JOHN PAUL II RECEIVES YOUNG KING OF MOROCCO
Recalls Historic Papal Visit to Country
VATICAN CITY, APR 13 (ZENIT.org).- A descendant of Mohammed visited the
Vatican this morning. The Holy Father highlighted this when he received
young King Mohammed VI of Morocco in audience. The King was accompanied
by an entourage of 16 persons, among whom were two women. The sovereign
said he felt very honored to be named after Allah's Prophet.
The King of Morocco arrived at the Vatican around 11 a.m. and had a
15-minute meeting with the Pope in the library. An official photograph
was taken and gifts exchanged. King Mohammed VI gave the Pope a curved
dagger with an ivory handle, and the Holy Father gave the sovereign a
statue of the Virgin.
Sidi Mohammed, as the King is called, was born in 1963. From his
earliest years he was trained to succeed his father, Hassan II, on the
Moroccan throne. On May 23, 1980, Hassan II held a referendum on the
coming of age of the princely heir, which was lowered from 18 years to
16, and the Regency Council was also modified. The majority approval
placed Sidi Mohammed in a position of high political responsibility; he
assumed the Moroccan representation in the majority of official events.
When Hassan II died on July 23, 1999, after reigning 38 years, his son
became the 18th representative of the Alaui dynasty, taking the name
Mohammed VI.
Since 1997, Morocco has been undergoing a process of democratization.
Out of a total of 27 million inhabitants, 98% are Muslim and only 1.1%
Christian. The judicial system of this North African country is based on
French and Islamic law. The death penalty is enforced.
John Paul II made a historic visit to Morocco 15 years ago, on August
19, 1985. His meeting in the Casablanca Stadium with 80,000 Muslim
youths will pass into the history of the country and this pontificate.
In the address he delivered on that occasion, the Pontiff emphasized the
common faith of Christians and Muslims in the one, just and merciful
God, foundation of common human and religious values.
The Pope called for the overcoming of all types of discrimination, and
requested that the dialogue between Christians and Muslims be urgently
promoted. At the same time, he insisted on the need that each one
witness to his own faith, in an increasingly secularized and, at times,
atheist world. In the midst of applause from Moroccan youth, John Paul
II affirmed the need for Christians and Muslims to respect one another
mutually, in spite of their differences. "There is a mystery here that,
I am sure, God will illuminate for us one day," the Bishop of Rome said.
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