Pope urges German Catholics to talk with Muslims

VATICAN CITY, Nov 10 (Reuters) Pope Benedict today urged his fellow German Catholics on Friday to discuss their faith in Jesus Christ openly with Muslims living there.

Addressing visiting German bishops, he said Catholics conducting a dialogue with Muslims should have enough knowledgeof Church history and languages to explain their faith convincingly.

Benedict caused an uproar in the Muslim world with a speech in September hinting that Islam was an irrational and violent religion.

He has since apologised and stressed the need for Catholics and Muslims to get to know each other better.

The Pontiff said the Roman Catholic Church viewed Muslims ''with respect and good will.'' ''They mostly hold on to their religious convictions and rites with great seriousness and have a right to see our humble and strong witness for Jesus Christ,'' he said after noting that modern German society had been largely secularised.

''To do this convincingly, we need to make serious efforts. So wherever there are many Muslims, there should be Catholics with sufficient knowledge of languages and Church history to enable them to talk with Muslims.'' Benedict said these spokespeople should have a solid knowledge of Catholic teachings.

Germany has 3.2 million Muslims, many of them of Turkish background who went there as foreign guest workers. The Berlin government launched an official dialogue with Muslim organisations in September to promote their integration.

Reuters SB GC2150