Despite missteps, pope reaching out to other faiths

By David Alexander

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pope Benedict, who is sometimes seen as insensitive to other faiths, will reach out to other religious leaders during his first visit to the United States, even though the trip is aimed at Roman Catholics.

The pope will meet with about 150 leaders of other religions on Thursday as he visits Washington, and he plans to visit a synagogue in New York on Friday.

Since his 2005 election, the pontiff has provoked concern and anger among Hindus, Muslims and Jews with highly publicized missteps. But leaders of those faiths said they are optimistic that interfaith dialogue will advance during his papacy.

"There have been a lot of positive steps," said Ravi Gupta, a religion professor at Centre College in Kentucky, a Hindu leader who will meet with the pope. "I'm hopeful ... in terms of what the possibilities are."

U.S. Catholic bishops and leaders of other faiths have been holding behind-the-scenes contacts regularly, U.S. religious leaders said.

Pope Benedict's criticism of India in 2006 for what he said were "disturbing signs of religious intolerance" over efforts to ban conversions drew a sharp response from the government and the opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Muslim world reacted angrily in 2006 when the pope quoted a Christian emperor as saying the Prophet Mohammad had brought the world only "evil and inhuman" things, a remark that overshadowed the conciliatory theme of his address. He provoked more criticism last month by baptizing a Muslim convert.

Jews were worried over his recent approval of a Good Friday prayer in Latin appearing to call for the conversion of Jews, reviving language largely eliminated in reforms of the 1960s.

"He's had a few bumps as we all know," said Rabbi Joel Meyers, executive vice president of the Rabbinical Assembly and one of the Jewish leaders invited to the interfaith meeting.

"Some of his references ... have not been the best, the most sensitive, but I want to put that in context," Meyers said. "What he was doing, and what he continues to do, is to try to reach out. And I think he is trying to do that with the Orthodox (Christian) community, with the Muslim community. He certainly has done it with the Jewish community."

'RIGHT DIRECTION'

Pope Benedict became only the second pontiff to visit a synagogue, even before his planned visit to another this trip. After the furor over his comments about Mohammad, the pope visited the Blue Mosque in Turkey, becoming the second pontiff to visit a Muslim place of worship.

"I believe the pope is heading toward the right direction. He is trying to build bridges with Muslims," said Imam Sayed Hassan Al-Qazwini, religious director of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan.

Qazwini, who has met the pope at the Vatican and will be at the Washington session, said, "I do not assume at all that because of his previous views the pope will be less open to dialogue." In fact, he added, those reactions "may help the pope to entertain more moderate views about Islam."

The religious leaders said it was clear the pope would never change some views, and it was unrealistic to think he would.