AMMAN, Jordan — Pope Benedict XVI began his first trip to the Middle East on Friday, expressing his “deep respect” for Islam and hopes that the Catholic Church would be a force for peace in the region.
The pope was given a red-carpet welcome at the airport by Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, and he praised the moderate Arab country as a leader in efforts to promote peace and dialogue between Christians and Muslims.
The trip to the Holy Land is the first for the German-born Benedict, who will travel Monday for a much anticipated four days in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Benedict angered many in the Muslim world three years ago when he quoted a medieval text that characterized some of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad’s teachings as “evil and inhuman,” particularly “his command to spread by the sword the faith.”
Earlier this year, he sparked outrage among Jews when he revoked the excommunication of an ultraconservative bishop who denies the Holocaust.
“My visit to Jordan gives me a welcome opportunity to speak of my deep respect for the Muslim community, and to pay tribute to the leadership shown by his majesty the king in promoting a better understanding of the virtues proclaimed by Islam,” Benedict said.
Later at a Catholic center for the handicapped, he said his only agenda was to bring hope and prayers “for the precious gift of unity and peace, most specifically for the Middle East.”
Benedict’s three-day stay in Jordan is his first visit to an Arab country as pope. He is scheduled to meet with Muslim religious leaders at Amman’s largest mosque.
