Pope in Jordan presses inter-faith reconciliation

Addressing Muslim leaders in Amman’s huge Al-Hussein Mosque, the pontiff bemoaned "tensions and divisions" between followers of different faiths and urged Muslims and Christians to unite as "worshippers of God."

Some Muslim leaders expressed disappointment however that the pontiff had made no new apology for a 2006 address in which he quoted a medieval Christian emperor who criticized some teachings of the Prophet Mohammed as "evil and inhuman."

The pontiff apologized at the time for the "unfortunate misunderstanding" but ahead of his visit to Jordan, the kingdoms main opposition party the Islamic Action Front (IAF) said the pope was not welcome unless he again apologized.

"We wanted him to clearly apologize," Sheikh Yusef Abu Hussein, mufti of the southern city of Karak, told AFP after the pope’s address on Saturday.

"We had hoped the pope would take into consideration the feelings of Muslims," said another cleric, Sheikh Jamal Jumaah of the city of Madaba.

The pontiff in his address at the mosque called for greater understanding between followers of different faiths.

"Certainly, the contradiction of tensions and divisions between the followers of different religious traditions, sadly, cannot be denied," the leader of the worlds 1.1 billion Catholics told his audience.

"However, is it not also the case that often it is the ideological manipulation of religion, sometimes for political ends, that is the real catalyst for tension and division, and at times even violence in society?"

Pope Benedict kept his shoes on during the keynote address but a spokesman insisted he had not been asked to do so as he used a special walkway.

The pope meant absolutely no disrespect to Islam by not removing his shoes in accordance with Muslim custom when he entered the Al-Hussein mosque, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said.

"Benedict XVI was ready to take them off but his escorts led him down a special walkway and did not ask him to do so," the spokesman said.

On his arrival in Amman on Friday at the start of his eight-day Holy Land tour that will also take him to Israel and the Palestinian territories, Benedict underlined his "deep respect" for Islam.

The pontiff told journalists that inter-faith dialogue was "very important for peace," adding: The Church "is not a political force but a spiritual force which can contribute to the progress of the peace process" in the Middle East.

Pressing the theme of reconciliation during a visit earlier Saturday to Mount Nebo, where Biblical tradition says God showed Moses the Promised Land, Benedict urged Christians and Jews to bridge their divides.

"The ancient tradition of pilgrimage to the holy places also reminds us of the inseparable bond between the Church and the Jewish people," Benedict said.

"May our encounter today inspire in us a renewed love for the canon of sacred scripture and a desire to overcome all obstacles to the reconciliation of Christians and Jews in mutual respect and cooperation," the pontiff added on the slopes of the windswept mountain.

The 840-metre (2,800-feet) peak of Mount Nebo, some 40 kilometers (24 miles) southwest of the Jordanian capital Amman, is holy to all three religions due to the tradition of Moses.

On Monday, the pope will begin the second stage of his trip by flying to Israel where he is also expected again to focus on building bridges between the faiths.

In recent months, Israel and the Vatican have clashed over the papal decision to lift the excommunication of a Holocaust-denying bishop, Richard Williamson of Britain, and over moves to beatify Pope Pius XII.

Israel reviles Pius for what it perceives as his passive stance during the Holocaust in World War II.