Honoring the Baptist
By JOHN L. ALLEN, JR.
NCR Staff Damascus, Syria
When Pope John Paul II made history May 5 by being the first pope
to enter an Islamic mosque, he did so in a spot uniquely suited to symbolize
interreligious dialogue.
The Grand Mosque of Omayyadi, located in the heart of Old
Damascus, is built on the site of an old Roman temple to Jupiter. Later, the
Christian church of St. John the Baptist was erected under the Emperor
Theodosius, thus it represents a form of Christianity that dates back well
before the Catholic-Orthodox divide.
In 706, after the Islamic conquest of the region, the church was
partially destroyed and rebuilt as a mosque. Several elements survive, however,
from the church, including the internal columns and three towers converted into
minarets. One, the so-called minaret of Jesus, is, according to
local Christian legend, the spot from which Jesus will announce the last
judgment.
Inside the mosque is a chapel believed to hold the head of John
the Baptist. (Recall that, according to the New Testament, Herod ordered
Johns head severed from his body). The relic was lost during the
Christian period, but rediscovered during the construction of the mosque.
Because Islam also recognizes John as a prophet -- he is known by
the Arabic name Yahya -- Califf Al-Walid ordered the chapel built. The current
chapel is made of marble, replacing the wooden original that burned in an 1893
fire.
The mosque is called grand because it is enormous.
John Paul walked virtually the entire length of it during his visit. Because
the floor is covered with carpets of different sizes and thicknesses, the
ailing pontiff stumbled several times as he made his way toward the John the
Baptist chapel for a moment of prayer.
The pope, like all visitors to a mosque, took off his shoes before
entering. Personal secretary Stanislaw Dziwisz removed the reddish-tan papal
loafers and placed slippers on the popes feet.
Because of the Islamic ban on images, a mosque, unlike the great
churches of the Christian world, is not a showroom for artistic masterpieces.
It is more like a community center, with people stretched out on the floor and
kids playing. When NCR visited, one young Syrian was doing his algebra
homework and a group of men were playing cards.
National Catholic Reporter, May 18,
2001
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