Pope to visit mosque in Jordan

By Philip Pullella

AMMAN (Reuters) - Pope Benedict makes his second visit to a mosque on Saturday in another bid to wipe away the residual bitterness in the Muslim world over a speech in which he quoted a Byzantine emperor who linked Islam to violence.

Benedict, who began his first trip to the Middle East on Friday, will visit the King Hussein Bin Talal mosque and address Muslim religious leaders, the diplomatic corps and Jordanian intellectuals.

Prince Ghazi Bin Talal, a cousin of Jordanian King Abdullah who is a leading figure in dialogue between Christians and Muslims, will address the pope.

Ghazi is one of the principal signatories of the Muslim manifesto, known as "A Common Word," which called for dialogue based on shared principles of love of God and neighbour.

The Common Word project, started in 2007 by some 140 Muslim scholars, says Christianity and Islam share two common core values -- love of God and love of neighbour. The group says discussions on this among experts can help defuse tensions between the faiths.

Benedict's trip is taking place in the long shadow of his Regensburg speech in 2006, in which he quoted a Byzantine emperor as saying Islam was violent and irrational. The pope visited a mosque in Turkey in 2006.

The Regensburg speech still rankles in the Islamic world and Jordanian Islamist leaders have denounced the visit, saying he should apologise for it first.

Benedict is at pains to put the speech, which he says was misinterpreted, behind him, and the mosque visit will give him yet another chance.