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Muslim leader says pope is model of what religious leader should be
Catholic News Service ^ | Oct-8-2013 | Cindy Wooden

Posted on 10/08/2013 1:24:33 PM PDT by haffast

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis, like Islam's Sufi mystic theologians and poets, "is trying to do good for the sake of the Good One, motivated by love and compassion," said the president of the Islamic Affairs Council of Maryland.

Mohamad Bashar Arafat, a Syrian who has lived in the United States for more than 20 years, was visiting the Vatican and speaking to groups in Rome in early October as a guest of the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See as part of the U.S. State Department's international speakers program.

In an interview with Catholic News Service, Arafat said he sees Pope Francis acting as all truly religious leaders should: reaching out with respect for the human person and open to dialogue.

Arafat said the pope's love and openness were clear not only in his choice of being named after St. Francis of Assisi, but particularly in his decision in July to visit the Italian island of Lampedusa, praying for migrants lost at sea and calling the world's attention to the need for immigration reform, and in calling on people around the world to fast and pray for peace in Syria in early September when a military strike seemed imminent.

"From my perspective, Pope Francis is really doing a wonderful job in terms of outreach, in terms of contributing to world peace, in terms of contributing to stopping wars and conflicts, praying for better understanding," Arafat said. "This was the message of St. Francis Assisi and this is the message of Ibn Arabi, the great Muslim scholar and theologian and poet, and this is the spirit of all the Muslim saints and Sufis around the world."

snip

(Excerpt) Read more at catholicnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: catholic; ecumenism; francis; immigration; interfaith; interreligious; islam; israel; lampedusa; peaceandsecurity; sufism; sunni; syria; waronterror
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""I see Pope Francis saying the right things and setting the right tone, and also appearing in the right places at the right time," he said."

Do four "rights" make a wrong?

If a Muslim from the Obamite's State Department be for ye, who could be against ye?

1 posted on 10/08/2013 1:24:33 PM PDT by haffast
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To: haffast

Well, now I am concerned...


2 posted on 10/08/2013 1:26:11 PM PDT by seeker41 (take your country back by whatever means necessary)
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To: haffast

“And if only he’d drop that Jesus is God stuff we wouldn’t have to kill him.” He thought but didn’t say.


3 posted on 10/08/2013 1:27:07 PM PDT by DManA (.)
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To: haffast
Wow...high praise! /sarc

Go figure...muzzies and obamanites, not to mention atheists and sodomites all think he's the cat's pajamas. For some reason I'm finding it difficult to trust him.

4 posted on 10/08/2013 1:27:15 PM PDT by pgkdan
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What did Pope concede?


5 posted on 10/08/2013 1:28:00 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: haffast

This guy is saying these wonderful things about the Pope that is going to get him blown up.


6 posted on 10/08/2013 1:29:50 PM PDT by lbryce (Obama:The Worst is Yet To Come)
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To: haffast

He’s confident that Francis won’t be quoting Manuel II Palaiologos anytime soon:
Show me just what Muhammad brought
that was new and there you will find things
only evil and inhuman, such as his
command to spread by the sword the faith
he preached.

So it’s all good.


7 posted on 10/08/2013 1:33:03 PM PDT by pluvmantelo (We can't expect to get anywhere unless we resort to terrorism-Lenin)
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To: haffast

Talk about your backhanded compliments!


8 posted on 10/08/2013 1:37:45 PM PDT by Boogieman
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To: haffast

So... does that mean the Pope is yielding to all the Moslems’ outrageous demands?

Inquiring minds want to know.


9 posted on 10/08/2013 1:44:58 PM PDT by Jack Hammer (American)
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To: haffast

The Pope may be a bit of all right, at that.

Nonetheless, when a senior muslim praises you, it’s time to take a time out and double-check yourself.


10 posted on 10/08/2013 1:46:55 PM PDT by ExGeeEye (It's been over 90 days; time to start on 2014. Carpe GOP!)
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To: haffast

Sufi Muslims— like Christians— are becoming an endangered species in the ME.


11 posted on 10/08/2013 1:47:45 PM PDT by pierrem15 (Claudius: "Let all the poisons that lurk in the mud hatch out.")
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To: Gene Eric

Uh, just about everything.

This Pope is St. Malachy’s Petrus Romanus - the Last Pope before the collapse of civilization.


12 posted on 10/08/2013 1:48:19 PM PDT by ZULU (Impeach that Bastard Barrack Hussein Obama)
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To: haffast

I would hope the pope knows he cannot reason with those under Satanic influence of a Satanic Religion.

We shall see.


13 posted on 10/08/2013 1:49:07 PM PDT by PoloSec ( Believe the Gospel: how that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again)
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To: lbryce

He’s already a target - he cited ibn Arabi and he’s clearly a Sufi.


14 posted on 10/08/2013 1:52:29 PM PDT by AnAmericanAbroad (It's all bread and circuses for the future prey of the Morlocks.)
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To: pierrem15

Sufis are held in less regard by the more wackadoodlie than Christians.

They regard Christians as mere polytheists; Sufis are outright apostates in the worldview of the hardcore nutjobs.


15 posted on 10/08/2013 1:54:28 PM PDT by AnAmericanAbroad (It's all bread and circuses for the future prey of the Morlocks.)
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To: haffast

Is this “spokesman” a Sufi? He quoted a Sufi poet, and most mainstream Muslims regard Sufis as heretics and for killing purposes, they’re about at the same level as Christians and Jews.

If he’s quoting a Sufi poet, believe me, he’s not a mainstream Muslim (Bambi’s favorite brand is Sunni, the most extreme).


16 posted on 10/08/2013 2:08:42 PM PDT by livius
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To: haffast

It is appearing more and more that this Pope is NOT a man of God!


17 posted on 10/08/2013 2:15:40 PM PDT by SoldierDad (Proud dad of an Army Soldier who has survived 24 months of Combat deployment.)
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To: pgkdan; Gene Eric; haffast; seeker41
THis story has its odd elements: for instance, Arafat is a Sufi, and Sufism is violently opposed by Wahhabi and Salafist Muslims. Al-Shabab forces in Somalia,and AlQaeda forces in Iran, banned Sufi ceremonies and shrines. All of their places of worship were destroyed, I understand, in Mali.

Sufism is perceived as a peaceful and apolitical form of Islam-- maybe this is why they are called "non-Muslim" by their Muslim enemies.

So then, another strange thing is: what is the U.S. Embassy to the Vatican doing, associating with this prominent American Sufi? What is their goal?

Is it too cynical to say: "What are they using him for?"

18 posted on 10/08/2013 2:19:48 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (What unites us all, of any age, gender, or religion, is that we all believe we are above average.)
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To: haffast

You’re in BIG trouble when the Muslims are praising you!!

Egads!


19 posted on 10/08/2013 2:21:04 PM PDT by jodyel
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To: PoloSec

Methinks he does not know any such thing.


20 posted on 10/08/2013 2:22:38 PM PDT by jodyel
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