Pope's mosque prayer

* I was dismayed when I read that some Catholics were upset the pope prayed in a mosque (NCR, Dec. 13). Didn't St. Peter, our first pope, give up eating kosher so that the gentiles would know the love of Christ? Why would anyone criticize Pope Benedict on this? His action was a most inspiring and profound gesture that made me feel proud to be Catholic. He prayed respectfully in a mosque after he prayed at the tomb of the priest killed by radical Muslims and after he visited a museum that was once a great Christian shrine. This was a clear example, a lesson from our pope to us, about how to live out our Catholic Christian faith. It was akin to the example the Amish gave us about. forgiveness, Christian love and respect for all humans. If all Catholics lived this faith instead of worrying about which law might have been broken, there wouldn't be a priest shortage and secularism wouldn't be such a problem. Viva papa!

KATHLEEN P. HOCKEY

Albuquerque, N.M.

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