Text of interview with the Religious Authority Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah , about the Late Pope Jean Paul II, April 05, 2005

How do you view the Pope?

We consider him as a religious man who strives to link man with God to enable him to live the spiritual values of love, mercy and peace in the world, being the traits of God in His Glory. The Pope believed that religious belief implies a political view of the world that is based on opening up on all po.litical issues from the viewpoint of man. It is a marriage between belief and politics, which was especially reflected in his stand against communism, atheism and arrogance in the entire world. By taking such a position, the Pope was able to destroy the barrier that some people tried to erect between religion and politics as the latter represents a humanistic stand that is based on freedom and justice that constitute also the basis of belief.

In this respect, perhaps the Pope is the first head of the Catholic Church that believed that politics and religion could not be separated.

The Pope was against the war on Iraq. Do you believe that he was able through this stand to promote more understanding between the West and the Arab World?

I believe the Pope was able to emphasize to the entire world that the Christianity he represents opposes arrogance and all forms of oppression committed by the arrogant against the downtrodden, be they Christians or Muslims… He was able to emphasize that the essence of Christianity and Islam is the same… They both refuse arrogance and oppression.

The Pope's stand on the war on Iraq is not an issue between the West and the Islam world. The Pope does not represent the West; he represents what he believes to be the position of Jesus Christ (p).

Thus, his position bridges the gap that some envisage between the stands of Christians towards Muslim issues and that of Muslims towards Christian issues, for religion is for all mankind. Regretfully, such a humanistic religious appeal was not met by a positive response by the American arrogance.

That is why they occupied Iraq and hurt the downtrodden there and in the entire region.

Do you believe that the Pope played an important role in the Islamic- Christian dialogue?

We highly appreciate the Pope's role in the dialogue between religions and civilizations against all forms of religious fanaticism. His role in the dialogue among civilizations was instrumental in confronting the concept of the clash of civilizations. It paved the way for them to meet on the mutual values of the various civilizations, especially between the religious civilizations and the rest.

We have called the Pope from the beginning to form a united religious front against atheism for the benefit of belief and against oppression for the sake of justice.

What do you expect from the next Pope, especially towards the relations with Islam?

­We expect him to continue to promote and enhance the Islamic Christian dialogue, and their meeting on the mutual religious values that draws them nearer to God.

In your view, what are requirements to put an end to the struggle in the Middle East?

I believe that the issue in the Middle East is one of justice… We notice that Israel is oppressing the Palestinians, whether Muslims or Christians… It is preventing them from returning to their homes; confiscating their land, destroying their infrastructure and demolishing their houses as well as killing their civilians.

Therefore, I believe that the universal justice that gives Palestinians both inside and outside Palestine their legitimate rights is the only solution that could resolve the Middle East conflict.

We call on the next Pope to aspire the teachings of Jesus Christ (p.), who had he been living among us now would have stood with the Palestinians’ just cause.