Catholic World News News Feature

Egyptian Islamic leader accepts invitation to meet Pope February 21, 2007

The rector of Egypt’s Al Azhar University has accepted an invitation to travel to Rome for a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI.

Sheik Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi, the leading Islamic figure in Egypt, accepted the invitation that was issued by Cardinal Paul Poupard during a meeting this week in Cairo. No date has been announced for the Egyptian cleric’s visit.

Sheikh Tantawi, who played host to Pope John Paul II when the late Pontiff traveled to Cairo in February 2000, has joined with the Vatican to sponsor a regular annual meeting of Catholic and Islamic scholars. But last year the Muslim cleric said that Pope Benedict could not speak at the Al Azhar University because of the offense given to the Islamic faith in the Pope’s speech at Regensburg; he said that “the Pope must retract his statements” before he could be welcomed at Al Azhar.

During his trip to Cairo, Cardinal Poupard-- the president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue-- also met with the Egyptian Minister for Religious Affairs, Hamdim Zaqzuqiem. Later, in Alexandria, he met with a group of Egyptian Christians.