There is a deep-seated distrust of images from a supposedly heal the world. Staging! Symbolism! Reconciliation kitsch! This distrust also includes Gestures that come from the heart. Theatrics! Masquerade! Emotional Exhibitionism! As Chancellor Willy Brandt in December 1970 at the monument to the heroes of the Warsaw ghetto, laid a wreath, on knees fell, and about half a Minute in silence remained, found that 48 percent of West Germans is exaggerated, 41 percent is reasonable. Criticism must be, even if history is written.
For the first Time a Pope has traveled to the Arabian Peninsula. Where Islam was born, where its holiest sites, Mecca and Medina are located. On his deathbed, the Prophet Mohammed is said to have insisted that in Arabia, no two religions side by side is allowed to exist. In Saudi Arabia, the construction of churches, therefore, is strictly prohibited. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE) took Francis is now an inter-religious Meeting with representatives of Islam, various Christian denominations and other world religions, including Buddhists, Hindus, as well as a half-dozen rabbis. A global spiritual community committed to the Ideal of tolerance and non-violence.
A day later, the Pontiff stopped in front of 130,000 believers in a mass in the stadium of Abu Dhabi. It was the largest Christian mass ever celebrated in the Arabian Peninsula, where Islam in all countries is the state religion. The Celebration was broadcast live in the entire Islamic world. Almost all of the Arab Newspapers have reported the Pope’s visit on your first page. The title of the article one of the most influential daily Newspapers in Saudi Arabia, was: “Saudi Arabia could also be a host of the Pope’s visit.”
“We have said tolerance study, teaching, and practice”
The Prime Minister and Vice-President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, said: “Of the hundreds of thousands dead and millions of refugees in our Region, we have learned that sectarian, cultural and religious bigotry, are fuelling only the fire of wrath. We cannot and will not allow it. We need tolerance study, teaching, and practice.“ The Ministers of culture of the UAE, announced that two churches in the Iraqi city of Mosul to rebuild, which had been destroyed by the “Islamic state”. This was an “act of solidarity”.
Only empty promises, a distortion of reality? Also in the UAE a lot of shortcomings, particularly in human rights, democracy and the rule of law. However, the country sees itself as a place of refuge. About 13 percent of the nine million inhabitants are Christians, most of them guest workers from East Asia, Africa and Europe. You can practice your Faith freely, but neither the citizens nor proselytize, or Church bells ringing. In comparison to Saudi Arabia, where even Christmas trees are banned, can apply to the UAE in spite of the authoritarian form of rule as a model.
Pope Francis was Welcomed by the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Ahmad al Tayyeb. The Al-Azhar University is the most important center of learning of Sunni Islam. The Grand Sheik and the Pope are friends. With the help of the inter-religious Dialogue, they hope to be able to influence the intra-Islamic debate. As a mediating Institution of the Muslim Council of Elders, which was founded in 2014 and its Chairman of Cairo’s Grand Sheikh. The Council of Elders is understood as brothers against the Muslim. Him moderate Sunni clerics from various Islamic States and Islamic societies.
The Separation loses the character of exclusivity
the Ideal of tolerance: Muslims could accept it without automatically the Orthodoxy renounce or to make use of the historical-critical Interpretation of the Qur’an. So the tolerance idea would not necessarily jeopardize the foundations of the Islamic dogmas. How to do that, shows the Pope’s visit. If, on the Arabian Peninsula meet 700 participants of an inter-religious meeting and exchange, if there is a large Christian mass can be celebrated at the cross, then the Separator loses the character of exclusiveness. Then space for the thoughts of a great spiritual community, a world-wide Ecumenism.
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Francis in Abu Dhabi, the Pope speaks of Christians on the Arabian Peninsula, the courage to
A step towards this goal, Pope Francis made Grand Sheikh Ahmad al Tayyeb and the leadership of the UAE. The exhibition in the stadium is over. The images.
