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Rabat – The Head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis has underlined the importance of the spiritual leadership of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.
“The spiritual leadership and prayers of King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, are precious to us,” Pope Francis said on Wednesday during the reception of the Moroccan advisor Andre Azoulay in Saint Pierre’s palace in Vatican City.
Azoulay transmitted King Mohammed VI’s greetings and recalled the historical impact of Pope Francis’ visit to Morocco in March 2019.
“A visit signed with the seal of exception and whose memory remains vivid in the hearts and in the memory of all Moroccans,” Azoulay said.
Morocco’s Ambassador to the Holy See Rajaa Naji Mekkaoui and President of the Hebrew Law Research Center in Bayt Dakira Abdellah Ouzitane accompanied the Moroccan advisor during the visit.
Azoulay’s visit comes on the sidelines of the “The Common Word and Active Spirituality” symposium organized by the Moroccan embassy and the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas.
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During the symposium, Azoulay underlined the role of King Mohammed VI in promoting peace and tolerance.
Recalling the long-standing relations between Morocco and the Vatican, Ambassador Mekkaoui noted that King Mohammed VI “has reiterated, on several occasions, his determination to work, together with the Pope, for the consecration of the noble religious and spiritual values shared by humanity.”
Mekkaoui also highlighted the historic visit of the late Pope John Paul II to Morocco in 1985, making the Kingdom the first Muslim country visited by a Pope.
Secretary of State at the Vatican Cardinal Pietro Parolin further applauded the relations between Rabat and Vatican City that trace back to the 11th century. With Morocco being a “natural bridge between Africa and Europe,” he said, the country “is a plural and tolerant country, which has always been a crossroads where civilizations meet.”
For his part, the Archbishop of Rabat Cardinal Cristobal Lopez Romero lauded Morocco’s contribution to establishing a society based on values of friendship and fraternity that promote peace and prosperity.
