Pope could visit Rome mosque on Jan 27

(ANSA) - Vatican City, January 19 - Pope Francis could visit the Great Mosque of Rome on January 27, the president of the Union of Islamic Communities in Italy (UCOII), Izzedin Elzir, said Tuesday.
    "A delegation representing the community at Rome mosque will meet in the Vatican this afternoon to reaffirm and underscore the importance of the dialogue with the Catholic Church that has been taking place for decades," the imam told Catholic broadcasters Tg2000 and inBlu Radio.
    "Today it is necessary to highlight the importance of this dialogue more than ever before," Elzir concluded. On Monday ANSA reported that the pope might visit the mosque in Rome - allegedly the largest place of Muslim worship in Europe - during the course of the special Holy Year of Mercy.
    Francis would be the first pope to visit the mosque, which was inaugurated in 1995.