Pope Francis hosts banquet in honor of Azhar Grand Imam

ROME - 7 November 2017: Pope Francis on Tuesday hosted a banquet at his home in honor of visiting Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed Al Tayyeb following their summit at the Papal Residence in the Vatican, a statement by Al Azhar said.

The two top religious leaders held a 150-minute friendly meeting, the statement added.

They affirmed the need to boost joint efforts to adopt a serious dialogue between the East and the West to resolve disputes, according to the statement.

Issues of sectarian conflict, religious persecution and racism, as well as spreading peace, tolerance and the values of justice and equality topped the meeting's agenda, it added.

The grand imam is currently paying a visit to Rome to attend a conference organized by the St Egidio community.

The meeting marked the second trip to the Vatican in two years by Egypt's top Muslim leader. His first meeting with the pope in May 2016 marked an important step forward after five years of suspended dialogue between the Holy See and Al-Azhar.

In April, Pope Francis traveled to Cairo to visit the headquarters of Sunni Muslim scholarship and attend an international peace conference. During his two day visit to Egypt, the pope urged religious leaders to denounce violations of human rights and expose attempts to justify violence and hatred in the name of God.

He appealed for respectful interfaith dialogue, saying the only alternative to a culture of civilized encounter is the incivility of conflict.

The pope also called for dialogue based on sincerity and the courage to accept differences.