BEIRUT (CWNews.com) - A senior Muslim cleric said on Friday that he was stunned to learn that Pope John Paul II will visit Israel and called the trip unjustified.
Sheik Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah told newspapers, "We find no justification for the (Pope's) visit on the pretext that it does not carry any political implications." He said the trip "by someone who carries a spiritual message defending the rights of the oppressed people against the oppressors" is shocking.
Fadlallah is one the most senior Shiite Muslim leaders in the world and is believed to be the spiritual guide of the Iranian-backed terror group Hizbollah. The group has waged a covert terror war against Israel for two decades to end Israeli occupation of a strip of southern Lebanon.
The Holy Father is scheduled to visit Israel and Palestinian-controlled areas on March 21-26.
Catholic World News Service Daily News Briefs