Pope has unplanned meeting with Cypriot Islamic leader

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Pope Benedict held a surprise meeting with a Turkish Cypriot Islamic leader from the divided island on Saturday, underscoring his view that inter-religious dialogue should be used as an inspiration for reunion.

Benedict had a brief encounter with Sheikh Nazim, the 88-year-old head of the Islamic Sufi Naqshbandi sect based in northern Cyprus, the Vatican said.

A moderate Islamic leader, Nazim is the 41st sheikh in the line of the sect, which adheres to a mystical form of Islam. It claims hundreds of thousands of followers and is growing in popularity across Europe and the U.S.

The brief but symbolic encounter took place outside the small Holy Cross Church, which is in the buffer zone, a no-man's-land splitting Cyprus east to west and patrolled by United Nations troops.

Cyprus, including its capital Nicosia, has been split between its Greek and Turkish populations since Turkey invaded its north in 1974 after a brief Greek-inspired coup.

"I am happy to come here to visit a great man .... may Allah grant him a good life here and hereafter," Nazim told reporters as he arrived at the Church complex which has served as the residence for the pope during his three-day trip.

Benedict is only visiting the south of the island, territory run by Cyprus's internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government and Nazim came from the Turkish occupied north for the meeting.

"I am happy ... I hope that despite our faults our hearts are moving in the same direction," said Nazim, whose followers include singer Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens.

The pope has said his visit is not political and has mostly skirted around the highly complex issue of Cyprus's division.

But in a speech to Archbishop Chrysostomos, head of Cyprus's Orthodox Church, Benedict said he hoped all "could find the wisdom and strength to work together for a just settlement."

He urged all to "strive for peace and reconciliation and to build for future generations a society distinguished by respect for the rights of all, including the inalienable rights to freedom of conscience and freedom of worship."

DESECRATED CHURCHES

Earlier on Saturday Cyprus President Demetris Christofias told the pope that the island's Christian heritage was under threat in the Turkish occupied north.

"It is particularly disturbing that for 36 years our cultural and religious heritage in the occupied areas is being destroyed, and this constitutes a loss for mankind in general," Christofias told Benedict during a meeting.

Greek Cypriots say more than 500 churches and monuments have been destroyed since 1974. Turkish Cypriot authorities have acknowledged there had been damage to monuments, but said they were doing their utmost to restore and maintain churches.

They also say that Muslim places of worship are being desecrated in the south.

The conflict is harming Turkey's bid to join the EU, where Greek Cypriots represent the island in the bloc and have the power to veto Turkish entry.

On Friday Chrysostomos launched a stinging attack on Turkey for "ethnic cleansing" of the northern Cyprus area.

The main purpose of the pope's trip to Cyprus is the release on Sunday of a working document for a synod of Catholic bishops from the Middle East to be held at the Vatican in October.

(additional reporting by Michelle Kambas in Nicosia and Simon Bahceli in northern Cyprus; Editing by Charles Dick)