HISTORIC VISIT: JOHN PAUL II IS FIRST POPE TO ENTER A MOSQUE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 6, 2001 (VIS) - This afternoon John Paul II, after his meeting with the Orthodox and Catholic clergy, religious and laity at the Syro-Orthodox Cathedral, went to the Omayyad Great Mosque, thus becoming the first pope ever to enter a Muslim mosque. Upon his arrival he was greeted by the Great Mufti of the Arab Republic of Syria, Sheikh Ahmad Kuftaro, and by the minister of the Waqf (religious goods).

The mosque was built in the 8th century, after the Arab conquest of Damascus, on the remains of preexisting buildings, including the cathedral of Damascus, dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The mosque was originally covered with marble and gold-based mosaics, which were the most extensive mosaic decorations ever made, covering over 4,000 square meters. They followed the iconoclast norms of Islam and depicted houses, palaces, vegetation, and streams of water, but no human beings. Part of these mosaics was destroyed over the years and another part was hidden under a layer of stucco, and rediscovered in 1928.

The Mosque of the Omayyads comprises the assembly place for the Friday prayer and preaching, as well as everything within the sacred enclosure, which is a complex of buildings: the Prayer Room, other rooms, and several Madrasa ("schools" of the Koran and of Arab epigraphy). The Prayer Room, which was entirely destroyed in the fire of 1893, was reconstructed according to the original design. Located within this room is the sepulchral monument of St. John the Baptist, the place in which, according to tradition, Emperor Theodosius buried the saint's skull.

As is customary, the Holy Father removed his shoes, put on white slippers and then entered the mosque. Upon reaching the mausoleum of St. John the Baptist, he remained in prayer for several minutes.

After leaving the sacred enclosure, John Paul II met with the region's Muslim representatives in the courtyard of the mosque, telling them: "Our meeting today in the Omayyad Mosque will signal our determination to advance interreligious dialogue between the Catholic Church and Islam. This dialogue has gained momentum in recent decades, and today we can be grateful for the road we have travelled together so far."

"It is important," he continued, "that Muslims and Christians continue to explore philosophical and theological questions together, in order to come to a more objective and comprehensive knowledge of each others' religious beliefs. Better mutual understanding will surely lead, at the practical level, to a new way of presenting our two religions, not in opposition, as has happened too often in the past, but in partnership for the good of the human family."

In conclusion the Holy Father affirmed that "the positive experiences" between Christians and Muslims, "must strengthen our communities in the hope of peace; and the negative experiences should not be allowed to undermine that hope. For all the times that Muslims and Christians have offended one another, we need to seek forgiveness from the Almighty and to offer each other forgiveness."

After his visit to the mosque, John Paul II went to the apostolic nunciature, where he dined and spent the night.

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