Here is an interesting article. The visit of Saudi King Fahd to Italy puts in high relief the diferent degrees of religious freedom and religious pluralism comparing Western Europe to some Muslim countries (including the country in which Islam was founded).
clipped from feeds.bignewsnetwork.com
When Saudi King Abdullah arrives in Rome Tuesday he may wish to take a break from his schedule, including a historic meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican, for a quiet moment of prayer at the city's central mosque, Europe's largest Muslim house of worship.
In the highly unlikely event of Benedict visiting Saudi Arabia, there the pontiff would not find a single church to pray in. The kingdom prohibits all public religious displays that are not Islamic and routinely refuses clerics from other faiths entry into the country.
Rome's central mosque, reportedly built for more than $50 million largely donated by Saudi Arabia's former king Fahd,was inaugurated in 1995 in a ceremony attended by representatives of the Catholic, Jewish and Buddhist faiths.
'Reciprocity is what we hope for
'It is necessary to take account of the needs of Christians there' in Saudi Arabia
The Vatican continues to lament the lack of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia
Posted by admin at November 4, 2007 09:03 PM
