The Pope and Islam
Pope visits mosque, makes history
May 7/02 - ONENews - Pope John Paul has become the first Catholic Pontiff to visit a Muslim place of worship in Islam's 1,400-year history.
Flanked by Syria's leading Muslim clerics, the frail 80-year-old went inside Damascus' Great Umayyad Mosque, which contains the supposed tomb of St John the Baptist.
Religious authorities hope the groundbreaking visit will take Muslim-Christian relations to a new level.
The Pope, who revolutionised relations with Jews by visiting Rome's synagogue in 1985, is on a pilgrimage to Syria to trace the steps of St Paul the Apostle.
Pope hears strong anti-Israel feelings
The Pope used the occasion to urge Christians and Muslims to forgive each other for the past, but in reply he heard a tirade against Israel by Syria's most senior Muslim leader.
Speaking inside the Great Umayyad Mosque, a splendid testimonial to Syrian history, the weary-looking Pontiff said religious conviction was never a justification for violence.
"Nevermore communities in conflict," he said in the mosque. Outside lies the tomb of Saladin, who drove the Crusaders from the East.
At perhaps the most poignant point of the visit, the Pope, wearing white cloth slippers, was told by a guide: "Now Holy Father, we will leave you alone with God so you can pray."
The delegation took a step backward as the Pope leaned with one hand against the monument and one on his cane in silent contemplation and prayer.
The Pontiff said it was now time to turn the page with Islam too.
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