CAIRO (AFP) - Al-Azhar, the chief centre of Sunni Muslim learning, suspended on Thursday its ties with the Vatican, accusing the pope of attacking Islam, but the Holy See says it wants to continue its bi-annual meetings with the Egypt-based institute.
"The freeze was prompted by the repeated attacks on Islam by Pope Benedict XVI of the Vatican. The Pope has reiterated that Muslims oppress [...]
VATICAN CITY (AFP) - Pope Benedict XVI urged all sides in the Middle East not to give up on peace and appealed for religious freedom to be respected as he wrapped up a two-week synod of bishops from the region Sunday.
"For too long, the Middle East has been the victim of conflict, wars, violence and terrorism. Peace, which is a gift of God, is also the result of the efforts of men of good will, [...]
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JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel on Sunday slammed critical remarks made by Middle East Catholic bishops after a meeting chaired by Pope Benedict XVI as "political attacks" on the Jewish state.
"We express our disappointment that this important synod has become a forum for political attacks on Israel in the best history of Arab propaganda," Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said in a stateme [...]
VATICAN CITY (AFP) - Allowing priests to marry has contributed to the survival of the Christian faith in Iraq, said Lebanese Bishop Guy-Paul Noujaim Tuesday, on the sidelines of a Middle East synod at the Vatican.
The bishop said there were 400 bishops in North Africa in the time of Saint Augustine and not a single one after the Muslim invasion, contrasting the situation to Iraq today where the [...]
VATICAN CITY (AFP) - Pope Benedict XVI condemned violence carried out "in God's name" on Monday at a Vatican conference of Catholic bishops and other religious leaders from across the Middle East.
"It is supposedly in God's name that this violence is committed but this is not God, these are false divinities that have to be unmasked," Benedict said.
He also warned of the spread of "terror [...]
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (AFP) - The Vatican said on Sunday it was in contact with Tehran over the case of an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery amid a global diplomatic push for clemency.
The Vatican said it was using "diplomatic channels" to intervene in the case, while Italy urged Iran for a "act of clemency".
Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two, is f [...]
ROME (AFP) - A Vatican official criticised Tuesday Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's reported call for Islam to become the religion of all of Europe, labelling it disrespectful to the Pope and Catholic Italy.
"To speak of the European continent converting to Islam makes no sense because it is the people alone who decide consciously to be Christian, Muslim or to follow other religions," Archbishop [...]
Passengers jump out of plane in India after bad landing
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