Vatican says al-Qaida criticism of pope shows fear of dialogue

Published: 2007-12-19

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican said recent criticism of Pope Benedict XVI by an al-Qaida leader reflected extremist fears of interreligious dialogue. Al-Qaida's deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, said in a videotape that the pope had offended Muslims and that Saudi Arabian King Abdullah Aziz should not have met with the pontiff in November. It was the first meeting between a pope and a reigning Saudi king. Asked about al-Zawahri's comments, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said Dec. 18 that the papal meeting with the Saudi Arabian leader and the ongoing dialogue between the Vatican and Muslim scholars "is a positive fact for the entire Muslim world." "The fact that these voices that explicitly want to dialogue and work for peace have a growing importance in Islam is evidently something that worries those who don't want dialogue," the Vatican spokesman said.

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