Pope Benedict XVI and Islam

During his papal tenure, Pope Benedict XVI focused on building on the outreach of his predecessors towards Islam, particularly on the efforts of Pope John Paul II, who experts say established trust and opened opportunities for dialogue with Muslims.[1] One of the important milestones in the Pope's efforts included a religious and peaceful initiative called A Common Word. This was provoked by a 2006 lecture he delivered at a university in Regensburg, Germany, which prompted Muslim leaders to gather and make overtures to their Christian and Jewish counterparts.[2] Later on, Pope Benedict pursued key initiatives that helped foster Christian and Muslim dialogue. These were founded on the Pope's belief that Christians and Muslims have shared religious experience and that Christianity and Islam are both theologically founded in "God's irruptive call ... heard in the midst of man's ordinary daily existence."[3]

  1. ^ Walsh, Mary Ann (2005). From Pope John Paul II to Benedict XVI: An Inside Look at the End of an Era, the Beginning of a New One, and the Future of the Church. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 181. ISBN 9781580512022.
  2. ^ Friend, Theodore (2012). Woman, Man, and God in Modern Islam. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 8. ISBN 9780802866738.
  3. ^ Viviano, Rocco (2016-11-07). "Benedict XVI, Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations". The Downside Review. 135 (1): 55–75. doi:10.1177/0012580616676234. ISSN 0012-5806. S2CID 151537373.