Ayoon Wa Azan (The pope and dialogue with Islam)

Before Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio went to Rome to elect a new pope, he made a statement to a local newspaper and said he did not expect to be elected because he was 76 years old, which he reckoned was not in his favor. The age of the coming pope was a sensitive issue for me, as I followed up the election of a successor to Pope Benedict XVI. There were many candidates who were more than 70 years old, from Milan and Honduras, while others were in their 60s. Two of them, Brazilian Odilo Pedro Scherer and Ghanaian Peter Turkson, were only 61 years old respectively. I found that I could not bear for the Pope of Rome to be younger than I am. I became concerned, because I in the past also had an issue with age, when I saw that I was becoming older than English policemen, who started looking and acting like teenagers. I had called on the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Dr. Ahmed al-Tayeb, and the new pope as soon his name was announced, to initiate a new dialogue between Islam and Catholicism, in order to cooperate against Israeli occupation and the war criminals leading the Israeli government. I reiterate this call today, hoping that it will be heeded. The new pope chose to be called Francis, after Saint Francis of Assisi in Italy, founder of the Franciscan Order. There is an anecdote about Saint Francis and the dialogue with Islam. He joined the Fifth Crusade and sailed to Egypt with companions to call for peace, and arrived there in 1219. One day, Francis and a companion sneaked to the ranks of the Muslim army. According to Western sources, Saint Francis wanted to preach to the Sultan to convert him to Christianity. But according to Arab sources, he wanted to initiate dialogue with him and spread peace between Christianity and Islam. Muslim soldiers seized the two intruders and charged them with espionage. But Francis insisted that God had sent him to hold dialogue with the Muslims, and that he carried a message of love and peace. He was able to reach the Sultan eventually, who was impressed with his words and honored him and extended to him his hospitality, and then returned him to his people basked in care and respect. Can the Franciscan pope continue what his predecessor began? His election has focused all spotlights on him, and I read that he is a conservative who is extremely well cultured and a thinker of the highest caliber. I also read that Britain warned him against taking Argentina’s side in the dispute over the Falklands. He was also described as an austere priest and reportedly chose to stay in a cheap hostel in Rome during the election for the new pope. By contrast, there were a lot of criticisms about his role under military rule in Argentina, when many dissidents disappeared without the cardinal (at the time) challenging the junta or the “Dirty War” the latter waged against the opposition in their country. Some even accused him of covering up for priests accused of sexual offenses. I will not judge him either way, and will withhold my verdict which will depend on his work. His predecessor Pope Benedict was an academic and a thinker, but he chose to begin his tenure with a lecture relying on ancient writings to criticize the Prophet of Islam and his teachings, drawing the ire of Muslims around the world. The Catholic Church has many saints and philosophers. But I want to choose one particular saint from our countries, who is Saint Simeon al-Amoudi (the Stylite) – who by the way is not related to the Amoudi family and its members that I know in Jeddah, Mohammad Aboud al-Amoudi. Saint Simeon is called the Stylite because he was famous for sitting on a platform over a pillar near Aleppo, where a historical church bearing his name stands to this day, known as Simeon’s Fortress and also Simeon’s Monastery. The Levantine saint predated Saint Francis by one thousand years. He sat on top of a pillar 15 meter long for 37 years, until he died in 459 AD. My interest in him began when I was young during a trip to Aleppo, when I started asking questions about how he ate, drank, bathed and relieved himself—but I did not hear a convincing answer. It is important today that Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb and Pope Francis take action to benefit both Muslims and Christians, and all of humanity. --- The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arabstoday.