pope Jp2

[ThomasPeter]

i heard something a while ago and just havnt gotten around to asking about until now....
during the time after John Paul II had died i was watching a lot of shows talking about his life. someplace in everything i saw and read said he had once kissed the Kuran (sp?) and that it was controversial stc. i was wonderng if this was true. and if it is, why did he do it? thank you much!
tom
ps- im gunna have to get use to saying "Pope Benedict XVI".. haha

[Pio Nono]

JMJ
4/20 - Fourth Wednesday of Easter

ThomasPeter,

There's a famous picture to which you refer where the Pope looks as if he is kissing the Qu'ran, or the holy book of the Islamic faith. The problem is that the man holding it is not a Muslim at all, but the Patriarch of Antioch (I believe), and the book is not the Qu'ran at all, but the Book of the Gospels. Because the book looks "Middle Eastern", some Catholics have decided to believe that it is the Qu'ran (despite the facts). However, this is not at all true. Hope this helps.

Yours,
Pio Nono