The leaders of the world's two largest monotheistic religions got together in Rome Thursday, as Iranian President Mohammad Khatami spent a historic half-hour with Pope John Paul II during a state visit to Italy. Khatami, a moderate Shiite Muslim cleric, told the leader of the Roman Catholic Church that he hoped their two faiths could work as partners in building a "more equitable world order." Between them, Christianity and Islam claim more than 2 billion adherents worldwide. Khatami's visit offers another tangible sign that Iran is beginning to pull away from the more hard-line clerics, who have run the country for the past 20 years. It should be noted, however, that they still control the military, the judicial system, and the media.
Keeping the Faith
The leaders of the world's two largest monotheistic religions got together in Rome Thursday, as Iranian President Mohammad Khatami spent a historic half-hour with Pope John Paul II during a state visit to Italy. Khatami, a moderate Shiite Muslim cleric, told the leader of the Roman Catholic Church that he hoped their two faiths could work as partners in building a "more equitable world order." Between them, Christianity and Islam claim more than 2 billion adherents worldwide. Khatami's visit offers another tangible sign that Iran is beginning to pull away from the more hard-line clerics, who have run the country for the past 20 years. It should be noted, however, that they still control the military, the judicial system, and the media.
