope's respect for Islam . The reaction among Muslims in Italy, where a top cardinal has already met Rome Muslim leaders, was mostly positive. "This is a great chance for dialogue," said Sergio Yahe Pallavicini, deputy head of Coreis, one of the Italian Islamic organisations expected to go to Castel Gandolfo. Benedict's quotation of a medieval Byzantine emperor who said Islam had been spread through violence sparked angry protests in many parts of the Muslim world. Since he made his comments in the German city of Regenburg last week, the pope has twice expressed his regrets over the reactions to his words, saying they were misunderstood. Posted by: tipper 2006-09-22 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=166612 |