Vatican City (AsiaNews) Just a few days before the Pope's visit to Turkey, 16 cardinals and bishops met to discuss the relationship between the Church and Islam in Muslim countries. What was said and the advice expressed were put together in a final report that was given to Benedict XVI.
Sources in the Vatican say that the meeting lasted two days. There were cardinals from South Korea, Indonesia and the Holy Land, as well as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Mgr Michel Sabbah, and the secretary general of the Synod of Bishop, Mgr Nikola Eterovic. Officially, the meeting was organised to prepare the upcoming Asian Synod.
After listening to what prelates living in direct contact with Muslims had to say, participants discussed the best ways to reconcile the Church's daily existence with Islam within the Muslim world.
AsiaNews was told that Mgr Sabbah's report was "very poignant".