Pope Visits Muslim Lands

(From late last week) On the second day of his visit to the Middle East, Pope Benedict XVI stressed the need for harmony and unity between Christians and Muslims.

Pope Benedict XVI visits the King Hussein Bin Talal mosque Saturday in Amman, Jordan.

"Muslims and Christians, precisely because of the burden of our common history, so often marked by misunderstanding, must today strive to be known and recognized as worshippers of God, faithful to prayer, eager to uphold and lift by the Almighty decrees," the pontiff said in an address at the King Hussein Bin Talal mosque in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

Often, "it is the ideological manipulation of religion, sometimes for political ends, that is a real catalyst for tension and division" between faiths, the pope said.

Pope Benedict also spoke about Iraq's Christians, asking the international community to "do everything possible to ensure that the ancient Christian community of that noble land has a fundamental right to peaceful coexistence with their fellow citizens." Watch how Jordanians feel about the pope's visit »

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said the pope did not pray inside the mosque. (At least he didn't bow down before the Arab King, haw-haw!) See Chick's THE DECEIVED.