Muslim Leaders Welcome Pope Benedict’s Visit [Lebanon]

The Daily Star (Lebanon) ^ | 9/11/12 | Jana El Hassan, Wassim Mroueh

[marshmallow]

BEIRUT: Many Shiite and Sunni clerics, including Salafist leaders, are welcoming Pope Benedict XVI’s upcoming visit to Lebanon, and expressing hope that it will strengthen coexistence and help allay Christian fears over their fate in a region in tumult.

Among those looking forward to the thee-day papal visit is Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Rashid Qabbani, who told The Daily Star that the concerns of the Christians in the Middle East will be a topic of discussion.

“We will work to eliminate the concerns that have arisen from the changes in the Arab world,” the grand mufti said, noting that Muslims and Christians alike have concerns about the rapid changes in the region.

“The current situation in the Arab world is still unstable. Until we get a clearer idea of what the future will hold, we will also have concerns,” Qabbani said, adding that he hoped the pope’s visit would help reassure Christians and enhance their cooperation with Muslims in Lebanon and the region.

Qabbani said the most important thing was that Christians and Muslims shouldn’t feel as though they are on “separate boats.”

“The regimes in the Arab world are changing, and we all want to have security and equality and justice. I hope the pope’s visit will reflect that,” he said.

Pope Benedict XVI will meet with Muslim leaders Saturday morning at Baabda Palace.

For his part, Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hasan al-Amin described the pope’s trip as a “blessed visit,” linking it to late Pope John Paul II’s visit to Lebanon in 1997.

[teflon9]

[MDLION]

The Holy Father is a brave man. I would be scared or at least apprehensive to meet with the Muslims. I would wonder, which one is going to interpret the Koran the peaceful way, and which one is going to interpret it the violent way.