Shortly after receiving news of the first U.S. and British attacks on Afghan targets, Bishop Girolamo Grillo of Civitavecchia said there is «no conflict between the religions.»
The Catholic Church «is obviously close to Muslim brothers in these tragic hours despite bin Laden´s proclamation of a ´holy war,´» said Bishop Grillo, a former diplomat of the Vatican State Secretariat and professor of Church social doctrine at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Saudi-born bin Laden made his appeal to a holy war in defense of Islam on Sunday, on Qatar´s Al-Jazira television station.
According to Bishop Grillo, this alleged «war between the Muslim world and Christian community» has been rejected by important leaders of the Islamic world, who said the Taliban of Afghanistan in no way represent Muslims.
