Pontiff set to become the first head of the Roman Catholic
Church to enter a mosque when he visits the Holy Land in May
Pope Benedict XVI is set to become the first head of the
Roman Catholic Church to enter a mosque in Jerusalem when he visits the Holy
Land in May, according to Vatican diplomats.
Monsignor Antonio Franco, the papal nuncio in Israel, said
it had been agreed "in principle" that the pontiff would visit the
seventh century Dome of the Rock, one of the holiest sites in Islam, together
with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. It contains a rock on which the Prophet
Muhammed is said to have left his footprint as he ascended to heaven on a
"night journey" accompanied by the archangel Gabriel.
According to Koranic tradition, Muhammed and Gabriel rode
from Mecca on a winged horse named El Buraq (meaning `lightning'), stopping
briefly at Mount Sinai and Bethlehem before finally alighting at Temple Mount
in Jerusalem, where they encountered Jesus, Abraham and Moses. Gabriel then
took Muhammed to the pinnacle of the rock, where a ladder of golden light
materialised on which Muhammed ascended "into the presence of Allah"
before returning to Mecca.
Asked about reports that Pope Benedict may visit the nearby
al-Aqsa Mosque, which is also on Temple Mount (known to Muslims as Haram al
Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary) and is also identified with Muhammad's
"night journey", Monsignor Franco said this ''had not been spoken
about''. In 2000 Pope John Paul II visited Temple Mount, but did not enter
either of the mosques.
The Pope confirmed last Sunday that he will be travelling to
the Holy Land from 8-15 May, taking in Jordan, Jerusalem, Nazareth and
Bethlehem. In Jerusalem the Pope will visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial
but will not enter the adjoining museum because it contains an exhibit
condemning Pope Pius XII, the wartime pontiff (1939-58) for his failure to
speak out against the Nazi extermination of the Jews.
Monsignor Franco said Pope Benedict would also visit the
Western Wall in Jerusalem, one of the holiest sites in Judaism, where John Paul
II prayed in 2000. He said the papal trip was "a religious pilgrimage, not
a political mission", adding: "The intent of the Holy Father's visit
is to express his solidarity and closeness to the people of Israel and
Palestine, and through them to all the people of this region".
Pope Benedict stood in silent prayer at the Blue Mosque in
Istanbul in November 2006 in an attempt to mend relations with the Muslim world
after an outcry over his controversial comments in Regensburg in his native
Germany, in which he appeared to suggest that Islam was inherently violent and
irrational.
Church Reunion