Jordan Times
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Pope on ‘peace mission’
in region
By Mohammad Ghazal with agency dispatches
AMMAN - Pope Benedict XVI said Wednesday that during his visit to the region he
will meet with representatives of the Muslim and Jewish communities with whom,
he said, great strides have been made in dialogue and cultural exchange.
The Pope told his weekly general audience yesterday that he hoped his trip to
the Middle East will "bear much fruit" for all the troubled region's
inhabitants, Agence France-Presse reported.
The Pope, who will visit the Kingdom from May 8-11, is scheduled to meet with
Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania, to visit King Hussein Ben Talal
Mosque and to hold an outdoor mass at Amman International Stadium in the Sports
City.
Christian religious leaders in Amman, who stressed the importance of the Pope's
visit, said Wednesday he will be meeting with Muslim religious leaders at King
Hussein Ben Talal Mosque.
At a press conference yesterday, Roman Catholic Church Spokesperson Father
Rifaat Bader, Greek Catholic Bishop Yasser Ayyash, Roman Bishop Salim Sayegh and
Apostolic Nunico Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatt took turns commenting on
the Pope's activities during the visit.
Bishop Sayegh said the Pope will also meet during his visit with groups
representing the youth and persons with special needs.
In his weekly address, the Pope said: "My primary intention is to visit the
places made holy by the life of Jesus, and to pray at them for the gift of peace
and unity for your families, and all those for whom the Holy Land and the Middle
East is home," according to AFP.
"May we all be people of hope. May we all be steadfast in our desire and efforts
for peace," he added.
During his visit to the Kingdom, the Pope is also scheduled to tour religious
sites in the country, such as the Baptism Site and Mount Nebo in Madaba. He will
also bless the cornerstone of Madaba University, which will be built by the
Roman Catholic Church.
Jordan's Latin Church urged Islamists yesterday to welcome the Pope to the
country this week, after they demanded he apologise for controversial remarks
linking Islam to violence, according to AFP.
"They [Islamists] are our brothers and we want them to participate in welcoming
the Pope to Jordan," Sayegh told the news conference.
"We don't want them to be on the margin of this important event," he said.
Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm the Islamic Action Front have
insisted that the Pope should apologise for the 2006 statements he made "against
Islam and the Prophet Mohammad".