Source: altmuslim.com
Pope Francis is not the first pope to win the respect of Muslims – John Paul II was so loved around the Muslim world that even the Taliban mourned his passing – but his outreach to Muslims during the early days of his tenure has struck a deep chord in Muslim communities around the world. Papal traditionalists noticed something was off when Pope Francis washed the feet of a Muslim woman prisoner in one of his earliest acts as the new pontiff. The pope followed this with many more gestures: sending “prayerful good wishes” to Muslims at the conclusion of Ramadan, writing to Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al Tayyeb to express respect for Islam and call for mutual understanding, and calling for Muslim immigrants to Europe to be embraced “with affection and respect.” “Pope Francis is really doing a wonderful job in terms of outreach,” said Imam Mohamad Bashar Arafat after visiting the Vatican. “[He] resonates with the Muslim world.”
Additional stories on Pope Francis’ outreach to Muslims in 2013/2014:
craigconsidinetcd.com 