Pope's Message to Muslims Might Prove Risky

By: Peter Fribert

Pope Benedict XVI in Middle East, courting Muslims, urging religious freedom. For more than 20 years, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then the Vatican's top doctrinal czar, was the intellectual architect of the papacy of the recent Pope, John Paul II. When Ratzinger was elected to succeed John Paul II as Pope Benedict XVI in April 2005, it was widely seen as a vote for continuity with the late pontiff's policies. Four years later, there's only one strong substantive difference between the two popes, and it's on display this week as Benedict XVI visits Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories: their approaches to Islam.

In the world, there are 1.1 billion Roman Catholics and 1.6 billion Muslims. That represents roughly 40 percent of the world's population.

Pope Benedict XVI hopes Christians and Muslims will join forces to defend shared values. The price for alliance is said to be a "greater capacity for pluralism" within Islam Pope's relations with Muslims have been rather dismal. Many people are asking themselves, can Pope Benedict XVI pull it off? Can Pope Benedict XVI bring friendly ties to the Muslim world?