Pope appeals against violence in allah's name

Good luck with that times Online

Pope Benedict XVI has appealed to Muslims gathered for an historic meeting in the Vatican to join Christians in opposing violence "carried out in God's name". He said that although Muslims and Christians have "different approaches in matters regarding God, we can and must be worshippers of the one God who created us and is concerned about each person in every corner of the world."

Speaking two years after his controversial speech on Islam at Regensburg University, in which he appeared to suggest that Islam was inherently violent and irrational, the Pope added; "Together we must show, by our mutual respect and solidarity, that we consider ourselves members of one family: the family that God has loved and gathered together from the creation of the world to the end of human history."

In a reference to persecution of Christians he deplored "the discrimination and violence which even today religious people experience throughout the world, and the often violent persecutions to which they are subject, represent unacceptable and unjustifiable acts, all the more grave and deplorable when they are carried out in the name of God. God's name can only be a name of peace and fraternity, justice and love. We are challenged to demonstrate, by our words and above all by our deeds, that the message of our religions is unfailingly a message of harmony and mutual understanding. It is essential that we do so, lest we weaken the credibility and the effectiveness not only of our dialogue, but also of our religions themselves".