Pope Hailed for Praying toward Mecca Like Muslims

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Did you see what actually happened? I watched this on the news. They walked into the mosque and the Islam leader did a little tour type thing. Then he paused and said HE was going to pray. He did not get down on his knees and bow as muslims usually do. The POPE just stood there next to him with his hands folded (not palm to palm prayer style) and remined quiet. He didn’t bow his head, close his eyes, anything like that.
In my opinion he was just being polite! I think the news person used the word “respectful” but didn’t claim that the Pope was praying. And compared to other news footage I’ve seen when Pope Benedict obviously WAS praying, he looked very different. Now in his heart he might very well have said a prayer, but it wasn’t a Muslim prayer and he has not suddenly converted or anything like that!
I will pray for him that God strengthens him even more during this difficult time.
 
vern_humphrey said:
Not long ago, the Pope was in a procession that was crossing a bridge. A child, sitting in the bridge railing, fell and was swept away by the raging torrent. The Pope lept out of the Popemobile, jumped into the river and ran across the surface to rescue the child and brought it ashore, walking on the water.

A thread was immediately started in Catholic Answers, complaining that the Pope can’t swim and that makes him look weak to Muslims and Protestants.😃
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Sorry mis-read your post, definitely a no win situation.😃
 
Sr_Sally said:
I will pray for him that God strengthens him even more during this difficult time.
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Definately…with all the Et Tu Brutis types, attacking him in his own flock…he needs all the prayer he can get.
 
Sr_Sally said:
Did you see what actually happened? I watched this on the news. They walked into the mosque and the Islam leader did a little tour type thing. Then he paused and said HE was going to pray. He did not get down on his knees and bow as muslims usually do. The POPE just stood there next to him with his hands folded (not palm to palm prayer style) and remined quiet. He didn’t bow his head, close his eyes, anything like that.
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Actually, he did something. You can watch the coverage on YouTube.com thru this video clip

The leader finishes his prayer 50 seconds into the clip. Up to that time, the pope is standing patiently by his side as you noted. But when the leader finished he turned to face the pope but the pope didn’t budge. The leader then waits patiently by the pope’s side while the pope remains in obvious contemplation for another full minute.

At 1:49 seconds into the clip the pope bows his head, closes his eyes and then turns back to the entourage, signaling his completion of his meditation.

Personally, I suspect he was channelling into God’s will for him at that moment allowing God to guide his every action since so many cameras were zoomed in on him and flashing away. That he meditated, prayed, contemplated - whatever - for at least a full minute says something, but it certainly does not say he accepts Islam.
 
I believe that no matter what the Pope does, he’s always praying to God. Nothing wrong with facing Mecca, God is everywhere…So let there be light among us…the Savior cometh in that direction.
 
It sure looked to me like he had his hand around his cross while he was talking to Jesus. Pretty clear to me who he was praying to. He was not involved in their worship service, he prayed to Jesus and the last time I checked we are allowed to do that everywhere except in public schools. 🙂 If I were in his shoes I would have been taking to God througout the whole tour.

Dave
 
JustDave said:
It sure looked to me like he had his hand around his cross while he was talking to Jesus. Pretty clear to me who he was praying to. He was not involved in their worship service, he prayed to Jesus and the last time I checked we are allowed to do that everywhere except in public schools. 🙂 If I were in his shoes I would have been taking to God througout the whole tour.

Dave
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Sure seemed like that to me, too.
I’m rather surprised the headlines didn’t read as though the Pope offended the Muslims by praying in their mosque…
I guess that’s what really surprises me…that off that media spot the news rang out that the pope prayed in the mosque - as if endorsing Islam - when it seems obvious he was praying to God and Jesus in the ancestral site of Catholicism despite it being turned into a mosque.

Odd.
 
I heard it explained somewhere as concentric circles that the Pope must reach out to–

Innermost are those who except the fullness of the truth
Seperated brethren in Christ and those who believe in God of the Old testament
All those who have the Natural Law in their heart (everyone)

Now if you accept the doctrine that no one outside the Church is saved, part of that teaching is that the mystical body of the Church extends to these separated brethren in a mystical sense. Their is private revelation that speaks of Jesus calling out to souls at the moment of their death. Isn’t that calling out an aknowlegement that the Church is the universal home for all humans?

The Pope’s flock is all mankind, just some are more hard of hearing than others. Faithful Catholics are on the inside and know his mission, so we should pray for his success and for him. just thinking on it some…
 
puzzleannie said:
fortunately for us the Pope acts according to Christian principles, not in order to appease Muslims or to make a political statement or to control spin or any other secular motivation.
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Thanks annie.

What is the big deal here people? What was the Pope suppose to do? In a moment of prayer was he suppose to make a statement and put his back to Mecca?

He’s PRAYING! As catholics, that’s the IMPORTANT part. Who cares what direction he does it in. If he’s among Muslims, why not face the direction they are? You gotta be facing a direction when you pray anyway so why not face the same direction.

If I were eating with some Jewish people I wouldn’t have a ham sandwich out of respect for them. I gotta eat right? But I can eat anything so why not something that wouldn’t be offensive? Same with praying. I gotta pray so if I’m w/ some Muslims who have to face a direction, why wouldn’t I face the same direction.

It’s called being considerate. I’m not sure, but that just might be a christian trait. :rolleyes:
 
And people could think that he is praying to Jerusalem which is in the same direction that The Mecca. But following criticising the Pope, how typical!
 
Yes dont you see how reasonable it is to think Ratzinger is secretly a Muslim?
 
Dandelion_Wine said:
Thanks annie.

What is the big deal here people? What was the Pope suppose to do? In a moment of prayer was he suppose to make a statement and put his back to Mecca?

He’s PRAYING! As catholics, that’s the IMPORTANT part. Who cares what direction he does it in. If he’s among Muslims, why not face the direction they are? You gotta be facing a direction when you pray anyway so why not face the same direction.

If I were eating with some Jewish people I wouldn’t have a ham sandwich out of respect for them. I gotta eat right? But I can eat anything so why not something that wouldn’t be offensive? Same with praying. I gotta pray so if I’m w/ some Muslims who have to face a direction, why wouldn’t I face the same direction.

It’s called being considerate. I’m not sure, but that just might be a christian trait. :rolleyes:
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:yup: I agree
 
Dandelion_Wine said:
Thanks annie.

What is the big deal here people? What was the Pope suppose to do? In a moment of prayer was he suppose to make a statement and put his back to Mecca?

He’s PRAYING! As catholics, that’s the IMPORTANT part. Who cares what direction he does it in. If he’s among Muslims, why not face the direction they are? You gotta be facing a direction when you pray anyway so why not face the same direction.

If I were eating with some Jewish people I wouldn’t have a ham sandwich out of respect for them. I gotta eat right? But I can eat anything so why not something that wouldn’t be offensive? Same with praying. I gotta pray so if I’m w/ some Muslims who have to face a direction, why wouldn’t I face the same direction.

It’s called being considerate. I’m not sure, but that just might be a christian trait. :rolleyes:
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…And apparently, Jesus dined with sinners, but still remained sinless.
 
JustDave said:
It sure looked to me like he had his hand around his cross while he was talking to Jesus. Pretty clear to me who he was praying to. He was not involved in their worship service, he prayed to Jesus and the last time I checked we are allowed to do that everywhere except in public schools. 🙂 If I were in his shoes I would have been taking to God througout the whole tour.

Dave
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I thought so too… I believe he was talking to God throughout the tour too… I trust him… BTW, funny comment about public schools
 
vern_humphrey said:
He has no explaining to do at all. He is absolutely correct.

First of all, he did not deny God is present in the Eucharist – that’s your interpretation of what he said.

God is uniquely present in the Eucharist** when we take the sacrement**. Beyond that, He is present everywhere – not confined to the host!
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Firstly, the quote in question is one I have only seen on sede-vacantist web sites. I have been a big fan of Joseph Ratzinger the Theologian for many years and without seeing the full context of the quote I can only say that even for 1966 it sounds very unlike him. But I will reserve my judgement untill I see the quote in context.

Secondly, vern humphrey, please don’t help!!!:eek:
Christ’s presence in the Eucharist is not dependant upon our reception of it, nor even our faith in it. A validly consecrated host ceases to be bread, and while it has the appearance of bread, becomes truly the Body Blood Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. This presence is a real physical presence that is not deminished by time, which is why we reserve the unconsumed hosts in the tabernacle. Christ remains truly present as long as the host remains in tact.

It is true that Christ is present in the “worshiping community” and in the proclaimation of the Word, but the Church teaches that he is more perfectly and physically present in the Eucharistic Species.
 
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