Isn't this great news? I only wish that the Holy Father had decided to take off his shoes in the Mosque out of respect ( but after all, its his call to make). Later this week, he will be going to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. It is an important step in inter faith relations an dunity amongst all peoples.

http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/benedict-xvi-sets-new-papal-record-mosque-visits

Robert K.:

Christ is Risen!!

I'm not so sure. It's a matter of what message is being received by the audience, not the intnetion of the sender in these situations. Islam sees Christian leaders coming to them as confirmation of their erroneous view that all religions will eventually come around to being part of them or dominated by them. The extremists see these actions as those of weakness, and there are more of them around than the small number of people the Pope is in contact with during these visits.

It seems to me that there is also the danger of compromising the Gospel: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through Me." I wonder how that would go over in a mosque.

In Christ,

BOB

Bravo Bob Bravo!!

I thought it was significant that the Holy Father, in his address to the King of Jordan during the welcome ceremony at the Queen Alia airport, expressed his respect for the Muslim community, rather than the Muslim faith. Of course, we should respect Muslims both individually and as a community, because they sincerely believe in the one God and the day of judgement, and because they honour Jesus and his mother, but as Christians we can hardly respect a faith based on the alleged sayings of a false prophet, a faith which bans conversion to Christianity. I am sorry if this seems harsh, but it is, I believe, the truth.

I think his many visits are viewed by many Muslims as a sign of the weakness of the Christian position. I believe that from experience that some Muslims believe that the visits are an apology by him for his words at that German University.

Nevertheless, I don't believe his actions should be guided by his fear of how they will be perceived by some Muslims. I would rather think that these visits are a continuation of his challenge to Muslims to think rationally. Will he be successful? After so many centuries of aggression on the part of Islam against the world and so few years in which Islam actually offered much of anything positive it is quite a stretch of hope. But I trust the Spirit's guidance of the pope and his gifts at perception better than I do my own. So I will simply hope and pray.

CDL

The Jordanian prince that gave a very kind, friendly, and insightful introduction for the Pope, I was very impressed with. He gave a lot of respect to the Christians of Jordan.

Prince Ghazi Muhammad Bin Talal

Eh, usually I wouldn't be so keen on all of this, but something about Pope Benedict inspires a lot of trust in me. I trust he has a handle on the situation.

Alexis

I would not be surprised if the visit to the Mosque has been made a little easier because Pope John-Ppaul did it earlier. Building blocks that one Pope's activities build something the next can use in their Pontificate (that includes mistakes at times).

Just please no more kissing of the Qur'an.

Alexis

Apparently it wasn't his call but that of the hosts. The clarification appeared a number of places. I see it here for example:
"Today’s frenzy only lasted about 15 minutes, however, as it quickly became clear that keeping his shoes on wasn’t the pope’s choice. Instead, it turned out that his hosts at the mosque had laid down small aisles of carpet for the pope and his party to walk along, so the visitors were told it wasn’t necessary to remove their shoes." http://tinyurl.com/qsh5me

The Holy Father's trip has been truly wonderful, and we who have access to Catholic TV are so blessed to have so much coverage!

The proper "porta-voz" of Vatican, Frederico Lombardi, cleared that about the shoes.

Dear Logos- Alexis

SECOND THE MOTION!

and I won't even tell you the nickname that John Paul II earned himself in this regard!

Fr. Serge

If the Pope did that, the traddie blog-world will be screaming that this Pope is an apostate

He did have them off in the one at the dome. EWTN had some video, and they shot a picture of the popes feet. Then they showed him being assisted with getting his shoes back on. At the beginning of the discussion about shoes going off, they quickly brought it that it is a 'copy' of Christian tradition, citing the Syro-Malbar, and some others. Also, the Coptic's go without shoes.

Sheikh John Paul II? LOL. Just a light-hearted guess.

Alexis

What I find rather amusing is that as Benedict XVI's pontificate continues to play out he is much more as likeminded as +John Paul II than he is different.

I never found "God's Rottweiler" to be a moniker that Benedict XVI would think fitting, and he is proving so, thanks be to God.

Bill

One does not have to agree with whom he rubs shoulders, mutual respect is only common courtesy...and Christ-like I might add.

He kissed a Our'an ?

No wonder some traditionals didn't like him.

May God have mercy on us all...

He is just trying to show respect for another world religion (the second largest there is, I might add). This is the way the world works now. It's been working like that for some time now so things like this shouldn't come as asuprise to anyone anymore.

Altar Server,

I don't think one has to be "a traditional" to not like the Pope kissing the Qur'an.

Robert, how is the number of Islamic adherents relative to the appropriateness of kissing the Qur'an? Because they are numerous we should placate them? Is that your point?

There are many legitimate ways to show respect for Muslims (which is different than showing respect for Islam). As you may be aware, in Apostolic Christianity, kissing objects has a very specific meaning: veneration due to the holy things of God. The Qur'an is not divinely inspired, is not a holy thing of God, is absolutely not appropriate for a Christian to venerate, or to simulate veneration for. In my opinion (and in the opinion of millions of others), whatever the good Pope's intentions (and I believe they were good), that was way over the line, and a source of embarrassment and true heartache for believers in Christ.

Alexis

It still causes scandal, and thus the pope should not do so.

This is without a doubt true, I was just making a connection to why so tradies would think of him as an apostate while most in main stream Catholicisim would not.

May he rest in peace.

David

I used to be a traddie but have since returned to mainstream Catholicism. There is just no way to reconcile the radical position taken by most traditionalsit with the beleifs and core values of the Roman catholic Church. i have nothing against trads (in fact, I adore some fo them as wonderful prayer filled individuals who are probably ligth years ahead of me spiritualy). however this does not change the fact that, in going against Vatican Council II and its call for ecumenism and openess to the worlds great ways of thignking, they ahve seperated themselves from the magesterium of the universal Church of Christ which ever seeks to change with the time while hodling fast to its cotre beleifs.

I am not, strictly speaking, scandalized by John Paul II kissing the Qu'uran (that is to say, I have not the slightest intention of doing the same thing). I am, however, disagreeably surprised and grieved at such an event.

This is not the way the world works, let alone the Church. Has anyone seen some Mohammedan religious leader kissing a Gospel Book?

Fr. Serge

i am all for Vatican II, and respect for those of other religions, and I know the Pope has to watch his words with muslims given the christian minorities delicate situation in the middle east and as well as radical muslims always on the watch. The media too has been on the prowl with the Holy Father, trying to create controversey all the time. That being said, the Church should keep in mind that Islam is not Christianity, and it teaches falsehood about Jesus and the cross. in the middle ages, The franciscan order tried preaching to muslims, including St. Francis. many were martyred because of this in muslim lands. I realise this is not the middle ages anymore, in the fact that one religion wanted to totally dominate the other. but as political as the papal office, he still has a job to preach christ crucified, while respecting our muslim friends of course

and the church should not been ever seen as endorsing islam, as in the case of Pope John Paul II

Today it is exactly ten years since the late Pope John Paul II kissed a copy of the Qurʾān (Koran).

The problem with this action is that it risks sending completely wrong signals. It could signal that the pope accepted Islām, or that he accepted a sort of religious indifferentism. Of course anyone who knows anything about the late pope will realize that he accepted neither. However, actions (and not least pictures) sometimes speak louder than words. Therefore, our actions should be consistent with our words, which should be consistent with our faith.

Since the contents of the Qurʾān deny fundamental tenets of the Christian faith, such as the Most Holy Trinity, the divinity of Christ, and Christ's death on the cross, it is not appropriate for any Christian to venerate a copy of the Qurʾān by kissing it. The only book that Christians should kiss is the Book of the Gospels of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Visiting a mosque is one thing. Kissing a copy of the Qurʾān is something completely different. Thankfully, I don't believe we shall ever see Pope Benedict XVI kissing a copy of the Qurʾān.

Mataeusz,

I'm all for one religion dominating (and nooo, it's not Mormonism...).

Alexis

I was under the impression that JP II supposedly kissed a copy of the Gospels? If not, remember that he was an old man at the time and mabye just thought that it was a good idea to do? He also could have been showing reverance not for the whole Koran but just the aspects of it that Christians and Muslims have in common?

Robert,

I will tell you what I heard (this was years ago). Apparently, and I say this in all charity, I think some people were trying to spin it so that the rumor got out that Pope John Paul II kissed a copy of the Gospels, but fact-checking proved that it was, indeed, the Qur'an.

I would chalk this behavior up to the fact that many were indeed scandalized, and someone thought it smart to devise a "cover up." I didn't know that is what so widely disseminated that you would've heard about it. Although since I heard about it, why shouldn't you, I guess? LOL.

Alexis