Posted on 12/13/2011 9:55:16 PM PST by dangus
I pray I haven't been guilty of the sin of calumny against a pope! In several Free Republic threads over the years I took as an accepted fact that the Pope kissed the Koran, and in several, commented that the Pope had erred on the side of peacemaking, by making this unscripted gesture of respect. I was surprised by finding some denials of this event.
Those who believe the Pope kissed the Koran apparently include the man who was the Patriarch of the Chaldean (Iraqi Catholic) Church at the time, Raphael Bidawid: "I renewed our invitation to the Pope because his visit would be for us a grace from heaven. It would confirm the faith of Christians and prove the Pope’s love for the whole of humanity in a country which is mainly Muslim. At the end of the audience the Pope bowed to the Muslim holy book the Koran presented to him by the delegation and he kissed it as a sign of respect.
Finding that quote, originally from a reputably Catholic source, seemed to clinch the issue for me. But then I noticed something: All of the other pictures of the Koran that I found are very plainly labelled, usually in Arabic, "Koran."
All the images of the pope kissing the Koran are stills from the same image, which is in pretty poor resolution. It is clear, however, that the stylish imprint on the book, while reminiscent of the Koran, is not actually the Arabic script that appears on the Koran.
The next thing that struck me is that as I examined the "Koran" that the Pope kissed is that it looked like a binder. Sure, it's a green book with fancy caligraphy embossed on the cover, but who puts the Koran in a binder?
Sure, you THINK you see the pope kiss the Koran, but I bet you also THINK you see him do so in front of the Muslim who gave it to him. Nope. The man in the picture is a Christian. Which brings up the next question: If it was the Koran, did the Pope know this? It's common Arab protocol to kiss a gift one has received, and the Pope could easily have been simply following protocol respectfully, and not recognizing that the gift was, if it was, a Koran. Has anyone ever read anything which confirms that he Pope knowingly kissed the Koran?
CINO
Oh, wow! You did some digging on this.
I want to hear from other Catholic communities, Melkite, Maronite, Chaldean, Coptic, etc.
Can they identify the object in this picture. Surely there is someone out there who knows the truth.
Someone posted to me once in a private message that a Koran would never have been green, but that other books were of a green color......
This will be fun to follow.
That looks more like a binder than a book.
Nuff said.
Someone posted to me once in a private message that a Koran would never have been green, but that other books were of a green color......
- - - - —
While I’m not sure I believe this (partly because JPII was the pope when I was growing up and I always had an affinity for him)...
I DO OWN A GREEN KORAN WITH A DIFFERENT ARABIC SCRIPT.
If I can get to storage this week, I will see if I can find it and post a picture.
If I remember correctly they were talking about a Book of The Gospels from a mid-East Catholic Rite.
Interesting, though.
Most of the images above are gold and black, though.
I totally agree; I mentioned that in my post. In a binder, without the Arabic word, Koran on it, and presented by a Christian delegation, it totally makes sense that he did not realize it was a Koran, if indeed it was. Gospel readings, which is what some of those who say it was not a Koran say it was, might very well be put into a binder; I can’t picture a binder of a Koran.
Thank you for posting this.
Yes, you’ll notice that some of the Korans I show are green, but then they also have gold lettering.
I”m not sure about the color of other books. I found this Koran in a used bookstore many years ago and got it so I could have a copy (pre 9/11 and I was majoring in World Religions).
It is a darker green, but definitely green not black. IDR if there is gold on it or not.
I still have over 500 boxes of books in storage so it may take me awhile to find it. UGH.
Some interpretations of prophecy indicate that Catholicism and Islam will unite to take over the world, so I can’t ignor the possibility the pope might have done this.
the Korans also look much thicker than what Pope John Paul II has in his hands. However, the size of the paper and printing?
Haven’t heard that one, but I have heard that the various Christian churches would be unified under the Pope before the Great Apostasy; it’s this unity that would attract the Jews. I’ve also heard Islam described as a a further decay of the Arian heresy, combined with some syncretism. So one might draw the syllogism that even Muslims would unify.
ALTERNATELY, I’ve read that in the rebuilt Temple, the Sabbath would be celebrated for three straight days. The Muslim Friday, Jewish Saturday and Christian Sunday?
Some interpretations of prophecy indicate that Catholicism and Islam will unite to take over the world, so I can’t ignor the possibility the pope might have done this.
Mmmmmmmmmmm I don’t think so.
If a pope should bring fire down from Heaven, Muslems, who put a great weight on miracles, would unite with whomever could do that.
I do need to emphasize to the Catholics on the board, this is not an attack upon devout Catholics, but there will be an apostasy within the Catholic Church that deceive the world.
I don't think the picture is clear enough to be able to certainly say that.
That photo was taken May 14, 1999 inside the Vatican.
I have 5 Korans - 3 English (including a paperback that is only about an inch thick or less), 1 Arabic and one ‘parallel’ one (that I got because I didn’t know they existed). They all vary in color, and thickness.
On topic, do I think this is POSSIBLE? Yes. Theoretically it is possible. Do I think it likely? No, not in the least.
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