ROME — Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, received Sheikh Muhammad Al-Issa, secretary general of the Muslim World League and chairman of the Muslim Scholars Association, at the Pope's office in Vatican City. During the meeting, they discussed ways of enhancing bilateral cooperation, in addition to a number of topics of mutual concern. During his official visit to Italy, the MWL chief attended a number of high profile events and functions. The University of Bologna conferred on Sheikh Al-Issa a Post Doctorate Honorary Fellowship in Law, in a grand ceremony, which was also attended by the President of the University, the Dean of the Faculty of Law, a number of academics, Italian Islamic leaders, and Catholic figures. The MWL chief was granted the Honorary Fellowship in appreciation of his outstanding contributions in implementing the goals of the United Nations Charter, which represents the hope of the peoples of the world for peace. These contributions are identified as reducing tensions between cultures, building bridges between human societies on the basis of understanding about differences, and cooperation in commonalities, which supports the efforts of peace and friendship between peoples through multiple and effective initiatives. Speaking on the occasion, Sheikh Al-Issa stressed that honoring him with conferring on the post-doctorate honorary fellowship in law from one of the most prestigious Western universities "represent our Islamic values that we must clarify to everyone, based on our position of responsibility in the Muslim World League, the Association of Muslim Scholars, and the Association of Islamic Universities." During the Italian visit, Sheikh Al-Issa inaugurated the "Islamic Studies and Arabic Language Award" in a ceremony held at the Catholic University of Milan, in the presence of a high-level delegation headed by Prime Minister of Vatican and Secretary General Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the President of the University as well as faculty members, students, and prominent Italian Islamic leaders. The Islamic leaders considered this award within the Catholic University, which is the most famous university in the world in its academic specialization and its accompanying studies, as a great hope that has been long awaited in such an important and influential global platform in Christian societies. The award includes several branches in the fields of Islamic studies and the Arabic language, and focuses on clarifying Islamic concepts in a number of scientific issues and matters, as well as supporting the learning of the Arabic language and learning about its characteristics and beauty.
