Vatican City, Aug 3, 2008 / 15:00 pm
Sheik Ahmad Badereddine Hassoun, Syria’s grand mufti and top Sunni Muslim religious authority, has said he would like to meet Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican and persuade him to visit Syria.
Speaking from Damascus, Sheik Hassoun told the Italian news agency Apcom, "I would like to invite the Holy Father to visit our country, following in the footsteps of St. Paul.” "I am available for a meeting at the Vatican. I would like to see him one on one to plan the visit together."
Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi said the invitation shows a “serene climate” in Syria and “good relations” with the country.
Hassoun is part of the group of 138 Muslim scholars who have called for greater Christian-Muslim dialogue.
"There is a dialogue, and between religions and intellectuals there are always discussions," he has said, according to Apcom. "One can fight with one's wife, but then the love grows."