Pope meets with Muslim leaders

VATICAN CITY, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Pope Benedict XVI met with Muslim leaders Monday at his summer home outside Rome and called for "inter-religious" dialogue.

The meeting, attended by ambassadors from more than 20 Muslim countries, Italian Muslim leaders and top Vatican officials, took place at Castel Gandolfo, ANSA news agency reported. Sudan was the only country with diplomatic relations with the Vatican that did not attend.

Instead of talking about his speech two weeks ago that sparked Muslim protests, Benedict emphasized the need for to build "bridges of friendship." The Vatican posted the speech on its Web site in Arabic and four other languages, and the pope's speech was carried live by Al-Jazeera.

"Inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue between Christians and Muslims cannot be reduced to an optional extra," Benedict said. "It is, in fact, a vital necessity, on which in large measure our future depends."

The meeting was welcomed by many Italian Muslims.

Yahya Pallavicini, vice-president of Italy's Islamic Religious Community organization, told the BBC he hoped the meeting would be "the starting point for a new scenario of inter-faith dialogue with knowledge and truly religious Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders and scholars."