Across the Arab world, Muslims, Roman Catholics and others hailed John Paul II as a voice for peace and the first pontiff to travel widely in the Middle East.
“It didn’t matter if you were a Muslim or a Christian, he was a symbol of religion,” said Mohammed Ezzalarab, a 35-year-old Egyptian businessman who works in Dubai. “He was a symbol because everyone understood that he represented the weakest people. May God bless his soul.”
Most of the estimated 7 million Christians in Egypt are Coptic Orthodox, who have their own pope. But the pope’s popularity blossomed in Egypt five years ago, when he became the first pontiff from Rome to visit Egypt in 2,000 years of Christianity.
Chantal Cassis, a 45-year-old Cairo mother of four, said she will never forget the sight of his procession streaming through the timeworn splendor of central Cairo.
“He is really a father to us. I’m Greek Orthodox and my husband is Coptic Orthodox, but we loved this pope. He was my pope,” she said.
“He was compassionate to the Lebanese who suffered during their civil war and the Palestinians in their struggles,” said retired Egyptian army Gen. Moneer Sabat, who attended mass at St. Joseph’s Church in downtown Cairo. “He was good to all who needed him in the world.”
John Paul II’s May 2001 visit to the 8th Century Umayyad mosque in Damascus, Syria–also the site of the tomb of John the Baptist–marked the first time a pope set foot in a mosque.
Syrian Muslim leaders Sunday grieved for a leader who they say broke barriers between Islam and Christianity.
“Believe me, it was a very strong message for all the world when he came to Damascus,” said Mohammad al Habash, a moderate Muslim leader and member of the Syrian parliament. “In history, the official attitude in the Vatican had led many popes to avoid any visits of mosques, but this pope had a very brave vision.”
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