Pope Francis is reported to have sent a letter to Ahmed et-Tayyib,
the sheikh of Al-Azhar University, the highest religious authority in
Egypt, in which he called for greater understanding between Muslims and
Christians.Turkey's TRT news agency said the letter was delivered by the nuncio Jean-Paul Aime Gobel and the sheikh made it clear to the nuncio that the "anti-Islam discourse in the West" was their "red line" that he rejected outright.
An Al-Azhar spokesman said the visit bore "a strong message regarding the normalisation of Al Azhar-Vatican relations", which have been frozen since January 2011.
At an Angelus last month Francis referred to Muslims as "our brothers".