Pope enters mosque in Syria

Historic gesture comes as he calls for peace
in Middle East

Pope John Paul II Sunday prays in front of the tomb of St. John the Baptist, assisted by his personal secretary Stanislas Dziwisz, at the Great Umayyad mosque in Damascus.

DAMASCUS, Syria, May 6 —  Pope John Paul II, reaching out to both Christians and Muslims during his second day in Syria on Sunday, became the first pontiff to enter a mosque. The pope stepped into a historic shrine along with Muslim leaders, after making a fervent call for Muslims, Christians and Jews to work for peace. The pope is retracing the footsteps of St. Paul on the road to Damascus.