Muslims see new hope of dialogue with Catholic Church

Senior Muslim clerics in Egypt believe Pope Benedict XVI's resignation could reopen the way for dialogue with the Catholic Church, which had been severed after Benedict's controversial 2006 remarks on the Muslim prophet.

But improved ties between the church and Al-Azhar, the premier seat of Sunni Muslim learning, would depend on the next pope's approach to the Muslim world, the clerics said.

"The resumption of ties with the Vatican hinges on the new atmosphere created by the new pope," said Mahmud Azab, a senior adviser on inter-faith relations for the head of Al-Azhar Ahmed al-Tayyeb.

"The initiative is now in the Vatican's hands," he said.

In 2006, Benedict sparked fury across the Muslim world when he recounted an anecdote in which the Prophet Mohammed was described as a warmonger who spread evil teachings by the sword.

Dialogue resumed in 2009, but was again severed after the pope strongly called for protection of Christian minorities following a January 2011 suicide bombing at a church in Alexandria, Egypt's second city.