John Paul II has encouraged Catholics living in countries with Islamic majorities to promote dialogue with their Muslim brothers and sisters, and to be signs of God's love through aid to the needy. The Holy Father said this on Saturday February 22, 2003 during a meeting with bishops of the Regional Episcopal Conference of North Africa.
The Pope, according to a report by the Church news agency ZENIT, said that inter-religious dialogue must be continued "with patience and determination to overcome mutual mistrust and learn to serve together the common good of humanity."
Noting quality relations between Christians and the Muslim populations in the region, the Pope affirmed, "All this is possible thanks to reciprocal knowledge, daily meetings of life and exchanges, particularly with families."
"Continue to encourage these meetings as a priority day after day," the Pope urged. "They contribute to the evolution of mentalities on both sides and help to overcome pre-conceived images that the media still present all too frequently."
The bishops of the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya) were concluding their every-five-years visit to the Holy See, with Archbishop Henri Teissier of Algiers as their spokesman before the Holy Father.