CAIRO: Pope Benedict XVI of the Vatican hailed the efforts of President Hosni Mubarak for his regional leadership during these turbulent times. Wrapping up his European tour yesterday with a stop in Vatican City, Mubarak and the Catholic leader also discussed concerns regarding the succession of a Hamas-heavy parliament in Palestine, and the threat of an Iranian nuclear program. The visit is very important and Mubarak wanted to meet the Holy Father in order to . congratulate him on his election, Egypt s ambassador to the Vatican, Nevine Simaika Halim Abdalla, told Adnkronos International. Mubarak met with the Italian premiere Silvio Berlusconi last week, but could not meet with the Pope as he was engaged in spiritual exercises to mark the start of Lent, the holiest season in Christianity. Pope Benedict was elected pontiff of the Catholic Church last April following the death of Pope John Paul II. Mubarak last visited the Vatican in 2001 for meetings with Pope John Paul to discuss the Middle East Peace process following uprisings that marked the second Intifada. The two also discussed long-standing concerns regarding the future of Jerusalem as a sacred sight for Christians, Muslims and Jews alike. Diplomatic relations between Egypt and the Vatican date back to 1947, though it was not until 10 years later that Egypt would open an embassy in the world s smallest country. Relations between Egypt and the Vatican were solidified in February 2000 following the visit by Pope John Paul II to Egypt. Mubarak s trip back to Italy for a special audience with the Pope shows the importance attributed to this meeting, said Abdalla, adding the visit represents an important gesture of reconciliation and a sign of mutual understanding between Muslims and Christians. This type of meeting probably asks for more religious dialogue, which could be helpful, but in terms of Mubarak as a political leader, I think a more concrete measure would be to ensure Christians are enjoying freedom of worship, says Bradley Class, a professor of Comparative Religions at the American University in Cairo. It was in the 8th Century when Pope John VI took the first steps to initiate relations between the Vatican and Muslim world. Relations remained cold and distant, though decolonization was simultaneously leading to the rapid establishment of Muslim states in the Middle and Far East. At the turn of the 20th century, merely half a dozen independent Muslim states existed. By 2000, that number had multiplied nearly seven fold to 53. Pope John Paul II made it a priority during his papacy to maintain strong ties with the Muslim world. On a visited to Damascus in 2001, he became the first pope to pray in a mosque. He also issued a formal apology for what he called the misdeeds of Christians toward Islam throughout history, including the Crusades and colonialism. Suddenly Catholicism, the world s most practiced religion, was forced to reevaluate and give priority to creating firm ties with Islam: the fastest growing religion in the world. Religious allegiance always runs along political lines, adds Class. In terms of anyone consciously perceiving it as a competition between the Vatican and certain Islamic authorities, I don t look at it that way. I think due to a variety of conditions, Islam is rising very quickly, but a lot of it has to do with immigration and multiplying in places in the West where it didn t have a large presence. Relations between the Muslim world and the West have been turbulent at best following a number of terrorist attacks, namely, the attacks of September 11th on New York and Washington. Protest and violence further strained relations in recent months as the Arab world expressed outrage following the publication of cartoon depictions of the Prophet Mohammed, first in a Danish independent newspaper, and later, in hundreds of papers worldwide. Even if the subject was addressed by the two leaders, Class says, the Vatican will never take an official stance on such an issue. The Catholic Church isn t going to be a voice to rally solidly behind secular humanism where the tension seems to be lined here; secular humanists that say freedom of the press no matter what, leading Muslims and other people being upset, he explains. With freedom of the press comes a responsibility not to offend other groups and perpetrate slurs against other ethnicities. I don t think the Catholic Church would get into that. Before assuming the role of pontiff, Pope Benedict expressed the need to consolidate its presence in countries in Europe and North American, for example, where it has a major following. Recognized as a conservative, Benedict has expressed his belief that Pope John Paul II and his strategy of establishing alliances with the Muslim world may have backfired, strengthening autocratic regimes that dominate the Muslim world.
