Historic meeting between Pope Francis and the sheikh of Al-Azhar in the Vatican

ROME (Ina) - met with Pope Francis on Monday afternoon at the Vatican Sheikh of Al - Azhar Ahmed al - Tayeb in a historic meeting "very cordial , " according to a spokesman for theHoly See after ten years of strained relations between the two religious communities. 
The Pope told reporters that the message from this meeting , which has seen hugging between them, they are "our meeting" in itself. 
It is the first time that such a meeting is happening in the Vatican. The late Pope John Paul II visited the Sheikh of Al - Azhar late Mohamed Sayed Tantawi in Cairo on February 27 2000. 
It took the private meeting between Pope Francis and the sheikh of Al - Azhar about half anhour , according to the Vatican statement. 
He praised the two officials Dinaan according to Agence France - Presse , " the task ofsignificance to this meeting new in the framework of the dialogue between the Catholic Church and Islam. " 
according to the Vatican, the Pope and the sheikh of Al - Azhar in particular , in search of " peace in the world, renounce violence and terrorism and the situation of Christians in thecontext of conflict and tension in the Middle East, as well as protect them. " 
held the meeting in the Vatican Library and presented Pope Francis to his guest a copy of the public his message about the environment as well as medals of peace. 
this constitutes a meeting between Tantawi and Pope Francis a new stage in thereconciliation between the two sides after ten years of tense relations because of comments made ​​by the previous Pope Benedict XVI and interpreted as linking Islam and violence. 
resumed dialogue slowly after Pope Francis assuming the presidency of the Catholic Church with the exchange of envoys.