c. 2000 Religion News Service

CAIRO, Egypt _ Pope John Paul II, the first Roman Catholic pope to visit Egypt, arrived here Thursday (Feb. 24) on the first leg of his long-anticipated spiritual pilgrimage to some of the Bible’s most symbolically significant sites.

In remarks, he condemned the “misuse of religion” to promote conflict and called interreligious dialogue “a great sign of hope for the world.”

“Peace be upon you,” the frail, 79-year-old Roman Catholic pontiff said in Arabic during arrival ceremonies shortly after his plane touched down at Cairo’s international airport.

John Paul was greeted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who praised the interreligious cooperation in his country despite some recent clashes between Muslims and Christians.

Dressed in his familiar gold-embroidered white robes, John Paul slowly made his way down the red carpeted steps onto the tarmac. He was greeted by four children in folk costumes who presented him with a silver bowl of dirt, which John Paul kissed. It has been John Paul’s custom to kneel and kiss the earth of each new country he visits, but because of his health he can no longer bend to the ground.

Mubarak and the pope met privately for about 20 minutes in the airport VIP lounge before delivering their arrival remarks.

“Today the Egyptian people stand together, united by their submission to the will of God and inspired by the spirit of both Christianity and Islam,” Mubarak said in English during the airport arrival ceremonies.

He praised John Paul’s commitment to bringing peace to the world.

“We should strive together to fight fanaticism, prejudice and hatred,” Mubarak said. “We should oppose all forms of discrimination, injustice and double standards if we are to establish a new viable world order.

“Your voice on these issues is of enormous value,” he said.

The pope was greeted by a number of religious leaders, including Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, the head of Al Azhar, the seat of Sunni Muslim learning in the Middle East. Noticeably absent, however, was Coptic Christian Pope Shenouda III, the head of the largest Christian minority in largely Muslim Egypt. The two popes were to meet later in the day.

During his three days, John Paul will meet with Muslim, Catholic and other Christian leaders and visit Mount Sinai where, according to the Old Testament Book of Exodus, Moses received the revelation of God’s name and God gave him the Ten Commandments.

The three-day trip, John Paul’s 90th outside Italy since he became pope 22 years ago, marks the start of a Holy Year pilgrimage that will take him next month to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories.

“My visit to St. Catherine’s Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai will be a moment of intense prayer for peace and for interreligious harmony,” the pope told Mubarak and religious leaders at the airport.

“To do harm, to promote violence and conflict in the name of religion is a terrible contradiction and a great offense against God,” he said. “But past and present history give us many examples of such a misuse of religion. We must all work to strengthen the growing commitment to interreligious dialogue, a great sign of hope for the peoples of the world.”

John Paul recalled Egypt’s 5,000 years of civilization, its links to the early Christian church and the influence of Muslims, who arrived in the sixth century and now make up 90 percent of the population. He praised Mubarak for seeking unity at home in the face of Muslim extremism and recent clashes between Christians and Muslims and for supporting the Middle East peace process.

“The unity and harmony of the nation are a precious value which all citizens should cherish and which political and religious leaders must continually promote in justice and respect for the rights of all,” the pope told Mubarak.

“Your own commitment to peace at home and throughout the Middle East is well known. You have been instrumental in advancing the peace process in the region,” John Paul said. “All reasonable men and women appreciate the efforts made so far and hope that goodwill and justice will prevail so that all the peoples of this unique area of the world will see their rights respected and their legitimate aspirations fulfilled.”

Egypt, he said, “is the land where different cultures met and mingled, making Egypt famous for its wisdom and learning.”

The pope noted the lasting influence of the Evangelist Mark, a disciple of Peter and Paul who established the Christian church in Alexandria, and of St. Catherine of Alexandria on the church and Egypt’s importance as the birthplace of monasticism.

“The advent of Islam brought splendors of art and learning which have had a determining influence on the Arab world and on Africa,” he said. “The people of Egypt have for centuries pursued the ideal of national unity. Differences of religion were never barriers but a form of mutual enrichment in the service of one national community.”

On Friday, John Paul will celebrate a Roman Catholic Mass in the Cairo Sports Palace for Egypt’s small Coptic Catholic minority with the participation of 15 Catholic patriarchs and bishops. Later, he will meet with Christian leaders in the new Cathedral of Our Lady of Egypt.

On Saturday he will make a 70-minute flight to Sinai where he will pray privately in the Church of St. Catherine at the Monastery of St. Catherine of Sinai at the foot of Mount Sinai and lead a prayer service in the Garden of Olives.

Eds: Bryant reported from Cairo and Polk from the Vatican).

DEA END POLK