The Catholic Church and the Arab world: an Algerian view on a troubled relationship (Salim Tamani, Aspenia online)
Never has the election of a new pope raised so many hopes in the Arab and Muslim world. The institution of Al-Azhar, the highest authority in Sunni Islam, located in Cairo, immediately made public its hopes for better relations with the Vatican under the new pope. For its part, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which is based in Saudi Arabia and includes 57 countries, also took an important step. In a message of congratulations to the new pope, the Secretary General of the OIC, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu of Turkey, expressed “the strong hope that the relations between Islam and Christianity become marked by cordial and sincere friendship." He added, "at this historic moment, the OIC renews a call made eight years ago for a historic reconciliation between Islam and Christianity.”