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Westminster Interfaith Newsletter
Issue 66 – May 2010
Pope sends condolences for Sheikh Tantawy
Sheikh Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar Mosque and Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt died suddenly of a heart attack on March 10. He was 81 years old. An English-language message was sent by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope's secretary of state, on the Pope's behalf, to Sheikh Muhammad Abd al-Aziz Wasil. The message conveyed Pope Benedict XVI's heartfelt and prayerful condolences to the family of Sheikh Tantawy and to the Muslim community.
The Pope recalled "the distinguished figure of this religious leader, who for long years was a valued partner in the dialogue between Muslims and Catholics." Cardinal Bertone added, "I willingly express my own condolences and I recall with gratitude the impulse which the late Sheikh gave to the meetings between the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Permanent Committee of Al-Azhar for Dialogue."
