rtwngAvngr
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- Jan 5, 2004
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gop_jeff said:
http://www.daughtersofstpaul.com/johnpaulpapacy/meetjp/thepope/jpislam.html
John Paul II and Islam
The challenge of Islam runs through the entire pontificate of John Paul II. In his eyes, there should be no animosity between Islam and the Catholic Church. Rather it is an approach toward one another for the purpose of mutual growth in understanding.
When John Paul II hosted the World Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi, Muslims accepted the Popes invitation to world religions to observe a day of fasting and prayer for peace. John Pauls outreach to Islam began with his address to 50,000 young Muslims in the stadium at Casablanca. King Hussein introduced the Pope to the crowd as "an educator and a defender of values that are shared by Islam and Christianity." The Pope told his young listeners:
"Christians and Muslims generally we have understood each other badly. Sometimes in the past we have opposed each other and even exhausted ourselves in polemics and wars. I believe that God is calling us today to change our old habits. We have to respect each other and stimulate each other in good works upon the path indicated by God. In a world that desires unity and peace, but which experiences a thousand tensions and conflicts, believers should foster friendship and union among humanity and the people who comprise a single community on earth" (LOsservatore Romano, August 1985).