Pope Francis on Friday called on Muslims and Christians to observe “mutual respect through education” in his message for Muslims at the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
“We are called to respect the religion of the other, its teachings, its symbols, its values,” Pope Francis said in a statement. “We have to bring up our young people to think and speak respectfully of other religions and their followers,” he said.
“As an expression of esteem and friendship for all Muslims,” the pontiff personally sign his good wishes on the feast of Id al-Fitr, which celebrates the end of Ramadan, a month of prayer and fasting.
“It’s not the first time that a pontiff has signed the message by his own hand,” said Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi. “But it certainly shows Francis’ particular attention to relations with the Muslim world.”
In an first address to the Diplomatic Corps, the pope stressed the importance of intensifying dialogue among the various faiths, “particularly dialogue with Islam.”
Sources
Image: Reuters/Christian Post