Pope Benedict has a thirst for understanding Islam and conducting a sincere dialogue with its followers, says a Muslim philosopher who discussed Islam and Christianity with him.
Mustapha Cherif, a former higher education minister and ambassador of Algeria, said the Pope showed during in a meeting at the Vatican on Saturday he wanted to understand Muslim views on jihad and the role of reason in faith.
The Pope, who sparked Muslim protests in September with a speech hinting Islam was violent and irrational, also wanted to explore how the faiths could work together. He is due to visit predominately Muslim Turkey late this month.
"He is a great theologian but not an expert in Islam," Mr Cherif, the first Muslim intellectual received by the pontiff since his election in April 2005, said on Monday in Paris.
"What touched me was his thirst to understand. He is a man of dialogue," said Mr Cherif, long active in Christian-Muslim dialogue in France.
Although several Christians have written fine books on Islam, Mr Cherif said, there was no substitute for discussing the faith with a believing Muslim. "He needs to have someone explain it to him with respect, which is what I did," he said.