Imam of Kirkuk: Papal envoy’s visit to mosque 'historical'
December 22, 2012: A "historic and strong" moment, for which "we are grateful." These
were the words of the Imam of the largest mosque in Kirkuk, Hami Ahmad Amin, in his
reflections on Friday on the occasion of the Muslim Friday prayer, recalling the recent
visit of the Papal envoy. On December 16, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the
Congregation for Eastern Churches, the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop in Iraq, Archbishop
Giorgio Lingua, and Archbishop Louis Sako met the highest Sunni and Shiite Muslim
personalities of the city, along with many faithful. The Vatican cardinal was also
received by Najm Alddin Karim, the governor of Kirkuk, a northern city, in the center
of a bitter dispute between Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen.
In his speech on Friday,
the Islamic leader said that the visit of Cardinal Sandri was a "historic and strong
moment," which "expresses the respect of Christians for Muslims." The imam of the
mosque then spoke, as an example, of a visit that dates back to the time of Muhammad.
"This meeting - said Ahmad Amin Hami - is comparable to the visit of the Christians
of Ethiopia to the Prophet Muhammad during his stay in Medina at the beginning of
Islam."
For the highest representative of the mosque in Kirkuk, Cardinal Sandri
brought - in the context of a broader pastoral and diplomatic mission in Iraq - to
"all Iraqis, on behalf of Pope [Benedict XVI] a message of peace," encouraging different
communities "to dialogue to resolve the problems."
Lastly, Ahmad Amin Hami
echoed "the appeal" by the cardinal to "Muslims and Christians," inviting them to
be "peacemakers". "We must continually learn to build peace - said the Islamic leader
- especially in this difficult time, full of tension."