Amman, 9 May –(ANA)-Pope Benedict XVI has warned against the misuse of religion for political ends, in a speech to Muslim leaders on the second day of his visit to Jordan.
Speaking in the King Hussein Mosque in Amman, he argued that religion was a force for good, but its "manipulation" caused divisions and even violence.
The pontiff is also due to visit Israel and the West Bank on an eight-day tour.
Analysts say he is keen to improve ties with the Islamic world. A speech he made in 2006 offended many Muslims.
Some groups in Jordan had called for him to apologise for the speech, in which he quoted a medieval scholar who criticised the Prophet Muhammad.
But the pontiff apologised at the time, and did not refer to the 2006 speech during his address at the Amman mosque.
As he arrived in Amman on Friday he described himself as a "pilgrim of peace" and stressed his "deep respect" for Islam.
Jordan's King Abdullah welcomed the Pope to "the heartland of faiths for Christians and Muslims alike".
The 82-year-old Pope praised Jordan's "respect for religion".
The Pope's visit is aimed at encouraging the minority Christian community in the Middle East, and creating a better dialogue with Muslims and Jews.
As well as his 2006 speech to which some Muslims took offence, the Pope has also upset some Jews recently by rescinding the ex-communication of a Holocaust-denying bishop.(ANA)
