Pope Benedict XVI renewed his call for interfaith dialogue during a meeting with Belgium's new ambassador to the Vatican, Franck De Coninck, citing the growing presence of immigrant communities from diverse religious backgrounds as a reason for deeper cross-cultural engagement.
The appeal came weeks after a speech the pope delivered at the University of Regensburg in Bavaria drew sharp protests across Muslim-majority countries, where his remarks were seen as connecting Islam to violence. He subsequently expressed regret over the offense caused but stopped short of a formal apology or retraction.
Benedict urged that immigrants be received with respect for their dignity and beliefs, and called for integration policies free of xenophobia. Earlier in the week he had sent warm wishes to Muslims celebrating Eid al-Fitr, and the Vatican's leading official for interfaith relations had issued a message calling for mutual respect between Christians and Muslims.
The gestures are widely seen as efforts to repair relations ahead of the pope's late-November visit to Türkiye, his first to a Muslim-majority country as pontiff.
Separately, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, head of the Catholic Church in Italy, linked Islamic radicalism to terrorism at a church conference in Verona, while also affirming "the duty to build peace."
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in October 2006, in its own words.