With an eye on Muslim world, Pope Benedict XVI offered prayers in Arabic the first time on Wednesday.
The Vatican said that the adoption of Arabic would be a comfort to Arabic-speaking Christians in the Middle East and could ease tensions with Muslims.
Benedict was sparked tensions in 2006, just a year after he was elected, as he gave a speech at the University of Regensburg in Germany, in which he quoted a highly critical remark about Islam made by a 14th century Byzantine emperor.
It referred to the teachings of Prophet Mohammed (S.A.W.S) as “evil and human” and alluded to his “command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”
The Vatican insisted that the quote was taken out of context and that Benedict was misunderstood, but the speech led to violent protests in some Islamic countries.
“The pope prays for all people who speak Arabic. May God bless you all,” the Pontiff said.
An Arabic-speaking priest read out a fuller summary of the Pope’s address, which dwelt on the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, which reformed key aspects of the Roman Catholic Church in the 1960s.
With thanks to the Guardian