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Rabat – In the wake of a global coalition against ideology-linked violence and intolerance, several senior UN officials have touted Pope Francis’ visit to Morocco as an important step in the fight against religious intolerance.
They have argued that beyond its symbolic significance of the papal visit, the papal visit could had perceptible impact on the North African country and may hopefully prove as important for interfaith dialogue and peace beyond Moroccan borders.
The High Representative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, Miguel Angel Moratinos, commented on Pope Francis visit to Morocco, emphasizing that the trip was “historic.”
Read also: Pope Francis: It Was a Joy, Honor to Visit the Noble Kingdom of Morocco
“This visit is also part of the will of two great personalities, His Holiness Pope Francis and His Majesty King Mohammed VI, who both have a roadmap to show that belonging to a religion and to a culture should not be an obstacle, but on the contrary, an element of mutual understanding and respect for each other’s part,” Moratinos said.
Pope Francis visited Morocco on March 30-31. During his two-day stay in the North African country, the pontiff met with King Mohammed VI and several senior Moroccan officials.
On March 30, the King and the Pope signed a Jerusalem appeal, a document meant to raise awareness on the Palestine-Israel crisis and preserve the multi-religious status of the city. Jerusalem is considered a holy site for all three Abrahamic religions.
Earlier this week, Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson of the United Nations Secretary-General, commented on the pope’s Moroccan visit. In his comments, Dujarric joined the chorus of voices that have hailed the historic significance of the papal visit in terms of advancing earlier this week.
According to the UN spokesperson, the Jerusalem appeal reflects the UN’s position on the status of Jerusalem.
The document, Dujarric noted,“goes along the lines of what the Secretary-General has been saying for a quite long time, that Jerusalem has a sacred character for Jews, for Christians and Muslims and that it needs to be preserved.”
The pope’s visit to Morocco is “extremely important and extremely symbolic,” he added.
