Pope John Paul II Entered The Mosque, On Today's History, May 6, 2001

JAKARTA - May 6, 2001, was Pope John Paul II's second trip to the Middle East. The visit made him the first Pope to enter the mosque and the first to make a meaningful stance towards Islam.

Quoted from the Washington Post, in his speech at the Grand Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria, Pope John Paul II claimed to have paid attention to the conflict centuries ago in the Middle East between Christians and Muslims.

"For all the time Muslims and Christians have offended each other, we need to seek forgiveness", the Pope said in front of dozens of Syrian Christian and Islamic leaders and scholars.

Previously, no Pope had ever been to a mosque. During a trip to Jerusalem the previous year, Pope John Paul II did not enter the al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest site.

"I sincerely hope that Muslim and Christian leaders and teachers will present our two major religious communities as communities in a dialogue of mutual respect, never more as communities in conflict", the Pope said.

"It is very important for young people to be taught ways of respecting and understanding so that they will not be led to abuse religion itself to promote or justify hatred and violence".

About the Umayyad Grand Mosque

The Umayyad Grand Mosque was built in 705 on a site that was once used to honor the Roman god Jupiter, which later became a Christian basilica. At the height of the Umayyad caliphate from Damascus, the area was converted into a mosque.

The Umayyad Mosque is a window showing how diverse Islamic practices are. On Thursday night, the mosque became a stretch of community activity.

Bearded men gathered in one corner for the Koran. A group of women chatted casually and children turned the carpeted open space into a playground and ran.

Also in the mosque, there is the tomb of John the Baptist. Then there is a linked page containing the tomb of Saladin, the Muslim warrior who reclaimed Jerusalem from the Catholic crusaders.

Pope's message of tolerance

The Pope's visit to the mosque continues the theme of interfaith tolerance that he brought up during his previous visit to Athens, Greece. At that time he asked for forgiveness from the Eastern Orthodox churches for the divisions that divided Christianity nearly a thousand years ago.

John Paul II was currently on a six-day tour. The tour includes three countries tracing in the footsteps of the apostle Paul, who converted to Christianity on his way to Damascus.

While setting foot in Syria, the Pope has been repeatedly reminded of the tensions that still divide the Middle East. In the Pope's welcoming address, Syrian President Bashar Assad urged the Pope to support Palestine in the uprising against Israel.

Bashar Assad also asked the Pope to make comments accusing all Jews of treason against Christ. At the same time, Vatican officials again expressed the Roman Catholic Church's rejection of anti-Semitism.

And at that time, the President of Israel called Bashar Assad a racist. When the Pope held a three-hour Mass in the presence of 40.000 mostly Orthodox devotees, new fighting broke out in Israel. Syrian television then broadcasted footage showing the dead Palestinians.

*Read other information about WORLD HISTORY or read other interesting writings from Putri Ainur Islam.

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photo 1. Pope John Paul II. Wikimedia Commons

Photo 2: Tomb of John the Baptist in the Umayyad Mosque. Wikimedia Commons