Pope Francis, Muslim Head Of Egypt's Al-Azhar University In Vatican Peace Visit: 'The Meeting Is The Message,' Holy See Says

Pope Francis and the head of renowned Muslim Al-Azhar mosque and university in Egypt met at the Vatican to talk peace. The Muslim faith leader and Pope Francis are meeting for the first time after an interreligious dialogue was suspended by Al-Azhar in 2011.

Al-Azhar discontinued talks between Muslim and Catholics when Pope Francis' predecessor, Benedict XVI, gave an unfortunate speech in 2011 on the persecution Christians faced in the Middle East. Pope Benedict XVI failed to speak about the even greater hardship and danger that Muslim faithfuls faced from extremist groups.

In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI gave a speech that dealt a blow on the dialogue between Muslim and Christians. In his address to the German public, Pope Benedict XVI linked Muslim followers and Islam to violence.

The Guardian reports that Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb's visit with Pope Francis at the Vatican was unexpectedly announced shortly before the week. This meeting between the Muslim scholar and Pope Francis is a significant step between the two largest faiths.

Each one of us can be a bridge of encounter between diverse cultures and religions, a way to rediscover our common humanity.

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) May 21, 2016

Pope Francis said as much, as the Holy See welcomed the Al-Azhar Grand Imam into his office. According to Catholic News Pope Francis stated that the meeting between the Muslim faith leader and the Holy See is the message in itself.

Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council For Interreligious Dialogue, made the invitation to Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb to meet with Pope Francis. The Vatican invitation was delivered to the Muslim faith leader in Al-Azhar by council secretary Bishop Miguel Ayuso Guixot.

The Muslim faith leader and Pope Francis went into a private discussion at the papal library. Catholic News points out that Pope Francis, especially seated beside his desk rather than behind as customary for state head visits, spent 25 minutes of face to face dialogue with the Al-Azhar Grand Imam.

Pope Francis receives Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in audience §RV https://t.co/UK3FshmNA8 — Vatican - news (@news_va_en) May 23, 2016

The Al-Azhar Grand Imam and Pope Francis spoke about the Muslim and Christian commitment to uphold peace and their shared repudiation of terrorism. The Muslim faith leader and Pope Francis also touched on the situation and protection of Christians in the Middle East in the face of ongoing conflicts and violence.

Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb told interviewers that the Muslim faith leader thought Pope Francis to be a genuine follower of the Christian teaching of love and peace. The Al-Azhar Grand Imam also expressed the Muslim faith leader's impression that Pope Francis has respect and consideration for other religions and the people of these religions.

Catholics News further reports that the Muslim faith leader also expressed his belief that people are now seeking out wise guidance and leadership. As part of its mission the Al-Azhar university is developing accessible clarification for Muslim followers of all ages on Islam's classical texts as a safeguard against violence and deviance.

Pope Francis presented Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb with a copy of the Holy See's second encyclical, "Laudato Si." The Muslim faith leader was also gifted by Pope Francis with a medallion of peace, which figured an olive tree that held together a broken rock.