Follow Up On Saudi Kings's Visit With the Pope.(Vatican Radio)

I had a post on this historic visit with the the Pope by the Saudi King here at Historic Day-Monarch From the House of Saud(Saudi) Meets Pope . The Ratzinger Forum has a translation from a Vatican Radio interview that was a followup.

FR. SAMIR COMMENTS ON MEETING BETWEEN POPE AND SAUDI KINGA translation from the Italian service of Vatican Radio:
The meeting between Benedict XVI and King Abdullah II of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday had great resonance in the Muslim world, according to Jesuit Fr. Samir Khlail Samir, professor of Islamology and history of Arab culture at Saint Joseph's University in Beirut, Lebanon. Alessandro Gisotti interviewed him:
What has been the reaction in the Arab world?

First, it must be pointed out that all the major newspapers were interested and commented at length on the meeting. The reactions have all been positive, underscoring the cordial climate and the desire for peace on both sides. All appeared to pick up three major points: First, the Muslim-Christian dialog, with some even referring to dialog among Muslims, Christians and Jews [as the Vatican communique mentioned]. Then they underscored peace, but the best thing is that all the Arab media picked up what the communique said about a common commitment to promote not just peace but justice and moral values as well. I think this is very important, because John Paul II always said there is no peace without justice. This is also the common feeling in the Arab and Muslim world, especially in the case of Palestine.
As for the phrase about moral values, it has a different meaning for the Muslims, because the Muslim world has often criticized the West for an absence of moral values. Everything that they see in Western society, even among Christians, seems to them to show a lack moral or ethical values. And I think that on this point, Christians - Catholics in particular - will find many areas of agreement.

Could this meeting lead to any positive developments for the Christians living in Saudi Arabia?

I think it's a small first step to face the problem which has been completely blocked up to now. The present situation is increasingly felt to be anomalous even in the Muslim world. The pretext claimed by Saudi Arabia for the past two decades is that all Arabia is a mosque, and therefore it is not possible to introduce any other religion inside it, just as - they claim - one cannot construct a mosque inside the Vatican. But this is just a pretext, of course. The idea of religious freedom is progressing in the Islamic world even if we cannot yet understand its deeper meaning. I think the Pope did well to refer to the problem without openly asking for more. Indeed, one cannot indefinitely say, "Let's be patient, things will take time", but neither can one ask for everything all at once.

Let me add a comment that the Crossroads Arabia made in a post here that seems to be relevant to the last part of what Father is saying as to "pretext". That is what is Arabia exactly. Also to get more "Arab" perspective check out Crossroads latest post here.